Chapter 17 Who is the Most Crybaby Little Fox Spirit

Chapter 17: Who Is the Most Teary-Eyed Little Fox Spirit

Rong Jue remained silent, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him out of Xiuyuan Hall.

Xie Huanxiang instinctively struggled, "Senior Brother, why are you dragging me? You got a guilty conscience or something?"

Rong Jue sighed and let go of his hand.

At this moment, no one was around, and the wutong leaves above swayed in the wind, causing the bells at Xie Huanxiang's waist to jingle softly.

Xie Huanxiang puffed up his cheeks, turned his head away, and let out a cold snort.

"Huanxiang," Rong Jue reached out, brushing a fallen wutong leaf from his head, "Back then, both humans and demons had their own struggles. It ain't as black and white as you think."

"Who knows if you're telling the truth or not? I've never seen that World-Ending Demon. For all I know, you could've made it up," Xie Huanxiang said, his eyes darting around before he slowly added, "Unless you let me see it myself in the Floating Pagoda."

"..."

Rong Jue's brow darkened as he looked at him. "So that's your real goal, Huanxiang."

Xie Huanxiang blinked, all innocent. "What goal, Senior Brother? I don't get it."

"I can take you to the Floating Pagoda, alright," Rong Jue said, "But there's a condition."

Xie Huanxiang grabbed his sleeve, leaned in all excited, and wagged his tail. "What condition?"

"Huanxiang, can you tell me where you got those two bells on your waist?" Rong Jue asked.

Xie Huanxiang followed his serious gaze, looking down at the small bells on his waist. "Ain't they pretty?"

He really liked these two bells; the jingle when he walked was nice.

"These bells are called Ghost Bells, see," Rong Jue said with a complicated expression. "Every Demon Lord, when they take the throne in Erosion Moon City, takes a rib from their own body as a token to rally the demons. Since the rib's soaked in demonic energy, ordinary demons feel its pressure when they get close, so no one can fake it."

"And the clapper of these Ghost Bells is carved from Liu Wudao's rib."

Rong Jue's face darkened. "Huanxiang, you're completely drenched in Liu Wudao's aura."

Xie Huanxiang stared blankly at the bells on his waist.

Wasn't this a gift from Wu Liu? How's it connected to Liu Wudao?

"What do I do? Am I... gonna die?" He tugged at the red string around his waist, but it was tough and wouldn't budge, stuck tight. His eyes went red with panic as he grabbed Rong Jue's sleeve. "Senior Brother, I'm scared."

Rong Jue went quiet again.

No matter where the bells came from, the fact that Xie Huanxiang wore them every day meant ordinary demons couldn't get near him. Even if a demon had bad intentions, they'd be scared off by the aura of another male demon on him.

Rong Jue squinted.

But still, it was way too annoying.

Rong Jue drew his sword, the tip lifting the thin belt at the youth's waist, and with a quick flick of his wrist, the red string snapped.

The fox jade pendant, carved like a sleeping fox clutching its tail, fell and shattered into pieces.

Even though Senior Brother had solved his problem, Xie Huanxiang hung his head, looking a bit down.

"Huanxiang, check this out."

Xie Huanxiang looked up at the jade pendant in the man's hand.

It was a little fox holding a wine bottle, drunk and sticking out its tongue.

Xie Huanxiang snorted coldly, said nothing, but his eyes lit up, glued to that little fox sticking out its tongue.

Rong Jue crouched down and tied the pendant onto his waist.

"Give me one day to make you a new belt for your precious sword, okay?"

Xie Huanxiang pursed his lips. "Will it have bells?"

"It will."

Xie Huanxiang nodded vaguely. "Will you use a rib for the clapper too?"

"..." Rong Jue paused, hooked the fallen bells with his fingertip, and looked up at him. "Do you like bells like these, Huanxiang?"

"Actually, if you like them, it's fine."

Xie Huanxiang shook his head and pulled the man up. "Senior Brother, didn't you promise to take me to the Floating Pagoda? Let's go, quick?"

"You haven't told me where the bells came from, Huanxiang," the man said calmly, but his eyes were dead serious.

The name Wu Liu was right on the tip of his tongue, but Xie Huanxiang's rebellious streak kicked in. He crossed his arms, turned his back to Rong Jue, and said impatiently:

"Why you gotta keep pushing me? Fine, I secretly beat up Liu Wudao and took 'em from him, okay? Go ahead and lock me up in the Floating Pagoda too!"

"Huanxiang, Liu Wudao's real dangerous," Rong Jue said, gripping his arms and turning him around to face him seriously. "I gotta make sure you haven't been targeted by demons. I'm not rushing you."

"Wu Liu gave 'em to me," Xie Huanxiang said reluctantly.

Rong Jue's face showed no reaction to the name, merely saying calmly, "Alright, I'll take you to the Floating Pagoda."

Xie Huanxiang broke into a smile again, affectionately tugging his sleeve. "Senior Brother is the best."

"Then is Senior Brother the best person to Huanxiang?" Rong Jue asked with a straight face.

This question was painfully familiar; Second Senior Brother had asked him the same not long ago.

Xie Huanxiang nodded vaguely as always. "Yeah."

...

This was the first time Xie Huanxiang approached the Floating Pagoda openly, with all the barriers and Sword Formation making way for him.

He clutched a small corner of the man's sleeve, following closely behind, occasionally poking his head out to look ahead. His amber eyes reflected the crisscrossing demon-suppressing runes inside the pagoda, and once he realized what they were, he would silently shrink back behind the man.

After all, no little demon wasn't afraid of the Floating Pagoda.

An incense stick's time later, he followed Rong Jue to the ninth floor.

Unlike the eight floors below, the ninth floor held only one demon—the legendary World-Ending Demon.

Xie Huanxiang lifted the hem of his robe, treading carefully with every step, wary of stepping on the yellow talismans and golden glowing runes scattered on the ground.

"Huanxiang," Rong Jue stopped and said in a low voice, "That is the World-Ending Demon."

Xie Huanxiang followed his gaze.

A tall man hung his head, his long hair disheveled and obscuring his face. His white robes were stained with blood, and several chains thicker than his arms descended from the tower’s top, dragging down his arms. The ends of the chains coiled around the world-ending demon’s arms several times before being firmly driven into his shoulder blades.

Thick demon blood dripped down the chains.

“The Floating Pagoda has suppressed him for five hundred years, yet the aura of blood and karma on him hasn’t diminished in the slightest,” Rong Jue said. “Huanxiang, next time your senior brother isn’t around, don’t come to the Floating Pagoda to play alone anymore.”

Xie Huanxiang suddenly looked up at him.

“Let’s go. I’ll take you back,” Rong Jue said, and without another word, he took his hand to lead him out.

“Senior brother, wait!” Xie Huanxiang’s lips trembled slightly. “I want to see his face.”

“Huanxiang, your senior brother told you, this man is very dangerous—” Rong Jue turned back helplessly, then suddenly froze.

His little junior brother looked up at him, amber eyes brimming over with tears, and a single tear splashed onto the back of his hand.

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