Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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“Hey, big fox,” You Xu deliberately leaned closer, whispering in his ear, “Are your ears red?”
Shen Jue: “…”
You Xu’s eyes crinkled with laughter, her soft voice seductive as she said, “Why don’t you turn into your original form? That way I won’t be able to tell.”
“…” What was there to misunderstand? You Xu just wanted to trick him into turning into his fox form so she could touch every single fur on his body.
Shen Jue remained expressionless, not even glancing at her. He rolled over her, got off the bed, tucked his tail in, and left the Hua Pavilion amidst You Xu’s unrestrained laughter.
….
“How’s the magic array being set up?” a deep-voiced middle-aged man asked.
The subordinate replied, “Reporting to the Sect Master, the Yin-Yang Soul-Destroying Array has been set up in nine layers, and the Soul-Capturing Demon-Slaying Barrier has been set up in six layers. All high-level magical artifacts have been distributed to the demon-slaying masters within the Xing Sect.” The Xing Sect was a renowned demon-slaying master’s mansion, skilled in setting up arrays and barriers. Among them, the Yin-Yang Soul-Destroying Array and the Soul-Capturing Demon-Slaying Barrier were the most famous. Countless demons had died under their influence, their souls scattered.
“Sect Master, do not worry. This is the first time Xing Sect has set up so many formations and barriers. They will be more than enough for even killing ten Heart-Eating Foxes,” said Master Zuo. “Moreover, it is only a Heart-Eating Fox that is less than a hundred years old. If it dares to issue a challenge, it will only become a dead soul under Xing Sect’s command.”
The person called Sect Master still frowned: “The Dian Wei clan was slaughtered overnight. I’m afraid this fox’s strength should not be underestimated.”
Master Zuo smiled nonchalantly: “How can the Dian Wei clan compare to our Xing Sect? Instead of us capturing this Heart-Eating Fox, it has delivered itself to our door. Once we take its heart, Xing Sect will surely be able to unify the Demon-Slaying Master’s Mansion.”
Like the fragmented demon race, the Demon-Slaying Masters were not united. They also competed for fame and fortune, and they were all insecure. Therefore, on the night the Dian Wei clan was slaughtered, not many Demon-Slaying Masters went to help.
Hearing this, the sect leader’s brows furrowed, and he flicked his sleeves: “Very well, if we could slay two Heart-Eating Foxes back then, how could we not be able to deal with this fox that hasn’t even reached a hundred years old yet?”
In truth, Xing Sect back then was just a tiny, insignificant mansion. They used every means to obtain two pieces of flesh the size of a fingernail from the two Heart-Eating Foxes, which allowed them to advance their cultivation to what it is today.
Once they gained fame and status, they confused their past misery with their efforts towards success.
Master Zuo lowered his head, concealing the greedy desire in his eyes: “Sect Leader is absolutely right.” This time, he was determined to obtain the Heart-Eating Fox’s flesh and replace the current, pedantic, and cowardly sect leader.
“Heh.”
A soft laugh was clearly heard by everyone in the room, and they immediately tensed up, holding their breath.
A flash of silver light appeared at the doorway, and the door crashed down.
What appeared before them was a man standing on a rooftop not far away. His flowing black hair fluttered in the wind, his red-printed white robes billowed in the wind, and his eyebrows were slightly raised, a half-smile playing on his lips as he looked down at the people below.
“A… a heart-eating fox?!”
“He’s transformed?”
“Isn’t he not even a hundred years old yet?”
“We thought he’d come at night, but in broad daylight…the magic array and barrier are broken?”
Shen Jue waved his sleeve, and many swords and magical artifacts fell to the ground.
For a moment, everyone below was shocked. Even the sect leader’s face was extremely ugly. From the foot of the mountain to the top, the magic array and barrier were guarded by demon-slaying masters. Shen Jue not only broke the magic array and barrier, but he didn’t leave a single survivor. There wasn’t even anyone to inform him, and he was allowed to enter the sect’s mansion directly.
Shen Jue raised an eyebrow, seemingly enjoying the panic, fear, and despair of the crowd. He casually scoffed, “Whoever’s last words sound nice, I’ll only cut off their head, not their heart.”
The crowd fell silent, only a few daringly protesting, “Outrageous! How arrogant!”
The sect leader steadied himself, “Don’t panic. The elites of the Xing Sect are all here. As long as we unite, we can definitely take the demon’s head.”
The demon hunters, barely managing to regain their composure, drew their swords and magical weapons, aiming at Shen Jue.
Shen Jue sliced his index finger, drawing an arc in the air. A crescent-shaped blood-red blade swiftly slashed out, swirling in the center of the mansion, instantly killing more than half of the demon hunters. Many swords and magical weapons were broken, their fragments embedded in the ground.
Blood, flesh, and bone fragments covered the ground, and a thick, pungent stench of blood instantly filled the air.
The remaining few had trembling eyes, facing the threat of death, clearly aware of the overwhelming power they were facing, and that they had no chance of winning.
The sect leader took a few steps back, shrouded in fear, unable to even utter a word.
Seeing this, Master Zuo gritted his teeth: “Whoever can slay this fox today will receive half its heart.”
However, no one listened to his words anymore; compared to the boundless divine power they would gain later, they wanted to save their lives in the present.
“We can’t win!”
“Run!”
As soon as the word “run” was uttered, the remaining people rushed out of the sect. The first to run out was the sect leader, but after only a few steps, half of his body melted into pus and blood. The demon-slaying masters who rushed out all suffered the same fate.
