Erin looked down at her right leg, fully restored now.
She cautiously twisted her joints left and right before putting on her socks.
Steadying herself with Yu Sheng’s hand, she slowly stood up.
“Are… are both legs the same length?” the little doll asked, looking up at Yu Sheng with wide eyes. “I didn’t reshape them this time; I just infused them with spirit and merged them. Can you check for me?”
Yu Sheng rolled his eyes. “Of course they’re the same length. I just tidied up the surface; I didn’t chop them off and reshape them.”
Erin breathed a sigh of relief and took a few small steps around the table, a bright smile finally appearing on her face. “I can run around again! Yu Sheng, you’re quite skilled; maybe you have a talent for making dolls?”
“Thanks for the compliment…” Yu Sheng replied absentmindedly, but then he watched as Erin picked up a painting frame and leaped from the table to a nearby empty chair, only to then tumble backwards onto the ground, dashing around on the floor.
In the past, whenever Erin ran around like this, it had annoyed Yu Sheng, especially since she would bump into things and create chaos in the house.
But for some reason, this time, seeing Erin’s joyful antics filled him with a strange sense of accomplishment that rose within his heart.
“A talent for making dolls…” Yu Sheng muttered to himself, glancing at the scraper in his hand and the dwindling bucket of repair plaster.
He couldn’t tell whether Erin's previous comment was a compliment or genuine praise.
He doubted he had a talent for making dolls, but he suddenly recalled the two lotus roots he had infused with spirit earlier.
It seemed Erin had completely forgotten about that incident.
Just then, a series of footsteps approached from the direction of the stairs, breaking Yu Sheng's train of thought and interrupting Erin's frolic in the attic.
Turning his head, Yu Sheng spotted a pair of fluffy white ears peeking out from the stairway, followed by Hu Li, the fox girl, who looked around nervously and curiously.
She wore pajamas that were perhaps a bit too big, and her silver hair looked slightly damp.
She had likely followed the scent to find them and instantly broke into a smile upon seeing both Yu Sheng and Erin. “Ah! Benefactor, and Erin, you’re both here!”
Noticing Erin's hands and feet were fully “healed,” she gasped in delight. “Erin, your hands, they’ve grown back?”
“Yu Sheng fixed me!” Erin happily held up her hands for Hu Li to see before jumping in place. “My legs are fixed too!”
“Benefactor, your magical abilities are incredible,” Hu Li said, staring at the fully restored doll, turning to Yu Sheng with a look of respect. “You can open the underworld path, restore forms, and even know how to create puppets.”
Yu Sheng thought for a moment.
Perhaps the ‘underworld path’ Hu Li mentioned referred to his ability to ‘open doors,’ and it seemed she viewed Erin as a puppet he had made.
The next moment, Erin, coming to her senses, bounced up and started clamoring: “What do you mean puppet! I’m a living doll from Alice’s house! A blessed one, you know! Just because you’re a wild fox doesn’t mean you can speak nonsense!”
Hu Li listened blankly to Erin's outburst and then lowered her head. “Oh, I don’t understand; I won’t say it again.”
Erin’s tirade abruptly stopped, leaving her a bit dazed.
Usually, she was accustomed to bickering with Yu Sheng, but this was the first time she encountered someone so honest and straightforward, leaving her at a loss for words.
At that moment, Yu Sheng suddenly noticed something.
He was a bit stunned as he looked at Hu Li. “... Where’s your tail?”
Erin also reacted and belatedly noticed that Hu Li’s tail was missing.
“I tucked it away,” Hu Li replied, smiling softly as she slightly turned her body.
Suddenly, with a “whoosh,” her fluffy, voluminous tail burst forth from behind her like a retracting blade. “The door is narrow, and I kept hitting things, so I put it away.”
Erin, who was standing next to her, shouted, “Ah!” and was immediately knocked back several feet by the sudden appearance of Hu Li’s tail, landing on the ground and stumbling.
Hu Li exclaimed in surprise, rushing over to help the cursing Erin up.
Yu Sheng, watching from the side, was momentarily stunned but then breathed a sigh of relief. “You scared me! I thought you fired your tail away…”
Then a strange thought crossed his mind. “... Why did it make a ‘whoosh’ sound when your tail came out?”
Hu Li pondered for a moment. “It could also be a ‘bang.’”
