Chapter Eighteen: The Moon-Hearted Fox

"Hello, you... you all!"

Seeing Mu Rongxun rushing over, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows and greeted them in a gentle voice.

Mu Rongxun halted his stride, his eyes clouded with suspicion as he regarded the newcomer.

"Senior Brother?"

The sight of this person filled Zhang Jiao’s face with delight. "What are you doing here?" she asked, unable to restrain herself from running to him—after all, he was the one she admired.

Xu Ying quickly grabbed hold of her and shook her head. Zhang Jiao turned back, confusion written all over her face.

"It's you, junior," the young man said. He was handsome, wearing glasses, exuding the aura of a scholar. "I was just heading back to the dormitory. Why are you all here?"

Mu Rongxun watched him closely, instinctively sensing something was amiss. After all, what sort of place was this? Yet even his scans revealed nothing out of the ordinary; the young man appeared to be just an average university student.

"We..." Zhang Jiao began to explain, but faltered. What could she say—that they’d encountered a supernatural incident and inexplicably ended up here?

"I'm heading back. Would you like to come along?" The young man smiled invitingly.

"Yes!" The invitation from her beloved brought a radiant smile to Zhang Jiao’s face, and she agreed without hesitation. She broke free of Xu Ying’s grasp and walked toward him with unwavering determination.

"Hey—" Xu Ying tried to stop her, but Zhang Jiao moved too quickly. Though she didn’t wish to dash her friend’s hopes, she knew there was something wrong with the place. How could Xu Dong possibly be here, and at such a coincidental moment?

Noticing Zhang Jiao’s odd behavior, her unfocused eyes, Mu Rongxun’s expression turned cold. He raised his short sword and charged at Xu Dong without a second thought.

"What are you doing?" Xu Dong’s face changed dramatically as Mu Rongxun swung his sword. He scrambled to the side in panic.

"What are you doing?" Zhang Jiao shrieked, her adoration for Xu Dong overcoming her fear of Mu Rongxun as she rushed forward to restrain him.

With a grunt, Mu Rongxun broke free of her grip and shoved her aside, continuing his attack on Xu Dong.

Zhang Jiao stumbled, nearly falling if not for Xu Ying rushing to support her. "Get a hold of yourself!" Xu Ying shouted, seeing Zhang Jiao still struggling to interfere. "Think! Where do you think this is? How could Xu Dong possibly appear here?"

Zhang Jiao stood frozen, silent for a long moment.

"Moonlit Fox?" Mu Rongxun called out while pursuing his quarry.

"Eh?" The young man, who had been running, suddenly answered in a different voice. "How did you find me out?" He turned around, studying the youth behind him. "Did my disguise fail?"

"You imitated him too well." Mu Rongxun lunged with his sword as he spoke.

"Eh?" Xu Dong tilted his head, puzzled that appearing too convincing was somehow wrong.

Mu Rongxun's blade thrust through Xu Dong’s form as if slicing mist; the next instant, the figure vanished.

"You're too slow!" A playful voice sounded behind him.

Mu Rongxun spun, slashing horizontally, but as before, met only empty air.

"Heehee!" A mocking giggle rang out nearby. "Since you know I’m the Moonlit Fox, do you not realize my greatest talent is speed?"

Looking at the small fox perched on a nearby railing, Mu Rongxun frowned, aware that he truly had no means to deal with this creature. The Moonlit Fox was far too fast—even as he approached, it would already be gone.

He had read about this eerie being in the Special Bureau’s archives. It was classified as an LV2 anomaly, possessing two abilities: innate speed and the power to read minds. It could perceive a person’s inner thoughts and transform into the image they most desired to see.

It was clear Zhang Jiao’s deep affection for Xu Dong had given the Moonlit Fox its opportunity.

Still, apart from its love of mischief, this anomaly posed little threat. Encountering it usually meant nothing more than being teased.

"Ah, fierce young man, a friendly reminder: the ticket office is on the other side of the university. If you want to reach the next stop, you’ll have to cross the entire campus!" the little fox announced crisply.

"But beware—this is one of the most dangerous spots in the Ghost Domain. There’s a big one lurking inside. Good luck!" The creature’s mocking laughter lingered as Mu Rongxun calmly sheathed his short sword and retrieved a large bow from his personal storage.

At the sight of the bow, the Moonlit Fox let out a shriek and vanished in a flash. Its earlier arrogance stemmed from Mu Rongxun’s inability to catch it, but this bow radiated a deadly threat. Knowing its own limitations, the fox made a hasty retreat.

Once it had fled, Mu Rongxun exhaled in relief. In truth, he couldn’t use the bow at all—it was a trophy left by Li Jing, requiring neither arrows nor string, but without energy to power it, it was only intimidating in appearance. Nevertheless, it was enough to scare the fox off.

After stowing the bow, Mu Rongxun made ready to move on.

"What was that?" Xu Ying and Zhang Jiao stared in disbelief, their worldviews shattered by the sight of a man turning into a fox.

Mu Rongxun merely cast them a sidelong glance and strode toward the campus gates without a word.

"Wait, didn’t you hear what it said? It’s dangerous here!" Xu Ying spread her arms to block his path.

"And?" Mu Rongxun stopped and asked a single question, leaving her speechless. Given the current situation, they truly had no other choice.

Examining the entrance, surrounded by an electronic gate, Mu Rongxun hesitated. The Moonlit Fox was timid by nature; its warnings couldn’t always be trusted. Even a slight disturbance could frighten it. The "dangerous creature" it spoke of might be formidable—or perhaps not at all. In its eyes, anything that could harm it was a threat, including Mu Rongxun himself.

This uncertainty made Mu Rongxun cautious; it was difficult to judge the danger within.

"If we cut through here, what will we encounter?"

"Hmm?" Xu Ying and Zhang Jiao, just catching up, paused at the sudden question.

"Oh, well... There’s Cafeteria Three, the student dormitories, several teaching buildings—I can’t say much more. We’re not very familiar with this side of campus."

Mu Rongxun nodded, neither confirming nor denying their answer.