Chapter 1431 - 719: Fate Yet to Expire (Part 2)
"Don’t, don’t come near." At that moment, an old man happened to pass by.
As soon as he saw the red-haired fox, the old man immediately backed away, for he knew well that such animals often possess great spiritual power.
He couldn’t afford to provoke it, but he could certainly evade it.
However, the old man chose to detour, which naturally caught the attention of the red-haired fox and also Lin Beichen.
The red-haired fox was looking for someone to target; Lin Beichen gave it a profound feeling, while the old man appeared to be just an ordinary person.
Thus, the red-haired fox decided to target the old man. When it approached him, the old man uttered those words begging for mercy.
Lin Beichen followed the voice and saw the red-haired fox closing in on the old man step by step.
The old man looked terrified.
Anyone could see that the red-haired fox intended to harm the old man. Lin Beichen, seeing this, rushed to save the old man.
But it was too late; before Lin Beichen could arrive, the red-haired fox had already severely injured the old man.
Since the old man was already hurt, Lin Beichen decided to attack the red-haired fox in revenge for the old man.
Without hesitation, he employed his Daoist Skill to launch an attack on the red-haired fox.
The red-haired fox was reveling in its victory over the old man, completely oblivious to Lin Beichen’s silent approach and attack.
Lin Beichen struck with precision, causing the red-haired fox to fall wounded to the ground.
Furious and humiliated, the red-haired fox wanted to retaliate, but it realized it was no match for Lin Beichen. It glimpsed the old man nearby and suddenly thought of a plan, possessing the old man’s body.
Lin Beichen never expected the red-haired fox would possess the old man’s body.
It happened so fast that Lin Beichen had no time to react and couldn’t prevent the red-haired fox from entering the old man’s body.
"I have no grudge against you, why are you attacking me?"
After possessing the old man, the red-haired fox spoke its first words with this question.
"Blame your misfortune for letting me see you harm the old man. If you hadn’t harmed him, why would I attack you?"
Lin Beichen answered truthfully.
This statement infuriated the red-haired fox.
"What does it matter to you whether I harm the old man or not! I didn’t harm you, so why are you meddling!"
Its words, spoken in anger while possessing the old man, starkly contrasted with the old man’s image.
Lin Beichen merely shrugged his shoulders.
Having been attacked without cause by the red-haired fox, Lin Beichen was naturally reluctant to let it go. But considering the red-haired fox was possessing the old man, Lin Beichen hesitated to strike.
Skillfully evading the red-haired fox’s attacks, he refrained from counterattacking, worried that once the fox left the old man’s body, the man would recover, and Lin would be seen as bullying him.
However, Lin Beichen’s restraint only emboldened the red-haired fox. It continued to attack Lin Beichen and began threatening him as well.
"You’ve injured me severely, so you should stand there and let me hit you too, so it’s fair. Otherwise, I’ll torture this old man; he’s too old to handle such torment."
Lin Beichen thought, he could easily defeat the red-haired fox, but he was holding back for the sake of the old man’s body. He didn’t expect the red-haired fox to use this to threaten him.
Listening to the fox, Lin Beichen realized it had no intention of leaving the old man’s body soon, so he felt the time was right and attacked the red-haired fox, swiftly dislodging it from the old man’s body.
The red-haired fox didn’t anticipate Lin Beichen would be unaffected by its threats and was taken aback abruptly.
"You dare threaten me, without even assessing your own worth."
Lin Beichen said disdainfully.
Anger consumed the red-haired fox, yet unable to speak coherently after being forcibly ejected. It had suffered two severe setbacks and lacked the strength for another attack on Lin Beichen.
So, it left a trace of its soul inside the old man’s body, as a safeguard against Lin Beichen’s further strikes. Then it fled without looking back.
Initially, Lin Beichen intended to leave and return to the Daoist temple but realized the old man remained unconscious due to the fox’s disruption.
Therefore, he couldn’t abandon the old man.
But he couldn’t just drag any person into the temple, despite his management duties there. So, he decided to take the old man back to his home. However, unfamiliar with the old man, Lin Beichen had no idea where he lived.
Fortunately, Lin Beichen could use his Daoist Skill to locate the old man’s home. Carrying the old man, he employed the skill and navigated toward his home. It was nearby, and shortly they arrived.
Not knowing if there were others in the old man’s home, Lin Beichen began shouting outside, "Is anyone home?" He called several times without reply, assuming the old man lived alone.
Eventually, Lin Beichen pried open the door and carried the old man inside. He was surprised to find an elderly lady once he opened the door. It puzzled Lin Beichen why she hadn’t responded earlier, making him believe the place was empty.
Not wanting to be mistaken for a crook, he quickly explained, "Please don’t get me wrong, I called out several times, and since no one responded, I thought no one was home and entered, not expecting you to be here."
The old lady replied, "I’m old and hard of hearing, I didn’t hear you." Then she saw the old man Lin Beichen was carrying, "What’s happened to my husband?" She shuffled over to Lin Beichen, worried.
Lin Beichen said, "I was passing through the forest and saw him severely injured by a red-haired fox. I chased the fox away, but he’s now unconscious, so I brought him back."
The elderly lady was startled, having never heard of red-haired foxes attacking people. Lin Beichen said, "Given I’ve brought him back, I’ll take my leave now. He should wake soon; you must take good care of him."
The old woman grabbed Lin Beichen’s arm, pleading, "Please don’t leave, okay?" Lin Beichen glanced outside at the sky and said, "If you’re offering me dinner, there’s no need. I’m just a kind-hearted person."
"No, this is the first time I’ve encountered a red-haired fox attacking people, I’m scared. Would you mind staying the night until my husband wakes up?" The old lady’s request became clear, wanting him to stay overnight. Lin Beichen awkwardly rubbed his nose and agreed.
She went to prepare a place for Lin Beichen to stay. Having him there, she felt much more at ease. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, the old man woke up with a start, sitting up sharply. The red-haired fox sensed it too and possessed him once more.
He intended to confront Lin Beichen but found Lin Beichen sleeping right next to him. Fated to meet once again, revenge was unavoidable. He stealthily approached Lin Beichen, intending to launch a surprise attack.
"Danger!" Lin Beichen, despite being asleep, was alerted by the system’s perception of someone nearing, planning to harm him. The warning woke him immediately. In the moonlight, he saw the old man with a fierce expression, seemingly ready to devour him.
Just as the red-haired fox was about to succeed, Lin Beichen dodged. The fox cursed its lack of speed, unable to hit Lin Beichen. Determined to attack again, nothing would stop its resolve.
"How stubborn you are!" Lin Beichen, eyes wide open, realized it was the old man, knowing it was his failure to cleanse effectively earlier that let the fox leave a breath within the old man, now resulting in possession again.
Reflecting on it filled Lin Beichen with dread; without the system’s warning, he’d be attacked in his sleep by the fox. Unaware the old man’s Yang Qi had already been depleted, causing his death, Lin Beichen understood he must subdue the red-haired fox to prevent further harm.
Even if he chased it away today, it was uncertain if it would return seeking vengeance. Lin Beichen believed it held grudges stubbornly. So he attacked the red-haired fox again, swiftly extracting it from the old man’s body.
Seizing the moment, Lin Beichen quickly subdued the unresponsive red-haired fox. Once completely driven out from the old man’s body, the man collapsed abruptly.