Chapter 278 - 248: Did You Turn into Yuanbao?
Chapter 278: Chapter 248: Did You Turn into Yuanbao?
Once Gu Ning confirmed the little fox wouldn’t attack her, she untied the gag around its mouth.
The moment its mouth was free, the first thing Minoz said was, "Y-y-you! Stay away from me!"
It shrank back into the corner as it spoke, and the terrified expression on its face didn’t look like an act at all.
Seeing that the little fox was scared but not attacking her, Gu Ning’s impression of it improved slightly.
Speaking of which, atavistic Mixed Breeds were much more rational than other Mixed Breeds. She wondered if it was to compensate for their small size.
Although this little fox looked sly and cunning, it hadn’t shown any aggression. Its temperament was much milder than Barto’s.
"You... come here."
With its paws tied behind its back, Minoz couldn’t reach the ropes, so it had no choice but to ask Gu Ning for help. "Help me untie the bindings on my paws."
’These damn military-grade bindings are not only sturdy, but that stinking fox also tied them in such a tricky way.’
Gu Ning kept a safe distance from the little fox, squatting down to look at it.
She took out a pen and paper, about to write something to communicate with it, when the little fox said, "You can obviously talk. Why are you writing?"
Gu Ning paused her writing and looked up at it.
"If you’re going to pretend to be a Dwarf hybrid, you could at least make it convincing," the little fox muttered. "Just not shrinking isn’t enough. So stupid."
’Dwarf hybrids have such explosive tempers, but this one is as docile as can be. I wonder if it’s because these Beastmen are keeping it in check, or if it’s been trained.’
Thinking about what that humanoid fox had done to it earlier, a chill ran down Minoz’s spine.
’That fox is such a pervert, and a bold one at that. Isn’t he afraid of being eaten by a Mimic Mixed Species?’
Hearing what the little fox said, Gu Ning was certain it had mistaken her for a Mimic Mixed Species.
She was almost immune to being mistaken for a Mimic Mixed Species by now. This time, she barely felt a ripple of emotion and instead had the urge to tease the little fox.
But she had the mischievous thought without the nerve to act on it. It might suddenly lash out and attack her. No matter how small an atavistic Mixed Breed was, it wasn’t something she could handle on her own.
She wrote on the paper: Little fox, what’s your name?
Minoz glanced at the note she handed him and grew even more frightened.
’Mimic Mixed Species love to impersonate other beasts. First, they study and imitate their target, and then they eat them.’
’Even if some Mimic Mixed Species can be trained to restrain their desire to devour others, they always want to eat or kill the beast they’re impersonating.’
Minoz said, "I’m just an atavistic fox with bad genes. I don’t have much meat on my bones, not even enough for a mouthful. You have so many plump, tasty Beastmen around you, go eat them instead."
’Huh?’ Gu Ning almost burst out laughing at his words.
"Atavistic Mixed Breeds have no status, and I’m not smart. I just scrape by, buying and reselling things. The money I make isn’t even enough to pay protection fees." The little fox wriggled with all its might, trying to move away from Gu Ning. "I’m also super unlucky! If you eat me, you’ll become unlucky too!"
’Why does he sound so miserable?’
If she didn’t know how much he was charging for her autographed photos, she might have actually believed him.
’At the sausage stand, he could talk those pups into a tizzy, making them pull out their money without a second thought. How is that ’not smart’?’
Gu Ning found his cowardice rather cute, and he didn’t seem like a bad fox. She wrote a note, walked over, and bent down to hold it in front of him: I can choose not to eat you, but you’re not allowed to sell Yuanbao’s autographed photos anymore. No selling any photos at all.
"What?" Minoz wailed. "Isn’t that a death sentence?! That’s how I make a living!"
Gu Ning wrote: You can keep selling sausages under the Gu Demiao Ning name, just at a more reasonable price.
Minoz retorted, "What do you know? Those guys don’t come for the sausages."
After speaking, he tilted his head back and said resentfully, "Why do you care what I sell? What’s Yuanbao to you?"
’Yuanbao is me, and I am Yuanbao. You tell me if it has anything to do with me!’
She grumbled internally, then wrote: No means no. If you don’t obey, I’ll eat you.
Minoz collapsed to the ground, looking as if all hope was lost.
Gu Ning suppressed a smile and continued writing on the paper.
Minoz raised his eyes to secretly size up the Mimic Mixed Species, who was writing with its head lowered. He wondered which unlucky Mixed Breed it was mimicking. Its body was so small and looked completely non-threatening—utterly deceptive.
Minoz’s gaze fell on its masked face, finally settling on its delicate eyes and brows.
’Why does this feel... a little familiar?’
The little fox’s mind raced. Just as Gu Ning finished writing the note and looked up at him, he jolted and couldn’t help but cry out, "AH!"
"Y-y-you..." The little fox stuttered for a while, unable to form a complete sentence.
Gu Ning looked at him in confusion. ’What’s wrong with him? So jumpy.’
Minoz stared at the familiar eyes before him, caught the faint scent of a female, and thought of something utterly terrifying, yet also strangely thrilling for a fox.
Before Gu Ning could ask, Minoz blurted out, "You’ve taken on Yuanbao’s appearance, haven’t you?!"
Gu Ning froze.
’This little fox... he’s way too sharp.’
No Beastman had ever gotten so close to figuring out her identity this quickly.
Gu Ning touched the mask on her face and the hat on her head.
’This won’t do. I need to wear goggles when I’m outside.’
Seeing her movement, Minoz became even more certain. "I knew it, I knew it! Holy... holy... for the love of fox! What did that fox do—"
His voice came to an abrupt halt when he saw the figure that had appeared behind Gu Ning.
Gu Ning followed the little fox’s terrified and disgusted gaze to look behind her. Barto was leaning against the wall, watching them with his arms crossed.
"What did I do?" Barto jutted his chin at the little fox. "Keep talking."
Minoz bared his teeth slightly and flinched, pulling his neck back.
’He couldn’t beat this perverted fox. It was better not to fight him.’
"I don’t know anything," Minoz said, knowing what was good for him. "I didn’t see anything either. Brother, we’re the same kind. For the sake of us both being atavistic Mixed Breeds, just let me go."
If he weren’t tied up and unable to move, Minoz would have kowtowed to Gu Ning and Barto. "I swear! I’ll never sell Yuanbao’s photos again, and I’ll sell the sausages for just eighty."
Gu Ning couldn’t help but chuckle. ’Even when he’s begging for his life, he still wants to sell sausages for eighty. I’ve got to hand it to him.’
Barto sneered, "If you’re not using Gu Demiao Ning for advertising, aren’t you afraid of getting beaten up for selling sausages at eighty?"
Minoz said, "Brother, you’re an atavistic Mixed Breed too. You know the tricks of the trade."
’If he could get back, he wouldn’t have to sell sausages for a while. Just reporting this strange group traveling with a Mimic Mixed Species would net him a huge reward.’
’Of course, he’d report them even without a reward, just to get some payback.’
"Sigh." Minoz put on a helpless expression. "I won’t sell sausages anymore. Just let me go. I really didn’t see anything, and I won’t say a word."
Barto said nothing. His gaze fell on Gu Ning. He slowly straightened up, then squatted down beside her. With a long reach, he dragged the little fox in front of them, and then, right in front of it, he leaned in and kissed Gu Ning on her masked cheek.
Minoz: "..."
Gu Ning’s eyes widened in shock as she turned her head to look at Barto.
Barto leaned in and kissed her again, his lips landing on the corner of hers, right through the mask.