The magic blood of the demon monkey and demon leopard is simultaneously infused.
16 extra Spirit points and 14 extra Agility points are simultaneously added to the youth's body.
Li Xuan's physique begins to grow taller.
The magic body remains unchanged, the cloud patterns persist, but the mist resembling the frost that escapes from the corners of his mouth becomes thicker, as if it has the substance of a liquid.
Originally, it should float away directly, and then combine with the timing and location to generate mist.
But now, it directly drips down from Li Xuan's mouth like snow-white drool, causing waves and then rushing upwards, surging anew.
In just a moment, the inner chamber where Li Xuan was located became misty, with hands unable to see fingers; this effect is much better than before.
Li Xuan thought to himself: 'It seems like another function of the Spirit Attribute is to enhance Demon Skill.
With higher Spirit Attribute, even the same Demon Skill becomes stronger.
Before, I fought with the demon monkey several times, and only in the already wet rainy weather was the mist formed that slowed its reaction.
If it were to happen again, even without rain, I could still make the surrounding environment blurry with a breath of mist.'
'Besides this, the emission and retraction can be as I wish.'
Li Xuan took a deep breath, and the demonic mist in the room was swiftly absorbed, returning to his abdominal cavity, disappearing without a trace.
The view in the inner room suddenly became clear again.
Li Xuan considered for a moment, then suddenly initiated Illusion Skill, forming an illusionary figure beside him.
This illusionary figure is his illusionary figure after transformation.
However, this illusionary figure can no longer expel mist.
Li Xuan controlled this illusionary figure for simple testing and found that the reaction and speed of the illusionary figure were significantly faster, vaguely resembling a martial arts expert in Body Technique, with strength probably between second-rate and first-rate.
This immediately made him understand something else.
'It seems this illusionary figure formed by Illusion Skill can also become stronger as I become stronger.
My Agility Attribute is high now, so the figure's reaction is fast.
If I become stronger in the future, the figure will also become stronger.'
This realization made Li Xuan quite happy.
The infusion of two types of magic blood brought not only an enhancement in attributes but also an increase in the strength of both Demon Techniques.
Suddenly, another thought entered his mind.
'Is it possibly related to the Spirit Attribute that the mutated demon monkey possesses wisdom, while the illusive sly leopard lacks it?'
'But the illusive sly leopard is still a young demon, so its Spirit Attribute is very low; despite this, it is already a cunning and ferocious hunter.
If... there are mature great demons in the world, then will every great demon possess wisdom?'
This thought made Li Xuan shiver.
If demons gain wisdom, they will know how to cooperate.
If demons learn cooperation, what will happen to humans?
A mutated demon monkey already treats Xiongshan County as its playground, so.....
Li Xuan dared not continue thinking about it, feeling cold throughout his body at this moment.
All beings become fish and meat, the human realm turns into a playground...
But it's not the humans' playground; humans... are merely livestock bred in captivity.
The enjoyment belongs to the demons.
Li Xuan began to anticipate the government's response.
After learning of the tragic demise of a county's Magistrate and County Captain, will the government guess it's the work of demons, and will they dispatch someone to suppress and subdue the demons?
Be it Daoists or monks, anything will do.
As long as they can subdue demons, it will be good!
Li Xuan felt like a drowning man, a strong sense of suffocation and helplessness rising within him.
He hoped the Great Yin government had mysterious power.
This... is the lifeline he wants to grasp.
...
...
At this moment, there was sudden movement outside the room.
With one thought, the illusionary figure vanished, and he walked out to see a slender, seemingly fragile young woman in white standing outside the door.
He smiled, walked out the door, and called, "Yaohua."
Wei Yao saluted him and said, "The madam asked me to come to your courtyard to protect you, so I moved back in."
Just as she finished speaking, the old female servant helping her with her luggage couldn't help but laugh and said, "It was the young lady who said she wanted to protect the young master and took the initiative to seek out the madam."
Wei Yao's face turned red, and she exclaimed, "Aunt Zhao! You promised me!"
The old female servant, called Aunt Zhao, replied, "What's there to be shy about, young lady? It's a good thing."
Wei Yao stomped her foot, turned around angrily, and ran off to the outer courtyard. She looked back and said, "I won't enter the inner gate, I'll just guard outside."
Aunt Zhao then ran to Li Xuan and explained the situation.
Wei Yao had recently recovered both physically and in strength. She was worried about the flower-picking thief lurking in Xiongshan County, threatening the young master, so she voluntarily offered to stay in the outer courtyard.
Initially, the madam disagreed, given that the marriage arrangement between Li Xuan and Tian Yuan was still being discussed. Yet, because of this flower-picking thief, Xiongshan County was gripped with fear and anxiety, and the marriage date was indefinitely postponed.
Now the Li family was no longer considering a marriage alliance but the matter of safety.
