“Hu Xiaoqi.”
On the stage draped in a crimson carpet, a white-furred fox girl was bound to a gilded red pillar. Ice-cold water drenched her, stabbing through her nerves; her ears drooped as she slowly opened her eyes.
Dozens of fox girls in dazzling colors stood in front of her, staring with mixed expressions. Among them was the one who had just called her na.
But the one who had defeated her—no, the sli girl who had defeated her—was sitting in a chair at the center of the foxes.
The sli girl, however, was busy stuffing nuts into her mouth, cracking the shells with sharp crunches and picking out the at to swallow. All of her attention was on the nuts, not sparing even a glance for the white fox.
“Benefactor, Xiaoqi has woken up...” one of the fox girls whispered.
“Oh?”
Vieya lifted her eyes toward the white-furred fox bound before her. The instant their gazes t, Hu Xiaoqi was the first to look away.
“Speak. Explain your behavior just now, and give an account for the cris you’ve committed against everyone present.” Vieya set down the nut in her hand and spoke calmly.
“There’s nothing worth explaining... cough...”
Hu Xiaoqi coughed. The pain wracking her body and the dry tallic taste in her throat left her with almost no strength to speak, but she forced herself to whisper,
“Guest... do you still rember ?”
“Who are you?”
Vieya picked up another nut, set it down again, thought hard for a while, then gave up.
She was sure that if she had ever t such a nine-tailed fox girl before—whether with more or fewer tails—she would definitely have rembered it.
Yet she had no mory of her.
“I don’t rember ever seeing you,” she said. “If you’re trying to make so connection, don’t bother.”
“......”
Hu Xiaoqi fell silent, no longer pressing the question. Instead, she asked, “Guest, do you still want to leave this place?”
“I do,” Vieya replied faintly. “Why else do you think I let a liar who deceived and ambushed keep her life?”
“...A stranger.”
Hu Xiaoqi’s eyes dimd. She shut them and coughed violently several tis, struggling for breath. When she finally cald down, it was as if she had made up her mind.
“Then, Guest, could you... stay and talk with a little longer? In exchange, I’ll tell you everything I know—including... how to leave this place, huh...”
She finished the words in broken breaths, closing her eyes again as if those few sentences had drained what little strength she had left.
Her condition clearly wasn’t good.
And from the first mont Vieya saw her, sothing about this fox girl had been off.
She was still only in her growth phase, yet her entire being radiated an adult’s maturity and allure—like a seedling forced to grow too quickly in the field.
Vieya frowned slightly. “Then start by telling the secret behind your body and what happened to you. I’m sure your fox sisters here are just as curious as I am.”
“...All right.”
Hu Xiaoqi kept her words brief. Closing her eyes, she began to recall.
“About two years ago, I received an invitation from the organization... and beca the mistress of the ‘Desire’ branch among its three veins—‘Wrath,’ ‘Desire,’ and ‘Delusion.’ I also learned so techniques for weaving gentle traps.”
“......”
This girl.
Vieya was silent for a mont, then continued, “How many mbers of your organization ca here? What’s their power structure like?”
“There are many peripheral mbers. Only two mid-level ones like . As for the core decision-makers—I don’t know.” Hu Xiaoqi answered truthfully.
Vieya exhaled in relief.
That ant Rania and the others likely wouldn’t encounter any truly dangerous enemies.
“By ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ the way,” Vieya asked, “how did you weaken my strength earlier?” That move where Hu Xiaoqi had reduced her power by percentage had honestly scared her.
It was like in a ga—you et what looks like an ordinary, even cute enemy. You test her a few tis and find her attack power almost zero, no strong intent to fight.
So you grow bolder, start trying different approaches—then that enemy curses you, reducing your strength stat by ten percent per second, all the way down to zero.
An absurdly overpowered percentage debuff.
Vieya had nearly panicked then, thinking she was about to fall into a trap. Fortunately, Hu Xiaoqi was a glass-cannon fox—one slap knocked her out cold, and the curse was interrupted.
“That technique?”
Hu Xiaoqi opened her eyes to look at Vieya. “It’s the exclusive art of the Desire branch. If you want to learn it, I can teach you... With your foundation, you’d master it quickly.”
“If I did, how long would it take?” Vieya asked, intrigued despite herself.
“A few months, maybe...” Hu Xiaoqi smiled faintly. “Techniques like ‘Weaving Gentle Traps’ just take practice. Whether with the sa sex or the opposite sex, each successful experience increases proficiency.”
“Sothing that works with both sexes? Sounds like a dual-cultivation art...” Vieya’s expression shifted.
“Mhm, sothing like that.”
Hu Xiaoqi’s voice softened. “With your looks and figure—charming to both n and won—you’d progress with ease...”
“I’m not learning it.” Vieya cut her off.
She understood now. “Weaving gentle traps”? In other words, seduction.
Flirting, enticing, luring affection—the more people you charm, the stronger the effect.
What a shaless technique!
If her daughter ever found out she’d been dabbling in such disgraceful arts, her old father’s na would be ruined forever.
She might not be a Hero anymore, but there were still limits she wouldn’t cross!
Vieya refused flatly.
“Truly not learning?” Hu Xiaoqi sounded regretful. It was the most valuable thing she had left. If this guest wasn’t interested, she had nothing else with which to repay her.
“You learned it, yet you still couldn’t last one round against —so why would I bother?”
Vieya cracked another nut open and said while chewing, “I have one more question.”
Hu Xiaoqi nodded slightly for her to continue.
“When we fought earlier,” Vieya said after thinking, “why didn’t you call ‘Guest’ but used my na instead? Don’t tell it was just because you were too angry to mind your words.” She looked serious.
“......”
Hu Xiaoqi gathered her thoughts before answering solemnly, “Because that was the price I had to pay to join the organization.”
She coughed heavily twice, then continued in a low voice, “Guest, my mission failed. The others from the organization will be here soon to clean up the scene.”
“I hope you’ll help send them all back to the Monster Forest... That’s my last request. Now, Guest, could you untie ?”
Hu Xiaoqi spoke softly,
“Next, I’ll fulfill my promise and lead everyone out of here... but you should be prepared to face strong enemies.”
Night.
The moon hung high.
At the temple gate—the place where Vieya had vanished earlier—
A masked woman with blue eyes leaned against a stone chair, her long legs crossed, gaze fixed on the gate.
Around her, a crowd of people wearing blank white masks were also watching the gate, waiting for sothing.
Crack!
A faint sound broke the silence, yet in the stillness of the midnight air, it rang sharp and loud.
All the masked figures turned their heads in unison, hundreds—thousands—of eyes staring straight at the entrance.
The next instant—
A blazing theater hall appeared out of nowhere, collapsing sideways onto the temple courtyard gate. The massive bluestone wall shattered like brittle tofu under the weight.
The theater’s golden plaque burned, twisting and falling to the ground.
The red-furred fox led the others quietly out through the back door.
At the sa mont—
Hu Xiaoqi and Vieya appeared out of thin air right in the center of those countless watching eyes.
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