I Stepped on a Bug, and the System Says I Slayed a Dragon?-Chapter 45: Little Fox

’Could this place really be haunted?’

Qin Yang stood puzzled in the hallway. A gust of cold night air made a chill run down his spine.

A shrill laugh echoed through the hallway. It bounced off the walls, overlapping and repeating in an endless, terrifying loop.

It was as if some malevolent spirit had taken up residence in the building.

’No, I have to believe in science!’

Qin Yang steadied himself, suddenly feeling a twinge of regret. ’If I’d known, I would’ve grabbed a hammer and sickle.’

’Then I could toss a couple of copies of *When the Stars Shine* at it and suppress it...’

’Who cares what kind of ghost it is?’

’It’d be a one-shot kill!’

Just as Qin Yang was thinking this, a system notification sounded in his mind.

"Ding! Emperor Level Star Beast Nine-tailed Fox aura detected. Host is advised to leave immediately. Please summon the Empress’s disciple to subdue it!"

"A Nine-tailed Fox?"

Hearing the system’s prompt, Qin Yang was instantly overjoyed.

’It’s here!’

’This damn system is acting up again!’

’A Nine-tailed Fox this time?’

This was a creature from myths and legends.

A heaven-defying creature said to grow nine tails, live for a thousand years, and gather the Spiritual Qi of all creation for its own use.

’And now one has actually appeared here?’

’That’s not right,’

Qin Yang thought again. ’Going by this damn system’s usual antics...’

’Last time, it made a cockroach and a spider out to be Beast Emperors.’

’So this Nine-tailed Fox has got to be a scaled-down version, too.’

’Maybe.’

’It might just be a little fox that yips and yaps!’

However, that wasn’t a sure thing.

The Blood Demon from before was a counterexample. It remained an incredibly dangerous entity, so much so that even the three great Innate Realm masters of Jianghai City couldn’t suppress it when they worked together.

’I’d better play it safe.’

With that in mind, Qin Yang didn’t dare let his guard down. He released his Star Force, extending his perception to cover the entire building.

In a short while, he figured out the source of the Star Force fluctuations.

The disturbance was coming from the seventh floor.

And the fluctuation wasn’t very large.

Judging by the energy signature, the other party’s strength couldn’t be higher than the Grandmaster Realm at best. In front of him, it was nothing to be afraid of.

’This should be a piece of cake.’

’Against those above the Grandmaster Realm, I can trade my life for theirs. Against those below it, I’m invincible.’

Thinking of this, Qin Yang cast his doubts aside and swaggered up the stairs, his footsteps echoing loudly as he made his way to the seventh floor.

....

「A moment later.」

At a corner on the seventh floor.

The incandescent light on the ceiling flickered, and a gloomy wind howled in the hallway.

A female ghost in a snow-white dress stood under the light, her long hair like a waterfall. Laughter came from her throat, like a baby’s cry.

At the woman’s feet lay a middle-aged woman who had fainted from fright. Produce from her grocery basket was scattered across the floor, and her face was deathly pale.

"The seventh one."

The female ghost stared at the woman on the ground, muttering the count, and bent over, supporting herself on all fours.

The next moment.

A puff of green smoke rose.

Her body suddenly shrank. The white clothes vanished, and in her place was a small White Fox. Its fur was as soft and silver-white as snow, and its three large, fluffy tails stood on end.

Its round, crafty eyes darted about, full of a captivating charm.

As a wild fox that roamed the wilderness, it knew very well how difficult it was to transform into human form.

Relying solely on absorbing Star Force from the heavens was far from enough.

Some animals were lucky enough to encounter a fated Spirit Fruit, granting them a chance to take human form in a single stroke. But a wild creature like her wasn’t so fortunate; she might go her whole life without such a fateful encounter.

But thankfully, the ways of Celestial Derivation always leave an escape. All things had a way out.

And feeding on human Spiritual Qi was one of the Taoist Sect’s paths to transformation.

The Fox Race gathered energy in their tails. One tail would become two, two would become three... all the way until the ultimate number, nine, when they would achieve a true Undying Body.

Over the past few days, she had been steadily stealing the residents’ Essence Qi in the hallway, bringing her ever closer to her goal.

’Almost four tails.’

The White Fox glanced back at her three big, fluffy tails, her eyes filled with adoration.

It crept gleefully closer to the middle-aged woman, nuzzled her hand, and was about to continue absorbing her Essence Qi.

Suddenly!

A strange voice sounded in the hallway.

"So it really is a little fox."

The sudden male voice, as if appearing out of thin air, gave the White Fox a huge fright.

’There’s someone else in the hallway?’

’How did I not sense them?!’

Its heart pounded in its chest. Its small fox body trembled, and it whipped its head around, baring its fangs at the source of the sound.

Qin Yang walked out from the end of the hallway, still wearing his pajamas and slippers, looking like a resident just passing by.

’Another human?’

The White Fox watched him, utterly bewildered, its small, round eyes full of confusion.

’It’s three in the morning.’

’Why is someone out for a stroll?’

’And how did he avoid my senses?!’

With too many questions and no answers, the White Fox shook its small head and subconsciously activated its magic.

The next moment.

POOF!

Green smoke billowed up once more, concealing its true form.

It once again transformed into a hideous female ghost, floating in the hallway.

Dressed in snow white, her face was now a mass of rotting flesh from which ghastly white bone peeked through. Blood trickled incessantly from her cheeks.

Under the dim light of the hallway, she looked like a vengeful spirit that had just crawled out of a horror movie, utterly terrifying and gruesome.

Any normal person would have been scared witless, fainting on the spot.

However, not only did Qin Yang not run, he actually crossed his arms with great interest, remaining right where he stood and staring intently at the ghost.

The expression on his face was calm.

It was as if he was saying...

...’I’m just going to stand here and watch your little show.’

"...."

For a moment, the atmosphere became awkward.

The White Fox and Qin Yang stared at each other, both remaining in place without moving.

As time dragged on, it was the White Fox who started to feel a chill...

’Why... isn’t this human running away?!’

’Am I not scary enough?’

The bewildered White Fox looked at Qin Yang, gnashed her teeth, and unleashed her Illusion Technique once more.

The next moment.

In Qin Yang’s vision, the surrounding hallway scene suddenly changed.

The walls peeled back to reveal countless holes, from which pale hands and feet stretched out, swaying and accompanied by shrill screams.

Qin Yang was bathed in these terrifying sights, his expression calm and composed. He released his True Essence to investigate his surroundings and quickly understood everything.

’There are no hands or feet.’

’I’m still in the hallway. I haven’t gone anywhere.’

’This is all just an Illusion Technique...’

’This Nine-tailed Fox seems powerful on the surface.’

’But it’s all a facade—strong on the outside, weak on the inside.’

’Her real strength is nothing special, so she has to rely on these scare tactics to get by.’

Realizing this, Qin Yang stood his ground, growing even more composed as he silently appreciated the White Fox’s performance.

From beautiful women turning into skeletons, to mountains of corpses and seas of blood, to a midnight parade of a hundred demons...

All sorts of horrifying illusions washed over him, yet Qin Yang watched with great interest.

「Two minutes later.」

The White Fox stared at the unmoving Qin Yang and finally couldn’t keep up the act. She asked, completely baffled:

"Why aren’t you scared?"

Qin Yang was a little surprised. "So it’s a talking fox after all."