Three days had passed, and the weasel, after declaring war, remained silent.
Meanwhile, I noticed that this Nerd had become increasingly adept at making me work.
After cooking, he would call for me to wash clothes, and reluctantly, I would carry the washbasin to the riverbank. After washing the clothes, he would summon me to gather herbs, and I would head into the mountains with a bamboo basket on my back. After collecting herbs, he would instruct me to sell them...
He even dropped the honorific "Miss" and called me by my name directly. I truly felt like a servant to him.
Yet, every time I clearly did something poorly, he would still praise me, which made me unable to suppress a smile and reveal a happy expression on my face.
His voice was warm and gentle, his smile subtle and refined, making it all the more pleasant for me to listen to him.
Because of this, day after day, I found myself saying to the part of me that couldn't take action: Let him live another day.
I was quite conflicted; at this rate, how long would I have to wait before I could eat the scholar?
But what troubled me even more was that I was slowly getting used to being human, accustomed to living with the scholar. I was almost forgetting that I was a fox!
This was a terrifying thing!
So, while I still hadn’t been completely assimilated into a human being, I made up my mind that tonight, no matter what, I had to eat the scholar!
As night fell, I waited for the Nerd to fall asleep before preparing to strike when suddenly a series of mournful fox cries echoed from outside.
I heard it calling me.
There was no choice; I had to put aside my concerns about the Nerd and hurriedly made my way toward the sound, my footsteps quickening.
In the nearby woods, I saw the two sisters who had summoned me. Remembering our wager, I frowned slightly and asked, "What do you need from me, sisters?"
They looked at me with raised eyebrows, a hint of mockery in their eyes. "What? Isn't it you, Liuli, who called us here to report your progress?"
"I called you here? When did that happen?" I couldn't recall any such thing.
"Weren't you the one who sent a Weasel Spirit to deliver a message?"
A Weasel Spirit?!
I froze for a moment, my heart suddenly racing, and my expression shifted slightly.
"This is bad!" I couldn't afford to deal with them any longer. I turned and rushed toward the Nerd's home at lightning speed.
That damned weasel was trying to lure me away!
The Nerd was in danger... Nerd! Nerd! Just wait for me! Please don't get into trouble before I arrive!
I didn't understand why a wave of inexplicable anxiety and fear surged within me. It wasn't just about the weasel stealing my food; it was simply the fear that the Nerd might die!
A sense of panic filled my chest, nearly suffocating me as my breaths came in sharp gasps.
From a distance, I saw through the window that the weasel was crouched at Nerd's bedside, leaning down to siphon his essence.
"Stop!" I heard my own voice cry out in a desperate wail. My feet moved like the wind as I dashed into the courtyard, bursting through the door and grabbing the Weasel Spirit that was hunched over Nerd. I clutched it tightly with both hands.
After a fierce struggle, I managed to force the Weasel Spirit back into its original form, and it scurried away, yelping as it fled.
In the past, I would have reveled in my victory, but now—
I knelt beside Nerd's bed, staring at his pale face. Trembling, I reached out to check for his breath, my fingers quivering slightly.
Then my expression changed drastically, revealing a look of near despair as my eyes went vacant.
He was no longer breathing.
Die-hard Nerd … truly had become "Dead" Nerd!
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