Married the Second Generation Fox Demon with a Baby in a Flash Marriage - Chapter 16

Ye Xinyu was recuperating at the Fengjing Court villa.

After several days of recovery, her complexion was gradually worsening. She found herself unable to return to her peak state.

It was as if the spiritual energy she absorbed could no longer be stored within her body. Even while sitting perfectly still, she was constantly leaking energy at a rate much faster than usual. She could barely maintain about 70% of her normal capacity; any attempt to push beyond that failed.

Ye Xinyu was bewildered. She didn’t know what was wrong with her body.

Was this the consequence of losing her Primal Yin and the subsequent drop in strength? If so, how was she supposed to hunt demons or engage in battle? The situation was far worse than she had predicted.

While she was struggling to find a solution through cultivation, Huo Zhilan arrived.

“Xinyu, several more commissions have come in over the past few days—one from the Fengcheng government and two private ones. I’ve turned down the private ones for now, but the government request is difficult to refuse. I could only delay them for a bit. How is your recovery coming along?”

“It’s getting there,” Ye Xinyu paused. “Tell me about the commission.”

“It’s regarding Binhe Avenue. Several people have died there recently. Anyone who goes fishing or swimming in that area vanishes without a trace, not even leaving bones behind. Here are the files.” Huo Zhilan handed her the materials.

“Tell them to cordon off Binhe Avenue. No one is allowed near the water. Also, be careful with nearby swimming pools; it’s best if they are drained at night. Tell them this first. We will go to Binhe Avenue in three days to investigate,” Ye Xinyu said, her face grim.

“Can your body handle it?”

“I’ve rested for many days; I’ll be fine. We can’t break the partnership with the government. My mother’s whereabouts still depend on their network,” Ye Xinyu replied with a dismissive wave of her hand.

“Alright. I’ll bring extra talismans,” Aunt Lan said.

“Mm. Aunt Lan, what about those two girls we’re monitoring?” Ye Xinyu asked after a short silence.

“I’ve kept people on them. Here are the photos and videos of Tao Tao and Hu Mengmeng. There doesn’t seem to be anything unusual about them.” Aunt Lan showed her the phone.

Ye Xinyu looked. In the footage, Tao Tao stayed at home drawing, going nowhere and harming no one. As for Hu Mengmeng, she appeared to be a perfectly normal kid, spending her days helping her mother—who looked quite like her—find a shop, clean up, and handle logistics.

Hu Mengmeng and Su Mingli looked so much like a mother and daughter that Ye Xinyu’s suspicions had largely vanished. She was now only watching to see if the fox spirit would contact them. As for the possibility of Hu Mengmeng being a hybrid, Ye Xinyu didn’t even consider it; she knew the difficulty of human-demon reproduction too well. There hadn’t been a recorded case in nearly a century.

“So far, they haven’t contacted any strange strangers,” Huo Zhilan noted.

“I see. Keep watching Tao Tao. If she shows any intent to harm people, use a tranquilizer gun immediately. She isn’t very strong, so that should work. If she returns to Fengcheng, let me know right away. What about the other matters?”

“The Trapping Formation has been purchased. They drove a hard bargain—they wanted a plot of land in the suburbs plus a personal favor from you. As for the Gu family’s talismans, we bought everything they had at a fair price. The Ou family, however, is still being difficult. They backed down slightly, but now they want your ‘virgin blood’ in exchange for using the Tracking Tripod. The Ou family clearly has ill intentions; their interest in marriage is entirely centered on your Primal Yin. I suspect these recent Great Demon appearances were sent by them.”

Ye Xinyu’s expression shifted. She was well aware of the Ou family’s ulterior motives.

Now, Ye Xinyu no longer possessed what they coveted—her Primal Yin was gone, and so was her “virgin blood.” They had spent a great deal to send Great Demons to exhaust her, only to inadvertently benefit that fox spirit and lead to Ye Xinyu’s downfall.

Had she remained a virgin, her cultivation wouldn’t have dropped, her blood could have activated several Ye family artifacts, and her Evil-Slayer Sword would be more powerful. She wouldn’t have feared them.

