CHAPTER 186: THE EVER-THICK-HEADED LU CHEN

Lu Chen shook his head and was about to argue, but Red Fox cut him off. "Besides, Wan'er is just a young girl. She's at the age where she's starting to learn more things. Do you stinky men even understand these... private matters?"

"I... you..." For a moment, Lu Chen was completely speechless. He could only glance at Nantian Wan'er, who was blushing fiercely, trailing behind Red Fox and avoiding his gaze.

"What do you mean, 'I... you...'? I'm asking you, can you possibly understand these things?"

Red Fox tapped his head, then lifted his chin with her delicate fingers. "Sigh... you thick-headed fool. Even if I asked, it'd be pointless. You don't even know what love is. How could you understand?"

Feeling her warm breath on his face, Lu Chen silently recited the Ice-Heart Command. He was about to speak when Red Fox pressured him again. "Think about it. If Wan'er gets a few scratches in battle, with your clueless self, who would clean her wounds or bandage her properly?"

Crossing her arms, she added, "Besides, I can stay right by Wan'er's side to protect her at all times, letting you focus on cultivation and battles. Isn't that better?"

"I..."

Lu Chen had no words. He could only watch as Red Fox's mouth moved as she spoke.

"So? Have I said enough?" Red Fox looked at him with a cold smile. "You clueless little brat, can I stay now?"

"Sigh... fine, fine," Lu Chen relented, taking a step back. "Your reasons really do make it impossible to refuse... I shouldn't have let you out just now."

"Hahaha! Too late for regrets. I haven't returned to the outside world in ages! This fresh air feels so nostalgic!"

Red Fox placed her hand on Lu Chen's shoulder, inhaling deeply, then transformed once more into a small fox and landed gracefully on Nantian Wan'er's shoulder. "Let's go, you scoundrel. Let's see if the men of the mortal world have grown more treacherous."

Nantian Wan'er glanced at the fox and laughed softly. "Sister Red Fox, Lu-gege is just a little straightforward. He isn't a scoundrel."

"Yes, yes. Lu Chen isn't a scoundrel. In the whole world, he's the only man who isn't one," Red Fox replied, curling up comfortably against Nantian Wan'er's neck, eyes closed. "Let's go quickly. I want to see if the sky outside is still the same as before."

"Heh..." Lu Chen frowned awkwardly. "Red Fox, remember. I only let you out on the condition that you protect Wan'er. No matter what, you must stay by her side."

"You really have a lot of demands. Fine, fine... I get it." Red Fox opened a narrow slit of her eyes and called out, "Even when I am a thousand meters away, with my cultivation, I can reach Wan'er with just a thought."

"Alright, as long as we are on the same page. Wan'er, let's go."

Lu Chen summoned his three avatars and returned to the fifth floor of the Scripture Hall via the teleportation formation. The fifth floor consisted mostly of a single training arena, with cultivation dummies arranged for every cultivation realm. Lu Chen spotted Jun Laoye standing before a dummy, continuously swinging the Earth-Shattering Spear. He shouted, "Little Jun, we're leaving now!"

"Huh? Little Lu, you're done? I'm coming!"

Jun Laoye delivered his final strike. The Qi Condensation Realm dummy shattered instantly, and dense primordial lightning qi surged from the spear tip, consuming the fragments completely.

He turned around. With his Heavenly Lightning Eye still active at his forehead, he immediately spotted Nine-Tailed Red Fox perched on Nantian Wan'er's shoulder. "Red Fox?!"

Retracting his spear, he swept past Lu Chen toward Nantian Wan'er. "The Fox King Mark... It's unmistakable. Wan'er, is that a Red Fox on your shoulder? It's also the strongest line of the royal fox clan... but why does it only have one tail?"

Lu Chen, Red Fox, and Nantian Wan'er all shuddered. Earlier, Lu Chen had warned Red Fox that even in her transformed state, someone might recognize her, but none of them expected it to happen so quickly.

"He must be bluffing... he must be!" Red Fox muttered, forcing herself to remain calm. "I know I can't fool everyone with my illusions, but a mere Qi Regulation Realm disciple seeing through it? He must be bluffing..."

"Little Jun, you must be mistaken..." Lu Chen hurried forward, clearing his throat. "This is just an ordinary little fox, Wan'er's pet. It has nothing to do with the royal clan. You must be seeing things."

"Impossible... My Heavenly Lightning Eye derives from the Heavenly Dao Command. It's infused with the Dao's essence and has the innate ability to dispel all illusions. This little fox may look ordinary, but I clearly see a Red Fox through my eye."

Jun Laoye looked at Nantian Wan'er seriously. "Back when I was in my clan, I read a book called Demonic Beast Revelation. That fur, that mark... It's the strongest line of the fox clan from three to four hundred thousand years ago.

