Who Could Blame Me for Being Kind-hearted?

Night had fallen. The mountain forest was silent, stars scattered across the sky.

Lu Bei got up and stretched his stiff body. Seeing that Bai Jin had yet to return, he dug a firestarter from the bundle at his side, gathered some dry grass and firewood in the front yard, and lit a small bonfire for light and warmth.

After eating steamed buns with cooked food, Lu Bei remembered the lonely little box next door. He hurriedly placed three steamed buns on the offering table, lest Mo Buxiu manifest in the middle of the night to lecture him about respecting his elders.

Once full, Lu Bei added more firewood, swallowed two Qi Ling Pills, and closed his eyes to meditate once more.

A moment later, rustling sounds came from the offering table. Lu Bei frowned slightly as a bead of cold sweat slid down his forehead.

Though he had not opened his eyes, he could imagine it. If he was not mistaken, people were everywhere around him.

"Deep in the night, the worst thing is scaring yourself. Don't think too much. With Senior Sister's formation here, there's No Big Problem." Lu Bei took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes, using the firelight to see what was happening on the offering table.

The steamed buns were gone.

"No Big Problem. The little box is still here."

Lu Bei spoke expressionlessly, raising a hand to take two steamed buns to steady his nerves. The more he tried not to think about it, the more he did, so he was certain someone was standing behind him.

Well, hopefully it was a person.

Just then, two green lights lit up in the corner, dim and ghostly, flickering in and out. An inexplicable chill prickled the nape of Lu Bei's neck numb.

Crackle!

The sharp sound of bursting firewood made Lu Bei shudder. Trembling, he reached into the cloth sack and felt around for a steamed bun.

To steady his nerves!

Out of respect for ghosts, his shaking hand failed to hold the steamed bun securely. It struck Lu Bei's knee, rolled out of the formation's coverage, spun in place once, and stopped beneath the offering table.

The clear, cold glow suddenly dimmed. Then, a red figure darted out from beside it, rushed to the steamed bun, and used both paws and mouth to shove it back into the shadows in the corner.

Lu Bei: "..."

He saw it very clearly. It was a little fox.

At that moment, chattering noises arose from the corner. The two green lights flared brightly, trying to bring the chaotic situation under control.

It was useless. Whatever was happening in the corner, Lu Bei was no longer flustered. Wiping the cold sweat from his head, he felt ashamed of his earlier cowardice while tossing a slice of cooked beef beyond the formation.

The corner immediately fell silent.

Cooked food was far more tempting than steamed buns. The green lights lost their luster as if in despair and dimmed completely. At the same time, four little foxes darted from the shadows, snatched up the meat slice, and rolled farther and farther away.

Lu Bei tossed out another slice of cooked beef. He did not look at the four little foxes fighting among themselves, instead fixing his eyes on the shadows in the corner. One leader dragging along four deadweights—there was still one fox that had not shown itself.

Those cold, ghostly eyes from before indicated that this fox had not only gained Spiritual Intelligence, but also knew spells to scare people.

Wild beasts could not be fed cooked food. Once they ate it, they would become addicted. After the four little foxes took several bites of cooked beef and tasted the salt, they could not stop, and their struggle grew increasingly fierce.

The green-eyed fox in the corner's shadows could no longer sit still. It stormed out and came before its four useless Pig Teammates.

Like the four little foxes, its fur was red, but it was a size larger. Spiritual light flickered faintly in its eyes. It truly was a Minor Demon fox that had gained Spiritual Intelligence.

Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!

Its paws came down four times in succession. The little foxes sprawled on the ground, whining miserably. After glaring angrily at them, the Minor Demon fox turned to Look Towards Lu Bei within the formation.

There was three parts savagery, three parts fear, and four parts longing in its gaze. Its fear was for the formation, and its longing was for the food.

As for the savagery...

Pretending to be fierce was useless now.

"Heh heh."

Lu Bei grinned. Under the Minor Demon fox's slightly delighted gaze, he picked up several pieces of cooked beef with his chopsticks...

And stuffed them into his own mouth.

The Minor Demon fox: "..."

The four little foxes: "..."

