The Fox’s Gambit in Darkmoon Forest

The night deepened, and the moon hung still. Su Han had built a bonfire, roasting the freshly hunted rabbit meat over its crackling flames. Suddenly, a thought struck her. Her consciousness delved into the storage ring on her chest, releasing Chen Yuan and Xia Xuan.

Although Su Han’s storage space was somewhat unique, it remained a vacuum. Chen Yuan, being only at the early Legendary stage, could not survive long without oxygen. Thus, Su Han had temporarily released them to breathe.

Even a Legendary-tier expert would not last long without the constant absorption of elemental energy.

Chen Yuan had been cooped up for quite some time. Disregarding his current disadvantage of being sealed, he immediately began to curse Su Han upon seeing her.

“You wretched woman, one day I’ll make you wish you were dead!”

Su Han frowned, forcibly suppressing the anger bubbling within her. She turned her head, ignoring him. Instead, she tore off a rabbit leg and offered it to Xia Xuan. “Eat.”

With that, Su Han picked up another rabbit leg and began to savor it.

“This…” Xia Xuan gazed at the golden-brown rabbit leg, which emanated a rich, savory aroma, and couldn’t help but swallow.

“Go on, eat!” Su Han urged, her eyes curving into crescent moons as she smiled.

Ultimately, unable to resist the gnawing hunger in her stomach, Xia Xuan unhesitatingly snatched the rabbit leg and devoured it.

Chen Yuan, witnessing this scene, grew even more displeased. ‘What is the meaning of this? You give it to her but not to me?’ He grumbled, “I’m telling you, it’s not too late to curry favor with me now! I might even spare your life for offering me rabbit meat!”

Xia Xuan, ravenously tearing into the rabbit leg due to her hunger, clearly didn’t hear him. Su Han, however, raised an eyebrow again. “Oh? Did I ever say this rabbit meat was for you?”

Su Han approached Chen Yuan with a smile. She gently patted his cheek. “Also, have you perhaps misunderstood your current situation? I am not your prisoner; you are mine!”

Chen Yuan was far from pleased. He swatted Su Han’s hand away and roared, “If I weren’t sealed, I could take on ten of you! What kind of skill is that?”

Su Han covered her mouth, chuckling. “A waste who relies on pills to advance dares to speak such words?”

“Furthermore, it seems you truly haven’t grasped the situation. I suppose I’ll have to make it clear to you!” Su Han seized Chen Yuan by his collar, lifting him from his seated position on the ground. Then, bending her knee, she delivered an elbow strike to his abdomen.

Without the protection of Battle Qi, Chen Yuan felt his stomach churn violently. He couldn’t help but vomit a mouthful of sour liquid.

Su Han shook her hand in disgust. Then, gripping the front of Chen Yuan’s robes, she declared, “It seems you won’t shed tears until you see the coffin!” With that, she delivered a kick directly to his abdomen.

But she wasn’t finished. One kick followed another, and Su Han only felt satisfied after three forceful blows.

“Pah!” Chen Yuan spat, challenging her. “If you dare, kill me!”

Su Han’s expression turned cold, her murderous gaze locking onto Chen Yuan’s throat. Her terrifying eyes made Chen Yuan’s scalp prickle. At that moment, he couldn’t utter a single word, only gulping down mouthfuls of saliva.

After a long moment, Su Han delivered a sharp slap to Chen Yuan’s face. She then threw him to the ground. “Don’t think I wouldn’t dare kill you. If you didn’t still have some use…”

Su Han clearly remembered what Bai Que had told her. Chen Yuan and Xia Xuan were bargaining chips in her negotiations with the mercenary guild. She intended to extort a hefty sum from them, so how could she possibly kill Chen Yuan?

Su Han’s actions were merely to make him behave and understand she wasn’t to be trifled with—anyone in her position would have done the same.

“Awooo~” Howls of wolves and roars of tigers echoed through the night forest, shattering the long-held silence. Silver moonlight dappled the treetops as Su Han reclined on a branch, a blade of straw dangling from her lips.

‘The Elf Tribe… The Darkmoon Forest is so vast. How am I to find the sparsely populated Elf Tribe within it?’

“Hm?” Su Han suddenly sensed a crimson light hurtling towards her. ‘This is bad, it’s the Silvermoon Wolf King!’

“Damn it, run!” Su Han sprang up from the tree in a swift motion, like a carp leaping from water. She then darted through the forest at high speed. ‘How did the Silvermoon Wolf King discover me? I was clearly hidden so well!’

Su Han pondered for a long time but couldn’t understand why, so she simply focused on making her escape without further thought.

The nights in the Darkmoon Forest were never tranquil. To avoid lesser beasts, Su Han had secretly infiltrated the territory of the Silverwing Wolf Tribe.

This region was under the Silvermoon Wolf King’s rule, meaning few magical beasts dared to trespass. Thus, Su Han had used the Wolf King’s reputation to secretly rest.

Yet, somehow, the Silvermoon Wolf King had unerringly pinpointed her location. This left Su Han feeling quite helpless.

If it were just the Silvermoon Wolf King alone, Su Han would have dared to confront him. However, wolves were pack creatures, and under the assault of such a multitude, Su Han had no choice but to temporarily retreat.

After fleeing through countless twists and turns, Su Han finally managed to shake off the wolf pack. Once outside a certain range of their territory, the wolves would automatically return, allowing Su Han to breathe a temporary sigh of relief.

But just as Su Han caught her breath, the roars of the Dark Gold Fierce Tigers surged towards her once more. Terrified, Su Han dared not delay or linger for even a moment, turning to flee at full speed.

