Taming the Beast World with a Frying Pan-Chapter 166: Bonnie and Clyde were Foxes

Ren splashed the warm, mineral-rich water of the natural spring onto her face, scrubbing away the last vestiges of sleep.

She took a deep breath through her nose. Air flowed freely. No congestion. She stretched her arms above her head, feeling her joints pop satisfyingly.

"Holy cow," Ren whispered, staring at her hands. "I feel... fantastic."

The herbs Vex had forced down her throat last night had worked miracles while she slept. The flu was gone. Completely.

Ren couldn’t help but marvel at it. Back in her world, a flu meant a week of misery, expensive doctors who barely looked at her, and a pharmacy receipt that could pay for a small car. She would be popping pills that only made her drowsy while the virus laughed at her immune system.

’The medical industry is a total scam,’ Ren decided firmly, narrowing her eyes at a stalactite. ’They keep us sick to fatten their pockets. It’s a conspiracy. That’s why doctors write prescriptions in that chicken-scratch handwriting—so we can’t read the secret messages that say "This is just sugar and lies."’

She was deep into plotting a mental exposé on the medical industry when footsteps echoed on the limestone.

Vex strolled into the cavern, looking annoyingly fresh. He was carrying a bundle of large leaves filled with damp mushrooms, a cluster of vibrant berries, and a makeshift waterskin.

"You look less like a dying rat," Vex commented cheerfully, setting his loot down on a rock. "Are you sure you want to leave today? The sky is grey. It smells like a storm."

Ren snatched the waterskin and the mushrooms without argument. She was starving.

"I am going," Ren insisted, taking a swig of water. "The longer I stay away, the more likely Kael and Syris are to kill each other."

She wiped her mouth. "Besides, I don’t want them thinking I ran off with a fox."

Vex chuckled, leaning against the cave wall with his arms crossed. "And what would be so bad about that? Running away with the charming, handsome fox?"

"I don’t have Bonnie and Clyde fantasies," Ren deadpanned.

Vex tilted his head, his orange ears flopping to the side. "Who are Bonnie and Clyde?"

Ren popped a mushroom into her mouth. "They were partners in crime. They were lovers and criminals who ran from the law."

Vex’s eyes lit up. "Were they foxes?"

Ren paused, chewing. She thought about it. Bonnie and Clyde were cunning, reckless, and generally chaotic.

"Basically," Ren hummed. "Yes. They were definitely foxes in spirit."

Vex smirked, looking pleased. "Then we should be Bonnie and Clyde. Lovers and criminals."

Ren rolled her eyes, picking up a cluster of berries. They were the electric blue ones she had eaten before—the ones that tasted like pure sugar and static electricity.

She popped one in. Zap. A tiny spark hit her tongue, followed by a burst of sweetness.

"They had a horrible end," Ren warned him, swallowing the berry. "They got shot...many shots."

She made finger guns with her hands, pointing them at Vex.

"Bang, bang, bang," Ren mimicked.

Vex stared at her hands, completely bewildered. He tried to copy the gesture, curling his fingers awkwardly and staring at his own thumb.

"Bang?" Vex repeated, looking at his hand like it was a foreign object.

Ren laughed. It was a genuine, bubbling sound. She didn’t think the Master of Deception could look so adorable trying to figure out finger guns.

"Never mind," Ren giggled.

She put the remaining berries, mushrooms, and the waterskin into her inventory. Then, she grabbed the largest, fluffiest piece of sheep’s wool from the bedding pile and put that in too.

’Always be prepared,’ Ren thought.

As she turned to leave, her eyes landed on a limestone rock.

Lying there, neatly folded, was a fox fur coat.

Ren’s brows furrowed. She froze.

It was Vex’s coat.

It definitely wasn’t there last night.

"When did you get that back?" Ren asked, pointing at the fur.

Vex glanced at it, unbothered. "Oh. I managed to steal it back before I came to save you from the pit."

Ren’s eyes narrowed. "It wasn’t here last night."

