Inside the house, "Sun Chuang" moved more and more like a woman. He walked around the room humming a tune, his hips swaying provocatively, which made me sick to my stomach.
After finishing the tune, he produced a makeup box from somewhere and began applying it to his face, meticulously drawing his eyebrows and eyes, as if he were a woman.
This sight made the hairs on my body stand on end, and goosebumps erupted all over me. The scene before me was truly a shock to the eyes.
Once the makeup was done, "Sun Chuang" looked in the mirror and said, "Do I look beautiful?" a strange smile playing on his lips.
"We've been discovered."
Before I could react, Zhang Dabiao had already burst into the room.
At some point, he had taken off his fox fur robe and thrown it over "Sun Chuang's" head.
"Sun Chuang's" eyes widened in fear, and he let out a cry of "Ah!" before falling straight down, as if he had seen something utterly terrifying.
A shadowy figure, as faint as mist, shot out from Sun Chuang's body and fled through the window towards the back of the house.
Zhang Dabiao let out a cold snort, "Trying to escape? Let's see where you can run this time."
Before his words had even landed, Zhang Dabiao had already bolted out the door, chasing the shadow straight towards the backyard.
I was about to go help, but then I stopped, seeing Sun Chuang lying on the ground.
I first helped Sun Chuang onto the bed, then retrieved mugwort and rooster's blood from my own room before heading out.
When I reached the backyard, I found Zhang Dabiao confronting a fox as large as a wolfhound.
The fox was entirely crimson, except for the white tip of its tail, and it exuded a chilling aura.
Just as I was about to go help, Zhang Dabiao suddenly spoke, "Don't come closer, watch your step."
"What?"
I didn't react immediately. Then, I heard a "snap" as something broke. Looking down, I realized I had kicked through a red thread.
"Careful."
The fox, which had been facing off against Zhang Dabiao, suddenly darted towards me. Its eyes, glowing green, looked a bit like a werewolf from a movie, which stunned me.
I stood frozen, but Zhang Dabiao didn't. With a wave of his hands, a nail that pierced bone shot towards the fox.
"A malevolent spirit trying to escape?"
The fox let out a mournful howl, a puff of black smoke rising from its body as it rolled away.
The nail at my feet was still trembling. If it had been an inch further, my foot would have been pinned to the ground.
"Didn't I tell you not to come closer? Why didn't you listen?" Zhang Dabiao grumbled, reconnecting the red thread I had broken.
"You spoke too quickly, I didn't hear you clearly."
Watching Zhang Dabiao reconnect the thread I had broken, I asked what it was.
He replied that it was a "mohe" line.
I had heard of "mohe" lines before. They were said to be made from the hair of boys who had not yet experienced their first ejaculation, mixed with hemp thread. It was a magical artifact from the Lu Ban lineage used to deal with Yin entities, later popularized by a Daoist priest from Mount Mao.
After being hit by Zhang Dabiao's bone-piercing nail, the fox was noticeably weakened.
Its eyes glowed with a faint green light, making my skin crawl.
Zhang Dabiao, however, looked fierce. "You tricked me last time. Let's see where you can run this time."
As he spoke, Zhang Dabiao produced two more bone-piercing nails, aiming them directly at the fox's eyes.
The fox arched its body, its four paws pushing off the ground, easily dodging the nails. It then began to squeak at Zhang Dabiao.
"Hmph, let's see how long you can dodge."
Zhang Dabiao flipped his hands, and two more bone-piercing nails appeared. "Malignant creature, let's see where you run this time."
In response to Zhang Dabiao's scolding, the fox landed on its hind legs, standing upright. It crossed its front paws and began to bow to Zhang Dabiao.
Having read "Strange Omens and Feng Shui" thoroughly, I knew this was a tactic used by Yin entities. If it completed the bow, even if one didn't die, their lifespan would be reduced. Not everyone could withstand their worship.
"Brother Zhang, be careful! This is a demon fox's lifespan sacrifice. Don't let it bow to you."
Zhang Dabiao, who had been about to attack the fox, flashed to the side upon hearing my words.
Simultaneously, a gust of dark, Yin wind appeared on the fox's front paws, striking the spot where Zhang Dabiao had just been. The surrounding air instantly dropped several degrees.
"What a vicious technique," Zhang Dabiao cursed, looking at the spot where he had been, which was now covered in frost.
The fox, seeing its tactic thwarted by my words, turned its gaze towards me and let out a sharp yelp.
The sound was incredibly piercing, like fingernails scraping against a wall, or scratching rotten wood.
This caused me to look at it, and as our eyes met, I found I couldn't look away.
Foxes, being canids, typically have vertical pupils like cats. However, this fox's pupils were round, like a human's.
Meeting its gaze gave me the impression that I wasn't looking at a fox, but at a "living" person.
My body felt stiff, my eyelids heavy, and I had the urge to fall asleep.
I knew I had fallen into a trap again and fought to stay awake.
Otherwise, I would be possessed by this fox, just like Sun Chuang.
I fought against the drowsiness and bit down on my stiff tongue. I tasted sweetness in my mouth, and the feeling of being controlled instantly vanished.
At that moment, I realized the fox was less than two meters away from me. If I had woken up any later, it would have possessed me.
Anger surged within me. Did it really think I was so easily manipulated?
I took the rooster's blood from my pocket and threw it at the fox. It dodged with a flash and opened its mouth, aiming to bite my thigh.
This made my face change color. The fox was almost as big as a wolfhound, and if it bit me, it would take a good chunk of flesh.
"Damn it."
Without thinking, I performed a "lazy donkey roll," narrowly dodging the attack.
Before I could even stand up, the fox flicked its tail, turning its body in mid-air. It landed on all fours, pushed off with its hind legs, and lunged at me again. Based on its size, I realized its "target" was between my legs.
This made my face turn green.
"Holy hell, I'm still a virgin! This is going to kill me."
I pushed my legs forward with all my might, trying to create distance, but I couldn't outrun it on my two legs. Just as I thought I was finished.
"Do you really think I'm not here?"
I felt a cold wind whistle past my ear, and then I saw a bone-piercing nail strike the fox's skull. It then dissolved into a wisp of smoke and vanished before my eyes.
"That was close."
My heart pounded wildly. It was just a hair's breadth away from ruining my future happiness. To say I wasn't scared would be lying to a ghost.
"I told you not to come in, and you didn't listen. If I hadn't acted fast, you'd be finished today," Zhang Dabiao said, helping me up with a teasing smile.
I chuckled awkwardly and replied, "Indeed. Otherwise, the Song family would have no descendants."
"Alright, after we finish dealing with it, we can finally get some sleep. At least for the next half month, it won't bother us."
I nodded in agreement, but I couldn't help but wonder why that fox had seemed so strange.
It seemed like a "chuma xian" (a spirit medium or shaman), but why did it lack the spiritual energy typical of such practitioners?