Raising a Fox Spirit in My Home

Chapter 98 Man vs God (Part 3)

“Why are you doing this?”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. I’m disappointed that you even have to ask, Zhenren Li.” Lin Youfa laughed. “Why, to find out which one of us is better, of course!”

“Fine!” Li Yundong growled. “You win! You’re better than me! Happy?”

Lin Youfa twisted Li Yundong’s wrist again; Li Yundong released a sharp hiss.

“Win?” Lin Youfa sneered. “I don’t see this as a win at all. I see this as an insult! An insult to me and the Divine Fist School!”

I’ve never even heard of your stupid school…

“Never heard of my school? Yeah right! Keep pretending!”

Had he said that out loud? Apparently he had.

“You’re holding something back, Zhenren Li. I know you are. Show me!”

“Proof…” Li Yundong gritted out. “What proof do you have that I’m keeping something from you?” Stall. Stall. Keep stalling him until the cops get here. This stupid fight must have gone on for around fifteen minutes by now.

“Proof!” Lin Youfa snorted. “Not even skilled Cultivators can generate shockwaves with just a punch like you did!” Li Yundong groaned when Lin Youfa applied more pressure on his wrist.

C’mon… Reach him with the other hand. I just need to reach him with the other hand…

“And also this!!!” Lin Youfa increased the pressure again, causing Li Yundong to scream. “I’m applying enough force to bend a steel pipe! And your wrist is still intact. Do you take me for a fool, Zhenren Li?”

No. I take you for a lunatic. A whack job.

“There’s something special about you, Zhenren Li. I just don’t know what it is yet.”

“Nothing is special about me, man. How many times do I have to tell you that!” Li Yundong snapped. “I’m just a university student.” Who is about to get his ass expelled if you break his hand and prevent him from sitting for the finals.

“It must be the way you train. Tell me what kind of Cultivation trai—”

Lin Youfa’s words stilled.

Li Yundong groaned in relief when the pressure in his wrist eased slightly. There was a hissing sound as some kind of mist drifted in from both sides of his cheeks. The mist stung his eyes a little, so he shut them. Something strange was going on.

Then, he heard a scream, which, for once, didn’t come from him. The pressure on his wrist eased completely, and his arm dropped limply to his side. A familiar scent assaulted Li Yundong’s nostrils. His eyes shot open instantly.

“Beloved! Arm around my shoulders. Quickly!”

“What… S- Su Cha—”

“Tsk! Come on!”

Li Yundong slung his right arm around Su Chan’s shoulders.

“Don’t move your left wrist. Keep it still,” Su Chan whispered beside his ear. “And hang on to me.”

“What—”

And then they were flying. They were actually flying. Flying… floating… levitating… something. He didn’t even know what the hell Su Chan did, just that the ground was suddenly leaving his feet, and he felt as light as a helium balloon

First, he became a psychic and dodged a bunch of bullets. Then, he saw an old man turn into a young hunk in some kind of reverse-aging stunt which, he was sure, would put Benjamin Button to shame.

And then Su Chan was flying. His princess was f*cking flying.

Li Yundong might need to see a psychiatrist.

They landed on another side of the limo—Lin Youfa was on the other side. Su Chan must have done something to Lin Youfa, because that lunatic wasn’t attacking them again. A couple of injured students on the ground stared at them in shock. Poor fellows probably needed psychiatric services too—but at least they weren’t broke.

“Why did you come back? I told you to stay away! This guy is dangerous!” Li Yundong hissed.

Su Chan had already begun working on his wrist. “I couldn’t leave you, beloved,” Su Chan said without taking her eyes off his wrist. “I’d rather die than leave you.”

Something warm bloomed inside Li Yundong’s heart. God damn it! What was he supposed to do now? He couldn’t even protect himself from that lunatic let alone protect his girl. What the f*ck was he supposed to do now?

Su Chan was suddenly looking into his eyes. He couldn’t help but stare right back. Her eyes were so beautiful.

