After Qingqiu Zili spoke the name of the ancient nemesis, Mulan fetched a book chronicling the history of the Azurehill Fox Clan.

This wasn’t a sudden whim.

Just moments earlier, a realization had struck her.

An Azurehill Fox’s bloodline shouldn’t react so readily to just anyone.

Even if Qingqiu Nine Calamities wasn’t one of them, such intense repulsion made no sense.

Normally, a disguised creature would merely lack the innate affinity of a true Azurehill Fox—indifference, not revulsion.

Yet Mulan’s bloodline screamed: *dangerous, repulsive*.

Perhaps Qingqiu Nine Calamities shared a peculiar bond with the clan’s bloodline.

Not necessarily friendly—possibly an ancient grudge.

What if… he was the Azurehill Fox Clan’s true nemesis?

The moment the thought formed, Mulan sought proof.

Returning to the Qingqiu Black Spire with the tome, they found relative safety. Only those with genuine Azurehill Fox blood could enter. An eight-tailed black fox elder resided there permanently—deeply reassuring.

Mulan had considered using the Spire’s barrier magic to expose Qingqiu Nine Calamities’ identity.

But how to lure him?

He enjoyed stellar favor among the elders, likely one step from becoming ruler of Qingqiu. Forcing him or voicing suspicion would fail. His support was overwhelming.

Worse: Mulan doubted the barrier’s reliability.

If he bypassed the Azure Fox Realm’s grand barrier so easily… would the Spire’s hold?

Still, the Fourth Elder doted on them. Even if he came looking for trouble, she’d be safe.

Leaning against the wall, Mulan settled the thick book on her lap.

She’d heard whispers of the clan’s curse before arriving at the Azure Fox Realm—but never details.

This tome recorded everything since the first Golden Nine Tails founded the clan.

Skipping the Golden Nine Tails’ glorious deeds, she flipped straight to “Greedwolf Cursefiend.”

Records stated: the Greedwolf was a legendary beast on par with the Golden Nine Tails—but no heavenly blessing. A calamity-bringer.

Its true name: *Cursefiend*—“evil curse” incarnate.

Born at the world’s peak: Sunshatter Rank.

Thanks to unique circumstances, its power surpassed typical Sunshatter limits.

Curses were its signature. Lifespan, luck, strength, bloodline, fate—nothing was immune.

Once targeted, extinction was inevitable.

Then came the Auspicious Fox.

Golden nine tails. A charm so radiant even gods marveled.

Its presence drove all beings mad with longing.

The Greedwolf Cursefiend was no exception.

Yet the Golden Nine Tails stood mighty—having clashed with the Dragonkin King, embodiment of ruin. Few dared imagine such a battle.

Undeterred, the Greedwolf pursued obsessively, weaving curses to claim it.

How could the noble Auspicious Fox fall to curses?

Cursefiend’s efforts were futile.

Never once did the Golden Nine Tails glance its way.

Spurned, the Greedwolf spiraled deeper into madness.

Fueled by twisted love and hate, it cursed the Azurehill Fox Clan—the Golden Nine Tails’ own creation—slaughtering countless in moments.

The Golden Nine Tails finally turned its gaze… and obliterated the beast in an instant.

The Greedwolf Cursefiend fell.

But horror lingered.

With its dying breath, it forged a bloodline-specific curse from its life force.

While the Golden Nine Tails lived, its auspicious aura nullified the curse.

Upon its death? The curse would ignite—dooming the clan to swift decline.

Such was the grudge between them.

“Hmm…”

Mulan fell deep in thought.

“So… could Qingqiu Nine Calamities be tied to the Greedwolf Cursefiend?”

She quickly dismissed it.

Slain long ago by the first Golden Nine Tails.

A calamity like that shouldn’t resurrect.

Flipping further, she spotted a critical note:

“The Greedwolf Church?”

In ancient times, strength commanded worship—evil or just.

Even the Greedwolf gathered fanatics.

They revered Cursefiend as deity, weaving a church of faith and frenzy.

Even after its death, followers committed atrocities in its name.

But such a cult couldn’t stay hidden.

With the Azurehill Fox Clan’s burning hatred, a coalition eradicated it.

History declared it gone.

Yet filth never vanishes completely.

Remnants might still lurk in shadows.

If any creature the clan despised above all? Greedwolf Church followers.

Mulan’s tail swayed gently.

“Could Qingqiu Nine Calamities be one of them? It feels… possible.”

If true—why risk entering the Azure Fox Realm?

The clan loathed Cursefiend and his followers equally.

Exposure meant no mercy from the eight-tailed elders.

Instant erasure would be the *merciful* end.

To come here… his purpose had to be extraordinary.

“If not for gain,” she murmured, “then to settle a deep grudge.”

Just a hypothesis—but Mulan would treat it as truth.

No doubt about it.

This was going to be a colossal headache.

A dull throb pulsed in her temples.

*Can’t I get one simple, easy case for once?*