The Counterattack Plan of A Villain With Ten Thousand Fans - Chapter 296

Chapter 296

Han Fenglian is the head of the Han family. Although it has been a long time since he returned, his prestige remains undiminished. Ling Chunann, the person he brought back, naturally wouldn’t be troubled by anyone, but curiosity was inevitable.

Seeing Ling Chunann open the window, those observing from the shadows became more active.

"Did you see? Our matriarch, she looks really beautiful."

"But it seems like he’s a man. How could the head bring a male matriarch back?"

"Is it our place to guess what the head thinks? But this matriarch looks like he’s not even twenty years old, isn’t that too young? I remember the head should be almost two hundred years old."

"He might even be more than two hundred years old. The old butler is nearly five hundred years old. I once heard the old butler say that he was quite young when the head was born."

"Pshaw, our head’s cultivation is profound, forever young, definitely not an old cow eating young grass."

...

Shutting the window to cut off the increasingly outrageous discussions, Ling Chunann walked around the room. Unlike Han Fenglian’s residence in the North City, this room had sparse decorations, with a pot of orchids quietly blooming on the windowsill beside a large bookshelf filled densely with books.

Behind the desk was a screen, and behind that, a bed—a large carved bed with four pillars, and the bed curtains were a deep cyan color that Ling Chunann described as cold.

Ling Chunann casually pulled a book from the shelf and had just flipped through a few pages when the door to the room was pushed open. Han Fenglian glanced at the book in Ling Chunann’s hands, "Sweetheart, if you’re interested, we can take these books back with us."

"No need, I'll come back another time to read them," Ling Chunann swept a glance at the hand the man placed on his shoulder, "Are you done with your work?"

"Yes, it's been a while since I’ve been back, they're inevitably a bit excited."

More than a bit excited. Due to Han Fenglian's return, the entire Han residence had become lively. Ling Chunann was not much affected, but the state of the old butler indicated how busy he was, almost non-stop chasing away waves of onlookers.

Ling Chunann didn’t mind the harmless onlookers, and even greeted them amiably upon seeing them, which resulted in creating a red-skinned shrimp on the spot.

After another red-skinned shrimp scampered out of sight, Ling Chunann contentedly withdrew his gaze, ready to look for the next subject when he was suddenly called out, "Sweetheart, what are you doing?"

Effortlessly jumping into the man's arms, Ling Chunann rubbed his face against him with a smile, but his tone was full of fake grievance, "I want someone to play with me, but they seem to be scared of me."

"Why would they be?" Han Fenglian patted Ling Chunann’s head, "They're probably just shy. Tomorrow I'll ask a few people to come and play with you. How about you come with me somewhere now? I have something for you."

The Han residence covered a large area, including a vast and untamed back mountain apart from the well-arranged buildings. Besides a small area used as a martial arts field, the mountain was normally separated from the living quarters. The mountain housed many peculiar creatures, filled with unknown dangers, so people generally didn’t go there except for training.

Han Fenglian's destination was this back mountain. He led Ling Chunann past the lively area of the Han residence and towards the deeper parts of the dense forest, explaining the history of the Han family along the way until they arrived at a thicket of thorns.

Releasing Ling Chunann’s hand, Han Fenglian formed a hand seal and chanted a few spells. Soon, the thorn bush that was twice as tall as a man began to recede, creating a path just wide enough for one person to pass through, "Sweetheart, change back to your original form."

Ling Chunann did not hesitate and instantly transformed back into his original form, jumping into Han Fenglian’s arms, peeking ahead at the mechanism. The mechanism’s principle was similar to the one they encountered the previous day at the mountain's edge, but Ling Chunann still noticed subtle differences. If given some time, he might also be able to decipher it, although his method would certainly differ from Han Fenglian’s.

Seeing Ling Chunann deep in thought, Han Fenglian slowed his pace.

Passing through multiple illusions and various formations, the pair—a man and a fox—finally reached their destination.

Hidden behind vines, the cave entrance was subtly discernible, and Ling Chunann was already curious about this heavily protected destination.

The vines at first glance seemed ordinary, but with Ling Chunann

’s keen eyes, he could discern the unique way they entwined and their relevance to the surrounding environment—this was a masterfully crafted array, designed to ensnare and kill any living being that approached.

While he had figured it out, given Ling Chunann's current cultivation level and his understanding of this array, it might still take a significant amount of time to unravel it. He looked at Han Fenglian, who undoubtedly knew the method.

