NOVEL NEXT Chapter 36 – Petting a fox
It was night, the moon was bright, and the stars were sparse.
Lin Hao lay there, bored out of his mind.
He didn't dare to cultivate, and as a cultivator, he didn't need much sleep. He thought about going for a stroll, but before he could leave the tower, he ran into Han Liyue.
From her, he learned that once inside, one couldn't leave without special permission from above.
Sigh.
Not being able to cultivate was really unbearable.
Lin Hao returned to the prison. Most of the day had passed, and the cold cell was still filled with the smell of blood.
The cultivators who had their limbs cut off shivered like leaves when they saw Lin Hao again, their remaining bodies trembling in fear.
Why was this harbinger of doom here again?
Lin Hao, like a victorious general, strolled through the prison, inspecting the demon beasts.
These creatures were bizarre, some with human heads and beast bodies, others with beast heads and human bodies. The purebloods were all in beast form, which was somewhat more pleasing to the eye.
But after a round of inspection, the little fox was still the most attractive.
"Human, what are you here for again?"
The little fox propped its fluffy face with two white paws, its sapphire-like eyes sparkling.
"Transform."
"You wish, human! Are you coveting my... my beauty?"
"Oh, you think you're a heroine?" Lin Hao's eyes sparkled with amusement as he smirked.
"A demon causing harm, and you dare claim to be righteous!"
"Helping demons against humans, isn't that righteous?"
From the perspective of her kind, it might be considered chivalrous, but... Lin Hao was human and couldn't side with these creatures.
"Hmph, what are you looking at!"
The little fox turned its cute face away, showing its back to Lin Hao again.
"I told you, I don't want to see you!"
"Get lost!"
"I'm the demon suppressor, and you're the prisoner. What right do you have to order me?"
"Hmph, I just don't want to see you."
Bantering with the little fox, Lin Hao felt that his dull days seemed to have gained a bit of color. As he left, he conjured a large hand of spiritual energy to pat the little fox's furry head.
The little fox was so angry that its teeth itched, but without any spiritual power, it could only rage helplessly.
On the way back, Lin Hao once again scrutinized the demons, failing to find any that were pleasing to the eye.
A scholar with two faces, a freak with a child's body and an old man's face, a toad with six eyes, a swan with three legs, a centipede with no legs... none of them were normal.
"Lin Hao, someone is looking for you."
As he reached the top of the prison, he received a message from Han Liyue.
Someone's looking for me? Lin Hao frowned slightly.
When Lin Hao went out to see, it was Cui Qing'er.
"Junior Brother..."
Ignoring the presence of others, Cui Qing'er hugged Lin Hao tightly, her long eyelashes glistening with tears.
"Uh, why are you here?"
Cui Qing'er said softly, "I heard you were punished to guard the Demon Lock Tower, so I rushed to see you!"
The two of them walked hand in hand back to Lin Hao's place.
...
An hour later, Cui Qing'er lay in Lin Hao's arms, her voice hoarse, "Junior Brother, you've suffered here, haven't you?"
"Now you understand why I kept warning you that Li Qiushui is a demon. Following such a disaster will only bring suffering!"
Thinking of this matter, Lin Hao was furious. It was indeed his oversight that allowed that female demon to exploit a loophole, resulting in him being exiled to this filthy place.
He deflected, "Now that you've reached Foundation Establishment and become an inner disciple, how does it feel?"
"The benefits have improved significantly!" Cui Qing'er's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"And my status has become much more prestigious. Now, when I go down the mountain, everyone calls me Senior Sister!"
"That's great." Lin Hao rolled his eyes and sighed, "It's just too boring here. You should come and see me more often when you're not cultivating, or else I'll miss you."
The woman gave him a sidelong glance, playfully chiding, "Are you sure it's me you miss, and not your brothers?"
"Let me tell you something serious."
"You find this place boring, but there's an opportunity for you to leave here!"
"Don't keep me in suspense!" Lin Hao dreamed of leaving this place and urged her on.
"After the outer sect competition, the inner sect competition will follow soon. Outstanding disciples can receive generous rewards and have some sect punishments reduced."
Is that possible?
Lin Hao frowned slightly.
He really wanted to leave this wretched place, mainly because there were no pure female cultivators here, which hindered his cultivation!
But achieving an outstanding performance in the inner sect competition wasn't easy either. The inner sect was full of geniuses, and the competition was even more intense than the outer sect.
He had just broken through to Foundation Establishment, and standing out among the geniuses was too difficult.
Therefore, he had to cultivate diligently to improve his strength.
But... whenever he tried to cultivate here, he would suffer from the pain of fire spiritual energy burning his body. Without primordial yin energy, he couldn't endure that pain!
No, he had to find a way to break this predicament!
Clearly, asking Cui Qing'er for help wasn't appropriate, but... he didn't know anyone else.
He could only muster up the courage to share his thoughts with Cui Qing'er.
He thought she would blame him, but to his surprise, she readily agreed.