Chapter 518: Smells Like Fox

But Ye Wenxin was unaware of this. She was curious about these technological things, which naturally led her to be curious about the kitsune. The questionnaire made her suspect the kitsune’s identity. That pink heart aura—could it be a similar ability to hers?

While Ye Wenxin pondered this, she saw the kitsune rise and sit beside her.

Ye Wenxin felt unnerved as the kitsune pressed close to her. The other woman’s scent and lustful appearance made her feel very uncomfortable. Yet, the kitsune seemed self-satisfied as she gave her bedroom eyes, attempting to steal her heart. At that moment, Ye Wenxin could only think of Jingu Bang¹.

She wished she could conjure something slender to strike the kitsune.

“Can you read?” Unaware that Ye Wenxin was mentally cursing her, the kitsune believed her Charm to be unbeatable and gently wrapped her arm around Ye Wenxin’s waist.

Ye Wenxin felt extremely awkward but still managed to force a smile and nodded. “Yes, teacher, I can read.”

“Then go ahead and write this down. Consider it an entrance exam.” The kitsune explained as she placed the paper on the table. She even helped Ye Wenxin grind the ink, adopting the mannerisms of a noble lady. Ye Wenxin felt baffled but still focused on carefully examining the questionnaire.

[The food you like.]

Answer: Anything edible.

[A phrase you like.]

Answer: The mountains are beautiful, the waters are fine, but nothing beats running away.

At first, the kitsune maintained a smile, but as she read the answers, her expression turned peculiar. She seemed unable to understand why Ye Wenxin would write such strange things, and began to suspect whether Wen Susu had lied.

But considering the Heavenly Book couldn’t lie, the kitsune quietly extended her tail from beneath her skirt. She gently swayed it a few times. Instantly, the pink mist grew even thicker.

Ye Wenxin felt her mind waver. A shout from Sword Ghost quickly snapped her back to her senses. Yet, she still didn’t know how to convincingly act like she was under the kitsune’s control, and not give herself away.

Meanwhile, the kitsune asked, “What food do you like?”

That was the first question the kitsune asked after using her Charm. Ye Wenxin was stunned but she had no choice. She reluctantly gave the same answer as before.

“So it is just anything, huh? No, it must be a coincidence… Which student in the academy are you most interested in now?” The kitsune pried further, as if her controlling Ye Wenxin was all for such trivial gossip.

Inwardly, Ye Wenxin rolled her eyes hard, but after a moment of thought, she responded, “Wen Susu.”

The kitsune was so shocked that her ears twitched, and she immediately lost control, revealing eight of her tails. Ye Wenxin only knew she was a kitsune, but hadn’t imagined she was so close to becoming a kyuubi. Thinking about how this kitsune’s demeanor differed from what she imagined, Ye Wenxin found it even harder to believe.

Believing that Ye Wenxin was still under her control, the kitsune hurriedly hugged her tails, sighing. “Seriously, of all things to care about, it’s a book.” Her words seemed to carry a hidden meaning. Ye Wenxin considered them carefully and suddenly thought of a possibility.

If the Heavenly Book had existed for so many years, could it take on human form, just like the statue suggested? But if Wen Susu was the Heavenly Book, and the kitsune was aware of this, why hadn’t this demon and the book fought?

While Ye Wenxin’s mind wandered to the complicated emotions between the two, the kitsune was grooming her tails.

The fur was sleek and looked very soft. Ye Wenxin wanted to touch it but managed to restrain herself. The kitsune was absorbed, meticulously tending to her fur. Unlike Liu Yansheng, this kitsune was a purebred black fox.

There were rumors that black kitsune were evil and loved eating human hearts. Thinking about her indescribable stench, Ye Wenxin guessed it was due to eating too many humans.

She considered whether to kill this kitsune and end this part of the journey. But that would be too easy. The kitsune in front of her wasn’t the final boss anyway. She would just be stirring up trouble prematurely.

Ye Wenxin ultimately decided not to make a move and watched as the kitsune continued grooming her fur.

Perhaps thinking Ye Wenxin was under her control, the kitsune grew more enthusiastic in grooming herself. It didn’t seem enough, so she reverted to her original form and started licking her fur. This animal instinct couldn’t be changed, even after taking on a human form.

She licked her fur with great focus. The black kitsune’s true form was beautiful. She would likely attract people even without transforming.

Ye Wenxin suppressed her itching desire to reach out. She thought about how she could openly touch the fur. Suddenly, the kitsune rolled over, as if her back felt itchy.

She lay on the floor, trying to rub against it to alleviate the itch, but it didn’t help much. She had to transform back again, but still came short of reaching the spot.

She quickly gave up and looked at Ye Wenxin, ordering, “Scratch my back.”

With that, she presented her beautiful back and those eight gorgeous tails to Ye Wenxin. Seeing this was her chance, Ye Wenxin used one hand to scratch the kitsune’s back while using the other to stroke her tails.

“Hmm? Why does that feel so nice?” The kitsune felt cozy and ended up lying down, allowing Ye Wenxin to cover a larger area. She soon drifted off to sleep, even forgetting to use her Charm.

Ye Wenxin was incredulous this dimwitted kitsune could be responsible for turning Liu City into its current state. Thinking the kitsune had forgotten to defend herself, Ye Wenxin deployed her peach blossom chains to restrain the kitsune’s heart aura.

What she thought would be an easy task took an unexpected turn. The peach blossoms tried to break free. The outer shell of the pink hearts crumbled away, revealing black skulls underneath. Cracks appeared on each skull, like a curse. The bizarre sight left Ye Wenxin bewildered. Suddenly, she heard a voice in her head.

“She has the Loner’s Curse fate.” It was no recognizable voice, but Ye Wenxin detected the fragrance of peach blossoms. It was likely a reminder from the peach blossom demon. Although she questioned why the demon knew this, her attention remained on the kitsune.

The Loner’s Curse fate referred to a life in which all encounters happened through rose-tinted glasses, with no results. Yet, it was funny that a kitsune would possess such a fate.

Ye Wenxin quickly withdrew the peach blossom chains to avoid contamination from the black skulls.

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Footnotes:

1. 1. Jingu Bang/Ruyi Jingu Bang is Sun Wukong’s staff. It can change in thickness and length. ↩︎