I Got My Cheat Skill by Acting My Way into a Horror Protagonist Role Chapter 74

Xiao Gui’an’s mind was foggy and his reactions sluggish, but he was obedient—sitting quietly cross-legged on the White Fox’s back, his black hair hanging down, listening as the System explained the whole chain of events.

It seemed the foxes had decided that the Chosen One of Fate would bring misfortune, so the White Foxes didn’t even want to touch the baby boy; even approaching felt unlucky. They had the white birds carry him away at once.

That actually prevented the White Foxes from discovering the boy’s extraordinary nature as a Chosen One of Fate.

The White Foxes had cultivated for many years on the Spirit Mountain beside Zhang Family Village. This branch of the fox clan did not indulge in sensual pleasures; instead they spent years in austere practice, aligning themselves with the way of heaven and earth to seek the Dao.

Monsters like the White Foxes normally would not casually become enemies with cultivators. If they met cultivators who were unpretentious and naturally adept, they could even address one another as "fellow Daoist."

Blind Zhang, as this generation’s Village Guardian, had a deeper comprehension of the Dao than previous generations.

Moreover, Zhang Family Village had been abandoned for ten years. Blind Zhang practiced alone without disturbance, living with the mountains, nature, and the forest. Kind in his dealings, he had shown kindness to many spirits and strange creatures on the Spirit Mountain.

The White Foxes had also once received favors from him. Barring matters that threatened their lives or blocked their path of cultivation, they would choose to return the favor and help.

But everything changed after that half-corpse woman with child came into the mountain depths.

This mountain range, which had once nurtured countless lives, was slowly dying; fewer and fewer monsters remained.

It seemed all misfortune began when Blind Zhang took that woman in.

But the White Foxes knew it wasn’t that simple. They understood that everything in fate has its fixed course; the disappearance of their cultivation ground was one of the tribulations they were destined to go through.

And that woman was a signal that the disaster had begun.

Having not seen Blind Zhang and only finding the Ghost Bride protecting the baby, the White Foxes could guess part of what had happened.

Cultivation beasts live long lives; the mundane world is mostly ephemeral to them, not worth pouring too much emotion into.

To be detached from worldly affairs and accept that life and death are fated is the proper mindset for taking the cultivation path.

Yet when they realized Blind Zhang had died, the White Foxes still felt regret and a twinge of guilt.

What if they had not left that day?

But it was useless to dwell on it now.

They were not solitary—if their juniors had no one to care for them, how could they survive?

The White Foxes knew Blind Zhang’s character to some extent. Even if they had arrived then, Blind Zhang would likely have told them to leave in the end. Humans are complicated creatures, possessing feelings and convictions monsters could not comprehend.

When the Ghost Bride appeared in the Crimson Fox Paradise, the White Foxes felt not only fear about the impending calamity, but also a certain relief.

Round and round it goes—everything seemed destined to return to where it began.

Although they were both fox clans, those Crimson Foxes were far from innocent; since they relied on methods that violated heavenly Dao and human ethics to cultivate, one day karma would turn against them.

They had originally believed the Ghost Bride and the baby would be buried forever. Even without facing those Yin soldiers directly, the White Foxes could sense a force the likes of which ordinary monsters could not withstand.

Half of the Paradise had already collapsed; the broken formation could only play a final suppressive role, temporarily preventing the endless legions of tiger-and-wolf soldiers from leaving the boundless cave.

The revival of the Yin soldiers had caused such a commotion that it affected the surrounding mountains. It might draw investigation from powerful successors who had once set formations in the area.

If that happened, the fox prowling around here could easily be blamed as the culprit, and a century of its cultivation would be destroyed in an instant.

Struggling inwardly, the White Foxes placed their juniors in a safe location, but eventually returned.

They found the shattered formation’s eye and roughly pieced it together, waiting at the only possible exit they could find.

When the hour of Chen arrived, they planned to seal that damaged formation stele over the exit and then leave immediately.

Still, the White Fox, after a hundred years of cultivation, was seldom shaken to its soul.

Until it saw the Ghost Bride—rushing toward the sunlight and facing death—holding the baby aloft with both hands, using everything she had. That image stunned the White Fox beyond description.

It thought: this must be one of those things it would never forget.

“Thank you…” Xiao Gui’an croaked a hoarse thanks. Though not fully recovered, he knew they should leave soon.

The Chosen One of Fate was still undergoing the tribulation; they shouldn’t get involved too much, or they might harm other innocent beings.

The White Fox’s rescue this time repaid Blind Zhang’s favor in full.

Karma and reincarnation work in ways that are hard to predict.

The Ghost Bride swayed and floated, ink-black hair hiding her face. With a light point of her toes the white birds dispersed and the well-behaved, quiet baby fell into her arms.

After that brief interval, the flesh on the Ghost Bride’s finger had regrown. She reached out gently and touched the baby.

Only then did the boy—who had seemed like a dead infant—finally show a sign of life. His pale little hand waved weakly, and then the tiny fingers closed tightly around the Ghost Bride’s finger.

The White Foxes didn’t know much about human infants, but even from a few hasty glances they could see the baby had no reaction to the outside world; his breath was extremely faint—clearly signs of a child who would die young.

Unaware of the outside world and without others’ care, how could he ever survive in this world?

And yet such a seemingly useless infant was protected at all costs by Blind Zhang and the Ghost Bride standing before them.

They really did not understand whether this sacrifice was worth it.

Extremely weak cubs cannot survive; instead of letting them face a bloody, cruel world alone later, it might be better to end them in the cradle the moment they show no potential.

This is the world of monsters.

But humans are different, after all—

“If there’s a chance in the future, we’ll repay the favor…” the Ghost Bride said softly to the White Fox, nodding as she held the baby, then her figure finally vanished into the dense forest on the other side.

“Why repay? It’s just tit for tat—” the White Fox murmured, its white form shrinking until it silently slipped into the grass.

—————————————

The Ghost Bride could not travel well during daylight in the outside world, so she found a safe cave and briefly placed the Chosen One of Fate inside.

Fully awake now, Xiao Gui’an and the Little Light Sphere cried with joy in the consciousness-space, overwhelmed with gratitude for having survived the calamity.

[System, we really survived!!! That almost killed me!! Those Yin soldiers killed without hesitation—I finally know what it’s like to die and come back to life—]

[Host! I knew you could do it! We’re the best team—the day you become the bureau’s ace is just around the corner!!]

[Don’t flatter me, System. If you hadn’t stuck with me and given me spiritual encouragement, I couldn’t have done it!]

[You needn’t belittle yourself! Talent like you is once in a century; your heroic deeds will be forever stored in my data!…]

Host and System exchanged mutual praise, and for a moment the shadow of death seemed to vanish.

It wasn’t until the baby in their arms made a soft "ee-ah" sound that their attention snapped back.

[Ah? Crying again? Is something hurt?]

[Hungry, must be hungry!] the System declared solemnly. It believed it had gotten quite skilled at looking after children.

[Okay, head east, then find something for our Little Heavenly Master—]

Xiao Gui’an lifted his eyes to the cave mouth; outside, the sunlight was just right, and a gentle breeze blew.

Yes—another day was beginning.

They had survived.