“This is gonna hurt, beloved.”

Li Yundong gave her a nod.

Su Chan pulled out several dark needles.

“What did you do to that guy?” Li Yundong asked as he watched her get to work.

“I did the same thing he did to you,” Su Chan snarled, her eyes glinting murderously. “I went for his eyes.” Then, she turned her attention back to his wrist. “It’s only temporary though.” Su Chan jabbed the needles all over his left arm. Several needles went to the back of his palm, but most of them were on his forearm. He was pretty sure it was supposed to be a painful business (it sure seemed painful), but at that moment, Li Yundong just felt numb.

Su Chan held Li Yundong’s gaze steadily.

“Ready?”

Li Yundong nodded.

He winced a little when Su Chan twisted his wrist joint back into place.

“All done.”

Li Yundong rotated his wrist a few times while Su Chan put her needles away. All of a sudden, a sinking sensation formed in the pit of his stomach. It felt as though he had swallowed a ton of lead. Li Yundong let his chin drop to his chest.

“S- Su Chan… I… I don’t think I can beat him.”

“I’m not expecting you to,” Su Chan said, lifting his chin back up. “Because you can’t beat him. It’s impossible.”

“Yeah? Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Li Yundong grumbled. “I feel so much better hearing that.”

“It’s not your fault, beloved—”

“He kicked me around like I’m some useless toy, princess. I was helpless. Not even my Xianjue worked.”

Su Chan sighed. “Yes. Because he using the art of Shenda. It—”

Someone screamed. It took Li Yundong a full second to realize that it was Zhou Qin.

“Su Chan! Li Yundong! Look out!!!” Zhou Qin yelled.

Li Yundong jumped to his feet and swiveled around. Lin Youfa was charging towards the limo like a mad bull.

“Come out, Zhenren Li! Where are you!!! Stop hiding like a coward!”

So he couldn’t see us? But why is he running towards the car…

“Fine then! I’ll force you out!”

Li Yundong’s blood ran cold when he suddenly realized what Lin Youfa was about to do.

Another voice sounded.

“Nooooooo!!!!! Not my caaaaarrrrr!!!!!”

“Get back here, Liu Chuan!” Zhou Qin yelled. “Do you want to die!?”

Lin Youfa roared like a beast. There was a loud crunch as Lin Youfa’s foot slammed into the midsection of the limo’s chassis.

A split second later, the limo was sent tumbling through the air.

Li Yundong’s instincts took over. He turned around abruptly and shoved Su Chan away from him as hard as he could.

Then he turned back around to face the airborne limo which was now flying and tumbling straight at him. Screams broke out behind him, and a sickening realization dawned on him right then and there: if he dodged the limo instead of trying to stop it, those injured students behind him would be crushed to death.

“Yundong!!! Stop that thing!! I’ll move the students away!” Su Chan yelled from somewhere behind him.

Determination coursed through Li Yundong. His Qi responded by careening along his meridians towards his three Dantians. Within a split second, Li Yundong’s had bridged his three Gates. More screams erupted, blending with the sounds of crunching metal to form a symphony of terror and chaos. Li Yundong knew that timing was crucial. His timing had to be perfect. One slip-up, and people would die.

Now!

Li Yundong punched the air in front of him with both hands at the same time. Two shockwaves swept through the air before they slammed into the underside of the limo’s chassis. The impact generated a torque that opposed the limo’s spin, causing the limo’s rotation to slow down.

The limo crashed into concrete pavement. However, instead of stopping, it kept sliding forward. “Sh*t!” Li Yundong yelled. He knew he needed a follow-up strike, and fast.

Another shockwave?

No. It might blow the vehicle apart and the debris might hit someone. Argh! To hell with it. This better work… Li Yundong mobilized his Qi to the muscles and joints of his right leg. He charged forward with a roar and then twisted his body sideways while extending his right leg with a powerful snap. His right foot slammed into the limo’s moving body—it was Bruce Lee’s infamous side kick.

