Chapter 16: Hunger
Foxy sat on the broken temple steps with her head drooping, looking as if she were slightly injured.
Yu Sheng sat beside her, his head also drooping—only in his case, it wasn’t just an appearance. He was genuinely hurt. The Fox Immortal had taken a bite out of him, tearing off a chunk of flesh!
He knew that canine creatures were protective of their food, but he hadn’t expected the Fox Immortal to react like that!
“Benefactor…” Foxy finally spoke, her soft white ears drooping, as if on the verge of tears. “I’m sorry… I couldn’t hold back… I hurt you again…”
“Yeah, you hurt me again, but it’s not as bad as the first time we met.” Yu Sheng sighed hopelessly, glancing at the blood at the corner of Foxy’s mouth. He was thankful it was just a bite this time. The first time they met, that one Sonic Headbutt from her had almost cost him everything below the neck—a virtual decapitation.
Foxy just tilted her head in confusion when she heard that, clearly unable to recall their supposed first meeting. Yu Sheng had tried to subtly probe her memory several times earlier, but she always gave the same clueless response.
“Benefactor, are you sure we met once outside the temple?”
“You really don’t remember?” Yu Sheng couldn’t help but frown. “I was fighting some chaotic monstrosity, and you rushed over saying you wanted to help. Then—bam! I blacked out. Next thing I knew, I was here, and you were wandering around outside.”
Foxy squinted, as if struggling to piece together a vague memory. After a moment, her furry ears drooped even lower, showing just how strenuous the effort was.
Yu Sheng glanced down at his wounded hand.
The bite mark was healing at an unnatural speed. Tender buds of flesh were already growing, bridging the torn skin, and the blood itself seemed almost alive, pulsing and writhing in the gap. He could even faintly hear a subtle sound from the wound—a whisper of tissues regenerating, fibers knitting, and skin fusing back together.
Within minutes, the pain had faded, replaced only by a faint, tingling itch around the wound.
Yu Sheng knew this was unnatural. Human wounds didn’t heal this fast. But even stranger than his rapid regeneration was something else—Resurrection. The changes in his body made him uneasy, despite their apparent benefits. Deep down, he feared there was some hidden cost or consequence lurking behind these transformations.
Humans instinctively resist the unknown and uncontrollable. For Yu Sheng, his own body was becoming his greatest mystery.
Suddenly, an eerie feeling snapped him from his thoughts. He couldn’t describe it—a vague, intrusive sensation, like stray thoughts or memories slipping into his mind. It felt like a fragment of something alien and chaotic, thrashing around in his consciousness.
Then it solidified into a clear, oppressive emotion:
Mother was gone. Father was gone. Uncles and aunts were gone. Darkness. Poison. Cold. Fear. Hunger. So cold. So hungry. So very hungry. The fruit was poisonous. Tree bark couldn’t be eaten. Leaves couldn’t be eaten. Soil couldn’t be eaten. Stones couldn’t be eaten… Nothing could be eaten. Starving. Starving. Starving…
The ravenous hunger flooded Yu Sheng’s mind, crushing his spirit with its sheer intensity. It was just a glimpse into another consciousness, yet he felt as if his sanity was on the verge of being consumed by that endless, agonizing hunger.
When the chaotic thoughts finally subsided, Yu Sheng took a shuddering breath, raising his head to look at Foxy, who was gently licking the last trace of blood from her lips. His own blood squirmed like living threads on her tongue, seeping into her skin, teeth, and perhaps… her soul.
Sensing his gaze, Foxy glanced back, her innocent, guileless smile showing no hint of the madness stirring within her. But Yu Sheng saw it—deep within her soul, an endless hunger gnawing and spreading, more ferocious than her own awareness could grasp.
“Benefactor…” She looked timidly at his pocket, her naive smile unwavering. “Do you… still have anything to eat? My stomach doesn’t hurt anymore, but… I still feel… a little hungry.”
Yu Sheng felt a chill crawl down his spine, as a suspicion dawned upon him. At the same time, his mind couldn’t shake the question of why he had just glimpsed Foxy’s thoughts and memories.
Was it… because of his blood?
At that moment, Yu Sheng noticed a sudden and fleeting change in Foxy’s expression. It was as if she had just remembered something crucial. Her gaze grew distant, then shifted to shock. Foxy slowly rose from the steps, staring at Yu Sheng as if seeing him anew. Abruptly, she shook her head in disbelief and pointed at him with a trembling finger.
“Benefactor… You… you’re alive?!” she exclaimed, her voice laced with astonishment.
