The Love of Mingya in the Fox Spirit

"Roar!" The two beasts roared to the sky and charged towards Dongfang Yuechu again, having regained their strength.

Seeing that his attacks were having little effect, Dongfang Yuechu immediately realized that he was not strong enough to break through the formation by brute force. The best way to defeat the enemy was to capture the leader first, taking down Zhuge Ming, who was controlling the formation. Then the formation would collapse on its own.

Although the idea was good, Dongfang Yuechu also knew that every killing formation contained a trapping formation, so he could not break free from this formation to attack Zhuge Ming for the time being. Therefore, Dongfang Yuechu was now in a dilemma.

Just as Dongfang Yuechu was pondering what he should do, the faster winged tiger had already rushed in front of him, extending its tiger claws and slapping Dongfang Yuechu hard across the face with a whooshing sound. Judging by the force of the blow, if it landed squarely on Dongfang Yuechu, he would definitely be knocked unconscious.

"Damn it, you were just thinking of slapping me in the face, now this is what you call an eye for an eye!" Zhuge Ming thought to himself from outside the formation.

Feeling the wind rushing past his ears, Dongfang Yuechu quickly regained his composure, bent over, and leaned back to dodge the tiger's claw. But before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, a huge dragon claw came crashing down on him. Dongfang Yuechu saw that he didn't have time to dodge, so he could only cross his arms in front of him to protect himself and take the hit.

The enormous dragon claw slammed Dongfang Yuechu directly into the ground, creating a huge, human-shaped crater—the kind that you can't pry off a wall.

Seeing that he had succeeded in his attack, Zhuge Ming did not continue to pursue. Instead, he manipulated the two beasts to retreat. Although he appeared calm on the surface, he was secretly overjoyed.

"I'm telling you, Dongfang Yuechu, you can't beat me in a fight, and you're no match for me in a battle of wits either. You might as well just admit defeat."

"Fine, then I admit defeat!" In the depths of human nature, Dongfang Yuechu unexpectedly stretched out his hand and answered indifferently, as if he really admitted that he was inferior in skill.

"You little rascal, trying to trick me? Do you think I don't know what kind of person you are? Fine, I'll play along." Zhuge Ming thought to himself.

"Well, you're smart to know what's good for you!"

So Zhuge Ming outwardly made the formation disappear with a smug look on his face and walked towards Dongfang Yuechu's direction, but in reality he was just hiding himself. Moreover, his position was always within the range of the formation. If Dongfang Yuechu did anything wrong, he could use the "Close-up" technique to pull him away first, and then activate the formation to continue beating him.

Dongfang Yuechu struggled to climb out of the pit, his once white clothes now tattered and covered in mud, his face a mix of blue and purple, looking extremely disheveled. However, the light in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest, and the ahoge (cowlick) on his head stood up as defying Newtonian convention as ever.

Zhuge Ming pretended to be relaxed and walked step by step toward Dongfang Yuechu. When they were about the same distance as when they first started, they smiled at each other, both of them revealing sinister smiles. The next moment, Dongfang Yuechu suddenly attacked.

"As expected, I knew that with your personality, Dongfang Yuechu, you would never admit defeat so easily. You little brat, you still want to use the same trick to scheme against me? Dream on."

Zhuge Ming, who had been prepared, activated the hidden formation, causing the two beasts to attack his position. Then, looking at the fist in front of him, which was exactly the same as before except that it was not covered with pure Yang Flame, he smiled slightly and prepared to activate the "Close to the Ends of the Earth" technique.

But at this critical moment, Zhuge Ming suddenly felt that he could not control his body for a moment, and it was this moment that made Zhuge Ming lose the only opportunity to dodge Dongfang Yuechu's fist.

“Pia!(ｏ‵-′)ノ（ノ﹏<。)” Zhuge Ming was punched in the face by Dongfang Yuechu. He instantly felt a huge pain, and his body flew backward with the force of the punch.

"Damn it, the Fox Spirit Technique! I forgot this kid had that trick up his sleeve. This time I've really messed up!" Zhuge Ming thought bitterly as he flew backward, then rolled his eyes and promptly passed out. After all, Zhuge Ming, including his previous life, had never really been beaten much, and given Dongfang Yuechu's ruthless methods, passing out was perfectly normal.

It turns out that Dongfang Yuechu wasn't just blindly charging in. He knew that Zhuge Ming could still use the "Close-up" technique to dodge his attack. So he first gave Zhuge Ming the illusion that he was a reckless fool, and then used the Fox Thought Technique at the last moment to influence Zhuge Ming, preventing him from activating the Star River and releasing the "Close-up" technique.

