My Evil Wife Is a Nine-Tailed Fox

The moment another barrier appeared above them, Shen Minyao had realized that Mu Qing appeared nearby. Li Fei'er also brought down the one she made earlier, allowing Mu Qing to take over the protection, keeping the miasma from spreading around the residential area where the humans lived. 

"A grim reaper?" Qin Zhi looked at his sister with curiosity. He understood her need to pretend as a human, for her to be able to hide from the other shamans and exorcists. However, he didn't think she would involve herself with an odd group of people. 

"Hn. I didn't expect that he would be here," Shen Minyao replied, ignoring her brother's unspoken question. 

What could she say? She and Mu Qing were only acquainted with each other because their interests somewhat aligned with their goals. It wasn't like she was willing to lend a hand to Mu Qing casually. It wouldn't go on for too long, though. Shen Minyao was sure that they would oppose each other eventually. 

Suddenly, they sensed that the miasma was being purified from the outside. Sparks of electricity appeared around Shen Minyao. It was only natural for Li Fei'er's purifying skill to affect every demon in the vicinity, including Shen Minyao and Qin Zhi. 

"She's purifying the place. Should we get going?" She asked Qin Zhi. 

Qin Zhi's naginata disappeared from his hand, while Shen Minyao's Hellreaver returned to its previous state as a bracelet. It vibrated, violently trying to reject the purification that Li Fei'er was giving to the place from outside the barrier. 

"Should I break the grim reaper's barrier, then?" Qin Zhi asked in return, but by doing that, the humans outside would realize that it was broken by a demon. 

Shen Minyao didn't respond and pondered at her choices. Qin Zhi wouldn't be affected by Li Fei'er's purifying skill, but it would hurt her and her Hellreaver if they decided to stay. 

'Damn you, Mu Qing. What are you trying to play now?' She thought. 

Li Fei'er wouldn't dare to lower her barrier and start purifying the place if Mu Qing hadn't shown up unannounced. Was he trying to kill her now? Shen Minyao wondered. After all, the king of the netherworld and the deities would surely try to punish her for her crimes in her past life. 

'You should take your leave before Lady Li kills you.' 

Suddenly, Mu Qing's voice reached the fox woman. Shen Minyao blinked, trying to ascertain whether she was hearing things or Mu Qing was actually giving her a way out. 

'Why are you doing this?' She asked in return. 

Shen Minyao narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Why would Mu Qing offer help at a time like this? If Mu Qing had the intention to kill her, this was the best way for him to eliminate her: using Li Fei'er's help. 

'I'm not someone who likes to borrow a person's dagger to kill someone else,' Mu Qing replied as if knowing what she was thinking at that moment. 'I also have no interest in killing you.' 

'Is that so?' Shen Minyao replied. She sensed that Mu Qing was not lying, but she wasn't certain of what his intention was—extending an olive branch to her this time. 

'There's a weak spot at the back of the kindergarten where you could easily slip out along with your companion. Lady Li wouldn't sense that you'd left,' Mu Qing told her. 

Shen Minyao didn't respond and fell silent. Her arm got a slight burn when another spark of electricity appeared. Li Fei'er's purification began to touch her demonic aura. If this persisted, it would cause an injury to her human host. 

Sighing to herself, Shen Minyao knew by then that she had no other choice but to accept Mu Qing's help. It was either that, or she could reveal her identity as the nine-tailed fox demon to Li Fei'er. 

Since Qin Zhi couldn't hear the conversation between her and Mu Qing, he had no idea that words were spoken to her sister. He frowned when Shen Minyao started to walk away without a word, forcing him to follow after her. 

When they reached the backyard of the kindergarten, Shen Minyao used a small burst of her demonic power and punched a hole in the barrier. It wasn't that large, but it was enough for Shen Minyao and Qin Zhi to leave the place and avoid being purified by Li Fei'er's powers. 

"How did you know about this?" Qin Zhi voiced out his curiosity. 

"That certain grim reaper wants me alive. It makes me wonder if he's in cohorts with that person trying to annoy me to death earlier," Shen Minyao replied. 

She couldn't sense that presence anymore as if it wasn't there in the first place, but the fox woman knew better. She might not be able to pinpoint their location, but they hadn't hidden their presence altogether. They were purposely trying to annoy her, knowing that she would sense their presence from afar. 

"You should be careful with whom you are getting involved. I'm not sure how you ended up being acquainted with a grim reaper, but compared to a shaman and an exorcist, they are more capable of killing you if their superior told them so," Qin Zhi reminded her. 

"I know. You don't have to tell me." Shen Minyao waited and watched as the burn on her right arm slowly healed on its own. If a human witnessed such a scene, there was no doubt that they would suspect that she was possessed or a demon. 

Qin Zhi nodded and didn't say more. It was enough that his sister understood all of these. He didn't like her to encounter another betrayal in this lifetime. It was enough that he had lost her once; he wouldn't allow her to get hurt under his watch now that they're together. 

"It's a pity that Feng Jiu has been reborn as a shaman this time. I wonder what she will say if she finds out that she has unwillingly injured the two of us today." The fox woman chuckled as they made their way to meet the three humans and Mu Qing at the front gates of the school. 

It should give her enough time to heal her external injuries and repel the scent of the demons that clung to her body during their battle earlier. 

"She will be mortified," Qin Zhi replied. He wanted to correct his sister and say that he wasn't injured at all, but he decided to keep it to himself. "Jiu hates it whenever you get hurt because of her." 

"Well, she wouldn't know this time." Shen Minyao shrugged. "But I bet Li Fei'er is worried sick about me." 

Qin Zhi decided not to reply. Her tone was clearly teasing him again. For Li Fei'er to not remember him nor care about him… it didn't matter anyway. Li Fei'er might be his wife's reincarnation, but it didn't mean that she needed to be swayed and return to his arms in this state. 

The fact that she was now a shaman while he was still a demon wouldn't allow them to reforge their bonds as husband and wife. Also, because Li Fei'er was still a human, Qin Zhi would still outlive her. 

When Li Fei'er saw Shen Minyao walking towards them along with Qin Zhi, she released a deep sigh. She was glad that Shen Minyao managed to come back to them without any injuries, not knowing that she had burned Shen Minyao earlier because of her purification spell. 

The miasma inside the dome was also starting to get thinner, much to her relief. 

"Shen Minyao, are you alright?" Lu Anqi voiced Li Fei'er's question. Because she needed to focus on purifying the place, she couldn't leave her place and question Shen Minyao herself.

"Thank you for your concern, Schoolmate Lu, but I'm perfectly fine. Mr. Qin managed to protect me from stronger demons." 

"What are you doing here, Mr. Qin?" This time, Lu Anqi questioned Qin Zhi. Of course, she and the others were surprised when they saw him accompanying Shen Minyao earlier. Lu Anqi and Li Fei'er thought that Shen Minyao only met him back at their meeting at the shopping mall a few days ago. 

"I sensed a disturbance in this place. It's merely a coincidence that I met Miss Shen here." Qin Zhi only smiled.

"Lord Hell, you are quite late," Shen Minyao told the grim reaper. "Did you come, expecting to collect more human souls tonight?" 

"En. I was asked to intervene," Mu Qing replied nonchalantly. "The miasma that accumulated inside was enough to kill hundreds of humans in one night." 

Shen Minyao hummed and rubbed her chin. "Is that so?" 

She gave him a knowing look as if she was telling him: 'I thought you came here to kill me for good.'

With her powers slowly arising since her awakening, it would only take a matter of time before Mu Qing's superiors deemed her as a threat to humanity once more.