There was a loud screech as the limo—now turned turtle—skidded away in the opposite direction. In an instant, the screams of horror turned into triumphant cheers: from behind him; and also from the campus gates, where a new crowd of onlookers had gathered.

Chants of “Hero of Tiannan University” filled the air, punctuated by Lin Youfa’s roaring laughter and Liu Chuan’s despondent wails for the limo’s demise. Then, Su Chan was beside him.

“We have to move. Now. We can’t fight him here,” Su Chan whispered. “Too much collateral damage.”

“B- But how are we gonna beat him?” Li Yundong said, sneaking a quick glance at Lin Youfa. “I don’t think I’m a match for him—”

“I’ll beat him,” Su Chan said, her voice soft yet confident, gentle yet resolute.

That declaration sent Li Yundong into a tizzy.

“What! Are you nuts! Didn’t you see what he just did? He just flipped a f*cking—”

“I have a plan,” Su Chan said. “I’ve already got everything set up at a garden nearby. We just have to get him to follow us there.”

“No! Absolutely—”

Su Chan growled and yanked Li Yundong’s hand.

“Just come with me,” she hissed. “We’ll talk on the way.”

They broke off into a sprint.

“Oh, no you don’t Zhenren Li! Now you’re running?! Just when the fun has started?!”

More screams erupted behind them.

Li Yundong turned around and saw Lin Youfa leaping over a sea of students. Lin Youfa landed with a loud thud and was now running after them.

Li Yundong wanted to say that he was too old for this sh*t. But then he realized that he really, really wasn’t.

***

Su Chan sprinted down the street, ignoring the strange looks that the pedestrians were giving her. Yundong ran alongside her, muttering a bunch of strange curse words that she didn’t even know existed.

“Su Chan, what the hell is going on here? One moment he was still a skinny old dude, then the next, he looked like Schwarzenegger? What the f*ck?”

“Shenda—”

“And he sent a limo into the air! And it was spinning, Su Chan! Spinning!” Yundong kept ranting. “A f*cking limo! That sh*t probably weighs like 6 tons! And—”

“Yundong! Shut up and listen to me!” Su Chan growled.

Behind them, Lin Youfa was stirring up a commotion in his pursuit of them.

“That man is a Cultivator like us,” Su Chan explained after they had made turn at the corner of a building, “but he’s from the Divine Fist School, so his techniques are a bit unorthodox. It’s a special type of magic called Shenda. Look, I won’t go into details, but it basically involves a bunch of spells and rituals to request a god or a Shenxian to take over the practitioner’s body—”

“Holy f*cking sh*t!” Yundong stopped running, causing Su Chan to pull ahead a few steps.

A few seconds later, Yundong caught up to her again. “You mean I was trading blows with a god for almost fifteen minutes?”

“Yes. Well, he’s isn’t actually a god. He’s still just a Cultivator. It’s just that he has access to a portion of the god’s power for a limited amount of time,” Su Chan said.

Not limited enough, apparently, which was exactly why Su Chan needed to finish this quickly before Lin Youfa caused more damage. Trepidation tugged at Su Chan’s heart. Could she do it though? Could she really do it?

Yes, you can, Chan’er. You can do it. Now stop doubting yourself.

“So which god did he summon to turn him from a lanky old man into a hunk?”

“The Great Celestial Lord of the Three Rea—”

“Speak human language please…”

Su Chan tamped down a wave of frustration. “Guan Yu, okay? The God of War, Guan Yu!”

Yundong stumbled a few steps.

“G- Guan Yu?!!!”

Su Chan snorted. “Still think you can beat him now? That’s why your Xianjue didn’t work on him. Xianjue only works if your opponent is less powerful than you. But Guan Yu is a Shenxian! He’s basically a god! And Lin Youfa has a portion of his powers!”

“And you think you can beat him?” Yundong asked.

