Mrs. Zhang looked at Zhang Chen with her eyes and started rambling: "You don’t have to worry about us, the three of us can always survive, you’re the one who’s really in a bind. Make sure you eat first, and if you have extra game, sell it for money and save up for a wife."
Zhang Chen smiled without arguing. In these chaotic times, silver coins are useless stones, how can anything be more important than filling your belly?
Zhang Chen shouldered the fur and took his leave, not returning to the village, but heading directly into the mountains. After absorbing the blood of the roe deer, he felt invigorated, his face beaming with joy as he headed into the mountains, checked his traps, but found them empty, then began training the hunting falcon in the hills.
As dusk approached, Zhang Chen fed the hunting falcon again before descending the mountain with a basket on his back, only to find Wang Wu, covered in mud, sitting on the ground cursing loudly halfway down.
"Damn your ancestors for eight generations, you son of a bitch, if you’ve got the guts, just kill me, what kind of skill is it to torment me like this?"
"Damn your ancestors, damn your mother! I’ll kill your grandmother!"
"Am I really afraid of you? If you’ve got the guts, kill me; if you can’t, you’re my son!"
"..."
Zhang Chen watched from afar as Wang Wu hurled insults at the air, his face twisted, body trembling with rage, spewing all kinds of foul language as if engaged in a shouting match with someone.
"Mr. Wang, what are you doing?" Zhang Chen approached from a distance, startled by Wang Wu’s appearance, thinking he might be possessed. He quickly opened his Dharma Eye, seeing a flash of golden light in Wang Wu’s eyes, and in the void before him appeared a stunning maiden, holding two fish, staring at the foul-mouthed Wang Wu with a grim face.
Zhang Chen glanced at the Fox Spirit’s soul, then at the fish in her hands, and finally at the muddy Wang Wu, realizing what had happened.
"It’s karma! Wang Wu’s been targeted by the Fox Spirit!" Zhang Chen thought to himself, his heart twitching, while also finding it peculiar that the Fox Spirit’s powers had grown, appearing in soul form even under the sun. It made Zhang Chen more apprehensive.
Zhang Chen pretended not to see the Fox Spirit, his eyes on Wang Wu, and asked a question as if he were clueless.
Wang Wu hesitated in his cursing when he saw Zhang Chen approach, his face flushing red, eyes flickering, not knowing what to say.
"Mr. Wang, why can’t we talk openly?" Zhang Chen asked, seeing Wang Wu’s demeanor.
"Do you have any food?" Wang Wu suddenly asked.
Surprised, Zhang Chen studied Wang Wu, noting his dry lips, pale face, and the rumbling in his stomach, like peals of thunder, clearly showing signs of prolonged hunger.
"Could it be that Mr. Wang Wu has been targeted by the Fox Spirit, and now she’s taking revenge on him?" Zhang Chen pondered, recalling how Wang Wu had almost skinned the Fox Spirit alive. Given her peculiar nature, Zhang Chen found it hard to believe she wouldn’t seek revenge for such a deep-seated grudge.
Fortunately, he had some fried jerky in his basket, which he quickly handed to Wang Wu. Wang Wu didn’t waste a moment, ignoring the mud on his hands as he ravenously stuffed his mouth.
The Fox Spirit, seeing Zhang Chen arrive, feared his Protective Golden Light, glaring viciously at Wang Wu before leaving with the fish.
After walking a few steps, the Fox Spirit seemed unwilling to let it go, turned back, and flung a large fish, its tail slapping Wang Wu’s face with a series of snaps. Zhang Chen, hearing the loud smacks, couldn’t help but feel pain for Wang Wu.
"This is outrageous! This is outrageous, you damn dog spawn! I’m your daddy! If you’ve got the guts, kill me!" Wang Wu, stunned by the fish’s slaps, yelled defiantly after regaining his senses.
Zhang Chen watched as the Fox Spirit’s expression grew uglier, understanding that she likely hadn’t expected Wang Wu to be so stubborn, enduring her torment without yielding, unwilling to submit even in the face of mysterious forces.
Seeing the Fox Spirit ready to swing the fish tail again, Zhang Chen hurried forward to intervene, standing between Wang Wu and the Fox Spirit:
"Dear elder, please stop cursing, have some meat and rest. Tell me what’s going on."
The Fox Spirit, wary of Zhang Chen’s golden light, dared not approach, but stomped her foot in anger before retreating while cursing: "Damn Hunter, I, Fox Fairy Nannan, will not let this go! You, scoundrel, almost skinned me alive, and I only gave you a taste of suffering, yet you dare curse me like this. I, Fox Fairy Nannan, never accept losses. You’re in trouble! You’re in big trouble!"
Fox Fairy Nannan cursed as she departed, leaving Zhang Chen to continually comfort Wang Wu, who was ravenously consuming the jerky in his state of extreme hunger.
"Take it easy, have some water, don’t choke!" Zhang Chen handed a water bottle to Wang Wu, asking in feigned confusion: "Dear elder, why are you in such a sorry state?"
Wang Wu took the water, swallowed a mouthful, and only after a while did he fill his stomach. His eyes, filled with sorrow and fear, gazed at Zhang Chen: "Boy, you better run, don’t stay in the village. There’s something wrong with this place. I’ve been cursed for half a month!"