"I left it outside to air out," Vex responded smoothly, scrunching his nose in disgust. "That smelly Black Tiger must’ve tried it on. It had his stink all over it. I couldn’t bring it inside until the stench was gone."

Ren stared at him. The story was plausible.

But then the implication hit her.

’Wait,’ Ren thought, her blood pressure rising. ’He stole it back BEFORE saving me? He saw the situation, saw his coat, and thought, "Ooh, fashion first, dying girl in gross pit second"?!’

She glared at him.

"So you saved your coat before you saved me," Ren stated flatly.

Vex opened his mouth, but Ren didn’t let him speak.

"Whatever," she huffed, her mood instantly souring. "Priorities, right? Glad your wardrobe is safe."

She spun on her heel and marched toward the dark tunnel opening on the left.

"Hey, wait," Vex called out. "Why are you upset all of a sudden?"

"I am not upset!" Ren shouted over her shoulder, stomping in her itchy wool dress. "Why would I be upset that the fox saved his precious coat while I was marinating in poop water?!"

"Little Rose!"

She ignored him. She was on a mission. She was leaving.

Suddenly, a hand clamped around her wrist.

Vex pulled. Hard.

"Whoa!" Ren gasped as she was spun around.

She stumbled forward, her momentum carrying her right into him.

Thump.

Her body collided with his bare, muscular chest. The impact knocked the wind out of her.

Ren looked up, her face instantly heating up. He was warm. Very warm. And he smelled like rain and lavender soap.

Vex didn’t let go of her wrist. He looked down at her, a smirk playing on his lips. His long lashes fluttered as his gaze dropped from her angry eyes to her lips, then back up.

"The exit," Vex whispered, his voice low and husky, "is in the other direction."

He pointed behind him with his free hand.

"Oh," Ren squeaked.

She should have moved. She should have stepped back.

But she didn’t.

Vex leaned in. The air in the cavern seemed to vanish.

Ren’s heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird. ’Push him away, Ren. Push him away.’

She didn’t push.

Vex closed the distance. He kissed her.

It was soft, lingering, and tasted faintly of electric blue berries.

Against her better judgment—against every brain cell screaming that he was a lying, coat-obsessed trickster—Ren kissed him back.

For one second. Maybe two. Or possibly a few more.

Then, her brain rebooted.

SMACK.

Ren pulled away and slapped him across the face.

"I hate you!" Ren yelled, her face burning a bright, tomato red.

She scrambled out of his grip and dashed off in the opposite direction, sliding slightly on the slick limestone floor as she rounded the corner.

Vex stood there, holding his cheek. He watched her running figure disappear into the shadows of the exit tunnel.

"She has quite the swing," Vex chuckled softly.

He waited until the sound of her footsteps faded completely.

Then, the smile dropped from his face, replaced by a cold, clinical expression that made his orange eyes look almost predatory.

He turned and walked toward the tunnel Ren had originally been heading for—the wrong way.

He walked deep into the darkness, navigating the twists and turns until he reached a hidden hole in the cavern wall. He ducked through it, entering a smaller, secluded cave.

The air here was heavy with moisture, dripping from the ceiling.

But stronger than the dampness was the metallic, copper stench of blood.

In the center of the cave, lying on a massive flat rock, was a mountain of black fur.

It was a tiger. A massive, broken, black-furred beast.

Carik.

The Black Tiger King lay motionless. His body was battered, his fur matted with dried blood and dust. To the naked eye, he looked like a corpse.

But Vex’s ears twitched. He could hear it. The shallow, ragged intake of breath. The slow, struggling thump-thump of a heart that refused to stop beating.

Vex approached the beast.

He pried open the tiger’s bloody maw and shoved the herbs deep into the beast’s throat, forcing him to swallow.

Vex ran his hand along the coarse, bloody black fur, petting the unconscious monster like a favored pet.

His eyes gleamed in the dark.

"Don’t die yet," Vex whispered, his voice manic and low. "We’re going to have so much fun together, Black Tiger King."