Chapter 317: Irresistible Reward

Although this fox‑person looks somewhat human, that is only because it can stand and walk, and it is wearing clothes.

In essence, it is still just a fox, with no real connection to humans.

Moreover, it differs from the other races Lin Yifan previously encountered; those earlier races clearly possessed high intelligence and their own civilization.

Therefore they are xenophobic, and it is easy for Lin Yifan to assume that they, like Humans, are intelligent beings.

But the fox before him is different—it lacks a humanoid body and does not display signs of high intelligence.

Thus, from start to finish, Lin Yifan treats this fox as a beast, at most a clever beast, never as an intelligent life form equal to himself.

Now that it can speak, it truly upends all of Lin Yifan's conjectures.

The little fox then nods in a human‑like way, shakes its head, and slowly says:

"U—just a little… learned from Mao Mao," it said, pointing at the Golden Eagle, awkwardly piecing together words while scratching its ear and chin.

"Mao Mao said, you, you are a good person, you won't hurt me, let me… let me stay here temporarily."

Lin Yifan turned his head to glance at Mao Mao, and saw it pat its own chest, looking for praise.

Lin Yifan could only laugh and cry; he truly hadn't expected that Mao Mao not only took in this unexpected guest, but also gave him a "good‑person card."

However, since the other party had no malice and wasn't a blood‑thirsty type, he also restrained his hostility.

Yet his vigilance did not slacken; in this Survival Realm, no matter how fragile a life appears, it can still snatch your death away unintentionally.

Only by staying alert at all times can one truly survive.

It was only now that Lin Yifan noticed a fierce wound on the fox's hind leg.

Although the blood had already scabbed over, it was still evident that the wound was deep.

From the way it had just walked, one could confirm that the bone in its hind leg was likely also injured.

Besides that, its body bore numerous wounds of various sizes; most seemed not too serious, though the fur might have obscured their true condition.

However, a few spots had lost their fur entirely, exposing blood‑soaked wounds that made it clear at a glance that this fox‑person was seriously injured.

He then pointed at the wound and asked, "Your injuries are severe; who hurt you?"

The fox‑person lowered its head, glanced at its bleeding wound, ears drooping, and said dejectedly:

"I went out hunting, and… ran into a monster, was… chased by the monster…"

"I later found this place, so… I hid here, and then I discovered that light… can drive away the monsters in the darkness and even help my wounds heal…"

"I… I will stay here temporarily… but I will give a reward!"

The little fox wore a small pouch; it hurriedly reached in, pulled out a handful of items, handed them to Lin Yifan, and said with hopeful eyes:

"This… this thing has energy; after I ate it, I… realized I became smarter and learned to speak."

"These are for you, as… as payment for my staying here."

Lin Yifan saw the items the little fox held, and his pupils instantly contracted.

Because what he was holding was a spiritual crystal raw stone!

Lin Yifan had previously obtained a spiritual crystal raw stone from a Treasure Chest, which is a random spiritual crystal.

But by chipping away the outer stone skin, one can extract the spiritual crystal inside.

The importance of spiritual crystals needs no elaboration; for one thing, they serve as universal currency in the Intermediate Domain, so the more you have, the better.

Not to mention, during the upcoming Eternal Night he already needs various supplies; this batch of spiritual crystal raw stones amounts to over a dozen, enough to provide light for a long time.

If it were something else, Lin Yifan might postpone, but with spiritual crystal raw stones he cannot bear to delay.

He openly reached out, took them, and smiled:

"I am pleased with your revenge; as a reward, you may stay here for a while until your injuries heal, and I can also provide you with food."

"Y‑you also like these stones?" the little fox tilted its head and asked curiously.

Lin Yifan did not hide anything and nodded calmly, saying:

"Indeed, this is called a crystal stone raw stone; inside are spiritual crystals of various attributes, and to me this thing is very precious."

The little fox opened its mouth as if to speak, but then held back, saying awkwardly:

"Then, thank you very much; rest assured, I will definitely not cause you trouble. Once my injuries improve, I will leave."

Since the reward has been received, Lin Yifan naturally doesn't mind how long he stays.

Moreover, with Mao Mao watching nearby, there is no need to worry about safety.

At that moment, a shout came from outside the door, belonging to Su Xiao xi:

"Brother Yifan? Brother Yifan? Can you hear me? If you hear, respond quickly! I'm about to worry myself to death!"

"Oops, I actually forgot about her!"

Lin Yifan slapped his forehead, hurriedly turned back to the living room, and said to Su Xiao xi, who stood at the door with a dagger in hand and a wary expression:

"There's no danger here; you can come in! I happen to have a new friend to introduce you to."

Su Xiao xi breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, she sheathed the dagger and, while entering, asked curiously:

"Your so‑called new friend isn't the one who broke into your Shelter, is it?"

"Human? Can't be called a human," Lin Yifan smiled, leading her into the room.

At this moment the little fox was still standing in place, but perhaps due to lack of Physical Stamina it stopped standing like a human and lay on the ground.

That means, at this moment the little fox was simply a fox.

No, it's a fox wearing clothes.

Su Xiao xi saw the fox, her eyes instantly lit up, and she exclaimed with delight:

"Brother Yifan, you wouldn't tell me that the one who broke into your Shelter is this little thing, would you?"

Lin Yifan nodded, smiling: "You guessed right; it really is that little thing. It came here to make contact, and for the next few days it will probably stay here. Let you meet it."

"Wow! So cute, this fox is so cute!" Su Xiao xi cheered, almost jumping, but then paused, bewildered, and asked:

"Stay here temporarily? What does that mean? Is it what I think it means?"

"Exactly, that's the literal meaning!" The little fox lifted its head and proactively explained that it was injured and needed to convalesce here.

Only then did it wave its claw at Su Xiao xi and say:

"Hello, sister, can we be friends from now on?"