Pretending To Be A Boss

The fiery red giant fox dropped from the sky without warning; the scent that had still been miles away was suddenly upon them, and Tang Xian hadn't expected its immediate arrival.

The terrifying pressure of the wind swept through the woodland, and all the creatures within the forest let out cries of submission and fear.

Dong Ran protected Tang Xian in front of her, channeling power in her hands, intending to push Tang Xian away.

But in the next second, the enormous figure vanished, replaced by a delicately charming figure that came into view, and Tang Xian's nose was filled with a faint fragrance.

Health, defensive power, attack strength, speed.

These were the values Dong Ran could see, and in that moment, she didn't even have time to process the enormous numbers before her eyes.

A mesmerizing, yet indifferent chuckle resonated.

After which, Dong Ran felt no more; she suddenly collapsed to the ground.

Passed out.

Tang Xian felt himself being compressed by an immense force, and thanks to Dong Ran's shove, he managed to narrowly escape disaster.

Dong Ran was a kind-hearted girl, but not the brightest. He glanced at Dong Ran, confirming her survival.

Although the disaster began with Dong Ran's disobedience, anger and fear were the most meaningless emotions once the catastrophe struck.

Tang Xian quickly calmed down.

He scrutinized the woman before him, dressed in imperial garb, flawless to the point of appearing almost unreal.

Excessive beauty can seem unreal, especially the fluffy tail behind the woman, which added to Tang Xian's sense of discordance.

Tang Xian truly hadn't expected such a scenario.

"So… a nine-tailed fox demon can transform into a human?"

"Look at you talking, aren't you the same? A human body has many limitations, but it looks good. By the way, why are you here?"

The fox demon had a pleasant voice, and as she spoke, the fluffy tail disappeared. Now, she looked no different from a human being.

Tang Xian said, "Hunting."

"Hunting my foxes?"

"Of course not. Foxes are so cute; how could anyone eat a fox?"

"That's more like it."

The noblewoman-like figure glanced at Tang Xian.

It was just a natural gesture under her coy disapproval, yet her beauty made every move she made seem alluring.

In a life-or-death situation, Tang Xian naturally wasn't in the mood for flirtatious glances with a fox.

But thinking of the term 'fox enchantress,' it seemed indeed fitting.

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"Do you know this girl?"

"Yes."

Looking at the nine-tailed fox demon's panel. Here is the data displayed to Tang Xian:

Gender: Female.

Morality: 60.

Greed Lust Index: 20.

Affection: 14 (Feels Familiar).

Wealth Assessment: 30 (Small Savings).

Likes: Biphasic Orchid.

Dislikes: Humans who hunt foxes.

Fears: None.

Current Honesty: 66 (Honest Dealing).

Charm: 99 (Nation's Grace).

Current Luck: 39 (Calm Seas).

Current Needs Analysis:

[Revenge for Subordinate (39%)]

[Test the Man Before Her (27%)]

[Harvest Flowers (29%)]

[Other (5%)].

Tang Xian was actually quite nervous; for some reason, he found himself conversing with the nine-tailed fox demon as if they knew each other. But he knew this was a critical moment.

The nine-tailed fox demon must have misunderstood something.

This misunderstanding could be an opportunity for him.

Upon further reflection, the last words of the hellhound, who had spoken to him in a strange tone, came back to him.

"You too… are a powerful being. Why stay with such weak creatures?"

The dying words of the hellhound flashed through Tang Xian's mind.

He had pondered over the meaning of those words, but could never discern their significance.

He felt there might be more to it, but the nine-tailed fox demon's words interrupted Tang Xian's thoughts.

"You actually know humans?"

"I know quite a few humans. And I don't know you."

Tang Xian's expression was indifferent, as if he were making casual British small talk about the clear, cloudless weather.

"My name is Qing JiuYu."

The Qing surname isn't common, but it indeed belongs to humans.

Tang Xian nodded. There were many things he still didn't understand; the fact that a calamity-level boss had a human form and name was a massive shock to him.