Just as Erin stood up, ready to curse again, she paused. “... Did you give it a sound yourself?!”
“A fox must make a sound before revealing its tail, to warn those nearby to dodge,” Hu Li said matter-of-factly.
She spoke more smoothly than when they first met, but she still had some odd pauses. “But you didn’t dodge.”
Erin fumed. “How was I supposed to know such weird ‘rules’?! Where exactly did this fox come from?!”
Hu Li thought carefully for a moment and then shook her head dejectedly, her ears drooping. “I… I don’t remember.”
Now it was Erin's turn to be stunned.
The little doll turned her head away awkwardly. “You don’t need to be so serious; I was just saying it casually…”
Yu Sheng approached Hu Li’s side and, after a moment of careful thought, said seriously, “Don’t be too down. It’s not that you can’t go back; you might find a way home in the future.”
Hu Li’s ears perked up suddenly. “Can the benefactor's underworld path take me back?”
“His door can lead anywhere. Sometimes, just pulling it open might even lead to a person’s alchemy furnace,” Erin chimed in, hands on her hips, looking proud as if it were her own skill. “Maybe it could open to a door leading back to your home someday.”
At this, she seemed to suddenly recall something, turning to Yu Sheng. “Hey, should we go check that alchemy furnace again? There were immortals there too; what if it’s Hu Li’s hometown? Or at least they might have heard something since they’re all part of the same system…”
Hearing this, Yu Sheng showed a troubled expression. “Given last time’s situation… the other side might attack us directly.”
“Oh, that’s true; if I were them, I’d want to take you down too.”
Hu Li, listening to Yu Sheng and Erin’s conversation, shifted her gaze between the two, her expression confused.
Noticing this, Yu Sheng cleared his throat, saying somewhat awkwardly, “We’re discussing who to ask about your background. Don’t worry; I will help you figure it out slowly.”
“Benefactor, there’s no need to overexert yourself,” Hu Li said, finally understanding.
She gently shook her head. “Finding it would be great, but if not, it’s okay. After all… I don’t remember what home looked like, so going back wouldn’t mean seeing anyone I know.”
As she spoke, she reached into her tail and pulled out two sharp canine teeth, her face softening into a comforting smile. “I’ve already found my mom and dad, so it’s fine if I don’t go back.”
“... It’s good that you can think like this,” Yu Sheng sighed gently, giving a nod to the fox girl. “What are your plans from now on? Have you thought about the future?”
Hu Li looked lost for a moment after hearing his words, finally sluggishly shaking her head.
“I… don’t know,” she murmured softly, her tone uncertain like a fledgling leaving its nest for the first time. “This is my first time leaving that valley. This place is nice, but everything is strange; I… I don’t understand and don’t know where to find food. Mother said foxes must not forget their kindness, but I don’t know what I can do to help my benefactor.”
She spoke a bit disjointedly, yet Yu Sheng could understand her completely.
He smiled gently, reassuring the somewhat anxious fox girl.
“Then you can stay here from now on. I still have spare rooms — and plenty of food, so you won’t have to worry about going hungry. As for what you can do… you can help me fight for now; let’s keep it simple.”
Yu Sheng pondered for a moment, feeling uncertain about what abilities Hu Li possessed.
Though it was said that fox spirits repay kindness and change fate, it seemed asking her to help with programming or art was quite out of the question.
However, this girl’s supersonic headbutt and the ability to launch her tail were truly impressive.
In future dealings with other realms, she would be a valuable asset — with Erin controlling the situation while Hu Li charged in to fight, he could comfortably stand by and cheer.
But Hu Li appeared a bit puzzled. “Fighting?”
“In the future, we will encounter many more other realms, just like that valley. There are many similar ‘anomalous spaces’ in this world hidden with all sorts of dangerous entities,” Yu Sheng spoke slowly. “There may be others trapped like you, or people seeking help for various reasons. I have my reasons for continuing to interact with other realms and entities, so all in all, I need assistance.”
Hearing this, Hu Li suddenly looked nervous. “Then… will I get trapped again?”
Yu Sheng was taken aback but soon found himself smiling at her genuine concern. “Did you forget about my ‘underworld path’?”
Hu Li paused, and slowly, a smile began to appear on her face.
Nodding happily, she declared, “Okay, I’ll help my benefactor fight!”
(End of Chapter)