"This type of Red Fox has long been extinct, and the ones that remain today lack the aptitude for cultivation. But it's a different case for any Red Fox bearing this mark. They are born into the royal bloodline of the fox clan, with boundless potential in cultivation, making them the perfect candidates as spirit beasts.

"Still, such a Red Fox should have at least three tails. Why does it only have one?"

"Uh..." Lu Chen covered his eyes with his hand as he listened to Jun Laoye's barrage, then sent a voice transmission to Red Fox. "Didn't you say hardly anyone could see through it? Little Jun is only at the Qi Regulation Realm, and he figured it out at a glance. He even revealed your background. Now what are you going to do?"

"What can I do? Who would've thought you'd be surrounded by a bunch of monsters?" Red Fox muttered back, then opened her eyes. "The Heavenly Dao's bestowed Divine Eye can pierce through all illusions. It isn't just mine that gets unraveled. Even if our entire clan worked together, in front of the Heavenly Lightning Eye, everything would be seen through.

"Forget it. We might as well tell the truth. There's no way a clan that possesses such divine abilities would remain ignorant."

Red Fox's coarse fur shed away, revealing a dazzling coat of flowing crimson. She looked straight at Jun Laoye. "Boy, to know the secrets of our clan, I'll admit you've some skills."

Red light flickered over her body as nine fox tails unfurled behind her. "You just said the Red Fox Clan has become ordinary beasts with no talent for cultivation. Explain this to me, how did that come to be?"

"N-n-nine... Nine-Tailed Red Fox..." Jun Laoye's face drained of color. He stumbled back in fright and collapsed to the ground. "It's actually a Nine-Tailed Red Fox! Little Lu, take Wan'er and run! The Nine-Tailed Red Fox has always been a harbinger of calamity. No place it appears ever ends well!"

Lu Chen rubbed his forehead with an awkward smile. "Little Jun, lower your voice. She's one of us. From now on, she'll be cultivating alongside us."

Not daring to reveal Red Fox's true cultivation, he could only take a softer approach. "She's not a bad person. She's been protecting Wan'er all this time."

"Ugh... my bad." At Lu Chen's words, Jun Laoye's face broke into a wide grin. "Little Lu, why didn't you say so earlier? I thought Lady Red Fox had suddenly appeared as an enemy. Looks like it's just us making trouble for ourselves.

"Hehe, Lady Red Fox, don't you agree?"

Jun Laoye scrambled back to his feet, hurriedly deactivated his Heavenly Lightning Eye, and forced a smile as he approached. "You see, Lady Red Fox, my eyes really opened at the worst moment and accidentally exposed your secret."

"Brother Jun, why do you seem so strange today? You don't look like your usual self. Are you sic—"

Before Nantian Wan'er could finish, Jun Laoye's voice transmission rushed into her mind. "Wan'er, don't say another word. You don't know what kind of monster is sitting on your shoulder.

"That's a man-eating Red Fox! And not just any Red Fox, it's the royal bloodline of the fox clan! The fox clan is already notorious, but this one... this is the most terrifying of them all, the Nine-Tailed Red Fox. Evil beyond evil!"

"Boy, since you know of the Nine-Tailed Red Fox, then you must also know our clan's greatest strengths are illusions and seduction, right?"

The mark at Red Fox's brow glimmered twice. She licked her paw, casting Jun Laoye a disdainful glance. "And the foundation of both arts is peering into the human heart. Did you really think your petty tricks could be hidden from me?"

"I-I-I... Lady Red Fox... please don't eat me!" Jun Laoye stammered, then turned pleadingly toward Lu Chen. "Little Lu, save me! Lady Red Fox, whatever you want to know, I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything!"

Nantian Wan'er chuckled softly at his antics, then hugged Red Fox in her arms. "Lady Red Fox isn't that petty. Go on, tell her. Why is it that nowadays the Red Fox clan has no aptitude for cultivation?"

"I'll tell, I'll tell..." Seizing the chance, Jun Laoye quickly retreated to Lu Chen's side, covering his face as he explained. "Isn't it because the royal bloodline of the Red Fox vanished? I've only heard these secrets from my father when I was young.

"Besides the mark on their forehead, the nine tails were what truly defined the Red Fox royal clan. Only a fox with nine tails could be regarded as true royalty. But more than two hundred thousand years ago, for reasons unknown, every Nine-Tailed Red Fox vanished overnight.

"The ones that remained still carried the clan's bloodline and possessed fox tails. But since those tails were their source of power, without enough of them, they could never display the true might of the clan."

Jun Laoye paused, then glanced at Lu Chen. From his look, Lu Chen realized the next part would be the most important.