Although this spell cannot control people of similar strength, it can still make them stiff for a moment. And it was this moment that gave Dongfang Yuechu a chance to hit Zhuge Ming.

"You bastard, you tried to scheme against me!" Dongfang Yuechu couldn't help but grin when he saw that he had finally succeeded.

As Zhuge Ming was sent flying, the two beasts that Zhuge Ming had commanded beforehand slammed down on Dongfang Yuechu's location. Before Dongfang Yuechu could even react and let out a scream, he was slammed into the ground again (yes, the kind that can't be pried out), forming a human-shaped crater. This time, he also passed out immediately. The two beasts, no longer under Zhuge Ming's control, slowly disappeared.

This was truly a multi-layered battle of wits between the two; they were clearly seasoned veterans of such intricate maneuvers. This cunning duel between the two ended with both suffering heavy losses.

Tu Shan Ya Ya, who had been wondering why the two had suddenly started fighting and didn't know who to help, saw Zhuge Ming being sent flying. Without thinking, she quickly caught the unconscious Zhuge Ming in mid-air, anxiously calling out, "Hey, you idiot, are you alright? Hey, wake up!"

At this moment, Tu Shan Honghong, who had been watching from the side, also stepped forward and used her demonic power to say in a clear and cold voice, "Little sister, don't worry, they are both fine, just some superficial injuries. They were very careful in their actions. Why don't you carry Zhuge Ming to the clinic to have him checked out first?"

Tu Shan Ya Ya didn't have time to ask Tu Shan Hong Hong why she was here. After hearing her words, she hurriedly grabbed Zhuge Ming and flew towards the clinic.

Watching Tu Shan Ya Ya's departing figure, Tu Shan Hong Hong turned her head and looked at Dongfang Yuechu, who was still unconscious in the pit, with a complicated expression. Then she used her demon power to lift him out of the pit. Looking at the poor person in her arms who was still calling out "Fairy Sister" even in his unconscious state, Tu Shan Hong Hong murmured helplessly, "So, do you understand?"

Whether it was Tu Shan Honghong's imagination or not, she seemed to see the corners of Dongfang Yuechu's mouth turn up slightly.

Chapter Thirty: "The Kidnapping of Dongfang Yuechu"

The following day at noon, inside the inner city of Tushan, at the medical clinic.

"Ouch, damn it, my face hurts so much, where am I?"

Zhuge Ming struggled to open his eyes, but instead of the azure sky above Twin Peaks, he was greeted by a brown wooden ceiling. He was lying on a hospital bed that resembled the one in his previous life, his head wrapped tightly in bandages.

Before Zhuge Ming could even look around, Dongfang Yuechu's leisurely voice rang out from beside him: "You're only waking up now!"

Zhuge Ming turned his head toward the source of the sound and saw Dongfang Yuechu lying on the bed next to his own, his whole body wrapped in bandages. He seemed to have just woken up not long ago.

"Look at you, looking so pathetic. Tsk tsk, you're in a much worse situation than me."

Zhuge Ming sensed the sarcasm in Dongfang Yuechu's words and replied defiantly.

Dongfang Yuechu choked on his words after hearing this, staring at Zhuge Ming with resentment in his eyes. After a long while, he suddenly burst into laughter: "Hahahaha, indeed, it was a truly fierce battle. Look how badly we both look, let's stop bickering."

"Indeed, as expected of the Eastern Spirit Clan, not to mention the sheer amount of magical power you possess, that punch of yours really hurt! How did you train your physical body? It's monstrous." Zhuge Ming smiled slightly, then said to Dongfang Yuechu with some frustration.

"You're not bad either. Your formation is really troublesome. I finally managed to 'avoid' the formation and get close to you, and you still have the supernatural power of 'Close at Hand'. If I hadn't used the Fox Mind Technique to catch you off guard, I would have really been beaten to a pulp by you." Dongfang Yuechu also expressed his admiration for Zhuge Ming's strange supernatural power and formation.

Zhuge Ming closed his eyes and remained silent, reflecting on the gains and losses of his battle. Because he had been cultivating his array formations under Xiao Hei's tutelage for years, his attack methods were undeniably complex and varied. However, his close-combat ability was ultimately too poor. If an enemy got close, he could easily be knocked out in one blow, just like in his battle with Dongfang Yuechu.

Actually, it was only because Zhuge Ming had set up a formation under his feet in advance and took advantage of Dongfang Yuechu's attack to lure him into the formation. Otherwise, given Dongfang Yuechu's agility, it would have been too difficult to control him with a formation. After all, one still needs time to prepare in advance before mastering the art of formations.

