HOW could Luo Yan not know?  He hadn't removed his gaze on the original since the other threw those two leaves.  That's why even if two more copies of him appeared and tried to confuse him, he still knew who was the real one. 

He sensed an attack coming from the left.  He raised his dagger and repelled it.  It's a good thing that he was using double-wielding weapons.  It was easier to repel attacks from all sides.  With his speed, he barely received any major damage. 

The orange-haired kitsune – the real one – raised his katana as if preparing for a big attack.  Luo Yan finally found his opening.  Before the other could do his 'big move', he quickly used one of his skills – [Strike Kill].

It was one of his more powerful skills against a single enemy.  His hit landed and the kitsune was thrown off quite a distance.  His back hitting a tree.  The two fake kitsunes suddenly turned into flames and disappeared. 

Luo Yan walked towards the orange-haired kitsune who now couldn't move.  Because the other was wounded by his dagger, the Eternal Lotus was now in effect.  Stopping the other's time for three seconds. 

"Now, what should I do to you?" he pondered while looking down at the kitsune. 

Before he could decide, he felt another presence creeping behind him.  He dropped one of his daggers and it quickly fell into his shadows.  And just as he expected, he heard a grunt from behind. 

He looked back and saw a red-head male kitsune lying on the ground.  His dagger was buried on the other's shoulder.  He glanced at the orange-haired kitsune, he seemed to have already lost consciousness.  So, he simply walked towards this newly arrived kitsune.

He bent down and took out the dagger from the other's shoulder.  Because of the effect of the Eternal Lotus, the kitsune's time was still stopped.  So, he could freely stare at the other.  He had red hair and was also wearing the same ninja-like costume.  He was shorter than the orange-haired and looked much younger. His eyes that were wide open were as red as his hair.  And behind him were four fluffy tails.

A four-tailed, huh? 

It didn't take long for the effect of the Eternal Lotus to wear off.  The redhead kitsune immediately glared at him.

"What did you do to me just now?" the other shouted while quickly standing up and jumping away from him.  "You villain!  Are you here to destroy our village?  Let me tell you this, even if I have to sacrifice my life, I won't let you take even a single step to our village!"

Ah, another hot-blooded youth.

Before he could respond, the young kitsune looked towards the direction of the orange-haired one.  Then his eyes widened in shock.  He pointed his finger tremblingly at Luo Yan.  "You- how dare you kill Mikado?"

Luo Yan raised one of his brows.  "Child, why are you so quick in labeling your friend there as dead?  Don't tell me you secretly wanted him to be dead?" he asked in an amused tone.

The kitsune glared even more fiercely at him.  "You're the one who should be dead!"

The other was about to attack him when a flash of white made its way to their direction and stopped at the middle.  Then a female kitsune appeared.  Unlike the other two, she was wearing some kind of priestess costume almost similar to one the statue Kagetsuki was wearing.  The both of them even looked kind of similar.

But unlike Kagetsuki, she had long white hair that was styled in a loose braid.  Her eyes were even a lighter shade of blue than Kagetsuki.  If Kagetsuki's beauty was like a lily of the valley – enchanting and wild, then this female kitsune was like that of a white rose – gentle but still with a touch of elegance.

And the most important part was that she had eight tails behind her.  She had the most number of tails he had seen apart from Kagetsuki.

"Stand down, Akashi," the female kitsune said to the redhead.  Even her voice sounded gentle.  Almost like a melodious bell.

"B-but High Priestess--!  That person trespassed on our sacred ground!  He even killed Mikado!" the redhead immediately complained.

"Mikado just lost consciousness.  I've already healed him.  Go and bring him back to the village."

Luo Yan was a bit surprised to hear that.  He glanced back at the unconscious orange-haired who these bunch were calling 'Mikado' and saw that the wound he received from his attack was really gone.  Just when did this woman heal him?  Well, she's an eight-tailed kitsune.  So, it's kind of understandable if he didn't feel her presence much earlier.

"But—"

"Akashi."  The female kitsune walked towards the redhead and hovered her hand on top of his wounded shoulder.  A gentle white light appeared and when it was gone, so too was the wound on the redhead's shoulder.  "Go and bring Mikado back to the village."

That's only what it took for the redhead named Akashi to nod his head and walk towards Mikado.  He crouched down and effortlessly put the still unconscious kitsune on his back.  Before leaving, he did not forget to glare at Luo Yan and shout;

"If you dare hurt the High Priestess, everyone in our village will hunt you down until you're dead!"

Then he jumped to one of the nearby trees and disappeared from their sights.

"My apologies for the younger generation's attitude.  He's only acting that way because he cares for his fellow tribesmen," the female kitsune said.

Luo Yan shrugged.  "It's okay.  I don't really mind."

The female kitsune turned to him.  "This traveler, may I ask what's your relationship with the little kitsune over there?"

Luo Yan looked at the blue bubble.  Eclipse was still inside and nothing seemed to have changed since that orange-haired kitsune appeared.  He wasn't sure if it was a good thing or what.  He then returned his gaze to the female kitsune.

"Let's just say I'm his guardian."

He had a feeling that if he said 'pet', this woman might just directly attack him.  And, well, a guardian wasn't really that far-off from the truth.

"A guardian," the female kitsune repeated before walking towards the statue of Kagetsuki.  "This little one, he had the same scent as my sister."

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