Day 31
He followed the trail of pawprints through deep foliage and across a shallow stream. Occasionally, he'd find a pile of crushed berries, half-eaten by someone with... exquisite taste?
He smirked.
> "Leaving behind gourmet crumbs like you're taunting me? Nice try."
By sunset, he reached a mossy glade... and promptly stepped into a trap.
> WHOOSH— SNAP!
He dangled upside-down from a vine snare, arms flailing, shirt falling over his face.
> "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"
A gentle rustle from the bushes.
He yanked the cloth from his face just in time to see a white blur flick its tail at him.
> THWIP!
A juicy plum bean struck his forehead like a love tap from a petty god.
The fox vanished again.
> "DON'T LET ME CATCH YOU DAMN FOX OR I WILL ROAST YOU !!"
---
Day 32
Every day, he tried to track the fox.
Every day, he failed.
He once found white fur snagged on a bush—and when he picked it up, it exploded into smoke, releasing a faint scent of lavender.
Another time, he set up traps... only for the fox to replace his bait with a pine cone and draw a tiny heart in the dirt beside it.
He even woke up one night to find his fort door open and "Stupid Human" scratched on his wall with claws.
> "HOW DOES IT KNOW HOW TO WRITE?!"
At this point, Xiao Ranyu was beginning to question if this was a magical beast or just a small divine being sent to torment him.
---
Day 35
He finally got smart.
No more chasing.
Instead, he meditated under the moonlight, refining his soul perception—hoping the fox would approach him.
And just like he expected… midnight came. A gentle breeze stirred.
His eyes opened.
Across the glade, barely visible in the starlight, the fox stood watching him again—tail swaying, eyes glowing.
> "You're not just some forest creature, are you?" he muttered.
The fox tilted its head.
Before he could ask further, the fox darted into the trees again—leaving behind a plum bean.
And this time, it had a little bite mark shaped like a smiley face.
---
Xiao Ranyu sighed, chewing the bean and leaning back against the tree.
> "Alright. Maybe... just maybe... I'll forgive you for now."
Then he grinned to himself.
> "But next time, I'm getting the last hit."
---
Monster Mountain Range - Day 37
The forest was still. Too still.
Xiao Ranyu crouched low behind a bush, eyes locked on faint pawprints in the soft earth. His crimson hair was tied back. A black cloth covered his mouth. His eyes—deadly serious.
> "You humiliated me, little fox… now it's personal."
He followed the trail silently, every step measured. He'd studied beast tracking scrolls last night. Burned two. Understood one.
> "Three-tailed fox… Snow fur, Yin-type Qi, smart as hell. Maybe female. Definitely evil."
He paused behind a large tree. A gentle hum echoed in the air—a song?
He peeked around.
There.
Atop a boulder in a sunlit clearing, the snow-white fox sat, humming softly—literally humming, tail swishing like a conductor's wand.
> "...This thing mocks me with music now?!"
He crept forward—
> Snap!
A twig cracked.
The fox turned.
Locked eyes.
Smiled.
> "Crap."
WHOOSH!
A snowball hit him square in the face.
> "AGH—WHAT?! SNOWBALL?! IT'S SUMMER!!"
Before he could recover, a burst of wind knocked him flying into a tree trunk.
> "AGAIN WITH THE TREE!?"
He crashed down.
The fox trotted over, stared at him with tilted head, then…
> Plop
...sat on his chest.
Xiao Ranyu's arms were pinned by tail-fluff. His pride? Gone.
> "You smug, overgrown fox—"
THWACK!
A tail-whip to the forehead shut him up.
The fox gave one last smirk and vanished into thin air.
---
Later That Night - Ranyu Fort
Xiao Ranyu sat cross-legged by the fire, holding an ice pack to his forehead.
> "Alright… this fox isn't normal. It's intelligent. Illusion-capable. Yin-type affinity. "
He took a deep breath.
> "New mission: Observe. Don't engage until I understand its pattern. Also—no more calling it cute. That's a trap."
He flipped open his notebook.
Mission Log: Operation Fluffy Revenge
Objective: Study and subdue arrogant fox
Priority: Regain lost dignity
Risk Level: Emotionally fatal
---
Day 40
He spotted it again.
Perched on a log, tail glowing faintly under moonlight. No sudden attack.
This time, he didn't rush.
Instead, he tossed a grilled snake skewer toward her.
She sniffed it. Ate it. Then vanished.
> "...Progress?"
---
Day 45
He left out roasted spirit rabbit with a note:
> "Please stop hitting me. Signed, the Guy You Bullied."
The food disappeared.
Note was returned… with a pawprint.
---
Day 53
He woke up to find the fox sleeping on the roof of his cave.
By the time he stepped out—
> "Huh?"
It was gone.
> "...Is this... a tsundere fox?"
---
Day 69
Xiao Ranyu stared at the cliff where he first saw her.
The breeze was gentle.
No trees exploded.
> "Maybe... I don't need revenge anymore."
He smiled, brushing a leaf off his shoulder.
> "Maybe I'll just let her be."
A soft breeze passed.
In the distance, a faint giggle echoed through the trees.
---
Day 72
Just as he thought that he can practice peacefully again,
Things doesn't go as planned
Xiao Ranyu was in the middle of practicing a difficult movement set, sweat trailing down his back as he leapt between rocky pillars. Just as he was about to land the final strike—
> Whack!
A soft tail flick caught his ankle mid-air, sending him sprawling face-first into a bush.
> "AGAIN?!" he yelled, spitting leaves. "What do you want from me, you damn fox?!"
From atop a boulder, the snow-white fox lounged lazily, tails waving like streamers in the wind, smug expression firmly in place.
It yawned.
Then turned around, lifted its tail, and flicked it at him again.
Ranyu nearly popped a vein.
---
Day 76
He tried meditating under a waterfall. Very spiritual. Very focused.
Until ice-cold fish fell from above and smacked him in the head.
He snapped his eyes open.
There she was—perched on a branch above the waterfall. Tongue out. A fish in paw.
> "I swear, this fox has a fetish for bullying me."
---
Day 83
While picking spirit peaches, one rolled down the slope.
He chased it.
And fell into a shallow pit… lined with soft moss and a flag that had a paw mark drawn.But he swear it looked as "OWNED" to him.
Fox laughter echoed somewhere in the trees.