Chapter Ninety-Five: Dare to Harm My Brother
“Little Spirit, have you noticed something odd?”
“Hm? What is it?”
“We’ve run into several waves of spirit beasts along the way, but not once have we been attacked.”
“Uh, now that you mention it, that does seem rather unusual.”
“Aru, since you’re a spirit beast, do you know what’s going on?”
“Ho, ho, ho.”
“What? Because you’re here? That’s normal?”
“Oh, looks like your background is not simple.”
“Ho, ho, ho.”
“They’re all afraid of your father? What rank is your father?”
“Ho.”
“You won’t tell me? Well done. Looks like your fur is itching again.”
Gu Xiaopang and Little Dimwit the Bear bickered and played all the way, making a fine uproar of it, while Bai Ling’er watched from the side and laughed out loud time and again.
The little dimwit bear was called Aru; that was how his father addressed him. In this place, too, it seemed there was not a spirit beast that did not know him. Wherever they passed, the spirit beasts all appeared to treat him with great respect, though they expressed it in such a roundabout way that for quite a long time Gu Xiaopang had failed to notice anything amiss.
As the two continued their noisy journey, a broad-faced, stern-browed man hidden high in the sky sent a strand of divine sense toward a nine-tailed white fox, who was in secluded cultivation in a cavern a hundred li away and had reached great perfection at the fourth rank.
...
“Little Spirit, Aru says the white foxes’ settlement is just ahead.”
“He wants to introduce a friend to us.”
“Very well. White foxes are famous for handsome men and lovely women among those who have cultivated to completion. It would be good to have a look.”
“Come on, Aru. Let’s go meet that pretty female friend of yours.”
“Ho.”
“Fine, fine, I know it’s a female friend. Your big brother didn’t say it wrong either, did I? A girlfriend is just a female friend, after all.”
“Ho, ho, ho.”
...
As if hearing Aru’s call, a tiny fox of flawless white fur leaped through the air from afar toward Gu Xiaopang’s position.
“Aru, what are you doing here today? And who are these two humans?”
“Ho! Ho, ho.”
“So that’s how it is. Then I’ll take you two on a little detour.”
“Lately, the Endless Forest has not been very peaceful. There’s a great thief specially stealing the treasure vaults of all the clans. Our white fox patriarch has already laid down a maze formation and is just waiting for him to take the bait.”
“However, for some reason our patriarch has an especially strong dislike for humans, so I won’t invite you in as guests.”
“Ahem, many thanks, miss.”
“No need to be so polite. Aru’s friends are my, Amey’s, friends.”
...
When they were almost through the fox clan’s territory by way of the detour, a red fox of the fourth rank, early stage, suddenly shot forth at great speed.
“Humans?”
“Elder Lie, they are friends of mine and Aru’s.”
“I am Gu Changqing, and this is Bai Ling’er. We pay our respects to you, senior.”
“Hmph.”
“Aru, Amey, go stand back. As for you two, go back wherever you came from.”
“Senior, the two of us can leave, but isn’t this a bit too much?”
“Too much?! Hmph. I’ll give you ten breaths. If you dare remain before this elder’s eyes, I’ll cripple you on the spot.”
“Elder! They are my friends!”
“You two shut up! One.”
“Two... eight.”
“Boy, you have guts. Don’t regret it.”
“Nine.”
“Ten.”
After sealing Aru and Amey to the rear, and seeing that he had finished counting to ten, Elder Lie, who had just warned them that they must leave within ten breaths, instantly released his full pressure and crushed it toward Gu Xiaopang and Bai Ling’er, who had dared to defy his order.
Gu Xiaopang let out a cold snort, then in an instant moved in front of Bai Ling’er, shielding her from most of the frontal pressure.
“Such bullying is hardly the bearing of a true expert, senior.”
“Young brat, you do have a sharp tongue.”
Crack, crack.
