The conversation ended there.
After giving her warning, the fox no longer paid attention to the lizard.
Her focus shifted immediately to something far more interesting.
Treasure.
Her tail swished once in excitement as she pulled the **storage pouch** forward from around her neck.
"Alright…" she muttered to herself.
"Let's see what we actually got."
A faint ripple of spiritual light flickered as she opened the pouch, pulling items out one by one.
The first to hit the cave floor was the **storage ring** taken from the Golden Core cultivator.
Even after breaking the soul imprint, it still radiated faint spiritual fluctuations.
The fox's turquoise eyes gleamed.
"That alone is already worth a fortune…" she murmured.
Next came the **Ghost Banner**.
The dark cloth shifted slightly as it landed. Inside, the trapped ghost stirred faintly. A low, resentful growl echoed from within.
The fox didn't even glance at it. She simply tapped the banner once with her paw.
The runes flashed. The ghost went silent again.
"Behave," she said casually.
She continued pulling items out:
A small jade bottle.
Three folded talismans.
A thin scroll sealed with spiritual wax.
Several spirit stones.
Her tail flicked faster as the pile on the cave floor slowly grew.
"Oh?" She picked up one of the jade bottles, examining it carefully. Her nose twitched slightly.
"Spirit-grade recovery pills. Mid-grade, too."
Her grin widened. Those alone would be extremely valuable for someone in the **Foundation Establishment realm**.
She placed the bottle aside carefully, then opened the scroll slightly. Her eyes scanned its contents, ears perking up.
"A movement technique…" she whispered in surprise.
The fox chuckled softly.
"That Golden Core cultivator really was wealthy."
She continued rummaging through the pouch, clearly enjoying herself.
Nearby, the small lizard remained silent. His golden eyes followed her for a moment before slowly turning away. He closed his eyes, lowered his body to the cave floor, and allowed his breathing to slow. The battle and hunting had drained much of his energy, and recovery was necessary.
Time passed quietly. Only the soft rustle of items and the fox's occasional murmurs filled the cave.
"Hmm… oh, this one is useful… ah, spirit jade…" Her voice carried quiet excitement as she sorted through the contents.
Then her paw paused.
"Oh, right." She pulled something out slowly and set it on the floor.
A **corpse puppet**.
The body landed with a dull thud.
It was the same corpse the Golden Core cultivator had used to escape earlier. Stiff, pale, and covered in faint puppet-control runes carved into the skin, it still bore faint traces of spiritual threads embedded in its meridians.
The fox leaned closer, examining it carefully. Her turquoise eyes gleamed.
"Well now…" Her tail swayed lazily. "This one isn't bad at all."
She circled the corpse, inspecting it head to toe.
"Late-stage Foundation Establishment. Eighth layer." Her ears perked slightly. "One layer higher than the puppet I lost earlier."
She clicked her tongue lightly. "That Golden Core bastard really did leave me a nice replacement when he ran."
Her paw traced one of the runes along the corpse's arm.
"If I spend some time refining the control formation again… and reconnect the puppet channels…"
Her grin widened.
"I can completely recover it. And since it's stronger than the one I self-destructed earlier…"
Her tail flicked proudly. "It'll actually be an **upgrade**."
Behind her, the small lizard quietly stood up. Without interrupting, he began walking slowly toward the cave mouth. His golden eyes glowed faintly as he surveyed the darkness outside.
The fox noticed. She glanced over her shoulder.
"Oh?" Her ears tilted. "Heading out already?"
The lizard didn't stop. He continued toward the entrance.
"Well, if you're going hunting…" Her tone became slightly more serious. "…remember everything I just said."
The lizard paused near the cave entrance. Moonlight faintly touched the stone outside.
The fox continued:
"If you encounter a **Golden Core**…"
"Run."
"Don't do anything stupid."
Her tail flicked once.
"And don't come running straight back here either."
She looked back at the corpse puppet.
"I'd rather not have my cave turned into a battlefield."
The lizard stood silently for a moment, then his body began to blur. Scales shimmered faintly—then he vanished.
Only his quiet voice remained:
"…Understood."
Moments later, even that presence disappeared.
The fox stared at the cave entrance for a second, then shrugged lightly.
"Good."
