茶杯狐 -CUPFOX

Chapter 69: Group Intimidation

By the time Xiang Kun arrived, Tang Baona and the others were already waiting for him in Yang Zhen’er’s X3.

After he opened the door and sat in the back seat, the three women greeted him in turn, and then Tang Baona asked, “Have you had lunch yet?”

“Of course, I have.” Xiang Kun nodded in response.

Yang Zhen’er, who had just signaled to merge onto the main road, said, “The eel rice at that place is really delicious. You should try it yourself some time, ‘Teacher Saitama’. I think eel is high in protein too, it’s a healthy food.” They naturally had invited Xiang Kun for lunch, but just as expected, he declined again.

“I don’t eat eel.” Xiang Kun replied simply.

“You don’t eat eel either? This isn’t about controlling your diet. You’re a picky eater…” Yang Zhen’er couldn’t help but comment.

Xiang Kun explained, “Indeed, my taste is quite peculiar, so I basically don’t eat with others.”

“So, what do you usually eat?” Tang Baona, who was sitting in the front passenger’s seat, turned around and curiously asked.

“There’s no specific answer, but I don’t eat much.” Xiang Kun ambiguously replied.

Then he shifted the topic to the several psychiatric questions he read last night and asked for advice from Xia Libing, who was also sitting in the back seat.

After a few minutes, Xia Libing was somewhat surprised. “You started reading yesterday night already the books I recommended to you?

The questions that Xiang Kun raised were all the difficulties in those books. Without having read the books or having an understanding of this discipline, he wouldn’t be able to ask them.

“Yes, I read until midnight.” Xiang Kun said. The content he was asking about was limited to one or two books, so he was not worried that Xia Libing would have any doubts about his learning or reading speed.

Tang Baona turned her head and interrupted, “Old Xia, which hospital in Haixi Province are you transferring to?

Xiang Kun was surprised, “You’re going to Haixi Province? Why aren’t you staying here?” He clearly knew that all three women were locals, and their families were all quite well-off. Coupled with Xia Libing’s own qualifications and abilities, staying in a local hospital should not pose any problems.

Yang Zhen’er, who was driving, grumbled, “Everyone tries to stay at a local hospital after graduation. However, our Old Xia is different. She was offered a position by a local hospital, but she chose to go to an out-of-province hospital! What’s more, it’s not even in a provincial capital or other first-tier cities. Old Xia, where exactly are you going?”

“Citong City.” Xia Libing said.

Xiang Kun was taken aback, ‘Citong City?”

Seeing his reaction, Tang Baona seemed to remember something and asked, “Right, Xiang Kun, you told me before that you’re also from Haixi Province?” Xiang Kun nodded, “I am from Citong City…”

Tang Baona looked surprised for a moment and then turned to Xia Libing in the back seat, unable to help but laugh, “What a coincidence.”

Yang Zhen’er was also somewhat surprised, “What a coincidence? If Old Xia

didn’t secure a hospital appointment two months ago, I would’ve thought she was going to Haixi Province because of ‘Teacher Saitama’.”

“But I’m not currently in Haixi Province.” Xiang Kun shook his head, and then asked Xia Libing, ‘Why did you choose to go to Citong City? There doesn’t seem to be any famous psychiatry department in any hospital there. Logically, shouldn’t the opportunities be better if you stay here, considering the two disciplines you majored in?”

Xia Libing simply replied, “I have connections there.”

“Connections?” Xiang Kun was puzzled. Didn’t Yang Zhen’er say that the local hospital actively wanted her and she was unwilling to stay? So why would she specifically seek a connection to go to a hospital in a second-tier city in Haixi Province?

Tang Baona sensed his confusion and helped him understand, “The hospital she is going to has a deputy director who is her aunt. The aunt claimed to have treated her very well since she was a child. However, we all believe that there must be more reasons than just this.”

Yang Zhen’er also added, “If we talk about being nice to her, I am even nicer! But she did not choose to stay with me! This girl must have some ulterior motives!”

