Ling Xi trembled at Lin Xiao’s words. She didn’t understand why she instinctively feared this man. She was a YaoGuai. She shouldn’t be afraid of mere humans.
Zhang Nu and Liu Hai, seeing Lin Xiao’s imposing stance toward Ling Xi, thought he was being too forceful.
“You’re scaring her,” Zhang Nu said.
Lin Xiao’s expression finally softened slightly, though his demeanor remained firm.
“I’m not here to harm you,” he said. “I just need answers.”
Zhang Nu turned to Ling Xi, trying to reassure her.
“Don’t be afraid. Lin Xiao always speaks like this—it’s just the way he is,” Zhang Nu explained. “He just wants some information. If you answer him, you have nothing to worry about.”
Ling Xi hesitated but eventually nodded. She wasn’t particularly afraid of Zhang Nu or Liu Hai, but Lin Xiao… He terrified her. Something about him made her feel as if he could destroy her completely.
“I don’t know everything,” she said in a cautious tone, “and I can’t tell you everything either.”
“But I will tell you as much as I can. Just…please don’t hurt me.”
Her voice trembled slightly, making her look pitiful. Seeing her like this, Zhang Nu and Liu Hai nodded in agreement, signaling that they would listen.
Lin Xiao, however, kept his gaze locked onto her, his expression unreadable. This only made Ling Xi even more nervous, as if she were a trapped animal under his scrutiny.
Zhang Nu couldn’t stand it any longer.
“Lin Xiao, can you not look so terrifying?” he sighed. “You’re scaring her half to death.”
Lin Xiao raised an eyebrow, clearly not understanding the problem. He was just looking at her.
“…Smile, maybe?” Zhang Nu suggested.
Lin Xiao hesitated before reluctantly attempting a smile. The result, however, was far worse. Instead of being reassuring, his expression twisted into something so unnatural that it looked more menacing than his usual cold stare.
Ling Xi flinched and immediately lowered her head, completely avoiding his gaze.
Zhang Nu and Liu Hai stared at Lin Xiao’s attempted smile, then quickly shook their heads.
“Forget it. Don’t smile,” Liu Hai muttered. “It’s better if you just act normal.”
Lin Xiao shot them a glance, clearly displeased. Ignoring them, he refocused on Ling Xi.
“Tell me,” he said, his voice calm but firm. “Where are the other YaoGuais on this mountain?”
Ling Xi stiffened.
“There are no other YaoGuais,” she said hurriedly.
Lin Xiao narrowed his eyes.
“Don’t lie to me. I can tell exactly what you are. You’re a Fox Guai.”
Ling Xi gasped, staring at Lin Xiao in shock. Her identity had been exposed in an instant. She had spent over a hundred years perfecting her concealment, aided by talismans and artifacts left behind by her parents.
Yet this man saw through her so easily.
“Who are you?” she demanded, stepping back. “How can you see through my true form?”
Lin Xiao’s brow furrowed, unimpressed.
“I ask the questions here,” he said.
Meanwhile, Zhang Nu and Liu Hai were equally stunned.
A Fox Guai?
Zhang Nu had always imagined Fox YaoGuais as seductive and alluring, using their charms to bewitch men.
But Ling Xi…Her bright, clear eyes and delicate features held none of the cunning or seduction he had expected. She looked more like a young noblewoman than a cunning fox spirit.
Ling Xi, noticing their expressions, immediately grew annoyed.
“What’s with those looks?” she snapped. “Did you really assume all Fox Guais use seduction techniques?”
“Not all of us practice charm magic, you know! Some of us follow the righteous path.”
Zhang Nu realized how their surprised reactions might have offended her.
He quickly raised his hands in apology.
“You’re right—that was an unfair assumption,” he admitted. “I’m sorry, Ling Xi.”
Ling Xi huffed, folding her arms.
Zhang Nu quickly changed the subject, “Can you at least answer Lin Xiao’s question? Where are the other YaoGuais on this mountain?”
Ling Xi hesitated again, sneaking a glance at Lin Xiao, who still had that intense gaze fixed on her. She knew these three wouldn’t leave without answers. If she didn’t tell them something, they might force their way deeper into the mountain.
“…Before I tell you anything,” she said slowly, “I need to know one thing.”
“Why are you looking for the YaoGuais?” her golden eyes gleamed with suspicion.
“They’ve never harmed a soul,” she insisted, “Are you here to kill them?”
Zhang Nu frowned. Her words didn’t match what the villagers had told them.
“What do you mean they’ve never harmed anyone?” he asked. “The people in the village say that YaoGuais descend the mountain every night to attack them.”
Ling Xi’s expression twisted into confusion.
“That’s not possible,” she said firmly. “The YaoGuais here have never gone down to harm humans.”
“If anything… it’s the humans who keep coming up here to hunt us down.”