“Yes!” Su Chan somersaulted over two cars and landed on the other side of the street. When she turned around, she saw Yundong staring at her from across the street with a stunned expression. Su Chan sighed inwardly. Sometimes she forgot that Yundong was still new to Cultivation. Okay, most of the time.

“Hurry up! Yundong!” Su Chan pointed at towards her right. “This way!”

Yundong started moving again. When he finally crossed the street, Su Chan broke off into a sprint again. A minute later, they arrived at the tiny gate leading into a park. It had taken her more than ten minutes to locate this area after Yundong had tossed her away from the scene (and what a toss that was—damned Renyuan Jindan). It shouldn’t have taken her that long, but she didn’t know the city very well. Also, this damned city was seriously lacking in its forestry department! Like, really? She had to search for ten minutes just to find a few trees! And even then, all she found was a miserable grove hidden in some pathetic park! Ugh! What was it with mortals and trees anyway? Why did they hate trees so much?

Well, she supposed she could’ve just used the copse inside Yundong’s school—the one with the gazebo. Then again, that would defeat her purpose. For her to execute her plan, the area had to be secluded and completely free from prying eyes. Because for the first time since she met Yundong, she was going to use one of her more powerful spells. And she couldn’t risk using those spells out in the open, lest she be discovered by the Zhengyi people. Hence the secrecy and the need for seclusion.

Su Chan pulled them to a stop in front of a park bench, then took Yundong’s hand and dragged him towards another section in the park. When a small garden came into view, she knew they had arrived at the right place. Su Chan pulled them to a stop again.

“Go hide in there,” Su Chan whispered, pointing at the grove at the far end of the garden.

“What? What about you?” Yundong whispered.

“I’ll stay out here and lead him into the grove.”

“Alone? Are you crazy!” Yundong hissed.

“Just trust me…” Su Chan said, sending him a pleading look.

“Zhenren Li! Stop playing hide and seek with your woman and come out!”

They both froze and looked at each other for a moment.

“Go,” Su Chan hissed, shoving Yundong towards the grove. “Hide!”

“Fine,” Yundong growled. “I’ll keep my Eryue activated. The moment I hear that you’re in trouble, I’m coming out.”

“Okay, okay! Fine. Just hurry up and go hide.”

Yundong disappeared into the grove.

Good. She needed Yundong out of sight so that the old loony would focus on her instead of Yundong.

Su Chan pushed her Qi to her Shenting and activated her own Eryue. She sifted through the buzzing until she heard Lin Youfa’s angry growls.

“Where are you, Zhenren Li… Come out and fight me…”

Su Chan tuned out Lin Youfa’s voice.

“Make sure you stay hidden,” Su Chan whispered, knowing that Yundong could hear her. “Enemy approaching now. When I lead him into the trees, you have to stay out of sight, you hear me? I can’t afford to be distracted.”

Su Chan reached up and removed a golden hairpin from her hair.

Lin Youfa’s figure burst through the garden just then. He started glancing around the garden, no doubt looking for Yundong.

Su Chan slid the hairpin between her fingers.

“Where is he, woman!” Lin Youfa growled. “Tell me where he’s hiding!”

Su Chan smirked. “Catch.” With a flick of her fingers, the hairpin whizzed through the air.

“Hah!” Lin Youfa clapped his hands together and caught the hairpin between his palms before it struck his carotid artery.

Su Chan turned around and ran into the grove. Inside the grove, Su Chan leaped onto the bough of large tree and waited. She kept her Eryue focused on Lin Youfa and tuned out all other noises.

“Aiming for my arteries? That girl is really looking to kill me…” Lin Youfa muttered.

“Enemy stepping into the grove now,” Su Chan whispered. “I want you to stay out of sight no matter what happens, okay?”

Lin Youfa’s figure emerged from between two hedges. “Where are they… where are they…”

Su Chan removed several strands of her hair and pushed her Qi into them. Then, she shut her eyes and muttered an incantation. Time to end this…

When she reached the end of the incantation, Su Chan opened her eyes.

“Shadow Mist…” she whispered.