Xia Libing didn’t bother to defend himself, sporting an air of indifference, as if any explanation would mean losing the argument.

After more than two hours of travel, the group of four arrived at a horse farm in the next city. While there was also a horse farm in the outskirts of their own city, it was more expensive, crowded, had fewer horses, and a much smaller course.

“Teacher Saitama, you’ve never ridden a horse before, have you?” Before getting out of the car, Yang Zhen’er turned around and seriously asked Xiang

Kun.

“No, I haven’t. What about it?”

“Hehe, I find it hard to believe that a beginner like you could outdo me!” Yang Zhen’er confidently stated. She was an experienced rider, and horse riding was more than just a physical sport and required much more than just physical fitness.

Xiang Kun merely responded with a smile, saying nothing.

His willingness to ride horses today was actually to test his intimidation ability on animals, to see if it would affect horses, to see if it could help him control a horse.

However, what he didn’t expect was that it worked, and perhaps a bit too well…

When they were brought to the course by the horse farm staff and instructed by the trainer on how to familiarize themselves with the horses and the precautions to take, he set his sights on one particular horse. He tensed up, held his breath, and focused all his attention, mentally preparing for a battle.

The horse he had targeted was successfully influenced by him – spooked, it backed away repeatedly. The horse farm staff could not control it, and it retreated back into its stable, refusing to come out. It lay on the floor like a petulant child, regardless of how much the coach and staff tried to get it to move.

Xiang Kun realized that he might have gone a bit overboard.

What surprised him even more was that this influence seemed to have a “group” effect. Not only the horse he had targeted, but all the horses in the horse farm were affected.

As if, with Xiang Kun there, they were committing an offense by continuing to run. They all stopped, and no amount of coaxing by feeders, managers, or riders made a difference. Some even threw themselves onto the ground in protest.

The horse farm staff, having never seen such a situation, panicked, thinking that there was something wrong with the horses. They could only temporarily halt reception and offer refunds.

To those watching, Xiang Kun only seemed to become a bit more serious during the process. Apart from that, there were no irregularities. Thus, no one realized that the horses’ abnormal behavior was all because of him…

But based on Dast eweriepces. his intimidation ability could not possibly have such a wide effect. It usually only affected the animals he paid attention to.

Also, during his recent blood-drinking periods, he hadn’t specifically trained this ability.

This unexpected event could possibly be due to the enhancements to his body after multiple blood-drinking periods, naturally boosting his intimidation ability, or it could be directly related to the blood of the Giant Owl he had previously consumed.

He thought the latter possibility was more likely.

After leaving the horse farm, the three women were amazed, discussing the horses’ striking protest. Especially Yang Zhen’er, who had been to many horse farms home and abroad and interacted with many horses. She had come across horses of pleasant and volatile temperaments, but had never seen such an occurrence.

Little did they know, once they and Xiang Kun had left the horse farm and driven off, the horses in the horse farm returned to normal.

Upon returning from the neighboring city, after exiting the highway, Yang Zhen’er frowned, asking her companions in the car, “So where are we going now? We can’t possibly just go home, can we?”

“How about we go to my place and play cards?” Tang Baona suggested.

“Sure, but we’ll stop at half past six,” Xiang Kun thought for a moment before answering. Despite the three women being unaware, since their horse riding plans were ruined due to his mistake, he found it hard to refuse Tang Baona’s suggestion.

Yang Zhen’er pouted, turning around to say, “That’s only a few hours though? We can continue after dinner, right? If you don’t want to eat the same thing as us, you can order takeout! It’s okay to eat separately from us!”

Before Xiang Kun could answer, Tang Baona, at the passenger seat, had already exclaimed, “Watch out!…

Yang Zhen’er quickly turned back, instinctively stepping on the brakes, but it was too late. The front of their BMW X3 still kissed the back of the SUV ahead.

Thankfully, they were driving at a slow speed within the city, and the brakes were applied in time, so aside from the scare, there shouldn’t be any major damage to the car or the people within..