Although neither of them used their full strength in this fight, they both gained a general understanding of each other's abilities.

"Hey, right, why are we here? I remember you knocked me unconscious at Twin Peaks, didn't you?" Suddenly, Zhuge Ming seemed to remember something, so he opened his eyes and turned to ask Dongfang Yuechu.

"Hmph! Don't ask me, I don't know anything." Zhuge Ming's words seemed to have hit Dongfang Yuechu's sore spot. Dongfang Yuechu changed his previous relief and turned his head away from Zhuge Ming in a huff.

One hour ago ——————

Although Dongfang Yuechu's injuries were more severe than Zhuge Ming's, his physical condition was much better, so he woke up earlier. What he saw upon waking was something he couldn't believe his eyes!

Ya Ya, whom he had always thought had ADHD, was surprisingly quiet, lying by Zhuge Ming's bedside, seemingly having been watching over him for quite some time.

Dongfang Yuechu felt a lump in his throat, recalling his failed confession at Shuangsheng Peak yesterday. The stark contrast between that and Zhuge Ming's current status as a winner in life instantly made him so jealous he felt like his very being was about to break apart!

"Sigh, if only Fairy Sister could be like Sister Ya Ya now, that would be so nice." Dongfang Yuechu sighed, already thinking about peaches in broad daylight.

Tu Shan Ya Ya, who was standing nearby, also noticed that Dongfang Yuechu had woken up. She quickly jumped up from the bedside as if she had been caught doing something wrong. She hurriedly explained to Dongfang Yuechu, "Well, I just arrived a little while ago. My sister asked me to come and see if you were awake. Now that you're awake, I'll go back and tell my sister."

After saying that, he walked outside, seemingly just to see if Dongfang Yuechu had woken up.

However, although Tu Shan Ya Ya was speaking to Dongfang Yuechu, her eyes kept drifting towards Zhuge Ming. How could Dongfang Yuechu not see through his sister Ya Ya's true purpose?

"Oh, and don't tell this idiot I'm here, or else... hehe~"

Just as she reached the door, Tu Shan Ya Ya seemed to remember something, suddenly stopped, and threatened Dongfang Yuechu, even waving her fist as a warning.

Without waiting for Dongfang Yuechu's reply, he hurriedly left the clinic.

"Sigh, Sister Ya Ya is so awkward."

----------

Zhuge Ming glanced at Dongfang Yuechu, puzzled, wondering what he had done to offend him. After a moment of silence, he asked again, "What are you planning to do in the future? I mean, about Sister Honghong."

Dongfang Yuechu, who had been turning his back, visibly froze. He turned around, staring blankly at the ceiling, and after a long while, he replied in a daze, "To be honest, I really don't know. I guess you probably know about Sister Yaoxian. There's no room for me in her heart anymore, so I really don't know what to do."

Zhuge Ming retorted, "No, I don't think so. I think Sister Honghong said that to you on purpose yesterday, but that just shows that you, Dongfang Yuechu, are still very important to her."

Dongfang Yuechu was stunned. Now that he thought about it, he also felt that something was wrong. His tracking had gone too smoothly, so smoothly that it was as if the fairy sister had deliberately let him follow her!

"You mean, Fairy Sister has feelings for me?" Dongfang Yuechu felt a surge of excitement at the thought. Ignoring the bandages all over his body, he jumped up on the bed and looked at Zhuge Ming excitedly.

"No, you're overthinking it. Honghong's mind is still on that person's ideals, there's no way she could like you." Zhuge Ming ignored Dongfang Yuechu's excited state and poured cold water on her.

"However, even if Sister Honghong's heart belongs to him, in my opinion, love is not there. Attention given out of guilt is not love. Love is not about binding and restraint."

So, I have a way to help you win back Sister Honghong's heart, but it depends on whether you dare to gamble your entire life on it.

Before Dongfang Yuechu could recover from his despair, Zhuge Ming dropped another bombshell. He didn't want Dongfang Yuechu to waste a year thinking about these things, nor did he have time to wait for Dongfang Yuechu to become withdrawn for a year.

He needed Dongfang Yuechu to help him accomplish something, so he decided to tell Dongfang Yuechu all this today and lure him out of Tushan.

"Heh, gambling? Although I don't think it's a good thing, if you're trapped in a desperate situation with no way out, you have no choice but to risk your life. The last gamble saved my life. My life was saved by the Fairy Demon Sister. For her, what does it matter if I gamble my whole life?!"

After listening, Dongfang Yuechu first gave a self-deprecating laugh, then his eyes became more and more determined. He clenched his fist and answered decisively.

