Zhang Bin beckoned to the Little Fox, which promptly dashed over and leaped straight into his arms.
Clasping the Little Fox affectionately, Zhang Bin said with a beaming smile, "From now on, you'll be called Xiao Hong. How's that?"
The Little Fox shook its head repeatedly, clearly disliking the name.
"Then how about Xiao Qian?" Zhang Bin pondered for a moment before suggesting.
The Little Fox hesitated, then finally nodded in agreement.
"Xiao Qian, are you really a Fairy? Can you turn into a beautiful woman?" Zhang Bin asked tentatively.
The Little Fox shook its head again and again.
So it's not a Fairy, just a highly intelligent creature that can understand human speech. Zhang Bin felt slightly relieved and then asked with a smile, "What will you do if you see someone trying to steal the ginseng I planted?"
Xiao Qian put on a fierce expression, baring her teeth, then suddenly sprang forward and clawed viciously at a tree.
With a ripping sound, a large piece of bark was torn off the Large Tree.
Zhang Bin gasped. Xiao Qian was incredibly powerful. Even if she hadn't become a Demon yet, she probably wasn't far from it.
He played with Xiao Qian eagerly, even detecting an unusual, womanly fragrance wafting from her.
The world is vast and full of strange things.
Zhang Bin marveled inwardly. Noticing the sky darkening, he began heading home.
When he reached the creek, he stopped in his tracks. A beautiful woman was bathing in the water. Her glossy black hair was piled high on her head, while her snowy white skin was intermittently visible through the water. Her exquisite face was captivating enough to make anyone lose their way.
Isn't that Liu Xin? She's a true Fox Spirit, just too beautiful.
Zhang Bin exclaimed inwardly, finding himself unable to move. He hid behind a tree to quietly appreciate the view.
Liu Xin was twenty-six and a widow. She was radiantly beautiful and seductively ripe like an apple, making her especially alluring to a vigorous young man like Zhang Bin.
However, Zhang Bin harbored no disrespectful thoughts. This was because Liu Xin was a woman he greatly admired and respected.
Liu Xin had married into Sanchahe Village at the age of twenty, only for her husband, Zheng Neng, to die in a car accident just a year later. With her looks, remarrying would have been a breeze. However, she stipulated one condition: anyone who wished to marry her also had to take in her mother-in-law, Auntie Zheng, and care for her for the rest of her life.
Auntie Zheng was sixty years old and in poor health. She was a constant visitor to the hospital, a walking medicine jar. The prospect of marrying a widow while also having to care for her sickly mother-in-law was enough to deter any potential suitors.
GULP.
Faced with such a beautiful sight, Zhang Bin couldn't help but swallow hard, even though he had no disrespectful intentions.
Liu Xin seemed to hear something. Blushing, she looked around, but of course, she couldn't see Zhang Bin, who was well-hidden.
"Who's there?" Liu Xin asked, her voice tinged with nervousness.
Zhang Bin wasn't a fool; of course he wouldn't respond.
Suddenly, Liu Xin let out a terrified scream, "Ouch! A snake!"
Startled, Zhang Bin immediately rushed out. He leaped into the creek, lifted Liu Xin out, and asked anxiously, "Where did the snake bite you?"
"Xiao Bin, it's you? You really are a Big Bad Egg!" Liu Xin said coquettishly, showing no sign of having been bitten by a venomous snake.
Clearly, it had all been a ruse to lure him out.
"This, this... I wasn't spying on you, I just happened to be passing by..." Zhang Bin was immensely embarrassed and at a loss for what to do.
"You're so bad. I should tell Xiao Fang," Liu Xin teased.
"I didn't mean to," Zhang Bin said, flustered. He quickly let go of her and hurried away.
"Wait for me!"
Liu Xin quickly put on her clothes and chased after him, giggling as she said, "Big Bad Egg, don't worry, I won't tell Xiao Fang. But you have to tell me, how many times have you spied on me bathing?"
"Just once, really just once, and it wasn't on purpose," Zhang Bin said awkwardly.
"Oh, so you really did spy on me bathing, huh? Tell me, how are you going to compensate me?" Liu Xin looked at him with a half-smile.
"I promise I'll cure Auntie Zheng's illness in the future," Zhang Bin said sincerely.
Liu Xin was stunned. Her eyes grew misty, and then large tears began to fall.
"Sister Xin, why are you crying?" Zhang Bin asked, puzzled.
"I got sand in my eyes," Liu Xin said, her voice choked.
"That's not it," Zhang Bin said.
"You really are a foolish boy. We're not suitable for each other. I'm six years older than you, and your family is struggling, too. You couldn't provide for my mother-in-law. Besides, your parents would never agree," Liu Xin said with a sigh.
What is she even talking about? It's as if I just confessed my love to her! Zhang Bin's mind was a mess, but he quickly understood. His promise to cure Auntie Zheng's illness was essentially a marriage proposal, given her peculiar condition. But that's not what I meant at all! I just meant that I would learn those alien medical techniques and cure Auntie Zheng's illness in the future.
However, he was too embarrassed to explain, as it would only make Sister Xin feel even more awkward.
His heart immediately began to pound furiously. To be honest, a beauty like Liu Xin was a true natural-born enchantress, desired by any man. At that moment, he was tempted. If he insisted, he could really marry her.
He tightly grasped her fair, jade-like hand, his heart throbbing wildly.
"Xiao Bin, could you do me another favor instead? Please?" Liu Xin asked in a soft voice.
"What is it?" Zhang Bin snapped back to reality.
"Xiao Fang mentioned that you've practiced martial arts? That you killed a wild boar with just two kicks?" Liu Xin inquired.
"Didn't Xiao Fang promise to keep it a secret for me? Why is she telling everyone?" Zhang Bin panicked.
"You can't blame Xiao Fang. It was your mother who let it slip. She said you apprenticed under a master in the deep mountains and can lift a stone mill weighing several hundred pounds," Liu Xin explained. "The villagers didn't believe it, so Xiao Fang confirmed it by telling them how you saved her by kicking that wild boar to death."
Zhang Bin was speechless. His own mother had been boasting. Then again, it's the only thing I've done that she can be proud of.
"Xiao Bin, tell me, is it true?" Liu Xin asked.
"It's true," Zhang Bin nodded.
"Then help me teach Xu Xiaobing a lesson. He's been stealing my chickens. All of them are gone. This afternoon, he took the very last hen. Last year, he even drove my big fat pig out into a valley at night and slaughtered it," Liu Xin said through gritted teeth.
Xu Xiaobing was the village bully, an idler who specialized in petty theft. He also had a gang of ruffian friends who often gathered at his house to drink and gamble. So, ordinary folks didn't dare to cross him, least of all a widow like Liu Xin.
"How dare he! I'll go teach him a lesson right now," Zhang Bin burst out in anger.
Speaking of Xu Xiaobing, Zhang Bin was filled with his own rage, as the man had stolen from his family many times as well. In the past, he had been just an ordinary person, powerless to do anything about it. But now, after cultivating the Qingmu Longevity Technique, he possessed incredible strength, quick reflexes, and greatly enhanced speed.
Even if he wasn't a superhero, he was close enough.
How could he not seek vengeance?