The sun was bright in the wilderness, and Ling Feng and his group of six were sitting on a picnic blanket playing hanafuda.
Cherry blossoms kept falling from the surrounding trees, accompanied by fluttering butterflies and the songs of birds.
"Ying, you lost again."
"Look, even Ling, who just played hanafuda for the first time, is better than you now."
Hozuki Hime covered her mouth and teased Ying, whose expression had turned grim.
Ling Feng was startled by Hozuki Hime's words and stared at her with wide eyes, as if to say:
"You troublemaker, say what you want, but don't drag me into this!"
They played more than a dozen rounds, and Ying lost every single one.
"Let's play again."
Ying gritted her teeth.
As a warrior, one must never admit defeat, even outside of combat!
A few minutes later.
Ying lost again, without any suspense.
"Heeheehee, Ying, you lost again."
Hozuki Hime laughed heartily without restraint, her snow-white tail also wagging continuously.
Laughter is contagious.
Chiyo and Sasayuri couldn't help but suppress their laughter, covering their mouths, feeling it was inappropriate.
Ling Feng cast a disdainful glance at the troublemaker. Wasn't she afraid that Ying would draw her sword?
If it were him, he would climb into her window at night.
Then put a sack over her head, give her a whack, and treat her to a good beating.
Ling Feng turned his attention to Ying's cards and looked surprised.
These cards...
Were terrible!
Utterly terrible!
Was Ying just naturally unlucky?
How many rounds had it been?
Hanafuda was quite similar to Mahjong in Huaxia.
This was one of the reasons Ling Feng was good at hanafuda.
Logically speaking, hanafuda also involved luck, so why was Ying losing so consistently?
Was it because Ying had taught him the first time they played?
"Zhen, you take Ying's spot, I'll help Ying."
"Okay."
Zhen nodded. Her silly sister had lost so badly that she couldn't bear to watch.
They then switched positions, and Ling Feng sat between Zhen and Ying.
Soon, a new round began.
With Ling Feng's help this time, Ying finally won a round.
Ying jumped up excitedly, threw her head back, pointed a finger at Hozuki Hime, and declared triumphantly.
Her earlier gloomy expression was completely gone.
"Troublemaker! I won this time!"
Hozuki Hime retorted defiantly.
"That's only because Ling helped you. If it were just you, how could you have possibly won?"
After Hozuki Hime finished speaking, the corner of her mouth secretly curved upwards. According to her plan, Ying would definitely refuse Ling Feng's help because of this remark.
At that time, for Ying's one win, she would win five rounds in return.
Truly a worthy Miko.
However, Ying's response completely foiled the troublemaker's "little scheme."
"Ling is my adjutant. Isn't he here to assist me?"
Hozuki Hime froze, her wagging tail stiffened.
What was going on?
Σ⊙▃⊙川
How could Ying suddenly have such common sense!
"Ling, let's continue and defeat this troublemaker completely!"
With this win, Ying got carried away.
Ling Feng didn't refuse either, asking Mirai to secretly deduce Hozuki Hime's potential cards.
Mirai: Master, wouldn't this be unfair?
"It's alright, games are meant to be played with laughter."
"Besides, we haven't broken any rules, and we haven't used any powers. This is called deducing the opponent's hand."
"Oh, right, Mirai, please take a couple of pictures of Hozuki Hime looking dejected later."
Mirai: I see, understood.
"Gaga! Troublemaker, are you ready to face judgment!"
This meant that Hozuki Hime now had to face Ying, Ling Feng, and Mirai collectively, in addition to her opponents Chiyo and Zhen.
As for Sasayuri, that dog, well, he was comfortably watching the game while eating dessert.
After a few more rounds.
Ying, perhaps due to a change in luck, received good cards. With the assistance of Ling Feng and Mirai, she won continuously!
Hozuki Hime, on the other hand, stopped even rotating her pipe, her face darkening.
These few rounds, it was as if she had swapped places with Ying, and she kept losing.
"I'm not playing anymore. Looking at the time, it's about time for dinner."
Hozuki Hime, afraid that Ying would mock her, quickly shifted everyone's attention from hanafuda to dinner.
Chiyo nodded in agreement.
"Yes, yes, I'm hungry too."
Ling Feng looked up at the sky. It was already dusk.
The sunset glow in the sky was incredibly beautiful, and everyone was captivated by it.
There was no doubt that beautiful scenery could lift one's spirits.
"Everyone, let's have a barbecue tonight."
"Hooray!"
Ling Feng found an empty spot and took out all the barbecue ingredients from his system space, with an abundance of food items.