"Sigh, the taste feels ordinary. Is it because I'm too full?" Lu Bei shook his head with a sigh. Seeing the Minor Demon fox opposite him widen its glowing green eyes, he took out a steamed bun and threw it... then tore off half and threw that over.

"Eat up. Who could blame me for being kind-hearted!"

The Minor Demon fox trembled all over, its red fur standing on end. Tragically, its teammates were truly not up to the task. Though the four little foxes found the plain white steamed bun tasteless, they still rolled into a ball fighting over it.

Seeing this, the Minor Demon fox immediately lost all its aura. Dejected, it came before the formation and copied a human bow, placing its front paws together on the ground and pressing its head tightly against them.

So powerful!

Lu Bei's eyes lit up. Seeing that it was fairly obedient and sensible, he put away his own mischievous amusement and tossed some cooked food and steamed buns beyond the formation.

The four little foxes swarmed forward. The Minor Demon fox stood watchfully to one side, waiting until they had finished eating before swallowing the scraps.

After foraging for food, the four little foxes followed the Cave Entrance they had come through and vanished into the shadows in the corner. The Minor Demon fox, however, did not leave. It bowed again and began chattering.

"We're strangers. One meal should be enough. You still want me to keep you full?"

"Chirp chirp."

"Huh, you can understand what I'm saying?!"

Lu Bei Raised an eyebrow in great surprise. Following the Minor Demon fox's gaze, he lowered his head, his line of sight settling on the Porcelain Bottle by his feet.

Qi Ling Pills.

Lu Bei picked up the Porcelain Bottle and shook it. The Qi Ling Pills were the size of soybeans. There had been twelve in the bottle; he had taken ten earlier, leaving only two.

"It's not that I won't give them to you. There just aren't many left."

Lu Bei poured out the last two Qi Ling Pills and Raised an eyebrow. "If I haven't Guess Wrong, you're asking for the pills for those four little foxes. They really do not seem very bright, but there are only two pills here. Rather than fear scarcity, fear inequality. If I really gave them to you, wouldn't I be harming you?"

The Minor Demon fox howled twice, bowing with its head lowered without rising.

"How about this? Come back at this time tomorrow. My Senior Sister definitely has some in stock, and I'll have her divide them evenly... Hey, don't leave! We can still discuss this! I have no ulterior motives. I won't hurt you!"

The moment Lu Bei mentioned Bai Jin, the Minor Demon fox became alert at once. It cautiously backed away into the shadows at the corner. No matter what Lu Bei said, it vanished without a trace.

"Junior Disciple Brother Lu, what are you doing?"

White-clad like the wind, Bai Jin descended. Having returned from Dasheng Pass, she seemed weightless as she floated behind Lu Bei. After removing the formation, she Took a look towards the corner.

"There's a den of foxes in the mountain gate. One of them has gained Spiritual Intelligence and asked me for Qi Ling Pills. I found it amusing, so I teased it for a while," Lu Bei explained awkwardly.

"Cultivation cannot be neglected. Do not let such boring matters distract you." Bai Jin offered a reminder. She did not take the Minor Demon fox that had gained Spiritual Intelligence to heart and Inquire about his progress in honing his foundation.

Lu Bei told her truthfully, "Senior Sister Bai, didn't you say you would return Before nightfall? Did this trip not go smoothly?"

"I caught up with an old friend and delayed things somewhat."

Bai Jin said, "The trip went very smoothly. With her help, the Approval Document and registration records have all been properly handled."

As she spoke, Bai Jin handed him the Feather Transformation Sect's Sect Master's Seal and land deed, as well as the Approval Document bearing Lu Bei's name.

Lu Bei accepted them and swept his eyes over them once, opening his Personal Panel at the same time. His wealth and faction had both been updated.

On the wealth panel, aside from currencies such as gold and silver, there were also categories for magical treasures and pills. The land deed was among them. As for his faction, the Feather Transformation Sect belonged to the Nine Bamboo Mountain branch and was designated by default as part of the Wu Zhou faction. Its merit points and influence were both zero.

At last, it was officially recognized. Black characters on white paper, records available for verification—Lu Bei was now the true Sect Master of the Feather Transformation Sect.