Chapter 456: Your XP System Seems a Bit Odd
Chapter 456: Your XP System Seems a Bit Odd
In the living room, the others gathered around Qingxue, questioning the origins of the nine-tailed fox.
Meanwhile inside the room, Fang Cheng and Kamikawa Takumi kept their wary gazes locked onto the nine-tailed fox.
With two aces hovering so close, even if the fox harbored malicious intentions, she wouldn’t dare reveal them.
Her hands and forearms had sunk into Kanzaki Rin’s body, the contact area glowing faintly with blue light like flickering Fox Fire.
Though Kanzaki Rin felt no physical sensation, the sight of an arm disappearing into her torso instinctively unsettled her.
Yet she kept watching intently, scrutinizing every detail.
The process dragged on for several minutes as the nine-tailed fox practically groped through Kanzaki Rin’s body like someone feeling for fish in murky water.
Though her masked face betrayed nothing, Fang Cheng and Kamikawa Takumi began sensing something wrong.
They stayed silent, not wanting to disrupt the ongoing procedure.
“Enough,” Kanzaki Rin suddenly declared in her calm voice. “If you’ve failed, remove your hand. Stop wasting our time.”
The nine-tailed fox gave an awkward chuckle as she withdrew her arm. She’d realized early she couldn’t succeed, but kept stalling to avoid appearing negligent – only to get caught red-handed.
Fang Cheng and Kamikawa Takumi’s expressions darkened. After finally capturing a nine-tailed fox, they’d still hit a dead end.
“Explain the failure,” Kamikawa Takumi demanded, his voice tight.
The fox shrugged. “The Killing Stone’s fully fused with her. Only my true form could handle this – I’m merely one Tail.”
“Then you’re useless,” Fang Cheng sneered, hefting his Thunder Hammer. “We’ll feast on fox meat tonight.”
The nine-tailed fox ducked behind Kanzaki Rin. “Kill me and my true self will never aid you!”
“Then start talking,” Fang Cheng growled. “Where’s Tamamo-no-Mae hiding?”
Kamikawa Takumi twirled his pen. “Never tried fox before. Is it gamey?”
“Dunno about the meat,” Fang Cheng smirked, “but this one reeks of desperation.”
“Personal experience?”
“Punch her and she whimpers. Want to test it?”
Their crude banter hung heavy in the air. Even Tamamo-no-Mae would’ve taken them seriously, let alone this single-tailed fragment.
The fox clutched Kanzaki Rin’s shoulders. “Bullying me won’t solve anything!”
“Enough!” Kanzaki Rin cut in, silencing the men. “Coercion gets us nowhere.”
The nine-tailed fox’s lips twitched – she’d bet correctly that this girl could rein in the brutes.
“But,” Kanzaki Rin added, turning with icy precision, “you’d better provide value. Or I might not stop them next time.”
The fox’s smirk died. This girl was every bit the predator, her words laced with velvet-edged threat.
Feeling slightly threatened, the nine-tailed fox forced a smile and grabbed Kanzaki Rin’s shoulders. “I don’t know where my true body is, but I can help you find her.”
Fang Cheng remembered his Blood Beast Nest. “Can you sense each other’s presence?”
“Smart boy!” The nine-tailed fox grinned. “We can detect each other within a certain range.”
“How big is this range?”
“About half of Tokyo.”
Fang Cheng exchanged looks with Kamikawa Takumi. Though sizable for a city, this range meant little when searching the entire world.
Keeping the nine-tailed fox around posed risks – she was a dangerous monster, not some harmless little fox. While the Thunder Hammer currently restrained her, any lapse could let her regain power and endanger everyone.
Seeing their hesitation, the fox added: “Besides locating my body, I can suppress the Killing Stone’s poison during its revival.”
This offer outweighed finding Tamamo-no-Mae itself. The stone’s twin threats were killing Kanzaki Rin and transforming her into toxic contamination. Fang Cheng’s three-life gift solved the first problem – if the fox could neutralize the poison, Kanzaki might live normally for decades.
