Chapter 288: Fox Kingdom

“Thank you very much for your cooperation, little one. Though I, An, have no interest in weapon rooms or such, learning of a place worth exploring still pleases me.”

“Tonight, bring out a bowl—a big one—and I’ll fill it for you.”

Learning that the upper floors of both the teaching building and the laboratory building contained hidden facilities, An Sheng’s eyes lit up. He raised his paw and gripped the panda cub’s paw, shaking it firmly.

Whether there was a weapon room or not, An Sheng didn’t truly care much.

Yet he faintly sensed that the New Agricultural Science Academy seemed to radiate the fragrance of “devotion energy.”

It seems.

Wang Qiqi, when acting as a tour guide, had concealed certain things about the laboratory and teaching buildings.

Otherwise, which ordinary laboratory could apply for immediate access to thermal weapons?

“I’ll need to set aside time to visit the New Agricultural Science Academy’s labs and see if any disobedient little ones need to be pulled out and counseled toward kindness.”

In the days before Yu Xueqing arrived in Chang’an, An Sheng had also worked hard, tugging at Wang Qiqi’s sleeve to ask if there were any vicious, utterly unruly beasts nearby—preferably cruel ones.

But the answer he received was none.

Within a two-hundred-li radius, outside the Qinling Mountains, no violent spirit beasts existed in any urban area.

There may have been troublemakers before, but thanks to the lumberjacks’ efforts, all of Chang’an now enjoyed perfect peace.

Here, the Shrew Biological Intelligence System instantly alerts the lumberjacks the moment any spirit beast enters the city—first, they get beaten by the lumberjacks.

An Sheng felt utterly helpless, but the reality truly was as Wang Qiqi described.

Chang’an’s pest and disease control was excellent—so excellent it felt surreal to An Sheng.

Beyond the vast forested region of Qinling, all other areas maintained flawless spirit beast defenses.

Yet An Sheng always felt Wang Qiqi was pulling his leg.

………

“Ying ying~”

Having experienced the thrill of winning, Tang You was like a clockwork toy, buzzing with excitement, dancing an odd dance around Master Fuli as if praying—or wrestling.

But.

After Tang You decided to press her luck and chase the win, five minutes passed—and she instantly fell silent.

She solemnly shut down her computer, as if those five minutes of chasing luck had never happened.

“Did you shut it off?”

Mo Yiqing, who had just put things away in the wardrobe, stared at Tang You with a strange expression.

“I just remembered your hometown’s famous dish,” Tang You said, avoiding Mo Yiqing’s question, her tone full of reflection. “Slicing a live fish into sashimi is sashimi. Isn’t life, governed by the law of luck conservation, the same?”

“Shut it off? Don’t get so poetic. I thought you were about to go flirt with some guy.” Mo Yiqing rolled her eyes. “Get ready—we’re going to eat!”

“The Qinling campus is insane—it’s built right inside a panda reserve. Within five kilometers, there’s not a single human settlement besides our school. Ordering takeout anytime soon? Probably impossible.”

“You can order takeout,” Tang You said. “But you’ll need to pay an extra fifteen yuan for delivery.” She’d already arrived on campus that morning and knew the local prices.

“I’ll give him a hair!” Mo Yiqing refused outright upon hearing the delivery fee.

“Xiao An, come quick—look, there are so many of your little friends here!”

Yu Xueqing, who had just finished organizing the wardrobe, was resting on a chair, scrolling through local food videos.

They returned to campus early not only to avoid the peak enrollment rush, but more importantly because the New Agricultural Science Academy rotates its classes among different cities each term—they needed to get back ahead of time.

Returning early also let them avoid tourist season and enjoy the local area properly.

While scrolling, Yu Xueqing—possibly due to algorithmic recommendations—came across a video about foxes. She immediately waved, signaling the little fox to come over and watch.

An Sheng, meanwhile, was sprawled in Ling Ren’s lap, watching videos on her phone.

Every video on Ling Ren’s Yinfu app featured beautiful older sisters.

Fortunately, Master Fuli also loved these.

“What’s so interesting?”

Hearing Yu Xueqing call him, An Sheng leapt from Ling Ren’s lap to the floor, startling the panda cub, who was napping in the air conditioning.

An Sheng snuggled into Yu Xueqing’s arms, naturally curling around her legs, wrapping his big tail around himself, and settled down to watch the video on her lap.

“In Chang’an, beyond the famed Terracotta Warriors and the Never-Night City, lies deep historical roots. Our nation’s affection for foxes dates back to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, with famous ancient artifacts like the Twin Fox Jade Plate unearthed.”

“Today, I proudly introduce the Fox Kingdom, operating for nearly thirty years—where you can see every adorable fox.”

“If you like any of these little friends, please click the little yellow cart in the bottom right corner.”

The video host held a Tibetan fox against the camera, selling tickets to the Fox Kingdom.

Besides the Tibetan fox, another fox with bat-like ears and a face resembling a bat appeared on screen. Its entire body was black, save for a brown ring around its chest. It peered curiously at the camera, licking its tongue against the lens.

“???”

An Sheng stared at the livestream, then turned to Yu Xueqing and said:

“Yu Xueqing, should we sue them? That tongue-licking-the-camera cuteness move? That’s An’s own invention!”

An Sheng’s ying ying, translated by Yu Xueqing:

“Wah wah wah! Master, Master! That fox in the video is copying Fuli! Let’s roast it and eat it!”

“What did the little fox say?” Mo Yiqing, who had been chatting with Tang You about food, heard the sharp ying ying and instinctively turned to Yu Xueqing.

The little fox talked a lot—and after Yu Xueqing translated, Xiao An’s words were especially sassy. Mo Yiqing loved sassy.

Every time the little fox spoke, she was curious.

“Huh? Xiao An didn’t say anything—he just said he wants to challenge the bat-eared fox in the video to a duel.”

Yu Xueqing looked around at everyone. “The mattresses and other things we mailed here last semester seem locked up at the campus post office—we can’t get them yet.”

“Look at this,” Yu Xueqing said, holding up her phone, eyes sparkling. “Four hundred yuan for a two-day, one-night tour of the Fox Kingdom—includes breakfast and buffet.”

“Why don’t we go? Afterward, we can go to the Never-Night City and wear hanfu.”

“Hanfu?”

Ling Ren’s eyes lit up. She immediately raised her hand. “Ling Ling fully supports Yu Xueqing’s idea! Hanfu is perfect!”

Tang You frowned, uninterested in leaving the dorm’s air-conditioned room.

Seeing Tang You reluctant, Mo Yiqing grinned wickedly and leaned close to whisper:

“Yu Xueqing’s little fox has crazy luck~ Don’t you want to relive that rush of winning? That glow on the screen? That joy of screenshotting and showing off in the group chat?”

“Little An remembers grudges. If you want him to help you draw cards—”

Tang You froze, lips pressed tight, then declared firmly:

“Go! Now! Right now! Call a taxi!”

Mo Yiqing shrugged. She had plenty of experience convincing Tang You to join dorm activities.

In the past, she used metaphysical methods.

Telling her the feng shui of the destination, the exact time and direction for lucky draws.

Tang You always protested—but went anyway.

Now, things were different. Mo Yiqing no longer needed to consult almanacs or the I Ching. Raising Xiao An high was enough to subdue Tang You, forcing her to blush, squirm, and reluctantly admit she loved fox luck.

(End of Chapter)