Li Yundong’s expression was beyond description; unable to face his shattered teacher and classmates, he bolted as if his backside were on fire, dragging the little fox along with him.
The little fox hadn't grasped the situation yet, and as Li Yundong pulled her along, she asked in bewildered innocence, “What’s wrong?”
Li Yundong had only managed to yank the little fox two steps out of the classroom when a world-shattering roar of laughter erupted from within.
The sound made Li Yundong’s cheeks burn fiercely; he wished the earth would crack open right there so he could disappear instantly.
Forget it, no more class for today; no need to keep humiliating himself here!
Li Yundong stamped his foot, grabbed the little fox’s hand, and they sprinted back home in the middle of class time.
All the way back, Li Yundong dragged the little fox in a frantic run. Even the dullest among them would have realized something was amiss. Only when they were safely inside did the little fox lower her head, cast a timid glance at Li Yundong, and whisper weakly, “Did I say something wrong?”
Li Yundong felt like crying without tears, “What do you think?”
The little fox pouted, her face full of grievance, “But I didn’t say anything wrong... Cucumbers are cool in nature and sweet in taste; they can reduce internal heat!”
Li Yundong was driven mad. He snatched the cucumber the little fox was still clutching and burst out in a torrent of curses, “Reduce heat? I’ll reduce your head’s heat! Believe it or not, I’ll stab you to death with this cucumber!”
Startled by Li Yundong, the little fox looked up at him, tears threatening to fall, but quickly lowered her gaze again, the tears pattering down. In her heart, she muttered: What Master said was true, the people down the mountain are vicious, always shouting about fighting and killing at the slightest provocation. This guy is especially detestable. Hmph, just wait until I trick you into achieving Foundation Establishment, then I’ll drain you dry!
The little fox harbored malice in her heart, but her face presented an image of pitiful vulnerability, and Li Yundong’s anger instantly softened.
“Alright, alright, don’t cry. If you keep crying, you’ll turn into a little mottled cat!” Li Yundong said a very cliché line and reached out to wipe away her tears. But the little fox’s exquisite yet sorrowful appearance made his heart tremble; his hand rose and then froze in mid-air.
Sensing Li Yundong’s anger had subsided, the little fox dared to lift her head, “You’re not mad at me anymore?”
Li Yundong’s mouth twitched, and he forced a smile, “Not mad!”
Where on earth did this girl come from? How could anyone be this naive?
Where in this day and age could you find such a girl? A national treasure level specimen!
Judging by her tone, she seemed to have come from the mountains? A country girl?
Tsk, tsk, what country girl looks this beautiful?
Li Yundong’s mind began to wander aimlessly.
But no matter how he thought, he couldn't avoid a matter that was seriously bothering him.
Li Yundong sighed deeply, clutching his head and pacing the living room while pulling at his hair, “Alas, what is to become of this? How am I supposed to go to class tomorrow? If I show up tomorrow, won’t I be laughed to death?”
The little fox looked up, wrinkled her nose, waved her fist, and put on a fierce expression, “Who dares laugh at you? I’ll go beat them up for you!”
Li Yundong sized up Su Chan from head to toe. Although the girl wasn't short, with her slender waist, curved hips, and delicate limbs, she looked like a girl utterly incapable of fighting.
He burst into loud laughter, “You?”
Su Chan, after all, was a Three-Tailed Demon Fox, her magical power equivalent to the Divine Ability realm in cultivation. Compared to the masters of the various sects hidden in the mortal world, she was admittedly lacking, but compared to ordinary mortals, she was an unbelievably powerful being.
Hearing the disdain in Li Yundong’s tone, Su Chan bristled, “You look down on me?”
Seeing the girl genuinely getting annoyed, Li Yundong stifled his laughter, “Of course not. You scared half the class—from the teacher to the students—just by bringing a cucumber in. How could anyone dare provoke you?”
Su Chan, enraged by embarrassment, snatched the cucumber from Li Yundong’s hand and lunged at him, “I’ll stab you to death, you say that again!”
Li Yundong roared with laughter and turned to flee. Su Chan chased him relentlessly. They played-fought until Li Yundong was chased into the bedroom, hiding at the foot of the bed, waving both hands and laughing heartily, “Mercy, my hero, mercy! This humble one knows his mistake.”
Su Chan bit her lip and poked at Li Yundong with the cucumber. With a smack, the cucumber snapped in half.
Li Yundong, quick as lightning, snatched the broken half and thrust it toward Su Chan with a grin, “Heh heh, fooled you, didn’t I? It broke, didn’t it? See if you dare poke me again!”
Li Yundong poked Su Chan twice near her waist, which happened to be her most ticklish spot. She immediately burst into giggles, laughing while retaliating, “Fine, you dare fight back! This heroine will mete out justice today!”
The little fox was naturally mischievous, and once she started fooling around with Li Yundong, she had trouble stopping. It wasn't until Li Yundong's cucumber touched the softest part of her chest that she let out a scream and snapped back to reality. She hugged her chest, glaring at Li Yundong, speechless.
Li Yundong also realized he had targeted the wrong spot. He chuckled awkwardly, unsure what to say at the moment, and stood there locking eyes with Su Chan.
Li Yundong secretly felt a pang of regret: If he was so frivolous and rash that he scared this charming, beautiful young woman away, that would be truly terrible.