The calm party remained clam. “Temporary suppression or permanent?”
“Temporary, of course.”
The fox pressed her body against Kanzaki’s back, breath tickling her ear. “That’s why I must stay close~”
Kanzaki shoved her away. “You’re after the Killing Stone’s power!”
This sly creature had been cozying up suspiciously. If not questionable sexual orientation, she clearly wanted the stone inside Kanzaki.
Kamikawa Takumi swung his pen. Black lines materialized, binding the fox’s hands and feet.
Unfazed, the fox chuckled. “The Killing Stone was mine originally. Absorbing its power IS how I suppress the poison.”
Logical, but logic alone couldn’t resolve this.
Turning to Kanzaki with puppy-dog eyes, the fox pleaded: “I mean no harm. The stone’s aura from your body… I just can’t resist getting closer.”
Kanzaki snorted. The fox’s universal charm failed against her single-hearted devotion.
When Fang Cheng remained silent, Kanzaki stealthily nudged him. Their eyes met – she wanted him to decide.
Countless nights of intimate communication had forged their tacit understanding. A glance now sufficed.
(The price? Their bodies had paid through close contact.)
“You want more than the stone,” Fang Cheng accused. “You’re using us to find your body while draining the stone’s power under pretext of help. Two birds with one stone.”
The fox’s face fell. Her scheme exposed before implementation – how unsatisfying!
Among the three, Kanzaki Rin felt confident handling Kamikawa Takumi and the nine-tailed fox, but Fang Cheng left her uncertain and deeply wary.
The clever nine-tailed fox quickly shifted tactics after being exposed, abandoning stealth for directness.
“Since you’ve seen through me, let’s cooperate. Help me find my original body, and I’ll retrieve the Killing Stone after merging with it. Fair deal?”
She tried sidling up to Kanzaki Rin again.
Kanzaki Rin moved to stand beside Fang Cheng, eyeing the fox skeptically. “You think we’d trust you?”
“Why wouldn’t you?”
The nine-tailed fox smiled sweetly. “Our interests don’t clash. You’re powerful with Iron Fortress connections – no reason for conflict.”
Kanzaki Rin stayed silent, deferring to Fang Cheng.
“We need to discuss this first.”
Fang Cheng locked the fox in the room before leading the others elsewhere.
Kamikawa Takumi immediately proposed: “Cooperation makes sense. I’m searching for Tamamo-no-Mae soon – having this fox could speed things up.”
His suggestion earned strange looks from both companions.
“What’s that look for?”
Fang Cheng slung an arm around his shoulder. “Big bro, your ‘XP System’s’ acting up again. Now targeting foxes?”
While the plan had merit, Kamikawa Takumi’s eagerness seemed suspicious.
“Don’t slander me!” Kamikawa Takumi protested. “I’m completely innocent!”
Fang Cheng smirked. “Innocent people don’t draw those comics.”
Noticing his sister’s darkening expression, Kamikawa Takumi deflected: “Says the fox spirit collector! What about Tsukikage Hoshi from Fox Spirit House? Those two cats you took out for a month? The dog at home? Building your own zoo?”
Unseen by him, each accusation stabbed at Kanzaki Rin’s composure.
“And those other girls-”
“ENOUGH!”
Kamikawa Takumi finally noticed his sister’s stormy expression.
“Rin-chan, I just-”
“Betray Sister Karei,” Kanzaki Rin cut in coldly, “and I’ll oppose you first.”
The man seethed silently – she tolerated Fang Cheng’s harem but scolded him for mere thoughts?
Kanzaki Rin turned her glare on Fang Cheng, arms crossed. “And you? Want that vixen too?”
“Never!”
He raised his hands. “You know I’d tell you! My nightly exercise schedule’s full anyway-”
An elbow to the ribs silenced him.
Noticing his sister’s blush, Kamikawa Takumi changed subjects. “The cooperation plan?”
Fang Cheng rubbed his side. “Worth trying. Securing the Killing Stone makes it worthwhile.”
After further discussion, the trio reached consensus.