Chapter 10: The Fox Temptress

Xu Lian drove the donkey cart and carried Yang Ye and Zhang Yuan to the quarry. After the registration, they went to work.

Zhang Yuan and Yang Ye were stone carriers, doing heavy work, while Xu Lian, now a stone transporter, had a much easier job – he simply waited for the stone carriers to load the cart.

“Brother Lian, can you stop copying me and work as a stone transporter?” Zhang Yuan complained, sweat soaking his clothes and panting heavily. Seeing Xu Lian sitting under a tree, his hands tucked in his sleeves, watching them work made him feel uncomfortable.

Xu Lian replied, “I’m not copying you. The weather is cold, and the other stone transporters also keep their hands in their sleeves to keep warm.”

Yang Ye patted Zhang Yuan’s shoulder. “It’s normal when things are going badly. You feel like everything others do is mocking you, but you’re just thinking too much.”

Zhang Yuan fell silent.

Xu Lian observed the stone carriers as he pondered over his own matters.

Now that he had reached the Skin Refining Stage, he finally had some ability to protect himself, though he knew that it was still far from enough to feel completely safe.

Who knew what could happen in such a chaotic and unpredictable world?

What if one day a powerful monster in a bad mood decided to wipe out a city? Such events weren’t out of the question, and in the face of such disasters, would being at the Skin Refining Stage even matter?

“I can’t slack off. I must continue to improve my strength. Only with enough strength will I be able to survive in this strange and chaotic world.”

“Li Xiya’s affection for me has reached 91/100. I have a free progression point. I only need one snake tendon to reach the next level. I have to figure out how to get one.”

“And then there’s Chan’er. I can bring her back tonight. We’ve only met once, and her affection for me is definitely not as high as Li Xiya’s. It’s impossible for her to be over 90/100 right away. I’ll have to cultivate my relationship with her in order to gain more progression points”.

Xu Lian was cautious. In this unpredictable world, he couldn’t afford to be careless.

“Brother Lian, the cart is loaded, we can go now,” Yang Ye called cheerfully.

Zhang Yuan glanced at Yang Ye and then at Xu Lian, unsure how they had become so close. He curiously asked Yang Ye, “I have never seen you two talking much before. Today, you seem to be getting along well. What’s going on?”

Yang Ye replied, “There is nothing to hide. My daughter has reached the age where she’s looking for a man. I thought that Brother Lian was a good match, so I took him to see her. He really likes her, and she likes him too. It’s already settled.”

Zhang Yuan was surprised. “Your daughter has just reached the age to find a man. She’s still a young girl, isn’t she? Brother Lian has just started working as a stone transporter. How could he afford to marry such a young girl?”

Yang Ye smiled. “We’ll just owe the debt for now, and pay it off slowly.”

Zhang Yuan snorted. “He still owes Brother Liang 15 taels of silver. How can he afford to marry a young girl? He’s just started working as a stone transporter, and yet he’s already spending money so recklessly. He’s getting ahead of himself. I’ll be curious to see how he pays it all back”.

With his sharp hearing, Xu Lian overheard every word. However, he didn’t respond to Zhang Yuan. He understood – this childhood friend was probably feeling a bit resentful after seeing Xu Lian’s improved situation.

Xu Lian got up and drove the donkey cart to the town’s pier.

The dirt road was rough, and the little black donkey was still growing and didn’t have enough strength, so the cart’s wheels often got stuck in the pits. Xu Lian had to get down and push it.

Fortunately, his strength was great; an ordinary person wouldn’t be able to use this small black donkey for stone transporting work.

“You’re a martial artist?”

A clear voice broke through the air.

Who was speaking?

Xu Lian looked around, but saw no one. However, he noticed a small white fox slowly stepping out from the bushes, its eyes lively and its movements graceful.

He tensed up. A talking fox?

Could it be… a fox temptress from the legend?

His body tensed in readiness, ready to draw his blade at any moment. A talking monster – he couldn’t gauge its strength, and it made him wary.

“I’m just a little stronger than normal people… I’m not a martial artist,” Xu Lian said, cupping his hands in a respectful gesture. It never hurts to be polite, especially when dealing with a monster, right?

The white fox looked at him lazily. “You think you can fool me? No ordinary person would have such power. I can feel the powerful blood and energy inside you, and I can see the shine of your skin. You’re undoubtedly a Skin Refining Stage martial artist,” 

Xu Lian immediately smiled awkwardly. “Fox Fairy, you have a keen eye. Nothing escapes you.”

The white fox huffed. “You speak well. Which sect do you belong to?”

Xu Lian thought for a moment. The closest thing to “sect” he could think of was what he and Li Xiya did, “I don’t belong to a sect and haven’t practiced martial arts. It was just by chance that I consumed a spiritual herb and refined my body, gaining the strength of a Skin Refining Stage martial artist”.

The white fox seemed pensive. “So you became a martial artist through an unconventional means. No wonder, with your strength at the Skin Refining Stage, you’re working as a stone transporter.”

Xu Lian couldn’t help but agree with the fox’s reasoning and simply nodded.

The white fox, her bright eyes scanning him, finally spoke again. “You seem to be quite smart and have some strength. How about working for me?”

Xu Lian stiffened. He couldn’t just follow the temptation of an unknown fox – who knew what dangers that might bring?

Xu Lian’s face showed hesitation as he replied, “My strength is low, so I’m afraid I wouldn’t be of much use to the Fox Fairy. I don’t have any big ambitions. I’m content to work in the quarry to earn enough food for my family.”

Seemingly noticing his concern, the white fox’s mouth curled into a faint smile. “You are cautious. But think about it: If I truly meant to harm you, you’d already be dead by now. Do I really have to go to all this trouble to talk to you?”

That was a fair point… Xu Lian didn’t know what to say and fell silent.

The white fox continued, “You work at the quarry, which basically means that you’re already working for me. Do you know who I am?”

Confused, Xu Lian asked, “I’d appreciate it if you could tell me.”

The white fox explained, “All the quarries in Green Bamboo Town belong to the Yi Sect. I am the quarry inspector for the Yi Sect. All the quarries here are under my jurisdiction. Do you understand now?”

Xu Lian was stunned. He hadn’t expected the quarries to have such a deep background, tied to a sect.

But then, a doubt crept into his mind.

After all, a quarry only mined stones and sold them for a little money. What would a sect be so interested in a stone quarry for?

Could it be that the Yi Sect was so idle? Or was it so poor that it needed to focus on every little income from the quarry?

There were two possibilities.

First, the fox was lying to him, trying to trick him;

Second, there was something hidden in the quarry that he didn’t know about.

To confirm his suspicion, Xu Lian cautiously asked, “What is there about the quarry that requires such an inspection?”

The white fox gave him a sharp look and said, “You’re quite sharp. You’ve guessed the secret of the quarry from my words.”