"Ling, your ability is really amazing. You never have to worry about going hungry."
Chiyo said enviously.
"Alright, let's all join in. Grill whatever you want, don't worry about running out of ingredients."
Ling Feng said generously.
Everyone gathered around the grill, holding their favorite foods to roast.
Because there were too many people, Ling Feng prepared three grills in advance.
With six people, two people operated one grill.
Hozuki Hime's eyes were glued to the various skewers of tofu, her hands constantly grabbing them.
Everyone else picked a few things they wanted to eat.
After selecting their food, it was time for grilling.
Since Ling Feng had the best cooking skills among them, followed by Zhen, Ling Feng moved between the three groups, offering guidance.
"Tofu, my favorite tofu!"
Hozuki Hime's tofu feast was the first to be ready, its aroma making Sasayuri, who was still grilling his own food, feel a bit greedy.
Hozuki Hime glanced at Chiyo, who was still diligently grilling beside her, and a smile suddenly appeared on her lips.
"Hey, Chiyo, doesn't this tofu smell amazing? Want a skewer?"
"No, get away from me!"
"Come on, come on, it's delicious."
"Help! Don't come near me!"
Just as Chiyo was about to escape, Hozuki Hime pounced on her and was about to force-feed her.
Chiyo looked at the tofu in Hozuki Hime's hand with a look of terror, pushing against Hozuki Hime's hands to keep her away.
"Come on, Chiyo, it's delicious~"
Hozuki Hime said with an evil grin, her fox tail wagging incessantly.
She was the perfect villain.
"Dog, save me!"
Chiyo was now filled with fear. Moreover, Hozuki Hime was her friend, and she couldn't overpower her.
Upon hearing this, Sasayuri quickly put down his barbecue and went to the rescue.
However, he accidentally grabbed Hozuki Hime's tail.
"Yelp~"
Sasayuri: ...
The air seemed to freeze.
"Sasa! Yuri! You'll pay for this!"
Hozuki Hime's face turned red, and she glared fiercely at Sasayuri, looking as if she wanted to bite him to death.
One had to know what a fox's tail represented.
A sensitive spot!
"Wait, it was an accident."
Cold sweat beaded on Sasayuri's forehead. Frightened by Hozuki Hime, he retreated rapidly, then turned and fled.
"You can't escape!"
Hozuki Hime, enraged, chased after Sasayuri.
Seeing that Hozuki Hime had been led away, Chiyo let out a long sigh of relief and got up from the ground.
One had to know that the demon tribe feared beans the most, and that troublemaker fox must have done it on purpose.
Suddenly, Chiyo smelled something burning. As she wondered where the smell was coming from, she saw that her food had turned into charcoal.
Chiyo: ...
My barbecue!
Troublemaker Hozuki Hime!
You'll pay for this!
Chiyo drew her katana and charged towards Hozuki Hime, who was being chased by Sasayuri in circles around a tree.
Then, the chase turned into a three-person pursuit.
Ling looked at the scene and couldn't help but shake his head.
Poor souls.
Hahahahaha!
Laughter is built on the suffering of others.
"Ling, have a skewer."
Zhen suddenly handed him a skewer.
"Okay... Ahh..."
Ling Feng took it without much thought and took a bite.
As he ate, Ling Feng felt something was wrong.
This taste, why did it feel burnt?
Ling Feng looked down.
In his hand was a black, burnt skewer.
Ling Feng's eyes widened instantly.
What is this?!
Just as Ling Feng was wondering, his mind suddenly trembled, and he felt dizzy and fell straight down.
Ling Feng's last thought before fainting was.
This thing... is poisonous!
"Ling!" x2
Zhen and Ying were startled and quickly crouched down, their faces filled with concern as they checked Ling Feng's condition.
Not far away, the three who were still chasing also noticed that something seemed to have happened on Ling Feng's side. They immediately abandoned the chase and hurried over to check the situation.
Hozuki Hime and the other two looked at Ling Feng, who was lying on the ground with a peaceful expression, and the worried Zhen and Ying.
"What happened? Why did Ling suddenly faint?"
"He ate the barbecue skewer made by Ying."
The three of them saw the dark skewer in Ling Feng's hand and instinctively swallowed.
From that skewer, they could sense a deep malice...
"It's alright, he just fainted. With Ling's physique, he'll recover quickly."
"That's good then."
Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Five minutes later...
Ling Feng vaguely woke up, his eyes filled with confusion.
What happened to me?
Right, I remember!
The culprit was that skewer!
Wait...
