Cooking in the Monster Sanctuary - Chapter 13

A long fox’s howl hung over the wilderness, and the grass and trees rustled with the sudden gust of wind. The sky cleared, revealing a bright moon.

A majestic giant fox demon stood in front of Lin Yu, transforming into the sharpest of swords, and completely separating her from the surrounding malevolent entities.

The moonlight illuminated its pure white, soft fur, with nine graceful tails held high. Its eyes were dominated by a gleaming golden color like flowing gold. Sharp claws glistened under the moonlight, and its teeth, sharp as blades which sent shivers down the spine.

This was the true form of a Nine-Tailed Fox; elegant, proud, and immensely powerful.

With eyes that rolled in golden waves, they exchanged a brief glance to understand each other’s determination without the need for words. It was the unspoken agreement between partners.

As the horrifying monsters surged forward like a tidal wave accompanied by another sharp and clear howl. Qin Huai Shu took a step forward, using his sharp front claws to tear through several of the creatures’ bodies.

Despite his strength, facing the overwhelming onslaught was proving challenging. Lin Yu surveyed the area, her brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

Since they could communicate through brainwaves, Zhou Hangxing must be hiding nearby within earshot of their conversation. The wilderness was dense with bushes, offering many hiding spots. If she were Zhou Hangxing, she would choose…

Lin Yu’s heart skipped a beat as she looked towards the pitch-black forest at around ten o’clock. Ten years ago, the students who had tormented Zhou Hangyu had hidden there.

If he had subjected the bullies to the same torture as his elder brother, he probably chose to observe from where they had initially been, and seeking revenge with a clear purpose in mind.

Her movements were swift as she moved like lightning, while Qin Huai Shu blocked the path of all the monsters, his beautiful snowy-white fur marred by one gruesome bloodstain after another.

The woods were adjacent to the inaccessible back hill, and apart from the most prominent road, there was no escape route for Zhou Hangxing. When Lin Yu arrived at the woods, she couldn’t help but freeze for a moment.

In the shadowy darkness of the tree leaves, several figures stood and they all looked exactly the same.

Their slender eyes were vacant, like lifeless dolls, silently and motionlessly fixing their gaze on her which caused Lin Yu’s scalp to tingle with unease. Together, they stretched their lips into mocking smiles and asked with a challenging tone, “Your friend won’t hold out for much longer, and can you find me?”

Lin Yu responded with a gentle smile, twirling her dagger on her fingertips, and instead asked, “Have you ever watched a horror movie?”

The other side displayed a puzzled expression, hearing her continue in a relaxed manner, “Zombies and ghosts don’t search for humans only through sight, right? Brainwaves don’t breathe, do they?”

Impossible.

How could a normal person possibly determine?

Lin Yu’s smile faded, and her pitch-black pupils suddenly narrowed.

Source of heat at one o’clock direction, consistent body temperature.

Source of breath that is approximately three meters away, slow breathing rate.

Zhou Hangxing’s thoughts came to an abrupt halt, and at the same time, a tightly clenched fist blocked his view.

Lin Yu’s punch was merciless, and he was struck dumb, his vision filled with golden stars. He lost all his spare energy to control the magnetic field and fell to the ground in disarray.

The several identical boys surrounding him instantly dissipated, and the flood of ghosts and monsters vanished as well.

The golden glow in the Nine-Tailed Fox’s eyes receded, and it gazed toward the eerie and dark forest. A soft, welcoming smile graced its lips.

“Who are you?”

Zhou Hangxing stared at the woman before him, his face filled with terror. He had exhausted nearly all his strength by materializing the school’s ghosts and creatures into tangible forms. Now, he was left completely powerless, and unable to move.

“My name is Lin Yu.” Lin Yu pressed the green button on her communicator, signaling the successful completion of the mission and sending her location. With a joking tone, she softly said, “I don’t even know what I am.”

She paused for a moment and then asked, “Why did you seek revenge ten years later?”

Zhou Hangxing, looking exhausted, and remained silent for a while before speaking in a heavy tone, “My abilities appeared a month ago.”

Lin Yu blinked in surprise, “How did they appear?”

“I don’t know. One day, I woke up, and I could inexplicably see semi-transparent brainwaves.”

This didn’t make sense.

The emergence of supernatural abilities usually stemmed from one’s genetic makeup. It was unbelievable to suddenly have these abilities without any apparent reason.

Regardless of whether it was real or not, experts would investigate further after transferring him to containment.

Lin Yu thought for a moment and continued, “Since you can materialize brainwaves, why didn’t you just materialize the brainwaves left by Zhou Hangyu?”

Upon hearing this question, the young man’s fingertips moved slightly.

He smiled self-deprecatingly, and his voice was very soft as he told her, “Brainwaves are just memories or impressions, without any memories of the past. And materialization can only be maintained for a maximum of one week. After a week, the brainwaves themselves will disappear due to energy depletion.”

