Chapter 186: Chapter 184: Are You a Local Fox?
Damn it!
Qin Li was incredibly frustrated. ’If you were going to run, then just run! Why did you have to come back? I was just passing by, okay?’
"Hey, you big oaf! Why are you chasing me? The one you’re after is behind you!" Qin Li shouted.
"I’ll eat you first, then we’ll talk!" The burly, dark-skinned man seemed to have locked onto Qin Li. His massive body charged forward like a tank with the speed of a sports car, pursuing him relentlessly.
"Son of a bitch!" Qin Li cursed, drawing Blood Drinking. He spun around and slashed, sending a blast of Sword Qi at the man.
Even a transformed Spirit Beast like this man dared not underestimate the might of the Divine Sword. Startled, he threw two punches, one after the other, blasting out two streams of Power that collided with the Sword Qi, creating a tremendous BOOM.
A deep gash appeared on one of the man’s fists. He froze for a moment, then flew into a rage, roaring as he charged at Qin Li.
Qin Li let out a cold laugh. ’That girl doesn’t seem hostile toward me,’ he thought. ’If it’s two against one, what the hell is there to be afraid of?’
With that in mind, he brandished his sword and met the large man head-on.
Just as he expected, the girl joined the fray without hesitation, unleashing fierce attacks against the man.
"Damn you!" the man roared. His body suddenly transformed into a giant black bear, a full ten meters tall. It landed on the ground and slammed its massive paws down.
The wasteland ground trembled violently as if struck by an earthquake. Within a hundred-meter radius, dozens of columns of earth shot up, rocketing toward the two figures in the sky.
Then, the giant bear began to spin, instantly creating a black whirlwind that swept up a storm of sand and rock, surging toward the pair.
The dirt and rocks battered against Qin Li’s Protective Gang Qi, the sheer force of the impacts startling him. But the more intense it became, the more exhilarated he felt.
With a long cry, he dove, sword in hand, unleashing wave after wave of Sword Qi down at the black bear.
The world was instantly filled with flying sand and stones as powerful shockwaves radiated outward in all directions.
Countless wild beasts across the wasteland scattered and fled. Even the numerous Spirit Beasts among them were scared away by the terrifying aura.
In a dangerous place like this, the farther one ran, the better.
The girl’s techniques were incredibly clever and just as powerful. With Qin Li’s help, they ganged up on the bear two-to-one, and it soon found itself at a disadvantage.
Seeing that things were not going its way, the black bear let out an angry roar and, with a complete lack of kingly dignity, turned and fled.
After such an exhilarating battle, Qin Li was in a great mood. He looked at the wasteland they had torn to shreds and couldn’t help but laugh.
At the same time, however, he was shocked by the power of the black bear Spirit Beast. If the girl hadn’t been there to help today, he would have had to flee shamelessly, just like the bear.
The creature was so tough and thick-skinned. Even his sharpest Sword Qi strikes had only managed to cause superficial wounds, not even harming its Tendons and Bones. He had to admit, the giant bear’s defense was terrifyingly strong.
The girl hadn’t left. Instead, she was looking at Qin Li with a joyful expression. Her lively eyes darted about before she walked over, gave a graceful curtsy, and said in a clear, sweet voice, "Thank you for saving my life!"
Only then did Qin Li take a good look at the girl. After observing her, only one thought remained in his mind: ’No wonder King Zhou was so bewitched by Daji...’
Compared to this girl, the charm Bu Yunyan possessed was mere child’s play!
She was the very definition of naturally enchanting. Her face was the epitome of purity! A single glance was enough to make one feel they couldn’t bear to harbor a single profane thought. Her eyes, in particular, were incomparably alluring, yet her gaze was as pure and profound as autumn waters!
Her skin was as white as jade and looked so delicate it might break at a touch. With a perfect nose, cherry-red lips, and features as if painted, who would ever guess she was a Spirit Beast? She was clearly a peerless beauty capable of toppling nations!
No wonder the giant bear was captivated at first sight. Her beauty was truly breathtaking. Among all the women Qin Li had met, only Shangguan Shiyu could compare to her!
A trace of stunned admiration showed in Qin Li’s eyes. He then gave a wry smile. "I just happened to be passing by. Even without me, if you couldn’t win, you could have always run away. What is there to thank me for?"
The girl’s eyes darted about, and she giggled. "Well, I just want to thank you anyway. By the way, this wasteland is deserted. What are you doing here? It’s very dangerous!"
Qin Li smiled faintly. "I’m here on business, of course. Um, getting involved in your affairs was completely unintentional. I should be on my way."
With that, he turned to leave. The giant bear’s power was terrifying, and this girl was no pushover either! Qin Li really didn’t want to get too involved with these Spirit Beasts. More importantly, he had a feeling that this girl’s feelings toward him were a bit... unusual.
