The forest clearing rested beneath the pale glow of the full moon.
Silver light filtered through the trees, illuminating the fox and the small lizard standing nearby.
The **Ghost Banner** hung from the fox's shoulder, its dark cloth occasionally twitching as the trapped spirit struggled inside.
The fox stretched her front legs slowly, looking very pleased with herself.
"Not bad at all," she muttered.
Her turquoise eyes glanced sideways toward the small lizard.
"Honestly, Little White, if every Golden Core cultivator we meet leaves this much behind when they run…"
Her tail flicked lazily.
"…we'll be rich in no time."
Inside the banner, the ghost's voice echoed again, filled with venom.
"You think this ends here, beast?!"
"I will break this seal eventually!"
The fox sighed dramatically.
"You really like talking."
She lifted a paw and casually tapped the banner.
The runes flashed again.
The ghost groaned in pain as the suppression formation tightened around it.
"That's strike three," she said lightly.
"Keep it up and I'll start feeding you to stronger spirits when we find them."
The ghost fell silent for the moment.
The fox nodded with satisfaction.
"Good."
Behind her, the lizard remained still.
His golden eyes glowed faintly as he observed the surroundings.
The night forest was quiet.
But his senses stretched far beyond the clearing.
The wind brushed against his scales as his hearing traced distant movements through the trees.
After a moment, he spoke calmly.
"We shouldn't stay here."
The fox tilted her head.
"Oh?"
The lizard's tail moved slightly.
"The Golden Core cultivator escaped," he said quietly but with certainty.
"If he stabilizes, removes the poison, and regains his strength…"
"…he might return."
The fox's ears twitched.
She considered that for a moment.
Then she shrugged.
"That's possible."
Her tail swayed behind her.
"But honestly?"
Her eyes glinted with confidence.
"I doubt he'll come back anytime soon."
She glanced at the banner, then at the storage pouch around her neck.
"He's poisoned."
"Injured."
"And he just lost a spirit-grade artifact and most of his resources."
Her grin widened.
"If he's smart, he'll spend the next few months hiding somewhere and trying not to die."
The fox then turned fully toward the lizard.
"But you're right about one thing."
Her voice shifted slightly.
"We shouldn't stay in one place too long."
She lifted the storage pouch slightly.
"There are still a lot of things in this ring I haven't sorted through yet."
"And the corpse puppet still needs refining."
The lizard didn't reply.
Instead—
He bent down and picked up the fallen spirit herb with his maw.
Its thin leaves glimmered faintly under the moonlight, spiritual energy still slowly leaking from the plant.
With a single beat of his wings, the small lizard lifted off the ground.
The fox watched him approach.
A moment later—
He reached her.
The lizard released the herb.
It dropped gently onto the grass in front of her.
Then he landed softly between her ears, his claws gripping lightly into the thick brown fur on her head.
The fox blinked once.
Her turquoise eyes lowered toward the herb.
For a second—
She simply stared.
Then her ears shot upright.
"…Wait."
She leaned forward quickly, her nose almost touching the plant.
Her eyes widened.
"That's—"
She inhaled the scent of the herb again to confirm.
The fox's tail immediately shot straight up.
"Moonshade Spirit Grass!"
Her voice rose with surprise.
She looked cross-eyed upward toward the small lizard sitting on her head.
"Where did you even find this?!"
The herb glowed faintly beneath the moonlight, its leaves absorbing the pale lunar essence drifting through the night air.
The fox's excitement grew instantly.
"This isn't a common spirit herb."
She circled it once, examining the faint silver veins running along its leaves.
"This thing grows by absorbing **pure moon essence**."
Her eyes gleamed.
"When refined properly, it can nourish spiritual sense and stabilize soul energy."
Her gaze flicked upward again toward the lizard perched on her head.
"Which means…"
Her grin slowly spread.
"…it's perfect for someone who keeps using dangerous soul attacks and nearly going blind from backlash."
Her tail swished once.
"Little White…"
She chuckled softly.
"…did you pick this for yourself, or did you just get lucky again?"
The fox continued staring at the **Moonshade Spirit Grass** for a moment longer, her turquoise eyes reflecting the faint silver glow coming from the herb.
Then slowly…
Her expression changed.
The excitement faded.
Her ears lowered slightly.
"…You know what?" she muttered.
Her tail stopped moving.
"This is starting to feel wrong."
She lifted a paw and gently nudged the herb, watching the moonlight ripple across its leaves.
"First the Golden Core cultivator runs away and leaves behind a spirit-grade tool."
"Then we get his storage ring."
"Then a corpse puppet."
"And now a ghost servant."
Her gaze drifted upward toward the moon.
"And right after that…"
She gestured toward the herb.
"…you just *happen* to find a Moonshade Spirit Grass."
Her ears flattened slightly.
"That's way too many coincidences."
She slowly turned her head upward toward the small lizard sitting between her ears.
Her eyes narrowed.
"I'm serious."
Her voice lowered.
"This feels like we're burning through an entire month's worth of luck in a single day."
Her tail flicked uneasily.
"And that usually means something bad is waiting around the corner."
For a moment she stared at the lizard quietly.
Then suddenly—
Her eyes brightened again.
She quickly leaned her head down toward him.
"Actually…"
Her voice turned very casual.
"Since you brought it back…"
"And you haven't eaten it yet…"
Her grin slowly spread across her muzzle.
"…you don't want it, right?"
She tilted her head slightly so she could look up at him better.
The fox pointed at the herb with her paw.
"You're giving it to me."
It wasn't really a question.
Her turquoise eyes gleamed shamelessly.
"I mean, it would be a shame to waste something that helps **spiritual sense and soul stability**."
Her tail swayed behind her again.
"And you're already strong enough."
She smiled brightly.
"So I'll just take it."
Then she added quickly—
"…unless you want it."
But the way she was already slowly pulling the herb closer with her paw made it very obvious what answer she was hoping for.