"Good!! As expected of Dongfang Yuechu, then come with me to the Dao Alliance to repay this debt for Sister Honghong. Although I don't know if this will work, at least by then, Sister Honghong's heart will be in her own hands!" Zhuge Ming also sat up from the bed and stretched out his hand to Dongfang Yuechu.

"Hahaha, if it doesn't succeed, it'll just become a joke." Dongfang Yuechu laughed as she reached out and clasped Zhuge Ming's hand tightly, but her thoughts were already drifting far away.

Chapter Thirty-One: "The Most 'Dedicated' Actor in History"

Because both men were very careful in their attacks, although they looked quite battered, their injuries weren't serious. They stayed at the clinic for three or four days before being discharged. (www.biqushu.net)

During this time, Tu Shan Ya Ya also visited Dongfang Yuechu on several occasions under the pretext of visiting him on behalf of Tu Shan Hong Hong, which caused Dongfang Yuechu to feel grief again and again. As for whether she really came to visit Dongfang Yuechu, only she herself knew.

A rich fragrance wafted from the entrance of Tushan Yaoxinzhai. Dongfang Yuechu took a deep breath, as if he wanted to inhale it all.

"Hey, why did you drag me to Yaoxinzhai right after you were discharged from the hospital?" Zhuge Ming looked at the hopeless glutton in front of him and felt a sudden headache.

However, Zhuge Ming couldn't blame Dongfang Yuechu for being a foodie. Considering his mother Dongfang Qinlan's carefree personality, he understood. When he saw Dongfang Qinlan teaching young Dongfang Yuechu to remember his enemies in the anime, Zhuge Ming laughed so hard he couldn't stand up straight. It's true that like mother, like son.

"We're about to leave Tushan, and who knows when we'll be back. Of course, we should have a big meal before we go, since you can't find the food at Yaoxinzhai anywhere else!"

"But, do you have money?" Zhuge Ming asked the question he had always wanted to ask. In his previous life, he had always been curious about how Dongfang Yuechu had managed to get by all these years.

Since Jin Renfeng arrived, Dongfang Yuechu is no longer a lowly servant of Tushan, and therefore has no income. He can't keep asking Tushan Rongrong for money, so he probably survives on debt. But if he's been in debt all these years, why hasn't the owner of Yaoxinzhai blacklisted him?

"No!" Dongfang Yuechu replied confidently.

Zhuge Ming: "So you've been living off debts all these years?"

Dongfang Yuechu: "That's right."

Zhuge Ming: "Emmmm, if I were the owner of Yaoxinzhai, you could forget about ever stepping foot inside Yaoxinzhai in your entire life."

Hearing this, Dongfang Yuechu pointed to the sign in front of the door without taking it seriously. Zhuge Ming looked in the direction he was pointing and saw that it was clearly written in vermilion ink: "Dongfang Yuechu and dogs are not allowed to enter!!!" The exclamation marks at the end were written in big letters.

"……………………" Zhuge Ming was momentarily speechless.

"Then how will you get in?"

Just as Zhuge Ming asked this question with a sense of despair, Dongfang Yuechu transformed into an unremarkable fox demon. He then winked at Zhuge Ming, ignored the sign, and walked in with an air of nonchalance. Judging from his demeanor, he had done this many times before. He was a repeat offender!

"Well, so this guy has mastered the art of disguise. Now I know how he's survived all these years." Zhuge Ming's lips twitched violently, and he pretended not to know the guy before following him inside.

Yaoxinzhai truly lives up to its reputation as a major brand. With its magnificent decor and the aroma of various delicacies filling the air, it would be difficult for Yaoxinzhai to remain unknown. Even Zhuge Ming, who wasn't particularly hungry, couldn't help but feel his mouth watering.

"Boss, bring me all your best candied hawthorns! I want 100 skewers!"

As soon as Dongfang Yuechu finished speaking, everyone in the hall turned their attention to him.

"Is that Dongfang Yuechu here again?"

"It must be him. He asked for candied hawthorns as soon as he walked in. Who else could it be but him?"

"I heard he never pays for his food here!"

"Keep your voice down. It's because Miss Tu Shan Rongrong personally instructed that he could keep in debt. Otherwise, Yao Xin Zhai would have kicked him out long ago."

Listening to the whispers of the two demons beside him, Zhuge Ming finally understood what was going on. It was probably because Tu Shan Rongrong knew that this kid was broke, so she secretly instructed Yao Xinzhai to pretend not to know and let him keep in debt. It has to be said that this flat-chested little loli has a pretty good heart.

"No, no, I can't be fooled by her appearance. This flat-chested, cunning little girl has tricked me so many times, I remember it all. It's all an illusion, yes, an illusion!!!"