"Hey, why are you like this? Did you hear that stupid bear say I was a fox, and now you’re scared of me? That’s right, I’m a Spirit Beast, but I’ve already achieved human Transformation! Do you hate me just because of that? Boohoo, I’m so pitiful, everyone bullies me..." As she spoke, her eyes reddened. She looked at Qin Li with a pitiful, charming expression, on the verge of tears, in a way that would make anyone’s heart tremble.
’What a powerful charm!’ Qin Li was startled. He quickly said, "So what do you want?"
"I... I want..." The girl blinked her bright, dewy eyes a couple of times. "Yeah, what do I want? Hmm, don’t try to change the subject. Tell me, do you hate me?"
"Miss, you possess a heavenly beauty. How could I possibly hate you? It’s just that we are complete strangers who met by chance. It’s only natural we go our separate ways now."
’Hmph, what do you mean, complete strangers? You even spanked my butt!’ the girl thought resentfully. A smile then appeared on her face, and she said in a melodious voice, "That’s right. According to you humans, a chance meeting is a sign of fate. Since we met in a place like this, it must be fate. How about we travel together?"
’Like hell I want to travel with you!’ Qin Li thought, shaking his head repeatedly. He pointed to the mountain range in the distance. "I’m heading to that canyon over there. Are you going there too?"
The girl glanced in the direction Qin Li was pointing and, without any hesitation, nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes! That’s exactly where I’m going!"
Dark lines formed on Qin Li’s forehead. Qin Hanyue had clearly told him that every June, all Spirit Beasts would automatically leave that Grand Canyon. So why was this fox daring to head right into it?
Thinking of this, Qin Li asked, "Don’t you know all Spirit Beasts leave that canyon every June? And you still want to go in with me?"
"They leave... what does that have to do with me? If I want to go in, I’ll go in!" the girl said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
This time, Qin Li was completely speechless. "Fine, follow me if you want. But don’t blame me if anything happens!"
"Don’t worry, don’t worry!" the girl said confidently, patting her ample chest. "I’ll protect you. Nothing will happen!"
"..."
...
"Hey, what’s your name, human?"
"Qin Li!"
"What an ugly name!"
"..."
"How old are you?"
"..."
"Where are you from?"
"..."
"Why are you ignoring me? Boohoo..."
Qin Li looked speechlessly at this Little Fox, whose mouth hadn’t stopped moving the entire journey. "Why do you talk so much nonsense? You’re not like a Spirit Beast at all."
"Wow, really? I really don’t seem like a Spirit Beast? Then what do I seem like?" the girl asked, ignoring his first question and looking at Qin Li with pleasant surprise.
"A chatterbox."
"You’re discriminating against me!" The girl clearly had a good enough grasp of human language to not only understand everything Qin Li said but also to talk back.
If he hadn’t overheard the conversation between the giant bear and this girl beforehand, even Qin Li would never have guessed she was a Spirit Beast. He had meant what he said—this little lass really didn’t seem like a Spirit Beast.
Qin Li rolled his eyes, ignored her, and continued walking. The girl made a face at his back and pouted. "What a petty man. Hmph, so petty!"
Having such a talkative girl for company on the road did alleviate some of the loneliness, but by the same token, he rarely had a moment of peace and quiet.
Qin Li felt the girl was like an inquisitive child. She was fluent in human language but completely clueless about social etiquette, and she was always pestering him with questions about his life.
Worn down by her pestering, Qin Li ended up telling her about some of his experiences. The girl’s eyes would widen each time, shocked by the deceit and backstabbing among humans.
"You humans are so complicated! Among Spirit Beasts, we each have our own territory. As long as we don’t invade each other’s space, nothing happens. But... fights between Spirit Beasts are also very cruel. I was almost killed in a sneak attack during my Transformation. Thankfully, someone saved me."
The girl seemed to recall something, and a blush of shyness mixed with annoyance appeared on her beautiful face. She continued, "It’s very difficult for Spirit Beasts to cultivate. But after Transformation, we gain meridians just like humans, and our cultivation speed becomes incredibly fast. I came out this time to temper myself and get stronger as quickly as possible!"
"By the way, what’s your name?" After three or four days had passed, Qin Li finally remembered to ask.
"Hmph, I thought you’d never ask!"
The girl pouted charmingly. "You better remember it. My name is Linghu Feiyue! What do you think? My grandpa gave it to me. He’s very learned. It’s a nice name, right? Don’t you forget it!"
"It’s a nice name," Qin Li nodded decisively, then asked, "Your surname is Linghu?"
The girl nodded. "We’re all foxes, right? My ancestors thought this human surname sounded the most like us, so they took it as our own!"
"..." Qin Li was speechless. But then, he asked a question that left the girl speechless in turn.
"By the way, are you a local fox?"