Right now, he needed to stay calm, to pretend…to pretend all of this was normal.

Qing JiuYu looked at Tang Xian and said,

"What's your name?"

"I'm Tang Xian. Are you here to pick flowers?"

Hearing Tang Xian's words, Qing JiuYu smiled, showing a little less wariness in her eyes, but then she slowly shook her head.

At this moment, Tang Xian was more baffled than Qing JiuYu.

But he was sure of one thing: This might be a characteristic common to all boss creatures, or perhaps just calamity-level boss creatures. If he could figure out this characteristic, he might be able to blur the line between friend and foe for these powerful creatures.

Tang Xian felt it was necessary to probe further.

"You seem familiar with me?"

"Not familiar. You don't know me either, do you? Soul crystals have a certain resonance with beings of equal strength. You have a unique scent, very pleasant," she said and took another sniff, then frowned.

There was indeed an aura on Tang Xian that she thought belonged to a peer, pleasant to smell, but the guy also reeked.

"Why do you stink?"

"It's the Redline Grass."

"Are you crazy? Why would you smear that on yourself for no reason?"

"To repel mosquitoes."

"Ordinary insects dare to bite you?"

"Mosquitoes aren't picky; they see all creatures as equal. From rabbits to lions, monkeys to humans, if there's blood, they'll bite."

"Heh, you're quite interesting. I indeed came out to pick flowers. Legend has it that this place has the extremely rare Jiuye Biphasic Orchid, about to bloom soon. But something unexpected happened today."

Qing JiuYu gestured towards Dong Ran, lying on the ground.

"This human attacked my kin."

"Yes, she did make a move."

"You said you know her."

"I do know her."

"Is she your servant?"

"Servant?"

"I often use this form to attract humans. They even say they would do anything for me."

"Oh... no, she's more like an underling."

Tang Xian found that actually, he didn't need to lie much.

His own scent seemed to completely convince the nine-tailed fox; all he needed to do was...simply tell the truth indifferently.

Whether he was seriously turning lies into truth or sincerely turning truth into lies, he was adept at either.

"What do you plan to do with her?"

"Humans love sending out spies and such. Is she loyal to you?"

"I agree with the first part, it's human nature to gossip. As for loyalty, when dealing with humans, loyalty is unreliable. You have to learn to negotiate with interests."

Qing JiuYu nodded.

"You seem much smarter than other beings of your level."

"I'm more like a human."

"There is a bit of that feeling. Your underling killed my scout, and I want to kill her."

The other party's tone always seemed somewhat ingratiating, even for asserting a straightforward principle such as avenging a clan member, she used "want to kill" instead of "will kill."

It was as if she was seeking his approval.

Tang Xian couldn't gather any more information yet.

Although Dong Ran had caused trouble, she ended up trying to save him.

He didn't like being indebted. If Qing JiuYu insisted on revenge, he had nothing to say, but if her attitude wasn't so firm—

Tang Xian was still willing to try and save Dong Ran.

"This woman, I still have use for her."

"What use?" Qing JiuYu's eyes glimmered with allure.

As a titanium alloy straight man, Tang Xian refrained from responding to that question and said,

"If you let her go, there won't be any more humans to bother your kin in this area in the future. Plus, I will find you three Jiuye Biphasic Orchids. How's that?"

"You really are like a human, so this is negotiating with interests?"

Qing JiuYu pondered a moment. There should only be one Jiuye Biphasic Orchid in this area, so she nodded,

"We foxes, once dead, are just dead; rarely does anyone bury us and sprinkle Biphasic Orchids over our graves. You give me a gentle vibe, and I like it. I agree to your terms. But I have my conditions, too."

In his heart, Tang Xian was actually very anxious. Social creatures naturally place great value on their nestmates.

Luckily for him... it seemed he had quite a bit of face.

If having face also counts as a superpower, today he might have displayed — the pinnacle level of superpower humanity has seen thus far.

At least no one has lived to tell the tale after being in the clutches of a calamity-level boss creature.

And to snatch food from the jaws of a fox.