Under current circumstances, she couldn’t tell the Ou family the truth—that she no longer had what they wanted. If she did, the Ou family might stop fearing the Ye family altogether and attempt to swallow them whole. Furthermore, if the news leaked, the various people and demons who held grudges against the Ye family would surely swarm them.

She could only rely on external protections to shield the family and herself while trying to keep the secret hidden.

“Ignore the Ou family for now. Just store the purchased items here. How is Grandpa doing at home?”

Grandpa was still recovering from his injuries, but his insight remained sharp. Huo Zhilan was an ordinary human who couldn’t see the change, but Grandpa was different. Ye Xinyu didn’t know how to explain things to him, so she could only delay her return and try to think of an excuse while she recovered.

Her grandfather had always hated demons, slaying every one he saw regardless of their nature, and her education had been focused on that path. Although that fox spirit had taken complete advantage of her, Ye Xinyu secretly didn’t want her to die. She only wanted to find the fox and make her a contracted demon to recover her losses.

“The old master threw a fit when he heard you couldn’t come back because of school. He’s quite grumpy. Once you’ve recovered, you should visit him. He’s getting more childlike as he gets older,” Aunt Lan said.

“I understand,” Ye Xinyu nodded.

She couldn’t go back just yet. She began preparing for Binhe Avenue. Even though her strength was only at 60–70%, some duties could not be ignored. If the opponent wasn’t strong, she could handle it; if they were too powerful, she wouldn’t play the hero.

The day before school resumed, Su Mingli applied for a permit for Hu Mengmeng to live off-campus.

Hu Mengmeng met Shen Yuexi again. This time, the feeling was different—there was a sense of kinship, the kind found between those of the same race. It was clearly palpable.

Shen Yuexi wore glasses and looked scholarly and gentle. Her kind smile improved Hu Mengmeng’s impression of her even more. However, Hu Mengmeng wouldn’t tell her secret to anyone except her mother.

Shen Yuexi didn’t recognize Hu Mengmeng. She didn’t oppose the request to live off-campus but repeatedly reminded her to stay safe. After finishing the paperwork and getting the housing refund, Su Mingli and Hu Mengmeng packed up the dorm.

Except for the arrogant Yu Luolu, the other two roommates were sad to see her go.

“We’ll see each other in class. Here is the delivery number for our family shop. If you want something to eat, just call. We’ll prioritize your orders and give you a 20% discount,” Hu Mengmeng said, leaving a business card.

After saying goodbye, they moved the luggage to the rented apartment. That afternoon, they went to the railway station to meet Tao Tao, but she never showed up. Su Mingli called Tao Zhengcheng to find out what happened.

“What did Uncle Tao say?” Hu Mengmeng asked as her mother hung up.

“He said Tao Tao is in a bad mood and doesn’t want to go to school. She went to her grandmother’s house in the countryside for a few days to clear her head. He told us not to worry. Sigh, she really hasn’t adjusted to the new school.”

“Mom, I bet she’s scared of the demon hunters. When she comes back, I’ll definitely protect her,” Hu Mengmeng said.

“Who knows when she’ll be back? If it’s too long, we’ll go visit her when we have time,” Su Mingli sighed.

The next day, the holiday ended. The freshmen had morning exercises and a flag-raising ceremony. Hu Mengmeng woke up early, ate breakfast, and ran to the event.

She smoothed down her messy short hair while looking for her class. Several boys kept glancing her way. Hu Mengmeng looked different now—she was thin, wearing well-fitted new clothes, and her face was fresh and cute. She was quite the eye-catcher.

Zhao Qingqing saw her and waved her over to their class queue. Several boys who had been staring at her were stunned. They hadn’t expected their “chubby” classmate to be such a “potential stock” once she lost weight! The ones who hadn’t been nice to her before were already regretting it, wondering how to get back on her good side.

Hu Mengmeng didn’t pay much attention. Half of her focus was on suppressing her bloodline, and the other half was spent trying to spot Lin Yuanya in the crowd. There were too many people, so she couldn’t find her.

As the crowd dispersed, someone blocked Hu Mengmeng and Zhao Qingqing’s path.

“Classmate, do you remember me? I’m from the Martial Arts Club. Are you interested in martial arts? I’m the Vice President, and I’m personally inviting you to join us,” a short-haired girl with a heroic look said to Hu Mengmeng, her eyes gleaming with excitement.