Wisps of fog shrouded her body as she descended from the tree and landed soundlessly behind Lin Youfa. Surrounding objects blurred into streaks of colors as she charged, the two strands of her—stiffened—hair ready in each hand. However, Lin Youfa turned around suddenly and swung out his arm.

Su Chan sidestepped Lin Youfa and went around behind him instead. But Lin Youfa suddenly unleashed a back kick, forcing Su Chan to retreat before she could poke the two needles onto his back. The mist disappeared around her legs, and she was once again face to face with Lin Youfa. Damn it! How? The Shadow Mist had allowed her to move swiftly and soundlessly. How did he even notice my attacks? Right. Because she was fighting against someone who had borrowed a portion of a god’s power.

Lin Youfa sneered. “So that’s your trick, then. That’s how you managed to sneak up on me and ruin my fun with Zhenren Li.” Lin Youfa laughed. “Impressive. Which school are you from, young lady?”

Like hell I’m gonna tell you…

Su Chan muttered an incantation while mobilizing her Qi from her lower Dantian. Then, she released a portion of her Qi from her body through her mouth. Her Qi morphed a ring of thick smog which surrounded Lin Youfa in a matter of seconds.

“Oh? Another trick?” Lin Youfa laughed.

Shadow Dance…

The smog began to shift and morph. Moments later, the smog cleared, and nine clones of Su Chan stood around Lin Youfa.

The clones moved in simultaneously, striking Lin Youfa in his vulnerable spots.

Su Chan quickly joined the small army of her clones, hiding herself among them. She just had to get behind Lin Youfa for a chance to strike him with her needles. This fight would be over in an instant if she could poke her needles into the two acupoints on Lin Youfa’s shoulder blades—the Gaohuang.

Focus, Chan’er! Focus!

Su Chan controlled her Qi with her mind. Her Qi clones responded to her conscious will by attacking Lin Youfa relentlessly, hitting him with one lethal strike after another: chop to his neck; kick to the groin; palm-heel strikes to the sternum; finger jabs to the eye and throat.

Lin Youfa’s screams echoed throughout the grove.

Su Chan danced amidst her Qi clones and crept behind Lin Youfa. Timing. This was all about timing. She had to distract him just moments before she attacked.

Su Chan inched closer.

Lin Youfa began to fight back. One of her Qi clones disappeared after he’d punched it. She had to finish this quickly before she ran out of Qi clones.

Su Chan mentally controlled one of her Qi clones to knee Lin Youfa in the sternum. When Lin Youfa staggered backwards, Su Chan flicked two needles at Lin Youfa’s Gaohuang. Lin Youfa suddenly ducked as though he knew the attack was coming. Instead of hitting Lin Youfa’s shoulder blades, the needles lodged themselves into two spots just under Lin Youfa’s ears—the Tianzhu. Lin Youfa hissed in pain, and swung out his arm in wide arc. Three of her clones disappeared.

Lin Youfa’s knees hit the ground. “Zhenren Li! Are you just going to keep hiding and let your woman fight your battles for you, huh? Come out here and fight me yourself!”

Suddenly, Lin Youfa’s eyes widened. He reached behind his neck and removed the two needles from the back of his head. Terror filled Lin Youfa’s eyes.

“Y- You demon witch!” Lin Youfa pointed a shaky finger at Su Chan. “You were aiming for my Gaohuang, weren’t you?”

Su Chan stared at Lin Youfa coldly. “I won’t miss next time.”

Lin Youfa released a loud roar and stomped his foot.

“I’ll remember this, you demon witch!”

Lin Youfa turned tail and bolted.

Su Chan lowered her arms and sighed. Her clones transformed back into a smog, and she breathed her Qi back into her body and returned it to her lower Dantian.

“You can come out now, Yundong,” Su Chan whispered. “It’s over.”

Silence fell. When she turned around, however, Yundong was standing right there staring at her. Disbelief colored his eyes, and he was looking at her as though she was a stranger.

“Who the hell are you?”