Higokumaru's Honkai fluid gushed wildly; its previous madness and arrogance were completely gone. Its massive body trembled, convulsing as if in submission. Only the bottom halves of its golden pupils were visible, the rest of its eyes having rolled back into white.
Higokumaru had never imagined it would be brought to such a pathetic state by a mere human. Nor had it ever experienced such an intense... agony.
"Human, I will kill you, I absolute—Guh!!"
Then it saw the human flash a gentle smile as he rubbed its proud paw. This merciless paw had torn apart countless humans 500 years ago! Ah, of course, that wasn't the point. The point was, he had produced a syringe from somewhere.
It was a super-sized syringe, a top-tier model among syringes. The tube was filled with an unknown drug, and the needle was at least 25cm long!
Right in front of its eyes, this human plunged the needle into the soft flesh of its neck.
Higokumaru had wanted to mock him—"Insignificant human, not even a cannon can break my defense, and you think you can do it with this piece of ordinary steel? Pathetic!"
The proud and great Higokumaru could never yield to a human. Only killing! Unleash hatred and fury upon this land!
And yet, the seemingly ordinary steel needle actually went in.
The unknown drug from the transparent syringe was slowly injected into its body, then rapidly spread through its limbs and bones. It felt an incredible swelling and heat, especially in the part of its lower abdomen where a Honeysuckle Crest could be drawn.
As an entity that could invade electronic data and had once roamed the sea of information of the Previous Era, countless outlandish speculations instantly flooded Higokumaru's mind.
"You… what did you… inject me with?" Higokumaru's voice trembled.
"Don't panic."
Ye Feng gently soothed Higokumaru's emotions, speaking in a slow, deliberate manner.
"The number of 'characters' in this world was originally fixed; it neither increased nor decreased. But your arrival broke that rule. So I was wondering, can we build on that and +1?"
"??"
"Why are you making an Aqua face? You need to have more confidence, Higokumaru."
"..."
"Did you know, the most intelligent animals in nature only have the IQ of a 7 or 8-year-old human child, yet they can take very good care of their young. My point is, even a child can be a qualified mother. Although your intelligence isn't great, you are, after all, an old fossil over 50,000 years old."
"!!"
Fuck! Is this person toxic?!
Higokumaru finally understood what "+1" meant. Did this bastard not know? Under normal circumstances, a fox can give birth to 3-6 kits per litter. In special cases, the number can be even higher.
+1? Heh, is this guy an idiot?! And he dares to call me unintelligent?
No, no, it almost got sidetracked.
Higokumaru glared at Ye Feng with hatred, looking like it wanted to eat him alive. Unfortunately, its body felt as if all its strength had been drained, making it powerless to get up. On top of that, an extra layer of BUFFs had been added, making it even weaker.
Ye Feng was very gentle. He patted the great fox's chin, which was pressed against the ground, and looked at Higokumaru's status screen, which now displayed [Pregnant] and various other effects. He smiled.
"You just focus on your pregnancy. I'm going to go check on Yae Sakura."
Go to hell! You're the one who's pregnant! Higokumaru roared internally in fury.
---o---
Ye Feng arrived at a classroom on the fifth floor.
A moment ago, Yae Sakura had been sent flying by Higokumaru's claw, smashing into the room. Now, half of the classroom's outer wall was shattered, revealing a wide-open view.
Yae Sakura sat leaning against the ruins. Her white thigh-high stockings were torn, revealing fair skin stained with blood. One foot still wore a red-strapped geta sandal; the other was nowhere to be seen. The white-stockinged miko's long fox ears drooped, and crimson blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
Faced with this scene, the students in the classroom continued to study diligently.
"Truly, they hear nothing of the world outside their window and focus only on their books. If I had half their concentration back then, I definitely would have gotten into a top university."
Ye Feng habitually muttered to himself as he approached Yae Sakura.
Yae Sakura felt a shadow fall over her and struggled to open her eyes. She had been prepared to die, but the reflection in her vision was not Higokumaru's ferocious form. It was a gentle and kind man. His smile was refreshing, like the blue sky.
"..."
Just as Yae Sakura was about to speak, she heard him say gently, "Relax. Everything is alright now."
Hearing this, Yae Sakura did indeed feel her heart settle.
Ye Feng looked at Yae Sakura's [Heavily Injured] and [Weakened] statuses, clicked [Reset], and she immediately returned to her initial state from when she first arrived. Even the missing geta sandal reappeared on her stocking-clad foot.
Watching Yae Sakura stand up in her geta sandals, the old Ye Feng would probably have thought: I wish I could become Yae Sakura's geta.
"Thank you, Benefactor, for your assistance. I am Yae Sakura."
Eh? That tone of voice felt incredibly intimate. Would a miko from the Warring States period 500 years ago really phrase it like that? Ye Feng didn't know, but being called "Benefactor" felt pretty damn good.
"I saved you. So how will you repay me?"
Yae Sakura tilted her head. She wasn't offended by Ye Feng's words, but instead considered them seriously. This traditional miko from the Warring States period was definitely not one to just pay lip service.
She thought for a moment, then gripped her katana and said, "I have no way to repay this life-saving grace. My sword is yours to command."
Ye Feng let out a long breath. "Phew~~ You scared me."
"Benefactor, why do you say that?"
"When I heard the first part of what you said, I thought you were going to say, 'I'll repay you in the next life as your ox or horse.'"
Isn't there a saying? If the rescuer is handsome, the rescued damsel will say, "This humble girl has no way to repay this life-saving grace, I can only offer my body in return." If the rescuer is... unacceptable, then it's "I have no way to repay this life-saving grace, I can only repay you in the next life by being your beast of burden, carrying a ring in my beak and tying grass into knots."
Ye Feng considered himself quite handsome.
Yae Sakura's fox ears twitched. "Next life?"
"Ah, it's nothing. Don't worry about it. And there's no need to be so serious, it's not really a life-saving grace. I just restored your body."
Yae Sakura paused for a moment, then said, "Even so, it is still a great kindness."
"Forget it. You'll come to understand this world eventually."
Ye Feng couldn't be bothered to explain. Explaining things to a miko from 500 years ago was just too much trouble. It was better to let her experience it for herself.
"Yae Sakura, can I ask you a question?"
"Benefactor, please speak. As long as I know the answer, I will tell you everything."
Ye Feng's gaze drifted downward to the pair of pure white stockings enveloping the miko's long, healthy legs, forming a dazzling Absolute Territory with her skirt.
"Where did you get your white stockings?"
"Huh?"
Yae Sakura froze, clearly not expecting such a question.
"500 years ago, Otto was still just a minor inventor, yet the land of Shinano in the Far East had already given birth to such a noble aesthetic and put it into practice. I hold the utmost respect for the person who created these white stockings."
"Ehh~~"
Visibly, Yae Sakura's long fox ears began to wag, just like a puppy's.
"You flatter me, Benefactor. Um... are you referring to the silk fabric on my legs?"