Gu Xiaopang clenched his back teeth hard enough to grind, abruptly gathering his true qi, and with one sweep sent Bai Ling’er, whose face had gone nearly bloodless, flying a hundred meters away.
“Hmph. Elder Lie, pressure greater than yours, your little master has already endured.”
“What arrogance. This elder will cripple you first.”
Before the words had even faded, Elder Lie’s figure had already flashed in close. With one palm he sent Gu Xiaopang flying far away, breaking ribs and making him cough up several mouthfuls of blood.
“Xiaopang, how are you?”
“Cough, cough. I’m fine, Little Spirit. You step back for now.”
“Brat, your bones are pretty hard, but that ends here.”
“You should regret stepping into the Endless Forest, and even more regret coming onto my fox clan’s land.”
By now Aru and Amey, sealed and unable to move, were full of anxiety. Aru in particular had his eyes wide open, while beneath his thick fur countless veins seemed to surge and throb.
And just as Elder Lie again hurled a full-force palm toward Gu Xiaopang, Aru suddenly broke free of the seal. His body rose another half-meter or more, and with a speed utterly beyond anyone present’s expectation, he slammed himself beneath Gu Xiaopang, offering his own back to Elder Lie’s palm.
“No!”
Before Gu Xiaopang could shove Aru aside, one palm came down and both man and beast were sent flying several more meters.
“Damn you! You dare injure my little brother? Today I’m going to kill you!”
After spitting out several more mouthfuls of blood, Gu Xiaopang was truly enraged. He casually pulled out several pills overflowing with spiritual energy, stuffed them into Aru’s mouth—the bear having blown apart a huge wound in his back and instantly fallen unconscious—then quickly handed him over to Bai Ling’er before flashing toward Elder Lie not far away.
The instant his figure erupted forward, his aura surged violently. When the five-colored spirit dragons burst forth together, his cultivation had already soared to the late Golden Core stage.
One after another, countless spirit dragons of every color seemed to share their master’s fury at that moment, roaring as they exploded toward Elder Lie. Their density left Elder Lie with no time at all to react.
“Stop!”
“Bold human!”
“Stop at once!”
Countless thunderous blasts and Elder Lie’s screams spread in an instant across a hundred-li radius, startling many experts of the fox clan, who hurriedly unfolded their forms and raced toward the scene amid the shouting.
Ignoring those still rushing in, Gu Xiaopang continued to fling out wave after wave of spirit dragons, bombarding relentlessly. Amid the screams, earth and stone burst into the air, and the ground at the center of the battlefield continued to sink beneath the fury of the strikes.
By the time the fox clan’s experts had all arrived, Gu Xiaopang finally stopped. In a flash he was beside Aru, and countless azure spirit dragons of life qi poured into Aru’s body as though his life depended on it.
Those who had intended to attack Gu Xiaopang, upon discovering that he was instead healing the beast, were all so frightened that cold sweat broke out on them.
Though they did not know exactly what had happened, it was obvious that Aru’s injuries had come from Elder Lie. None of the beasts could help fearing that if this drew out the Demon Bear King, then the fox clan would be utterly finished today.
“Ho, ho, ho.”
After a while, Aru finally awoke and gave Gu Xiaopang a few low calls.
“It’s all right. Your injuries should recover in a few more days.”
“Don’t worry. That old bastard—your big brother even left him with one last breath. Do with him as you please later.”
“Ho.”
...
At the very center of the fox clan.
“Xue, what do you think?”
“This human is worth Aru’s deep friendship.”
“To what extent?”
“To live and die as one.”
“Good.”
“If Aru finds out that all of this was your arrangement, he’ll surely ignore you for quite some time again.”
“A trivial matter.”
A broad-faced, stern-browed man of the fifth rank and a voluptuous woman of great perfection at the fourth rank were conversing before a heart-illusion mirror. Within the mirror, what was shown was the place where the conflict outside their territory had taken place.
...