Fortunately, the clothes in this world are loose enough that even putting a roasted rabbit inside wouldn't seem out of the ordinary.
Zhang Chen wobbled back home by noon. Hearing the sound of Zhang Chen opening the door, the window next door suddenly opened, and a furry white head popped out, eagerly looking at Zhang Chen. Especially upon seeing Zhang Chen carrying a wild chicken, the fox's eyes lit up, almost drooling.
Zhang Chen glanced expressionlessly at the courtyard next door, especially at the fox spirit eagerly waiting. He was so angry that it kind of hurt his liver. This fox spirit was just too infuriating!
It's utterly blatant, bullying him just because Zhang Chen is a straightforward person!
How could he, Zhang Chen, endure such a great humiliation?
"This is too much!" Zhang Chen gnashed his teeth in anger, but still walked into the house without a word, hung the wild chicken on the rack, and deliberately wrapped it tightly with seven or eight rounds of rope. Then he sat silently nearby, quietly watching the wild chicken, waiting for experience points to drop.
Not every time the fox spirit steals something does it drop experience points. Zhang Chen hadn't yet found a pattern for the experience point drop; otherwise, he wouldn't have accumulated only forty points in three months.
However, while Zhang Chen was patiently waiting, he noticed something unusual this time.
Just as he was about to doze off, a light flickered within the depths of his pupils, waking Zhang Chen instantly. He instinctively looked up, and his pupils shrank, a trace of horror on his face, which he quickly covered up.
What did he see?
He saw a fair-skinned, beautiful young lady in white clothes pass through the wall with a mischievous smile, heading straight for Zhang Chen's wild chicken.
The most crucial part was that the lady's figure was ethereal, like the wandering ghosts from novels.
"I actually saw the process of the fox spirit making a move?" Zhang Chen was taken aback. That little lady stood in front of the wild chicken, smiling contentedly, just about to reach out and grab it. Suddenly, she turned to look at Zhang Chen, meeting his gaze, and she jumped back in surprise like a thief caught by the owner, muttering, "Can this guy see me? No way? He shouldn't be able to, right?"
At this moment, Zhang Chen's heart nearly leapt into his throat. He quickly relaxed his mind, pretending not to see the young lady, focusing on the wild chicken behind her, thinking bitterly, "I have to see how my wild chicken disappears."
The young lady was still a bit uneasy, walking back and forth near Zhang Chen. Seeing him still staring intently at the wild chicken, without noticing her presence, she finally relaxed and was about to grab the wild chicken and leave.
But suddenly the young lady's nose twitched as if she smelled something. She sniffed while moving towards Zhang Chen, her eyes fixated on the inside of Zhang Chen's bosom. She cursed, "You sly little devil, learning to hide your tricks now. You caught a rabbit and still dare to hide it? What a naughty boy."
Zhang Chen dared not move his eyeballs, staring at the distant wild chicken. Facing the fox spirit at such close range, he couldn't help but groan inwardly: 'Damn it, this fox spirit is way too cunning! She even noticed this! I guess my rabbit can't be saved, and I'll have to go hungry tonight.'
'And what's with the fox spirit's form right now? Is she in Soul Emergence?' Zhang Chen wondered silently.
"Hand it over to your auntie!" The fox spirit looked at the inside of Zhang Chen's clothes and rudely reached out her pale hand to grab at Zhang Chen's clothing.
'Buzz~'
As soon as the fox spirit's delicate fingers touched Zhang Chen's clothing, suddenly, with Zhang Chen's breathing, a layer of faintly visible golden light burst out from his pores. The fox spirit yelped as it touched the golden light and was forced back to her original form, turning from a beautiful maiden to a phantom fox the size of a thumb, scurrying back into the room next door in a panic.
"Ah~"
A painful cry from the fox echoed from the house next door, leaving Zhang Chen stunned and gaping, shocked by what just unfolded before him.
"What's going on here? My Exorcising Golden Light can restrain the fox spirit?" Zhang Chen sat dumbfounded, looking at the golden light bursting from his skin, his eyes filled with amazement. His previous disdain and scorn for his Golden Finger was now replaced with immense joy, "Unbelievable! Simply unbelievable! My golden light can actually restrain the fox spirit?"
Zhang Chen felt quite accomplished! He was indeed capable now!
Especially when he saw a bead that had fallen on the ground, his eyes were full of delight: Experience Points +50.
"An experience increase of fifty was unheard of before. Could it be that my luck is good today?" Zhang Chen was overwhelmed with joy.
[Name: Zhang Chen]
[Skill (Tier 1): Exorcising Golden Light (0/500)]
[Points: 140]
"Could it be that the golden light injured the fox spirit, causing more experience points to be dropped?" Zhang Chen was not foolish. Observing the increased experience points, he surmised.
As countless thoughts flickered through his mind, suddenly another maiden charged out from the wall. At that moment, the maiden was boiling with rage, her lips pouted pitifully, and her eyes were on the verge of tears, as if Zhang Chen were a heinous villain who had committed awful deeds.
Zhang Chen was nervous, but he feigned calmness, as if he hadn't seen the maiden, and continued to stare at his wild chicken, while panicking internally: "Could this fox spirit be about to retaliate in anger? Should I take the initiative? But how should I do that? Should I glow with golden light and charge at her? Her swift and agile movements seem to ignore physical obstacles; I fear I won't be able to catch her!"
The maiden gazed at the swirling golden light around Zhang Chen, her eyes filled with greed and confusion. But when faced with Zhang Chen's golden light, she hesitated to approach, cursing, "Damn you, what the hell is that thing? It actually harmed my soul? Did this guy encounter some bizarre object and awaken?"
Fuming, the fox spirit circled around Zhang Chen once, finally picking up a water ladle and hurling it at Zhang Chen's head from a distance. It hit with an 'Ouch,' causing a red swelling on his forehead. The golden light couldn't ward off physical attacks, and the forehead swelled up immediately:
"Damned guy, pretending not to know who steals the chicken. Every time I use Soul Emergence to take things, I've seen you peeping through the wall, just purposely toying with you, pretending not to know. Hypocritical man, bad man! Damned bad man, always bullying Nannan, watch Nannan beat you to death!"
The maiden, angrily cursing, apparently truly infuriated, picked up a spoon nearby and hurled it again. This time, Zhang Chen didn't dodge either, getting a black eye.
Seeing the maiden about to throw again, Zhang Chen could no longer endure it. If this carried on, he'd definitely be beaten to death by the fox spirit. Thus, he pretended to be in pain and rolled around inside the room, rolling towards the maiden in fear as her face turned pale, wary of the golden light on Zhang Chen's body. She begrudgingly grabbed the wild chicken and left.
After the fox spirit departed, Zhang Chen stopped rolling in the room, then looked at the vanished wild chicken with a pensive expression, "Looks like my previous peeping moves were long noticed by the fox spirit. The fox pretended not to know, purely to toy with me! My golden light seems to be able to restrain and attack the fox spirit on a primordial spirit level, but can't defend against physical force."
"Before I thought the fox spirit was using the Transportation Technique, but now I see it was a misunderstanding. She was actually using Soul Emergence." Zhang Chen pondered with surprise: "Why use Soul Emergence instead of deploying Demon Technique?"
ps: Thanks to everyone for the tips, but it seems the author can't see it here. Apologies, apologies; whenever I can see it, I'll make sure to thank everyone properly.
ps: Fellow big shots, do you have any free recommendation votes? Please throw some my way…