In Zhou Hangxing’s memories, his brother had always smiled gently and supported their fractured family with his slender shoulders.

He had often talked about his life, the friendly boss at his part-time job, the kind and caring schoolmates, and the good-natured neighbors.

Then Zhou Hangyu would tell him that there were many beautiful things in the world, and he should grow up with kindness in his heart.

Ten years was indeed a very long time. However, only a month ago, Zhou Hangxing suddenly realized that everything had been an illusion.

The boss at the store was rude and threw a handful of sunflower seeds onto the freshly cleaned floor. “What kind of work is this? You’re getting a pay cut!”

The neighbors were indifferent, looking at him with disdain as if he were a cockroach. “Borrow money? Is your little brother sick again? No, go somewhere else.”

His classmates mocked him, tore up his homework, and threw it into the drain. “My dad is on the school board. If you have a problem, go ahead and complain.”

Even in the end, Zhou Hangyu hadn’t died at the hands of the rumored ghost but at the hands of human cruelty.

The beautiful illusion shattered, and Zhou Hangxing finally understood that the only source of beauty had been his brother.

But Zhou Hangyu had long since passed away ten years ago, all because of a birthday gift given to him.

Because of him.

He had started searching for traces of his brother over and over again, materializing his brainwaves each time and saying, “Hello, my name is Zhou Hangxing.”

Although he had no memories, he would still respond with a gentle smile, “Hello.”

A gentleness that brought tears to one’s eyes.

Before he fell into a deep sleep, Zhou Hangxing told Lin Yu, “Your people haven’t died yet; they’re locked in the school library’s storage room.”

As consciousness teetered on the edge of chaos due to exhaustion, he faintly remembered the birthday card that had sunk to the bottom of the lake.

The neat and elegant calligraphy was like a dancing spirit, and on it, his brother from ten years ago had told him, “I know you’ve always wanted to be a pilot. This model airplane is for you. Use it to fly to a broader world.”

But no matter how vast the world was, it would never have his brother’s presence again.

Seeing the young man fall asleep, Lin Yu let out a relieved sigh.

A faint rustling sound came from behind her, and she turned to see Qin Huai Shu who was still in his fox form.

Compared to his previous battle, he had shrunk significantly. Except for the nine fluffy tails gathered into a ball behind him, he looked almost like an ordinary little fox now. There was no trace of the dominating presence he had exuded before.

“Um,” he felt a bit embarrassed as he was being stared at. Blushing slightly, and he took a step back. “I’ve run out of energy, so I can’t transform into human form.”

Lin Yu approached him and lifted the fox into her arms. “So, this is your true form now.”

Qin Huai Shu was flustered by this unexpected touch. His four plump pink paws waved weakly in the air. He stammered, half-opening his mouth but unable to say a word, opting instead to play dead.

Seeing him stop struggling, Lin Yu held him close to her chest, and her gaze carefully examined the fox.

He had sustained some injuries, but the Nine-Tailed Fox had strong regenerative abilities. The fresh bloodstains had already stopped oozing. 

Despite the injuries, he looked incredibly adorable. His round amber eyes sparkled in the moonlight, his petite nose begged to be gently pinched, and the soft white fur was slightly ticklish in her hand, as soft as a fluffy cloud.

He was just too cute.

Lin Yu pushed her luck, “Can I pet you a bit?”

Qin Huai Shu, clearly stiff all over, waved his four fleshy pink paws aimlessly in the air for a moment before saying hesitantly, “I’m dirty right now. If you want to… you can…”

He couldn’t bring himself to say the last two words and lowered his head, nestling it against Lin Yu’s arm.

“Well, that’s consent.”

She gently bent her eyes, her right hand lightly resting on the fox’s delicate chin. The fur on his neck had a dandelion-like texture, warm to the touch, and as she caressed it, her heart seemed to melt. 

A tingling sensation rushed through her mind.

The little fox emitted a satisfied purr, his soft paws instinctively closing, and even through the thin layer of clothing, he could clearly feel Lin Yu’s warmth beneath.

The white fur covering his cheeks concealed his flushed face. Qin Huai Shu was embarrassed by his own reaction, so he clenched his teeth and stopped making any sounds.

His ears had a slight firmness to them when touched, and as Lin Yu’s fingers brushed over the tips of his fox ears, they swayed gently from side to side. And as for those nine tails…

They were as soft as touching cotton, so gentle that she didn’t want to move her hand away once she touched them.

Due to his injuries, Lin Yu refrained from going overboard with her fox-petting frenzy. She stopped after a brief petting session and asked, while gently stroking his fur, “Are you comfortable?”

Qin Huai Shu trembled all over and didn’t answer immediately.

After a while, he finally stammered, “I… I… I… I’m going to sleep. Goodnight.”