Yu Sheng hesitated, momentarily stunned. Foxy pressed her hand firmly against her forehead, her body swaying as chaotic and conflicting memories threatened to shatter her already fragile mind. Finally, fragments of truth, long buried, resurfaced from the depths of her consciousness.
She remembered their first meeting—how she had struck him down with terrifying force, splintering his form and bathing in the warmth of his living blood. She remembered how that blood faded into nothingness, the remnants vanishing, and Yu Sheng’s ‘death’ dissolving from her memory.
Steadying herself, Foxy’s golden-red eyes clouded with confusion. She murmured softly, “Ah, I remember now, Benefactor… Just earlier, we met outside on the open ground. I lost control and… but…”
Her words faltered, dissolving into incoherent muttering as her thoughts became increasingly fragmented. Yu Sheng blinked, realizing that Foxy had recalled their first encounter, including that chaotic Sonic Headbutt. He wasn’t sure what had triggered her memory, but it might have been related to the strange glimpse he had into Foxy’s mind earlier. Now was not the time to delve into the reasons behind it.
It was clear that Foxy was far from alright. Her body wavered once more, as if on the verge of collapse. Instinctively, Yu Sheng took a half step forward—but froze when he saw her reaction.
Foxy lifted her head, and her golden-red eyes blazed with a feral, blood-tinged glow. A low, animalistic growl rumbled from her throat. She hunched forward, her chaotic tail unfurling in the darkness, each strand flickering with ethereal blue flames. Her form bristled, and the feral essence of the Predators surged forth unrestrained.
A voracious Hunger thrived within her gaze, and through a subtle, eerie connection, Yu Sheng could almost hear the murmurs echoing within her mind:
[Benefactor, you smell so delicious…]
He swallowed hard and cautiously stepped back, just as his peripheral vision caught sight of something behind Foxy—a looming shadow creeping closer from the darkness. As Foxy’s spectral fox fire danced in the night, the silhouette slowly took shape—a grotesque mass of intertwined bestial limbs, towering several meters high, covered with gnashing mouths, glaring eyes, and razor-sharp claws. The embodiment of Hunger and predation loomed behind her, emitting guttural growls that seemed to spur Foxy on.
Under the beast’s urging, Foxy’s body hunched lower. Silver fur spread over her skin, distorting her features as fangs sprouted from her mouth. In the blink of an eye, the smiling, naive girl was gone—replaced by the massive, silver-white Demon Fox, her azure-tipped tails blazing in the night, illuminating the crumbling ruins and Yu Sheng’s pale face.
A voice, haunting and piercing through the soul, echoed in the air:
“Eat… Eat it… and the hunger will fade… Eat, together with me… You’re hungry… Just eat…”
At first, Yu Sheng thought it was Foxy’s inner thoughts, but he quickly realized it was the monstrous abomination behind her—the true source of the seductive voice. It was pushing her to devour, to yield to that insatiable Hunger, waiting as though nurturing a long-awaited fruit to bloom.
He wanted to shout, to break through that manipulative whisper, but an overwhelming, soul-devouring Hunger radiated from Foxy’s mind, drowning out any rational thought. Resigned, Yu Sheng spread his hands before the towering Demon Fox, a wry smile playing on his lips.
“Just so you know,” he said dryly, “when your mouth and stomach don’t agree later, it’s gonna be awkward the next time we meet.”
His tone was like a farewell, his heart resolved as he lowered his stance into a military boxing posture. Of course, he knew the army boxing technique was futile against a Nine Tailed Fox—or possibly even a Seven or Eight Tailed one—but at least he’d die with some dignity. And who knew? Maybe his new, inexplicable strength would let him land one solid punch on her nose before going down—just to leave her sniffling for a bit.
Such a silly thought crossed his mind just as a fierce gale slammed into him. The massive Demon Fox leapt into the air, her silver body twisting with astounding agility. Instinctively, Yu Sheng closed his eyes, bracing for death.
But death never came.
He opened his eyes cautiously, only to see the Demon Fox had redirected her charge, crashing into the grotesque beast behind her. She let out a furious, mournful howl, sinking her teeth into the abomination. However, in the next instant, countless black spikes and shards of skeletal remains erupted from within her, piercing through her body and pinning her midair.
Stunned, Yu Sheng watched as the silver-white Demon Fox turned her head painfully, golden-red blood dripping from her wounds, steaming under the night sky.
“Benefactor… run…”
[You smell so good…]
“I’m not… a monster yet…”
[So hungry…]
“Run!”
[Run!]