Chapter 15: Little fox, where are you running to?

“What are you laughing at?” Jiang Mengxin asked.

“I thought of something happy,” Su Mumu said.

Jiang Mengxin’s gaze turned strange. “Where did you get those keys?”

Su Mumu didn’t even think. “I found them.”

“Fox nonsense,” Jiang Mengxin sneered.

“Believe what you want,” Su Mumu said.

“Then what about my best friend?” Jiang Mengxin suddenly asked.

Su Mumu noticed that this girl’s attitude seemed to have hardened a bit. Was it because the topic of her best friend came up?

‘Good grief… I’m right in front of you…’

“I don’t know,” Su Mumu said.

“You better not be lying to me,” Jiang Mengxin said, emphasizing every word.

“I already told you… I just came in to get warm,” Su Mumu said.

The atmosphere froze once again.

In the stillness, only the sound of their breathing and heartbeats remained.

They were at such a close distance.

Jiang Mengxin tried to pull back several times, but because of the collar, she couldn’t move.

“Speaking of which, your clothes… where did they come from?”

“Clothes?” Su Mumu paused for a moment, then quickly reacted. “Found them.”

“Heh.” Jiang Mengxin’s gaze was cold. “What did you do to my best friend?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Su Mumu said.

“Tell the truth,” Jiang Mengxin said.

“Fine, I robbed her of her things. Happy now?” Su Mumu said.

“Where is she?” Jiang Mengxin showed an anxious expression.

“I don’t know. She probably went home,” Su Mumu said.

“Let me go,” Jiang Mengxin’s tone was icy.

Su Mumu shook her head. “If I let you go, you’ll capture me immediately. I’d like to live a few more days.”

“I won’t,” Jiang Mengxin said.

“Still not letting go,” Su Mumu said.

The air was like ignited gunpowder, ready to explode at any moment.

Su Mumu felt things were getting weirder.

‘Something’s going to go wrong if this continues. It’s time… I need to find a chance to slip away.’

“Let me go,” Jiang Mengxin repeated.

Su Mumu looked directly into her eyes.

The corners of her mouth curled up slightly. “Say something nice, and I’ll let you go.”

“Impossible. I’ll never give in to a demon…” Jiang Mengxin said.

“Then I won’t let go.”

Su Mumu leaned forward, her eyes narrowing slightly. Her snowy-white hair fell, tickling Jiang Mengxin’s cheek.

“What are you doing…?” Jiang Mengxin’s voice trembled.

“I’m. Going. To. Eat. You.” Su Mumu revealed her small canine teeth.

“…No.” Jiang Mengxin resisted repeatedly.

The chain rattled. Su Mumu secretly lengthened the chain a bit, allowing Jiang Mengxin to take a small step back.

Her expression was dazed for a moment, followed by obvious lingering fear.

“What do I have to do for you to let me go?”

“I already told you,” Su Mumu smirked. “Say two nice things.”

“I am a monster catcher. Humiliating me like this is more painful than physical injury,” Jiang Mengxin’s tone grew much more dejected.

“I don’t care.” Su Mumu raised an eyebrow. “Come on, meow like a cat.”

“…That’s too much!” Jiang Mengxin gritted her teeth.

“Are you going to do it or not?” Su Mumu shook the chain in her hand. “I won’t let you off this time.”

Jiang Mengxin’s eyes began to lower slowly.

Several seconds passed with no response.

The clock on the wall ticked.

Su Mumu glanced out of the corner of her eye. ‘Is it already 12:00 AM?… Good, I’ve stalled long enough. Xianzong has turned off the lights, and there won’t be anyone on the road.’

She prepared to slip away.

Just then, a faint, strangely seductive voice reached her ears.

It was soft, like candy soaking in marshmallows.

“Meow.” Jiang Mengxin buried her head very low.

“Eh?” Su Mumu was surprised.

“…I hate you.” Jiang Mengxin’s voice was tiny, and her small ears hidden in her hair were bright red. “Just you wait. Sooner or later, I’ll pay you back tenfold… a hundredfold.”

“Fine, fine, fine.” Su Mumu released the chain, which fell to the floor with a clatter. “I won’t appear in your world again. Farewell forever!”

“Hah!”

“Then I won’t forgive you either.” Jiang Mengxin’s eyes were full of resentment.

Along with her ashamed and indignant expression, it gave Su Mumu the illusion that she had done something terrible to her.

“Stop pestering me! I already plan on leaving Xianzong!” Su Mumu said quickly.

“Whatever.” Jiang Mengxin bit her lip. “I will hunt you down to the ends of the earth.”

‘…What a terrifying woman.’ Su Mumu shuddered and quickly fled. “Bye-bye! I’m really leaving now, see you never!”

Soon, only Jiang Mengxin was left in Jiulewu.

A faint smile played on her lips as she twisted half a tracking talisman in her hand.

‘Little fox, I’d like to see where you can run.’

***

In the woods, Su Mumu finally managed to tear off the half of the talisman behind her shoulder.

‘My dear best friend, I knew you’d have a backup plan… I know you too well!’

Then, Su Mumu casually stuck the half-talisman onto a nearby tree trunk.

She thought for a bit, took off her coat, and threw it aside as well.

Afterward, she walked along the path for a long way before turning into a pitch-black alley and finding a brick to sit on.

‘There’s still half a monster-suppressing pill… I should eat it now.’

Su Mumu finally fished the half-pill out of her skirt pocket, put it in her mouth, and swallowed.

Immediately after, a cold wind howled and surged into the alley.

It made her shudder uncontrollably. Every part of her body felt as if it had been doused in ice water. ‘It’s so cold… My god!’

Su Mumu curled her tail up in front of her and hugged it tightly with both hands. Only then did she feel a bit warmer.

The nerves that had been strained in her mind finally relaxed completely.

Her body gradually relaxed as well.

Sleepiness and fatigue rolled in like a surging tide, layer upon layer, nearly swallowing Su Mumu’s consciousness.

‘I’m so sleepy, so tired… Is it because of the medicine?… I have to wake up soon… It can’t be for too long… Jiang Mengxin will worry about me… She’ll look for me…’

The moonlight shuttled through the leaves, casting mottled patches like the wings of an angel.

Beneath her feet was soft mud.

Originally, no one would ever come to a place like this.

The only reason Jiang Mengxin had found it was entirely because of that half of a tracking talisman.

Her eyes were dark as water as she murmured to herself, “How… I clearly stuck it behind her hair. How did she find it?”

On the nearby tree trunk was the remaining half of the tracking talisman.

Jiang Mengxin looked down, startled for a moment. She picked up the plain white coat and remained silent.

Her expression flickered with uncertainty.

‘This coat… it’s Mumu’s, but it’s covered in fox fur. That fox demon from before must have taken it off… Was she worried I’d done something to the clothes as well?’

‘She really knows me well… Why? Why does she know me so well? Was she a spy from the elite class? Or some Class Teacher from the school? Or maybe…’

Jiang Mengxin fell into confusion.

She squeezed the coat in her hand.

Then, she shook her head sharply.

‘I won’t think about that for now… First, I have to find Mumu! Best friend, where are you?’