Han Fenglian clearly enjoyed Ling Chunann's trusting gaze, patting his head and positioning him on his shoulder before stepping forward and taking out a short knife to cut his own wrist.

The blood dripped onto the green leaves of the vine and was quickly absorbed, disappearing from sight. Han Fenglian withdrew his hand, then felt a weight on his arm, the cool touch of the wound.

After licking the wound clean and then grooming his fur, Ling Chunann suddenly stiffened—damn these animal instincts!

Watching the little fox with its eyes round as marbles, Han Fenglian suppressed a laugh that was about to escape, acting as if he had noticed nothing and naturally held him close, bending down to enter the now-clear cave entrance.

The passage, barely wide enough due to Han Fenglian’s size, made Ling Chunann curl up in his arms, the lengthy corridor making him somewhat drowsy.

Finally, after another turn, Han Fenglian straightened his back, and a spacious cave appeared before them. The cave was dry, with corners piled with hay indicating that it had once housed living creatures.

"Sweetheart, we're here," Han Fenglian scratched behind the large ears of the little fox in his arms.

"Squeak!" Ling Chunann, who was almost asleep, jumped in surprise, biting the hand messing up his head, but due to his small mouth, he only managed to bite a finger.

Looking at the little one clinging to his finger, Han Fenglian’s expression grew even more indulgent, "Good boy, come down, we’ve arrived."

Ling Chunann finally let go of Han Fenglian’s finger and leapt to the ground.

The scent here gave Ling Chunann a sense of familiarity, but he couldn’t remember when he had been here before. The original host’s memories also didn’t include this cave, so there was only one possibility—this little fox was here before it had developed its spiritual intelligence.

This cave was very likely the birthplace of the original host, and Han Fenglian must have guessed this reason for having him transform back.

Having analyzed everything, Ling Chunann leisurely started exploring the cave space.

The most noticeable feature in the cave was the pile of hay in the corner, well-formed into a nest shape with some dark marks nearby. Upon closer inspection, there were also smoke stains on the rock walls, probably from a fire that had been made here.

Besides, there were some claw marks on the rock wall above the corner’s hay pile, likely made by an animal’s claws.

Ling Chunann sniffed at the hay pile, then realized he currently lacked a normal sense of smell—the zombie's olfactory system could only detect the scent of fresh blood, and ordinary smells were indistinguishable.

After digging around in the hay for a bit, Ling Chunann abandoned the idea of smelling it and walked to the other end of the cave.

He had a hunch that there was more to this cave than met the eye.

After making a round, the feeling of familiarity grew stronger, and fragments of unfamiliar memories began to surface in his mind.

The little fox had just opened its eyes, and the world was still blurry, unclear.

The little fox’s first attempt at walking, staggering and falling over with a squeak, the big fox gently picking it up by the nape of its neck to help it stand.

The little fox’s first hunting attempt, chased by a large rabbit…

The final scene was the mother fox carrying it into the cave, throwing it into a dark little hole, locking it inside, and then running out without looking back.

Sorting through these newly emerged memory fragments, Ling Chunann looked around, and this place was clearly where the mother fox had once secluded herself, so naturally, the location of that small hole in the memory should also be here.

Ling Chunann circled once more, finally stopping near a crevice on the rock wall beside a pile of hay, raising a paw to knock twice on an inconspicuous small crack.

With a click, the small hole from the memory appeared before Ling Chunann.

Ling Chunann looked back at Han Fenglian with a somewhat smug expression, his small fox appearance making him look especially adorable.

"Sweetheart, well done!" Han Fenglian spared no praise, stepping aside after entering to let Ling Chunann observe on his own, seeing him so quickly discover that mechanism filled his eyes with admiration.

Hearing Han Fenglian’s words, Ling Chunann happily wagged his tail.

The cave entrance was just wide enough for Ling Chunann’s small form

 to pass through, impossible for Han Fenglian to follow. Giving Han Fenglian a glance, Ling Chunann cautiously entered the hole.

About ten minutes into the tunnel, Ling Chunann finally saw a light.

"Host, there is a questor's aura ahead!" 098 suddenly spoke.

It was strange that it should have detected the questor from a hundred miles away, so why did it only notice so close? Could there be a system error?

Ling Chunann slowed his pace slightly at 098's reminder, then stepped out of the tunnel.

What appeared before him was a delicate stone chamber, arranged almost exactly like the tomb Ling Chunann had awoken in before, only miniature, and without the light points, sealing charms, and his coffin.

At the center of the central staircase, there now stood a small stone platform, on which rested a beautiful white jade box.

"Host, the questor's aura is inside that box."

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