Zhang Chen was an old hunter, aware that a pheasant’s stamina couldn’t last long, and with its wings broken, it couldn’t fly far. Sooner or later it would fall into his hands, and he chased after it with a face full of joy.
If he couldn’t catch the pheasant today, he would go hungry, so he certainly couldn’t let it go.
Though the pheasant’s wings were broken, it continued to dash wildly through the grass and fallen branches in the mountains. It seemed to run slowly, keeping a distance of only three to five meters from Zhang Chen, but whenever Zhang Chen was about to catch it, the pheasant managed to flap its wings and evade capture, continuing to sprint in the mountains.
The chase went on for about two hours, until the pheasant stumbled and fell to the ground after another attempt to flap its wings, and quickly darted into a nearby dirt hole.
"Huh?" Zhang Chen couldn’t keep up and could only watch as the pheasant burrowed into the dirt hole. The entrance was not large, about the size of a honey badger’s den.
"Damn it, how does this pheasant have such lasting stamina, running for two hours?" Zhang Chen stood at the entrance, panting heavily: "It counts as its good luck!"
Cursing, Zhang Chen was about to turn back, but his steps suddenly halted. His eyes caught sight of a faint red glow flickering in the dark recesses of the dirt hole.
It was the glow of points!
"Why are there points inside the dirt hole?" Zhang Chen crouched down to look, and was stunned to see not just some points, but a large amount of them.
"This cave?" Zhang Chen’s footsteps paused as he stared at the points deep within the dirt hole, hesitating.
Only places with mysterious occurrences produce points; could there be something odd in this dirt hole? Or maybe that pheasant is odd? Otherwise, how could it run for two hours?
Zhang Chen thought of leaving, not wanting trouble, but facing the abundance of points, he couldn’t move his feet.
The points inside were simply too many. If he collected them, his Exorcising Golden Light would certainly upgrade, unveiling a whole new world.
"Only with my skill level improved can I bravely face the Fox Spirit. Experience points lay ahead; if I don’t face the danger now, I’ll have to face the threat of that cursed Fox Spirit later. My Exorcising Golden Light can restrain the Fox Spirit’s Primordial Spirit at level one; if it upgrades to level two..." Zhang Chen felt a sense of anticipation, wondering if he’d finally rise above and sing songs of freedom.
Most importantly, if he collected the experience points at the entrance, his Exorcising Golden Light could very likely upgrade to level two, and even if there was something strange in the cave, his level two Exorcising Golden Light might not lack the chance to overpower it.
He had to try, and if things didn’t look good, he could just flee—there’d be no loss.
"Eh, is this an antique?" While Zhang Chen was eyeing the experience points in the cave, he suddenly noticed an ancient coin of unknown age at the entrance. It seemed to have some years on it. Most crucially, the coin was cast in pure gold, able to endure millennia without decaying.
The coin was shaped like a knife, resembling a dagger, completely different from the round-holed coins of the current dynasty.
"Which era’s currency is this? Could it be the entrance to an ancient tomb?" Zhang Chen’s mind raced, his heart pounding with excitement. Ancient tombs often came with treasures; if he could dig it up...
With both experience points and money available, why wouldn’t Zhang Chen be delighted?
Seeking fortune amidst danger, living next door to an elusive Fox Spirit, he must strive to cultivate or how else could he resist?
Turning around, Zhang Chen started heading back; he needed to get a shovel.
Not long after Zhang Chen left, the pheasant fluttered out, and a white figure emerged and separated from the pheasant, transforming into a smoky mist at the entrance, gazing distantly at Zhang Chen’s retreating figure. Its delicate nose slightly wrinkled: "Money cast by the Ancient Celestial Emperor Clan, a bargain for you. This fellow usually scrimps and argues over even a bit of rice and meat with Nannan Ancestor; this time I won’t be afraid of you not being tempted."
Zhang Chen walked back the way he came but paused by a trap, as a muntjac had ended up inside.
"Luckily, I’ve been on a streak of good luck; not only did I awaken my Golden Finger, but stumbled upon a source of experience points too—it’s like heaven is on my side!" Zhang Chen felt elated, thinking himself now to be heaven’s favorite, the son heaven cherished, with his streak of bad luck finally retreating.
Though digging that ancient tomb was dangerous, it would certainly elevate his Golden Light to second tier, or even higher, possibly granting him a new skill. Facing the Fox Spirit or other oddities, his survival rate would drastically increase.
"Fortune is sought in danger! Moreover, the experience points dropped by that Fox Spirit are unstable; who knows when I’ll gather enough points to level up? Plus, the Fox Spirit might be healing; the quicker I upgrade, the more advantage I gain against it." Jing Chen’s mind was abuzz with small calculations.
He even had a backup plan. If he truly disturbed the whatever strange entity in the tomb, he could divert it, causing it to fight the Fox Spirit while he reaped the benefits.
He had to try it out; perhaps the monsters within the tomb wouldn’t be that powerful? Maybe the tomb contained nothing monstrous, only something as peculiar as that metal page?
Zhang Chen carved off a leg from the muntjac, using it for cooking on the spot, fearing he’d have nothing to eat once back home.
After finishing the muntjac leg, Zhang Chen smeared its blood on the trap as bait, then hoisted the muntjac and headed home.
Upon reaching his yard, he saw the Fox Spirit squatting by the window next door, craning its neck in anticipation with eyes full of hope. Yet upon seeing Zhang Chen carry another muntjac inside, the Fox Spirit displayed a look of disdain, its expression quite humanlike, making Zhang Chen pause in surprise.
Especially when realizing Zhang Chen hadn’t skinned it, the Fox Spirit’s face showed deeper discontent. But when Zhang Chen proactively hung the muntjac on the wall, satisfaction gleamed in the Fox Spirit’s alluring eyes, turning back into the house.
Zhang Chen hung the hunted food as usual on the wall, as if nothing had changed, but this time he willingly fed the Fox Spirit!
After hanging the muntjac on the eastern house wall, it quickly vanished, leaving no trace, and no experience points fell at the loss site.
"As expected, relying solely on the Fox Spirit for gathering experience points is unreliable. I’ll have to dig out that ancient tomb. If it’s as promising as the outside, the inside must hold even more treasure—upgrading my Exorcism Golden Light multiple times should be a breeze, and then my skill should be able to suppress the Fox Spirit." Zhang Chen thought to himself.
Only, the thought of the Fox Spirit’s ability to appear and disappear at will to control objects left Zhang Chen somewhat helpless; controlling objects was a physical attack, and the opponent was elusive—he couldn’t possibly be on guard twenty-four hours a day, right? If his attempt against the Fox Spirit failed, he’d be as good as dead.
"I need to prepare some means in advance so when I gain more skills with my upgrade, I can better balance out this damned Fox Spirit." Countless thoughts flashed inside Zhang Chen’s mind.
Zhang Chen wandered around his yard, picked up the shovel, and headed towards the mountains.
Today the sun was at its peak, the perfect time for him to start. Novels always say evil fears the sun, so it’s the right time to act.
He already had a plan: in the future, he would only dig at noon, reducing any dangers.
No matter if novels said true or not, he had to be prepared.