I watched for a while, gradually seeing the pattern. The fox demon’s eyes were closed, her fiery red pupils shut tight. Her brows were furrowed, and her radar-like ears twitched back and forth, adjusting their direction. This indicated that she didn't fight with sight, but with hearing, relying on her auditory senses to defend against the whistling sound of the samurai swords cutting through the air.
It wasn't surprising. Those large tails were too cumbersome; swinging them would completely obstruct the fox demon's vision. Therefore, it was more convenient to fight by listening rather than by sight.
The clue that even I could discern was undoubtedly clear to the three Purple Qi masters. They quickly noticed the fox demon's characteristic. One of the female ninjas, positioned behind the fox demon, quietly picked up a stone. As she threw it towards the fox demon, she lunged forward, intending to strike the fox demon's flank with the flat of her blade!
Her speed was too great. It was a feat for me to even follow her movements, let alone make a sound to warn the fox demon. The fox demon, indeed, fell into the trap. While parrying the normal attacks of the other two ninjas, she raised her tail to strike at the small stone. The female ninja behind her, using the flat of her blade, made no whistling sound. She glided past the fox's tail, closing within a meter of the white fox. With a flick of her left hand on the blade, the edge immediately flipped over, aimed at the base of the white fox's tail. Her blade's trajectory suggested she intended to sever all nine of the white fox's tails!
The white fox reacted swiftly. Sensing her defenses breached, she immediately opened her eyes and turned her head backward. At this moment, her nine tails, like daggers, were all extended outwards, too far to retract and block. The white fox could only twist her body, as large as a proud steed, and, like a whirlwind, used her flank to slam into the female ninja. The ninja, wary of injury, could only leap backward to evade. However, her blade continued its thrust. Missing the tails, it instead sliced into the fox demon's upper flank, immediately opening a bloody wound!
The fox demon yelped in pain, her nine tails thrashing wildly in all directions, forcing the three female ninjas back. She then leaped towards me, clearing the cars, and positioned her flank directly at me.
"What is it!?" I asked.
"Lick my wound! Quickly! Stop the bleeding!" the white fox projected telepathically.
I had no time to think. I immediately leaned forward and quickly ran my tongue over her wound. A miracle happened. It felt as if my tongue was a zipper, and as the rain cleared, her wound actually healed!
My actions were obscured by the fox demon's large tail, and her telepathic suggestion was faint. The three female ninjas hadn't noticed me healing her. As they were about to encircle me and the white fox, the white fox leaped over the car roofs again, returning to her original position. Two of the female ninjas immediately followed her back. The third female ninja glanced at my hands, still locked in the car, and only then felt reassured, following suit.
With my lips closed, I gently manipulated a white strand of fur in my mouth. Seizing an opportunity when they weren't looking, I spat it onto the ground.
Seeing the fox demon’s wound heal instantly, the female ninjas exchanged glances. One of them muttered, "It is said that creatures of the Fiery Summer generally possess regenerative abilities. I didn't expect it to be this fast!"
The fox demon smiled slightly and boasted, "This celestial being was careless and didn't dodge. I didn't want you to discover my healing technique at all."
"...Gabyagaya, kill!"
The three female ninjas attacked again. Having learned from their previous lesson, the fox demon no longer fought relying solely on hearing. She opened her eyes, fighting and retreating, always keeping her face towards the three enemies, preventing them from encircling her.
However, Purple Qi was still Purple Qi; their movements were exceptionally agile. After a few rounds, one ninja still managed to slip behind the fox demon. The other two immediately spread out, trapping the fox demon in their formation once more. The female ninja who had successfully ambushed her earlier picked up half a brick from the ground, preparing to repeat her tactic.
At this point, the fox demon was about thirty meters away from me. If she were injured again, she might not be able to return to me for healing immediately. I couldn't stand by idly anymore. Even if I was weak, I had to contribute something.
After a moment of thought, an idea struck me. I shouted loudly, "Nine-Tailed Fox! Hold on, reinforcements will arrive in ten seconds!"
The three female ninjas were indeed distracted. They immediately looked around in other directions. The fox demon seized the opportunity and attacked one of the ninjas. Three of her tails lashed out. The female ninja couldn't block with a single blade and had no choice but to yield her position. The fox demon then leaped out of the encirclement.
"Baka! Liar!" the female ninja cursed at me.
I curled my lips and retorted mockingly, "You don't understand, little islander. This is called 'all is fair in war'! How much of your ancestors' wisdom have you learned from Fiery Summer?"