“What the hell is going on today???” After running for an unknown duration, Su Han finally crouched on a distant tree, observing from afar.

‘So that’s it…’ The leader of the Three-Tailed Fox Tribe, the Three-Tailed Demonic Fox, who had resided between the Dark Gold Tiger Tribe and the Silverwing Wolf Tribe, had passed away. This had sparked a dispute between the Dark Gold Tiger Tribe and the Silverwing Wolf Tribe over who would claim the Three-Tailed Fox Tribe’s territory.

Su Han watched from a distance as the Dark Gold Tiger Tribe and the Silvermoon Wolf Tribe fought each other with frenzied intensity. It was no wonder both leaders had managed to detect Su Han.

Normally, they wouldn’t have noticed her, but during this critical period, both leaders were on high alert, explaining her detection.

“Interesting!” Su Han observed the brutal battle between the two tribes with keen interest. Magical beasts were inherently cruel and bloodthirsty. Dismembered limbs, scattered bones, and corpses were everywhere; conflict between two tribes inevitably led to heavy casualties.

‘But is the leader of the Three-Tailed Fox Tribe, the Three-Tailed Demonic Fox, truly dead?’ The more Su Han thought about it, the more complex it seemed.

The Three-Tailed Fox Tribe, though not particularly powerful, was renowned for its wisdom—a trait that allowed them to maintain their position between the two stronger tribes.

Since the Three-Tailed Fox Tribe represented wisdom, if the Three-Tailed Demonic Fox had truly died, how could news of their demise have leaked? Even if it did leak, how could it have spread so rapidly?

It had led to a fierce confrontation between the Dark Gold Tiger Tribe and the Silverwing Wolf Tribe overnight! Furthermore, since the battle began, Su Han hadn’t seen a single three-tailed fox, only Dark Gold Tigers and Silverwing Wolves.

“This is not simple at all!” Su Han clicked her tongue. She suspected the Three-Tailed Demonic Fox wasn’t dead at all, but alive and well.

They were likely lurking in the shadows, waiting to reap the benefits. Once the Dark Gold Tiger Tribe and the Silverwing Wolf Tribe had exhausted each other, the Three-Tailed Demonic Fox would lead the Three-Tailed Fox Tribe to invade and conquer both.

Sure enough, just as the Dark Gold Tiger Tribe and the Silverwing Wolf Tribe were about to determine a victor, and both sides were severely wounded, the Three-Tailed Demonic Fox, commanding an army of white three-tailed foxes, stormed onto the battlefield, disrupting the precarious balance.

“Third Sister, you?! Weren’t you dead?” The Dark Gold Tiger was clearly shocked by the Three-Tailed Demonic Fox’s appearance, but even more so, filled with rage. He knew, then, that he had fallen into a trap!

The Silverwing Wolf King, seeing the Three-Tailed Demonic Fox, exclaimed in terror. “Retreat, quickly retreat!”

“Elder Brother, Second Brother, since you’ve come all this way, why not sit down and chat?” The Three-Tailed Demonic Fox, now in human form, smiled enchantingly.

“Th-Third Sister, this is a dispute between me and Second Brother. I hope you won’t get involved!” The Dark Gold Tiger King knew his scheme had failed, but he still spoke with a forced smile.

“Get lost, what time is it now?! Retreat with me!” The Silvermoon Wolf King led his pack, turning to flee. He was inwardly furious, cursing the Dark Gold Tiger King as an idiot. ‘How could I have ever known such a person?’

“Oh? Is Second Brother leaving?” the Three-Tailed Demonic Fox chuckled. Her expression immediately turned cold, and she stated flatly, “But, did I say you could leave?”

“Why not stay and have a drink with your little sister?” The Three-Tailed Demonic Fox covered her mouth, her laughter making her entire body tremble with alluring charm. Yet, in the eyes of the Dark Gold Tiger King and the Silvermoon Wolf King, that smile sent shivers down their spines.

“Third Sister, just say what you need to say!” Deciding to cut to the chase, the Dark Gold Tiger King spoke boldly, as if unafraid of death.

“My two elder brothers, you don’t actually think my Three-Tailed Fox Tribe is easily bullied, do you? Coming and going as you please, wouldn’t that make me lose face in front of outsiders? Don’t you think you should leave something behind?”

“This…” The Dark Gold Tiger King hesitated. The Silvermoon Wolf King, however, spoke up. “Little Sister, I am willing to offer one-third of my territory in exchange for our lives!”

“Then, Second Brother, you may return. I shall have a detailed discussion with Elder Brother!” The Three-Tailed Demonic Fox’s smile was mesmerizing, and she swayed her hips as she approached the Dark Gold Tiger King.

“Alas~” The silver-haired Wolf King, in his human form, sighed and led his wolf pack to flee into the distance. He felt utterly displeased, having failed to steal a chicken and instead losing the rice, suffering both loss of land and troops.

“Th-Third Sister,” the Dark Gold Tiger King stammered, almost in tears as he watched the Three-Tailed Demonic Fox approach him. He hurriedly said, “I, too, am willing to offer one-third of my territory in exchange for our lives!”

“Oh, is that so? Then I thank Elder Brother for your generosity!”

“Not at all, not at all!” The Dark Gold Tiger King, now in his black short-haired human form, broke out in a cold sweat and led his tiger pack to escape in a flash.

‘The Three-Tailed Demonic Fox is truly formidable. Even the two leaders are so afraid of her? Perhaps she knows news of the Elf Tribe?’

“Aren’t you coming out yet?” The Three-Tailed Demonic Fox curled her lips in Su Han’s direction.

Su Han smiled, then descended from the tree, calmly approaching the Three-Tailed Demonic Fox.