Chapter 276 Allies
"Daddy~"
Chen Xingcai rushed into the wooden house as usual, but found it empty. The room was quiet, and even the teacups were cold.
"Strange?" She tilted her head and looked around, "Daddy actually went out?"
This was quite rare. She searched inside and out, even turning over the back courtyard's medicinal herb garden, but still did not see that familiar figure.
"Hmm..." She propped her chin and pondered for a moment, muttering to herself, "Daddy's not here, so I'll go find Teacher Xiao Hei."
Although she knew some superficial charm arts, she was not confident about the exquisite methods Shen Qingwu had used. She had wanted to ask her own father, but unfortunately...
Just as she took two steps out the courtyard gate, a snowy-white figure blocked her path.
"Sister Xingcai~" Bai Li swayed her fluffy tail, her eyes sparkling brightly, "Are you going to find Lady Ji?"
Chen Xingcai immediately gave up the idea of finding her master.
"No!" she answered decisively.
This fox was like a piece of sticky rice paper; once you got stuck, you couldn't shake her off. Moreover, she knew Bai Li's intentions best—didn't she just want to use the opportunity to get close to her master!
Bai Li's ears immediately drooped, and the whole fox wilted.
Just then, a cool voice came through:
"Xingcai?"
Chen Xingcai looked up and saw Xiao Linger standing there, holding a sword. As a fellow second-generation of the saints, her impression of this senior sister was much better—what's more, in her heart, this was Senior Brother's official partner!
Thinking of how Senior Brother was now completely focused on the development of the Immortal Spirit Sacred Land, Chen Xingcai's gaze toward Xiao Linger was suddenly filled with pity.
Feeling a bit uncomfortable under this fervent stare, Xiao Linger frowned slightly: "What are you doing here?"
"Ah, I wanted to ask Daddy about charm arts..." Chen Xingcai answered subconsciously, then quickly covered her mouth.
"Charm arts?!"
Bai Li, who had been listless just a moment ago, suddenly became spirited, her tail fluffing up like a feather duster.
Chen Xingcai was startled: "What are you so excited about?"
"Hehehe... hahaha..." Bai Li laughed, her tail trembling, then suddenly spun and transformed into her human form. Nine snow-white tails danced behind her. "When it comes to charm arts, who in this world can surpass us Nine-Tailed Celestial Foxes?"
Chen Xingcai's eyes lit up.
The girl before her had skin like snow, and a palm-sized small face was embedded with a pair of watery fox eyes, the corners of which held a natural, crimson red. Although she looked only fifteen or sixteen, her figure was exquisitely curvaceous, especially her proud curves, which were simply eye-catching.
Nine fluffy snow-white tails swayed gently behind her, every hair gleaming with a pearlescent luster.
"When did you learn to transform?" Chen Xingcai couldn't help but exclaim, "Your appearance is almost catching up to mine."
Bai Li proudly lifted her chin, her nine tails fluffing out triumphantly: "I've been working hard on it too."
Bai Li proudly lifted her chin, her nine tails fluffing out triumphantly: "I've been growing up too, okay!" She suddenly reacted, immediately stomped her foot, and retorted, "What do you mean 'almost catching up to me'! I'm clearly prettier than you!"
"Heh." Chen Xingcai crossed her arms, looking Bai Li up and down, "With your short little legs?"
"Short little legs?!" Bai Li was so angry her tails stood on end. She spun in a circle to show off her long legs, "Look carefully! Besides..."
She suddenly leaned close, blinking her large eyes, "This is called... what did those mortals in the Immortal Spirit City call it... baby face, big... you know? Do you get it or not?"
Chen Xingcai unwillingly puffed out her chest: "So what if you're well-developed? I have class!"
"Class?" Bai Li made a face, "You want to talk about class with the person I just saw fighting a grizzly for honey a few days ago?"
"You!" Chen Xingcai grabbed Bai Li's tail, "Believe it or not, I'll pluck all the fur off your tail!"
"Ahhh, let go!" Bai Li frantically tried to save her tail, "You're just jealous!"
Bai Li's tail fur flew everywhere, and Chen Xingcai's hairpin had also fallen to the ground at some point.
The two girls went back and forth, quickly devolving into a tussle.
...
Bai Li's cultivation was no match for Chen Xingcai's, and she was soon pinned to the ground and tickled. Her nine tails trembled as she laughed until tears came out: "Hahaha... Stop, stop! I'll talk about the real business! Isn't that okay!"
Chen Xingcai let go, patted her skirt, and stood up, looking seriously between the two of them: "You must swear to keep this matter absolutely secret."
Xiao Linger and Bai Li looked at each other, then simultaneously raised three fingers to make a heart demon's great oath. Only then did Chen Xingcai recount the process of hearing Shen Qingwu's inner thoughts.
"Heart-Reading Art?" Xiao Linger said thoughtfully, "I may not know about charm arts, but I think I've heard my grandfather mention this before. It's a secret Buddhist technique that can transmit one's own inner thoughts into another's mind."
Bai Li's eyes lit up, her nine tails swaying excitedly: "Heart-Reading Art? And he used it in combination with charm arts? This kid is a genius!"
But then she immediately shook her head: "But such a crude method is, in the eyes of our Nine-Tailed Fox Clan, just a petty trick not fit for the stage."
"What do you mean?" Chen Xingcai leaned closer curiously.
Bai Li put away her playful expression and spoke with rare seriousness: "My father said that true charm arts must be natural and seamless." Her fingertip lightly tapped, and her aura suddenly shifted from lively and agile to cool and ethereal, "It must be coordinated with one's own inherent temperament, words, and actions, making people not doubt the feelings they develop from the bottom of their hearts."
Chen Xingcai recalled Shen Qingwu's performance, which did feel deliberate, and nodded: "No wonder I always felt something was off."
"But..." she frowned slightly, "How could a cultivator at the Profound Connection Realm know a secret Buddhist technique? And how could he infiltrate the Immortal Spirit Holy Land..."
Bai Li suddenly jumped up, her nine tails fluffing out: "I know! There must be a mastermind behind this!" She excitedly grabbed Chen Xingcai's sleeve, "Let's investigate together! If we catch the person behind the scenes, we'll definitely be famous throughout the Immortal Spirit Holy Land!"
Hearing this, Xiao Linger also rarely showed an eager expression: "Xingcai, count me in."
Looking at their shining eyes, Chen Xingcai suddenly had a bad premonition—these two, how did they seem even more unreliable than Shen Qingwu?
She hesitated: "So what do we do first?"
"What do we do first?" Bai Li's eyes spun, revealing a wicked smile: "Hehehe... of course, that would be..."
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