"What a sin! I truly didn’t mean to kill you, but since you’ve gotten yourself involved, I can’t really be blamed. Such is your fate, and there’s nothing I can do about it!" Zhang Chen sighed, "I just hope that if you become a ghost one day, you won’t blame me."
If Zhang Chen hadn’t beaten him for no reason, hadn’t bullied him with his power, he might have actually tried to stall Zhang Chen or even move the firewood out of the yard to defuse the crisis. But thinking about the years of conflict between them, he decided against it!
Zhang Chen knew the power of the explosives he made himself. Once ignited, it would flatten everything within dozens of meters.
"Luckily, when my family moved, we built our house at the village edge, away from the villagers. Otherwise, I wouldn’t dare use high-purity explosives so recklessly." Zhang Chen muttered this to himself, hiding in the yellow withered grass outside the safety zone, secretly observing.
It didn’t take long for Zhang Chen to wait, about half an incense stick’s time, when suddenly a loud boom like thunder on flat ground echoed for miles around. The sound was earth-shattering, causing the entire village’s grass huts to tremble.
The explosion was so fierce that even Zhang Chen, hundreds of meters away, was left with his head buzzing, temporarily deafened.
In Zhang Chen’s view, his own grass hut and the grass hut of Zhang Chen suddenly exploded, countless grass blades blown into the sky, fluttering in the air like dandelion fluff.
Zhang Chen watched as a fire shot out from the grass hut, then the whole house was leveled.
"Success!" Watching the flattened grass hut, Zhang Chen excitedly clenched his fists in the grass, though he felt a bit anxious and hesitant. He wasn’t sure if the high explosives would kill the Fox Spirit.
He wanted to wait a bit longer to see the Fox Spirit’s response, to see if it was thoroughly dead, fearing it might retaliate before dying. But considering such a loud noise would surely alarm the villagers and the authorities, he didn’t want to be seen at the scene. If the Fox Spirit was dead, involving the authorities would bring trouble.
Of course, though there’s a danger of the Fox Spirit retaliating, now is certainly the best time for a finishing blow.
"If the Fox Spirit isn’t dead, I could always say I heard the noise and ran back."
"Whether I stick my neck out or not! The Fox Spirit isn’t stupid, if it didn’t die, it might deduce my secret attack, surely won’t spare me. Now’s the best chance to finish it off. If it’s dead, everything’s settled." Countless thoughts swirled in Zhang Chen’s mind.
Considering this, Zhang Chen rushed out from the grass, shouting angrily, "Which scoundrel! My home! My house!"
While cursing, Zhang Chen surveyed the explosion site, seeing pots and pans all shattered, the hearth flattened, with only a fox whose fur was blackened, smelling of burnt, lying there unknown if alive or dead.
"Didn’t blow this fox to smithereens?" Zhang Chen wondered to himself.
Logically speaking, at the center of the explosion, even steel would’ve been shattered, yet the Fox Spirit’s flesh remained intact, keeping a ’whole piece,’ which intrigued Zhang Chen.
Underneath the Fox Spirit lay the poor scholar Zhang Chen, eyes closed, face bloodied and scorched, one ear missing, blood pouring down, looking quite miserable.
"Damn, the Fox Spirit indeed has a secret trick, my high explosives didn’t kill Zhang Chen?"
He could see, although the poor scholar Zhang Chen looked somewhat miserable, his chest was rising and falling, indicating he wasn’t dead.
Seeing this, Zhang Chen breathed a sigh of relief, "A mere mortal fox, out of tricks! Even if she has means, they’re quite limited, or why else would the scholar’s ear be blown off while she lies unknown if dead, fur burnt all over, looking bloody."
Zhang Chen pulled out a hatchet from his basket, not caring whether the Fox Spirit was dead or not, aimed to cut off her head.
It’s more reassuring to chop the head off, he couldn’t afford any carelessness now.
Seeing Zhang Chen about to swing the hatchet down, unexpectedly at the critical moment, a figure emerged from the fox’s body, startling Zhang Chen into pausing his action. The phantom-like white-clad girl angrily stared at Zhang Chen, "You ant dare to plot against me like this, I won’t let you off!"
"At death’s door yet dare to talk back! Today I’ll slay you, beast!" Zhang Chen quickly recovered, his breathing accompanied by Golden Light, imbuing the sword, then fiercely swung it at the body.
At this point, fear was useless, all Zhang Chen could do was fight the Fox Spirit.
"How dare you!" The Fox Spirit was terrified, screaming sharply, facing Zhang Chen’s glowing sword, fear-stricken yet unable to rush to stop him, only watch helplessly as Zhang Chen’s sword fell. Even with the ability of Controlling Objects, there was no time.
"Murder! Murder!"
Just then, the scholar Zhang Chen on the ground opened his eyes from unconsciousness, seeing Zhang Chen’s sword coming down, disregarding his pain, rolled over, not only flipping the Fox Spirit’s body off but also dodged Zhang Chen’s sword himself.
Because the Fox Spirit was on him, it seemed like Zhang Chen was about to chop him!
"Murder!"
"Someone come quick! Zhang Chen’s killing!"
The scholar Zhang Chen got up, yelling loudly towards the village, stumbled away.
Zhang Chen had no time to worry about the poor scholar. Without the Fox Spirit, the scholar was nothing. Now was the crucial moment to fight the Fox Spirit, either he slays her or she revives to kill him.
"Boy, you’re doomed!" The girl glanced at the grim-faced Zhang Chen, her eyes cold, "I, the Fox Spirit, have cultivated for centuries, yet a mortal plotted against me, you’ve successfully angered me!"
The girl’s words were firm, making Zhang Chen more wary, but still swung the sword down. At this point, even if the Fox Spirit could move mountains and invert seas, he had to charge. However, after speaking her threats, before Zhang Chen’s sword approached, the white-clad girl hugged her body and fled into the deep forest.
She indeed carried her body and ran!
"Boom~"
Zhang Chen’s sword struck empty, embedding into the dirt.
Watching the Fox Spirit carry her body away, from mortal eyes, it seemed he saw a bloody fox floating away in mid-air, "She must be grievously injured, even unable to turn her body into void."
"Strike while the iron is hot, cannot let the Fox Spirit escape, or I’d have big trouble later." Without a word, Zhang Chen grabbed the sword and chased after her.
The Fox Spirit’s tricks surprised him, though he planned earlier, realizing the explosion didn’t kill her still shocked his heart.
That was high explosives!
Her fleeing, his chase, she couldn’t escape!
"Boy, I merely ate some of your grain, why pursue so relentlessly? How about we settle our grievances and make peace?" The Fox Spirit saw Zhang Chen in pursuit, hurriedly speaking softly to appease.
"Oh? Your words align with my thoughts. You just stop, don’t keep running. Let’s clear things up. What misunderstanding can’t be resolved?" Zhang Chen carried the sword, following the Fox Spirit, agreeing verbally but not slowing his chase.
The Fox Spirit ahead was running for her life, showing no signs of slowing, "You stop first to show sincerity, then I naturally will stop and talk, let’s resolve our grudges."