Free Web NovelChapter 14: Chapter 14—Six Nine-Tailed Foxes
Chapter 14—Six Nine-Tailed Foxes
Lin Mei and the nine-tailed fox both turned toward the glowing orbs at their hips—the glow pulsing steadily and growing brighter little by little. They reached down, took them out, and channeled their energy into them.
A voice—rough and raspy—crackled out from the orb. "You brats come to the Sparring Cave."
In the next moment, the orbs fell dark and silent, as though they had never glowed at all.
Lin Mei turned and met the nine-tailed fox’s eyes. "Miss—let’s go. It seems we are being assigned a new ranking and respective city."
The nine-tailed fox nodded and rose to all four limbs. Together they dashed out of the cave, and Lei Cheng followed silently behind.
A cool breeze drifted through the forest as the two Fox Bizarres ran forward with swift, fluid speed, weaving through the winding forest paths. More man-made caves appeared along the way, carved directly into the hillsides, shaped with clear intention.
Lei Cheng noted everything quietly as he floated behind them. ’Damn. They are developed enough to rival human civilization.’
Even without entering the caves, he could sense the lively atmosphere within—carpets, paintings, and furniture—Fox Bizarres moving in and out freely, unhurried and unbothered. Not afraid of other creatures. Not in any kind of danger. Well fed. Well clothed.
"They have built a society," he muttered to himself.
The kids played in the distance. Elders sat outside their caves in the sunlight. For a brief moment, it looked no different from a human village.
’I still cannot piece together all the details. This illusion is drawn from Lin Mei’s memories—it cannot show me anything beyond what she understood or remembered. There must be some kind of powerful force protecting this tribe—but since Lin Mei never knew of it, the illusion cannot replicate it.’ He frowned at the gaps he couldn’t fill.
They reached a cave with words carved deep into the stone above its entrance.
’The Sparring Cave.’
Deep marks covered parts of the stone, layered over one another from countless years.
Lin Mei and the nine-tailed fox stepped inside without pause. Lei Cheng followed a few steps behind.
"Nie Hua!"
A bright, excited voice rang out before they could enter properly. A Fox Bizarre with nine tails—wearing the body of a six-year-old human child—came sprinting from the side, eyes gleaming with energy.
Lin Mei had opened her mouth to respond, but went immediately quiet the moment she caught the cold glare from Nie Hua.
"Nie Chen." Nie Hua responded with a flat, nonchalant glance. "What is it?"
"Are you confident in your ranking this time?" Nie Chen asked with a wide grin.
"Looks like someone trained hard," Lin Mei muttered under her breath.
"Of course," Nie Chen nodded. "I lost to Nie Hua by just a few moves last time."
Nie Hua raised her fox head with casual indifference and simply turned away, taking small steps forward.
"Wait—are you confident? If you’re not, I’ll win this time—"
Nie Chen yelled, rushing after her. Lin Mei roared, "No—you’ll lose to Young Miss!" The two of them fell into squabbling back and forth while Nie Hua walked ahead without a care.
While the bickering continued, Lei Cheng turned his attention to the cave itself.
From the outside, it had appeared unremarkable—a normal cave. But inside it was vast. Sunlight filtered in through cracks in the ceiling, stalactites hanging from above. The interior stretched far beyond what the exterior suggested.
’A spatial technique,’ Lei Cheng noted. ’Far larger inside than out.’
He crouched and pressed his foot gently to the ground—not as smooth as polished tile, but far more refined than bare rock or mud. A layer of soft green grass covered the floor entirely, lush and even, stretching farther than his eyes could follow. Trinkets and furniture sat in the corners, and curtains had been hung over rough rock faces to soften the walls.
Fox Bizarres of all sizes moved through the space—children, middle-aged, elderly—dressed in various robes, all making their way toward the front with visible excitement. Lei Cheng had encountered only two nine-tailed foxes until now. Here, he counted two more, though they were still young.
He moved deeper inside. After walking several hundred meters, a large sparring ground came into view—elevated on a raised platform with stone steps leading up—and beside it, five majestic thrones arranged in a row, the center one the largest.
Four of the five were already occupied.
No one spoke above a whisper near the thrones.
The four elders seated upon them carried themselves with unruly, unbothered authority. Each had long white hair growing from their fox heads, tied back neatly. Despite their reversed limbs—chest to the other side, joints bending backward—they sat upon the thrones in a posture uncannily similar to how a human elder would sit. Settled. Composed. The center throne sat empty.
Yet every fox’s gaze drifted toward it from time to time.
On the sparring ground, four nine-tailed Fox Bizarres had already taken their places. Nie Hua and Nie Chen climbed the stone steps slowly and joined them.
"You can do it, Young Miss!"
Lin Mei cheered from below, voice bright with confidence. Nie Hua glanced back and grinned—just slightly.
The elder on the leftmost throne—a male Fox Bizarre with nine tails—rose to his feet and announced in a low, carrying voice, "The Clan Head Nie will arrive shortly. Until then, you will fight and determine the ranking among yourselves." freёwebnoѵel.com
The elder on the rightmost throne—an old female Fox Bizarre, also nine-tailed—stood and declared, "You will compete according to your current rankings. Those with the most victories will be ranked highest. Every participant will face every other."
The elder on the second throne from the left—an old female Fox Bizarre with eight tails—added, "If anyone carries resentment or believes their ranking to be unjust... You may settle it here, now, by defeating those above you."
The elder on the second throne from the right—an old male Fox Bizarre with eight tails—spread a wide grin and said nothing further.
All four elders settled back into their thrones.
Every fox in the cave settled onto the ground in orderly rows. Lei Cheng moved to float up into the air above the crowd, folding his legs and settling himself cross-legged in midair. From this position, he had a clear, unobstructed view of the entire sparring ground below.
A young male Fox Bizarre—seven tails—referee, stepped to the center of the ground and raised his fox head, "First match. Rank one faces rank six."
Two nine-tailed Fox Bizarres kids stepped forward to the center of the sparring ground and turned to face each other.
The entire cave fell silent.
The referee elder’s voice cut through the cave, flat and final.
"Begin."