“Ah …” Shen Jue smiled faintly: “Now, what do you think of your Xing Clan’s formation? And what about mine?”
….
After slaughtering the Xing Clan, Shen Jue waited a long time, but no other demon-slaying masters came to his aid, so he returned to the palace. He stopped in front of the Hua Pavilion, glanced down at his clothes to make sure they were spotless, and then pushed open the door and went inside.
It was already late at night, and the candlelight in the room illuminated a slender figure. Still not asleep? It’s so late; she’ll have a headache tomorrow. Shen Jue pursed his lips and walked to the innermost part of the room, where he saw You Xu busily packing. He asked, “Why aren’t you asleep yet? What are you doing?”
You Xu said expressionlessly, “Going back to Medicine Spirit Valley, you’re the only Heart-Eating Fox left, but I can have my brother catch other fox demons. Maybe even a nine-tailed fox. They have nine tails; they’ll definitely be very generous.”
As she spoke, You Xu was about to put the hand warmer and the bed into the storage bracelet when Shen Jue grabbed her wrist. You Xu looked up at him, the flickering candlelight reflecting a faint light in his dark eyes. They gazed at each other silently, seeing themselves reflected in each other’s eyes.
You Xu’s heart softened, and she said softly, “It’s alright, I was just joking, don’t worry about it. It’s just… seeing you haven’t come back for so long, I thought you were angry and ignoring me.”
So she expressed her worries through feigned petulance. You Xu took his hand, about to say something, when she noticed the cut on his palm. The bleeding had stopped, but the red flesh beneath the broken skin was still clearly visible. Without a word, she took out the medicine You Jingyan had left her from her storage bracelet and applied some wound-healing ointment to his palm.
Shen Jue lowered his eyes, seeing the girl’s focused expression, the warm yellow light falling on her fair face, her slender white fingertips brushing against his palm, causing a slight itch.
He didn’t know how to describe his current feelings; it was as if a hot spring was enveloping his heart, its warmth melting away the ice within.
Shen Jue: “Aren’t you going to ask why?”
You Xu continued what she was doing, not even looking up, and said, “If you want to tell me, I’ll listen. If you don’t want to, there’s no point in me asking.”
Shen Jue was slightly taken aback. He didn’t want to tell her; this was the wound he had inflicted while setting up the blood array, so he didn’t want her to know.
This wound was nothing. From childhood to adulthood, he had faced all sorts of death threats and been hunted down. When blood stained the ground, he thought that there would be no tomorrow.
In those dark days of flashing swords, soaring flames, and the cries of battle, he had never imagined that anyone would care about this small wound of his.
Shen Jue suddenly lowered his voice: “Why?”
You Xu knew what he meant. She closed the empty medicine box and looked up at him: “Because you have a big tail.”
You Xu’s seemingly casual remark completely lowered Shen Jue’s guard. Being inexplicably kind to someone always had an ulterior motive, whether emotional or material. Like how he had been relatively lenient with her before, it was only to repay her for helping him escape Medicine King Valley, and because she wasn’t unpleasant to be around.
The heart of the Heart-Eating Fox was a powerful source of magic for him, but also a ticking time bomb, a reason for someone to draw their sword against him at any moment. He couldn’t trust anyone but himself.
Now, he actually had the urge to trust someone, even if the person before him was frail.
You Xu packed her things, lay down on the bed, pulled the blanket up to her neck, and looked at him: “Are you going back tonight?” Shen Jue lived in the other pavilion.
The two looked at each other silently, You Xu blinking.
Shen Jue waved his hand, extinguishing the other lamps, leaving only the central one.
You Xu smiled and moved further into the bed to make room for him. Afraid Shen Jue would change his mind, she patted the blankets warmly, saying, “Come on.”
Looking into her bright eyes, Shen Jue smiled.
Following her suggestion, he lay down on his side, his back to her.
Before Shen Jue was even properly settled, You Xu impatiently reached out and touched his bottom, saying, “Hey, where’s your tail? Show it to me!”
Shen Jue: “……..” He seemed to regret it a little.
Feeling his stiff side, You Xu feigned embarrassment and smiled, “Was I too hasty? Oh, by the way, was my gaze very obvious?”
Actually, You Xu didn’t know that every single hair on her head screamed “big fox.”
“Big fox,” You Xu called him, drawing out the last syllable.
And she was already in the act of petting him.
A hazy, indistinct white light appeared in the dimly lit room. You Xu reached out and touched it; the smooth, soft fur brushed against her fingertips and across her palm.
She happily hugged him, discovering that Shen Jue hadn’t just changed his tail, but had completely transformed into his original form, with claws and ears— a huge creature.
Half of his body was hanging off the bed, and You Xu half-carried, half-pulled him completely back onto the bed.
The large, dark wood bed was now completely filled, giving You Xu the feeling of being at home with her bed entirely occupied by plush toys, leaving her nowhere to sleep— a feeling of fulfilment and happiness.
You Xu was excited and rolled up her sleeves, ready to give the dog a fancy petting session, when she heard Shen Jue’s low, husky voice warn her, “Don’t take your clothes off.”
You Xu was stunned and said incredulously, “How could you think of that?”
“…”
“Aren’t we just petting him under the covers?” You Xu lectured him seriously, “Your idea is dangerous, you know?”
Shen Jue: “…………”
The author has something to say:
You Jingyan: Sis, come home often.
You Xu: Waaaaah, brother, I really miss you so much. I’ll come home after I pet him bald.
Shen Jue snorted: Want to go home? The Demon King’s tail must be the most pettable.
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