Wei Yao had fought desperately to protect Li Xuan on Red Flower Mountain in the past. Now, wishing to stay in Li Xuan's courtyard again, the Li family's madam naturally hesitated no longer.
This is the whole story.
Aunt Zhao chuckled and said, "Eldest Young Master, surely Yaohua really cares for you, otherwise, she wouldn't have asked to come here. She is a good girl indeed."
Li Xuan asked, "Aunt Zhao, are you also going to continue staying here?"
Aunt Zhao shook her head with a smile and said, "I'm the madam's person. Now that I've completed my task of looking after Yaohua, I should return to the madam's courtyard."
Li Xuan nodded.
He knew that his mother must also be aware of the changes that had happened to Wei Yao, realizing that by some twist of fate, Wei Yao had become stronger than before. That's why his mother agreed as an exception to let Wei Yao come here.
His mother usually appeared to be a devout reader of scriptures, but in reality, she saw everything clearly within the household. Even the second madam couldn't contend with her, yet fortunately, she and the second madam got along quite harmoniously.
"Thank you for your hard work, Aunt Zhao," Li Xuan said as he returned to his senses.
"No need to say that," the old maid chuckled. "Young master, I'll go help Miss Yaohua tidy up."
...
...
Night.
The slender girl sat like a valiant statue in the outer courtyard of Eldest Young Master Li.
Though her eyes were closed, it was evident that she wasn't slacking off but was constantly aware of the subtle movements around her.
Li Xuan, wrapped in a cotton coat, crossed his arms and walked to the outer courtyard.
Before he could step outside, he heard a cold voice.
"It's bitterly cold, with thieves rampant. Please, young master, return to your room."
Li Xuan called out, "Alright, alright, I'll do as the young lady says."
Then, he ran to the outer courtyard.
Wei Yao gave him a fierce look and snorted, then closed her eyes, vowing not to speak to this hypocritical man.
But soon, she had no choice but to open her eyes and talk to this man.
Because... this man was undressing.
Wei Yao looked at him with cold, disdainful eyes and asked, "I am your servant, but I am not the same kind of servant as Rose. What does the young master intend to do?"
After taking off his cotton coat, Li Xuan suddenly flung it over Wei Yao's thin shoulders, enveloping her in an instant.
Wei Yao didn't dodge or shy away, allowing the coat, still imbued with Li Xuan's warmth, to wrap around her.
She asked, "Are you satisfied?"
Li Xuan replied, "Not satisfied."
Wei Yao frowned and said, "Then what else do you intend to do?"
Li Xuan said, "I intend to marry you."
Wei Yao's face turned pale, and she said sorrowfully, "I swore in front of my mother's tombstone that I would never marry."
Li Xuan saw through this clumsy excuse and laughed, "Then your mother in the underworld surely cannot rest in peace."
Seeing her ruse exposed, Wei Yao stopped acknowledging him.
Li Xuan laughed and said, "If you wish to protect me, wouldn't it be better to accompany me indoors? The room is warm, and also..."
"Men and women should maintain appropriate distance. I am just a servant. If you want to enter the house, please wait for the madam," Wei Yao insisted stubbornly. No matter how Li Xuan tried to talk to her, she ignored him.
Being driven to frustration, she suddenly spun around and leaped onto the eaves, sitting there beneath the moon like a wronged young wife, legs tightly pressed together, with her long spear slightly tilted.
Then she saw Li Xuan beginning to climb the pillars.
Wei Yao bit her teeth and jumped to the other eaves, stubbornly refusing to look in Li Xuan's direction.
Li Xuan, climbing the pillars, slipped with a "swoosh," thinking to himself: 'There's something odd about Wei Yao. She seems to have become unbelievably sensitive and unreasonably stubborn. Clearly caring for me, yet she insists on keeping her distance. I don't know what she's thinking.'
That night, he even tried spending the night in the courtyard, refusing to return to his room. But Wei Yao seemed to have made up her mind and simply would not pay attention to him.
With no other option, Li Xuan went back to his inner room, lit a candle, and opened up a set of exam study materials borrowed from Li Zhili, quickly immersing himself in reading.
He read line by line, each like they were "copied and pasted" into his mind.
Now, whenever he wanted to retrieve them, just a brief search would bring the details back.
Previously, Li Xuan wasn't very interested in official examinations, but now... he suddenly thought having more paths, more connections, broadening his information and secrets channels might not be a bad thing.
The Ding family, through their guests from elsewhere, were aware of tales of demons from other places, while his Li family was in the dark. If a catastrophe occurred, those who heard first would escape first, and the lack of information might result in total destruction.
Once he finished reading this hefty exam tome, he'd continue borrowing other books from Li Zhili, imprinting all examination materials into his mind.
Then... come the third spring of the year, he would transform into a diligent student, going to the Hundred Flowers Mansion under Xiongshan County's jurisdiction, joined by his younger brother to participate in the courtyard examination.