This feeling is so soft, soft and bouncy.
"Ling, you're awake."
Suddenly, Ling Feng heard Ying's excited voice.
Ling Feng looked up and met Ying's purple eyes.
This position...
It's a lap pillow!
In other words, his head was resting on Ying's soft, plump thighs.
"What happened to me?"
Ling Feng asked, confused.
"It's all my fault. Zhen gave you my barbecue skewer, so..."
At this moment, Ying didn't have her usual cold demeanor; instead, she looked like a little girl who had made a mistake.
Ling Feng thought to himself.
It really was that skewer.
But he was already at the Golden Core stage, and food made by Ying could knock him out.
What level of barbecue skewer was this, to have such power?
If an ordinary person ate it, they'd probably ascend to heaven.
"It's alright, I'm fine."
Ling Feng sat up and comforted Ying.
However, while he comforted her, Ling Feng had already categorized Ying's cooking as highly poisonous.
"Ling, are you okay?"
The other four, seeing Ling Feng wake up, rushed forward to inquire about his condition. Ling Feng just smiled and replied that he was fine.
"Awooo!"
A few wolf howls sounded, and everyone turned to look.
They saw several figures darting out from the forest.
Ling Feng looked at the scene and felt it was strangely familiar.
A few hungry wolves were chasing a pink-haired little fox.
"Troublemaker fox, are all foxes in your tribe so easily chased by wolves?"
Ling Feng asked curiously.
"What?"
Hozuki Hime looked confused by Ling Feng's question.
"Never mind, I'll handle it."
Ling Feng stood up from the ground. He had experience with this.
Ling Feng walked step by step towards the charging wolves and the pink-haired fox.
Hiss!
Ling Feng unleashed his Golden Core stage pressure, pinning the wolves.
"Awooooo~~~"
The wolves suddenly knelt and prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling.
As for the pink-haired fox, it seemed to know that Ling Feng could save it. It flashed behind Ling Feng's legs, peeking out its small head to look at the wolves.
"Ying ying ying!"
Seeing this, the pink-haired fox's demeanor changed. It patted Ling Feng's calf with its front paws and made "ying ying ying" noises towards the wolves with one hand, seemingly mocking them.
Everyone was shocked.
This pink-haired fox could actually bully others by relying on its connections!
Ling Feng waved his hand, producing a dozen fish, and accurately threw them in front of the hungry wolves.
"Take these fish and go back from where you came."
Ling Feng said indifferently, withdrawing his pressure.
The wolves, as if granted amnesty, snatched the fish Ling Feng threw and ran back into the forest without looking back.
After resolving the situation, Ling Feng turned and walked back to the others.
"Ying ying ying."
Seeing this, the pink-haired fox quickly followed Ling Feng, staying close to his footsteps, as if it knew that following Ling Feng meant food and safety.
"You pink-haired fox are quite interesting."
Ling Feng said, grabbing her by the scruff of her neck and lifting her up.
"Ying ying ying."
To Ling Feng's surprise, this little fox was not afraid of him and even swiped at him.
"Oh ho."
Ling Feng found this pink-haired fox somewhat familiar, but he couldn't recall where he had seen it before.
"Sniff sniff sniff... What's that smell? Damn it, fox odor!"
Smelling the stench from the pink-haired fox, Ling Feng quickly covered his nose and mouth.
"Hozuki Hime, this creature is from your fox tribe. You deal with it."
Then, Ling Feng, with a look of disgust, threw the pink-haired fox to Hozuki Hime.
Unexpectedly, the pink-haired fox quickly broke free from Hozuki Hime's grasp and hugged Ling Feng's calf with its front paws.
No matter how Ling Feng shook it, it clung to his leg, as if expressing its determination to follow him!
"Alright, alright, I'm afraid of you."
As soon as Ling Feng said this, the pink-haired fox immediately let go.
Ling Feng: ...
Damn it! This thing is cunning!
However, its fox odor was still unbearable.
Ling Feng directly cast a paralysis spell on it and then tossed it back to Hozuki Hime.
"Hozuki Hime, please take care of this little one for me and solve its fox odor problem. This creature's fox odor is too strong, too stinky!"
Hozuki Hime looked at the pink-haired fox in her arms like it was a new toy, her eyes shining with excitement.
"Don't worry, such an interesting fellow tribesman, I will take good care of... discipline her for you."
Ling Feng: ???
Did she just say "discipline"?
Never mind. It was rare for him to intervene, and he could afford to raise a fox. It was interesting and could pass the time.
As night approached, everyone packed up and went their separate ways.