Chapter 9: Celestial Fox Lord Huli

“H… Huli Yuehong?” Tigran’s hands trembled as he stared at the vile white fox man, who had hidden his grin behind his light blue fan. “You mean… Lord Huli?”

“Huh? What are you doing Tigran? Teach him a lesson!”

Rudy flared up – how come a fox had scared him? He was a tiger, after all! It didn’t matter whether this guy was of Huli Clan or not, he was still nothing but a fox.

“B-But Rudy, that is Lord Huli!”

Sweat poured off Tigran’s forehead – was this boy really going to make him fight the Celestial Fox of Nine Heavens?!

“I don’t care who it is! It is just a fox. Act like a tiger, not a scaredy-cat!”

Tigran looked back at his formidable opponent:

“Lord Huli… Maybe we can negotiate…”

“Negotiate? Are you nuts?! Destroy him!” Rudy flared up.

“Ugh, you shut up!”

Tigran roared and hit not the opponent but Rudy himself. The people grew shocked – the spirit had turned against its own host! The Bond Item – Rudy’s skull necklace – shattered to pieces all by itself. The bond was broken.

“Oh, my, it is the spirit’s treason!”

Sam was astounded – this vicious tiger really went so far as to break the bond with his host, just to get away from this fox man without a fight? It brought shivers down her spine – Lucy was in great danger, considering the fox persecuted her.

Rudy fell to the floor, groaned, and rubbed his painful cheek. He glanced at his former spirit in astonishment. He trembled – he was now nothing but a Former Host now.

“Y… You abandoned me… How could you?!”

“I don’t need a master like you who forces me to senseless fights!” Tigran growled, and then turned back to Huli Yuehong in awe: “L-Lord Huli, please forgive my reckless behaviour! I am no longer with this guy. I… I forfeit”.

Lucy too was astounded – she did know Yuehong was powerful, but she didn’t expect him to be this terrifying to other spirits, even those larger than himself!

Yuehong only chuckled at Tigran’s behaviour. He put the fan off his mouth, shut it in one swing, and made a step forward. He appeared beside Tigran in a blink of an eye.

“Tigran, young child… Did I ever say you were permitted to forfeit?”

This cold voice made Tigran freeze. In another blink of an eye, Yuehong shook his light blue icy fan open, swung it once, and slashed the head off the tiger man, so that the spirit blood poured off his lifeless body.

Rudy widened eyes in shock and dread. The people were no less frightened. Sam shed even more tears, so terrified she was. Lucy too watched it all dumbfounded – he executed him, without any emotions, as if he were a heartless beast… but, ‘as if’? He was indeed a heartless beast!

She noticed the vile fox was advancing towards fallen Sandy now.

“Ah! No, don’t hurt her!”

“No! Leave her alone!” Sam crawled towards them with all the remaining strength she had.

Sandy groaned, barely opened her eyes, and looked up at the white fox spirit, who had knelt beside her and watched her with his pitiless red eyes.

“Y-You again… Lord Huli…”

“Sandra Nutts… So, you don’t really understand what the difference between a little squirrel and a giant tiger is, do you?”

“Huh?” Lucy stopped in midway – why had his voice turned so tender?

Yuehong was going to touch Sandy with his light-blue-clawed pale hand when a child’s palm grabbed him. He raised an eyebrow at Sam, who had crawled up to them and was shedding tears:

“Please, don’t hurt Sandy… What has she done to you? She is my mommy…”

“S-Sam…”

Sandy got preoccupied, seeing her hostess in such a misery, but she couldn’t really speak any more words, so weak she was.

“What makes you think I’m going to hurt her, child?”

Sam stared at the fox in astonishment – he was smiling.

“Eh?”

“Back then, I got angry at her because she wanted to mess in my affairs. Now, I have nothing against her”.

Yuehong touched Sandy on the forehead. Water current emerged from his palm, glowed blue, and healed all of Sandy’s injuries. The people were astounded – such immense healing powers!

“Sandy!”

Sam embraced her kind mommy squirrel. Sandy too, hugged the little hostess of hers she loved so much. Lucy beamed – so this fox did have some kindness left in his heart, after all…

Yuehong stood up and glared at Rudy:

“And you, brat, from today on, before you charge in a fight, remember to pick someone of your own size”.

Rudy trembled and ran off at full speed, crying and calling for his spirit tiger he knew he had no more. Yuehong stepped over the already-dissipating tiger spirit’s corpse and walked up to Lucy:

“Anything else you want me to do?”

“No, you… have already done plenty”.

“Very well”.

Yuehong vanished in blue light. When this light too, disappeared, Lucy’s Yin-and-Yang amulet sparkled one last time and everything got back to normal. Lucy ran up to her friends:

“How are you?”

“We’re fine, thanks to you, Lulu,” Sandy caressed her on the head.

“Yeah, you truly are a lifesaver!” Sam grinned, “I promise I won’t wander alone on this train again”.

“Not only in this train, but anywhere, missy!” Sandy put her hands on her waist.

“Okay, mom…” Sam looked up at her in fear, scolded for the mistake she had already realized she made.

Lucy chuckled. They all sat down at the table Sam had earlier picked, and none of them paid any attention to the crowd that had watched the events all along and were dumbfounded to see someone could actually tame a Huli Clan fox of not just one but five tails.

Amongst those people, in a corner, sat a man dressed in black, with black sunglasses on. He watched the three friends, and particularly, Lucy, with great curiosity:

Hmm, quite interesting maidens, I’d say, and they’re headed to Temple City… Judging by that blue-haired girl’s exceptional spirit control and prowess, they must be heading to the Spirit High School of Shadow Masters. Very good…