Meanwhile, the little fox was secretly wondering why she was playing around with this guy and even feeling a flicker of happiness? And now, looking at him, he didn’t seem as detestable as before?
No, this guy has absorbed the Human Essence Golden Pill; his Yang energy is extremely robust. If he gets attracted by my Yin energy before achieving Foundation Establishment and demands intimacy from me, what will I do?
Wouldn't that ruin my entire plan?
No, I need to keep my distance from him until his cultivation is successful.
With this thought, the smile on Su Chan’s face gradually faded. She thought for a moment, put down the cucumber, and said, “I, I have nowhere to go, but you can’t keep bullying me like this…”
This statement stirred great pity in Li Yundong’s heart, and his gaze toward Su Chan softened into something warm and gentle. He stood up, coughed dryly, and spoke something just to break the silence, “Are you hungry?”
As soon as he said that, Su Chan’s stomach let out a loud rumble.
The little fox’s cheeks flushed red, and she nodded. In her mind, however, she thought: Nonsense! I’ve been guarding you for three days, of course I’m hungry! I didn't even have time to eat myself before focusing on buying you food to please you, and you didn't appreciate it! It’s infuriating!
Li Yundong smiled, “Hungry? No problem. I’m hungry too. Let me whip up something to eat!”
The little fox was quite surprised, “You can cook?”
Li Yundong’s parents had divorced when he was young. Though inherently lazy, necessity had forced him to hone excellent culinary skills. He proudly rolled up his sleeves, “Hmph, let me show you what I’ve got!”
Saying that, he left the bedroom and walked to the kitchen. He pulled open the refrigerator door and was instantly dumbfounded.
The fridge was a total wreck, as if a whirlwind had swept through; almost everything edible had been completely cleared out, not even a jar of preserved bean curd remained!
“Did my place get robbed?!” Li Yundong’s mind instinctively flashed this thought.
Seeing Li Yundong frozen upon opening the fridge, the little fox suddenly remembered she had eaten everything inside. Her face immediately flushed hot, and looking sheepish, she shuffled her feet closer, humming in a voice as faint as a mosquito, “Y-yes, I ate it…”
Li Yundong took a deep, cold breath, instinctively wanting to lash out: Are you a hungry ghost reborn? You ate two Orleans roast chickens, three bottles of coconut milk, a bag of cake, four bags of bread, three boxes of jelly, half a watermelon, and a jar of preserved bean curd—and you didn't choke to death?
But Li Yundong managed to restrain himself when he saw the little fox’s pitiful expression. He sighed, “Even the cleverest cook can’t make a meal without ingredients. There’s no food at home; no matter how skilled I am, I can’t make anything! Let’s go out and buy groceries!”
Seeing that he wasn't going to press the issue, the little fox quickly nodded, following closely behind Li Yundong’s steps.
Li Yundong glanced back at her and asked curiously, “You’re not waiting for me here?”
The little fox shook her head like a rattle drum, clutching the corner of Li Yundong’s clothes as if afraid he would abandon her, and said pitifully, “I’ll go with you.”
Li Yundong looked at her appearance and laughed, “Alright, but don’t look like I’ve done something terrible to you.”
Only then did the little fox relax, looking up with a sweet smile.
The two left the house and walked for about seven or eight minutes to the nearby wet market.
As soon as they stepped into the market, Li Yundong saw a vegetable vendor auntie charging toward him aggressively.
“You little fox spirit, you slut! You owe me money and dare bring a pretty boy back here?” Before she even got close, the vegetable auntie started cursing loudly.
Seeing her shrewish demeanor, Li Yundong frowned and stepped in front of the little fox calmly, “What’s the matter? Can’t we talk nicely?”
The stall owner pointed at Su Chan, “She bought my vegetables just now and ran off without paying! This little slut, not learning proper behavior at such a young age, what will become of you in the future?”
Li Yundong was secretly furious and shot the stall owner a glare, “How much is it? I’ll pay.”
The stall owner noticed that although Li Yundong wasn't strikingly handsome, his eyes were terrifyingly bright; when his gaze swept over her, it felt like sharp knives piercing her heart, making her flinch from meeting his eyes.
She had initially intended to settle the matter peacefully, as harmony brings wealth in business. But the moment she saw the little fox cowering pitifully behind Li Yundong, and the surrounding men drooling at her, her anger flared up anew.
The stall owner suddenly remembered that when she was pregnant, her own husband had cheated on her because of some flirtatious fox. If she hadn't been mindful of the child in her belly back then, she would have divorced him immediately.
Although that incident was long past, the stall owner could never forget it, and she always got irritable seeing a beautiful woman.
Hearing Li Yundong offer to pay, she rolled her eyes, spread her palm, and made an exorbitant demand, “One hundred yuan!”
Li Yundong laughed angrily, “One hundred yuan for a cucumber and a carrot? Are your cucumbers inlaid with gold? Or are your carrots studded with diamonds?”
The stall owner’s eyes bulged, “What? That was theft! It should be penalized tenfold!”
Li Yundong exploded, “Tenfold penalty still doesn't equal a hundred! Do you charge ten yuan for a radish and a cucumber? What kind of black-market shop are you running!”
The stall owner saw a growing crowd and started to feel a little intimidated, but then her son rushed over aggressively, wielding a sharp vegetable knife, and snarled menacingly, “Mom, who’s causing trouble?”