She turned back to the corpse puppet, her turquoise eyes gleaming with renewed focus.
"Now then…"
She flexed her claws slightly.
"Let's see if I can get you working again."
The cave fell silent again after the lizard vanished into the night.
Only the faint whisper of wind outside the entrance remained.
The fox watched the empty cave mouth for a moment before letting out a soft breath.
"Already gone…"
Her ears twitched.
Then her attention shifted fully back to the corpse puppet lying on the ground.
Moonlight filtered through the cave's cracks, illuminating the pale body and the faint puppet-control runes carved along its meridians.
The fox walked slowly around it, eyes sharpening.
"Let's see how damaged you are."
She lowered her head, inspecting the puppet closely.
Her spiritual sense spread outward like fine threads, probing the puppet's internal structure.
Meridian channels.
Control seals.
Soul-binding nodes.
After a few moments, she clicked her tongue.
"Tsk. Of course it's damaged."
Her paw tapped lightly against the puppet's chest.
"When that Golden Core switched places with it, the control core was forcefully severed."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Sloppy escape… but useful for me."
Reaching into her storage pouch, she pulled out several thin jade needles and a small ink brush.
A faint grin appeared on her muzzle.
"If I rebuild the control array here…"
She began carving a new rune along the puppet's chest.
"And reconnect the spirit pathways…" Another rune followed.
"…then anchor the command seal inside the dantian."
The runes glowed faintly as spiritual energy flowed into them. Her tail swayed slowly while she worked.
"This should stabilize the puppet again."
The corpse twitched faintly as the new runes took shape.
The fox paused, ears perking slightly, then smiled.
"Good. It's responding."
Pressing her paw against the puppet's forehead, a small surge of spiritual energy flowed into the control node.
The puppet's fingers twitched. Its arm moved slightly.
"There we go. Still perfectly usable."
She leaned back slightly, clearly pleased.
"With a few more hours of work…" Her turquoise eyes gleamed with satisfaction. "…you'll be moving again."
Her tail flicked proudly.
"A late-stage Foundation Establishment puppet… that Golden Core cultivator really left me quite the gift."
Outside the cave, the forest remained dark and silent. Somewhere among the trees, unseen, golden eyes tracked the night as a small invisible predator moved, hunting.
Inside, faint spiritual light flickered as the fox continued refining the corpse puppet.
Runes spread across its body like glowing veins. She worked carefully, occasionally pausing to adjust the flow of spiritual energy before carving another precise line with her claw.
"Control node… stable," she muttered quietly.
Pressing her paw against the chest again, spiritual energy pulsed into the newly carved formation. The puppet's fingers twitched, and its arm lifted slightly before falling back down.
"Good. The spirit pathways are reconnecting."
Her tail swayed lazily behind her.
"But the command core still needs reinforcement."
She pulled a small jade shard from her pouch. The shard glowed faintly with spiritual energy.
"Let's see…"
She placed it carefully over the puppet's dantian.
The shard slowly melted into the formation like liquid light as her energy flowed into it. The runes across the puppet's torso flashed once, then stabilized.
For a moment—nothing happened.
Then suddenly, the puppet's eyes snapped open.
Empty. Lifeless. But moving.
The fox raised a paw immediately.
"Sit."
The puppet stiffened, then slowly obeyed, sitting upright with mechanical precision.
Her ears perked with delight.
"Ha! It works!"
She circled the puppet, examining it carefully.
"The control link is stable… the movement channels are functional."
She tapped its shoulder.
"Stand."
The puppet rose instantly. Stiff. Silent. Completely obedient.
The fox's grin widened.
"A late-stage Foundation Establishment puppet… that Golden Core idiot would probably cough blood if he knew I repaired it this fast."
The puppet remained quietly at her side like a sentinel.
Finally, the fox relaxed, sitting down.
"Alright." She stretched her front legs lazily. "That's enough work for now."
Her turquoise eyes drifted toward the cave entrance.
"Little White should still be hunting…" she muttered. Her tail wrapped around her paws. "Knowing him, he's probably already tearing something apart."
Leaning back against the cave wall, she glanced at the silent puppet standing beside her.
Outside, in the vast forest, something invisible moved among the trees again. Hunting. Waiting. Growing stronger.