《Cultivation Struggles of a Lowly Fox》 Chapter 1 – WHAT THE HECK He woke up groggily. All around him was only an endless forest. He blinked several times before cursing profusely. ''Where the fuck am I now?! First, I got hit by a car. Then those assholes medics couldn''t even drive me into the hospital before they crashed. Then they send a helicopter to the rescue, only for that to also crash! Can you give me a break, you assholes! At least fix your shit before you send your grubby little slave workers to rescue people!'' He was exhausted and had a hard time moving. He could only hear lush forest sounds. There were no sounds of burning and people moaning from pain. It was ''silent'', eerily so. ''They wouldn''t ditch me... right?'' He was sweating from fear of being abandoned. Not because he would be alone, but because he would bleed out and die- Hm? He wasn''t in any pain, nor did it feel like his intestines were all around on the floor. He just felt... exhausted? He was confused and looked down. He couldn''t see his lower body. ''Well, shit! No wonder I feel exhausted, when I''m missing my WHOLE LOWER BODY, GODDAMMIT!'' He cursed whoever sent him here, but still tried to move his limbs. It was possible and he soon tried to wipe his face with his hand- He froze completely, staring at the very furry paw. His mind blanked and he didn''t know what to think... [Initiating System] He stared at the oddly familiar, yet unfamiliar text floating in front of him. [ Name: - Species: [Ordinary Red Fox Cub] Age: 0.08 Beast Rank: Animal Level: 1 Stats: HP: 2/2 ST: 2/2 Vitality: 1/1 Vigour: 1 Toughness: 1 Strength: 1 Agility: 1 Dexterity: 1 Mind: 1 Insight: - Beauty: - Luck: - Stat Points: 0 Skill Points: 0 Skills: [Dig: Lv.1], [Bite: Lv.1], [Scratch: Lv.1], Blessings: [Hidden], Items: ] ... He stared at the text blankly, his soul slowly leaving his body. [System was fully initiated and will assist you with your future endeavours.] ''Great... fucking fantastic... DO YOU THINK I CARE ABOUT THAT?! I''M A FUCKING FURRY NOW! NO! NOT EVEN THAT! I''M A FREAKING ANIMAL! AND WHAT''S THIS 2 HP?! YOU THINK I''M A FUCKING JOKE?! A PEBBLE CAN KILL ME!'' He vented his frustration as he was very familiar with ''RPG'' systems. Nothing of this spoke highly of him. [This System will help you get stronger, do not worry chosen one.] ''I DON''T WANT TO BE CHOSEN! I WANT TO LIE INSIDE A HOSPITAL WITHOUT A CARE IN THE WORLD AND NURSE MY WOUNDS!'' [That would be impossible.] ''UHUH! SO YOU KIDNAP MY SOUL AND JUST DITCH IT INSIDE THIS SHITHOLE AND CALL IT "getting stronger" AS IF I CARE ABOUT YOUR REASONS, SEND ME BACK!'' He was currently shouting inside his mind into empty air, unfortunately, things would get only worse from here... [Your body has already perished in the flames, it''s impossible to send you back.] ''... huh?'' His mind suddenly sobered and he stared at the text in front of him. [Your Mind has deteriorated, so you won''t be able to remember much, but you wished for this.] [My Master, as the kind god he is, allowed the fulfilment of your dreams under the condition of ####.] This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.[As such, you were given everything you wished for and are thus unable to return to your former world.] [Furthermore, we already anticipated your rude behaviour and slightly altered your choices.] [Species: [Ordinary Red Fox]->[Ordinary Red Fox(Female)]] ... This was too much information for him to process, his mind was really slow and muddled. The only thing he knew for certain, was that he would strangle those sons of bitches for turning him into a girl. He was a virgin and now lost his only chance to redeem himself as a man. He cursed for several minutes and the system patiently waited for him. [Moreover, as this system wishes your survival, it will do its best to assist you and correct you.] [You have obtained a new title: [Foul-mouthed]] ''... Stop... just stop...'' He finally gave up on cussing and tried to rearrange his thoughts. He had an awful headache that wasn''t lessening each time he tried dabbling into his memories. ''So...'' [Yes?] ''You are to help me... right?'' [That is correct.] ''And guide me?'' He was exhausted and his mind didn''t work like it would normally, so he was grasping anything he could use to alleviate his current situation. [That is correct.] ''What do I do?'' He asked, surprisingly politely, that even the system paused for a moment. [User should get familiar with his current stats and abilities.] [ Name: - Species: [Ordinary Red Fox Cub(Female)] Age: 0.08 Beast Rank: Animal Level: 1 Stats: HP: 2/2 ST: 2/2 Vitality: 1/1 Vigour: 1 Toughness: 1 Strength: 1 Agility: 1 Dexterity: 1 Mind: 1 Insight: - Beauty: - Luck: - Stat Points: 0 Skill Points: 0 Skills: [Dig: Lv.1], [Bite: Lv.1], [Scratch: Lv.1], Blessings: [Hidden], Items: ] His name was blanked and he couldn''t remember his name, this bothered him greatly and he couldn''t move on without his name. ''Name...'' He tried to think of any name he was familiar with and liked, but his headache wouldn''t allow it. ''Give me... my name...'' He was tired. The system paused for longer than it was necessary. [Are you sure?] ''I need a name... Every Hero needs one and Every Villain needs none...'' [...] [What about ''Aiko''?] The system asked timidly, yet excitedly. ''... I still won''t forgive you for turning me into a girl... remember that...'' [Name: - -> Aiko] He then carefully tapped the species text. [Species: [Ordinary Red Fox Cub(Female)]] [Description: Completely ordinary female fox with a short lifespan.] ''...'' He wished that the system would at least give him something cooler, something like... like... he couldn''t remember... [Beast Rank: Animal] [The weakest being there is, a mortal can easily butcher you.] ''...'' He really hated her... her? How did he know it was she? No matter, he is getting more and more tired... [Level: 1] [Level indicates the amount of #### inside your body. As #### increases, it will allow you to grow stronger.] ''That was pretty normal... normal?'' His mind was getting more and more muddled, but he pushed on. [Stats] [Indication of your strengths and weaknesses.] [HP: 2/2] [How much ''Damage'' you can sustain before your body gives out.] [Normal HP is 100] [ST: 2/2] [Stamina: How much you can perform above normal feats. (Running, climbing, biting, fighting.)] [Normal Stamina is 100] [Vitality: 1/1] [Vitality is your life essence, if you burn or lose too much your body won''t be able to function. Decreases through HP regeneration and mating.] [Normal Human Vitality is 10] [Vigour: 1] [How much stamina you have.] [Normal Human Vigour is 10] [Toughness: 1] [Toughness improves damage threshold. For example, with 10 toughness any damage under 9 would be nullified, but any damage above 9 would be only reduced by a small amount.] [Normal Humans values vary greatly.] [Strength: 1] [Your bodily power, carry capability, pushing capability, etc.] [Normal Humans values vary greatly.] [Agility: 1] [Your athletic inclination. With high agility, the speed and manoeuvrability of your body would increase.] [Normal Humans values vary greatly.] [Dexterity: 1] [Your finger, wrist, hand, feet, tail precision and capabilities. Important for crafting and making things.] [Normal Humans values vary greatly, but is around 1000.] [Mind: 1] [How much you can remember and your processing speed. With a high enough Mind, you will be able to remember everything and never forget a thing, it would also get more difficult to affect your mind.] [Normal Humans values vary greatly, but is around 100.] [Insight: -] [How much and How fast you can understand techniques, inscriptions, arrays, books, etc.(This is tied to your mind)] [Beauty: -] [How charismatic and how much sway you have for the opposite gender. (You need several times more to affect the same gender, but be careful! Until you reach that threshold, you will only invite jealousy and envy of others.)] [Normal Humans values vary greatly, but is around 100.] [Luck: -] [####] His mind was overwhelmed, but he understood that raising these numbers was crucial to his survival. [Stat Points: 0] [You can raise your stats with this.] [Skill Points: 0] [You need these to ''learn'' new skills.] [Skills] [Cultivation of your abilities, but just because you don''t have the skill, doesn''t mean you can''t do it. It just means you will have a harder time doing it than if you had the corresponding skill.] [Dig: Lv.1] [Allows the User to dig faster at the cost of using Stamina.] [Bite: Lv.1] [Enhances User''s Bite at the cost of Stamina.] [Scratch: Lv.1] [Enhances User''s Claw to scratch better, but at the cost of Stamina.] [Blessings] [Extremely powerful Energies and Fate bestowed upon you from extremely powerful or long-lived individuals] [Hidden] [You are unable to see or determine what this is for the time being.] [Items] [Items from the system, you can also store items from the system here, but you are unable to store anything from outside the system.] He had mixed feelings about this and he didn''t really know how to tackle this, but he was sure it would be alright... How? He didn''t know how or why. He just felt this nice, gentle and warm energy caressing his body as his mind was slowly slipping away. [WAIT! YOU BITCH! DON''T YOU DARE- THAT''S IT! I''M CASTRATING YOU! YOU GOD DAMN FEATHER DUSTER!] His mind was already half gone and he couldn''t really hear what she was saying, not to mention he couldn''t really understand what the system was saying even if he wanted... Chapter 2 – Second Day and Rude Neighbour He woke up, still feeling tired, but much less than before. It felt like his body was pressed by something heavy which gave him a hard time standing up, not to mention that he was no longer human and instead was trapped inside this animal body. This greatly pained him, he wanted to indulge in human desires, but if he tried to get close to any city, those guys from... from... argh!! All he knew was that it would be bad for him. He finally managed to stand up and looked around. It was a quiet morning, with chirping sounds all around him. While he didn''t particularly dislike those sounds, he was still afraid of them. After all, he was just a cub inside an absolutely humongous and extremely vast Forest. He felt like his entire body could fit on a Human male''s palm with very little difficulty. This feeling made him realize that he was utterly small and it took a very long time to traverse inside this forest. He also wasn''t alone inside this forest and would be hunted by possibly anything that moves. He could hear a sigh. [Please check your [Items] as you were given gifts by us...] For some peculiar reason, he could feel that the system was depressed, but didn''t delve on it and opened the system. [ Name: Aiko Species: [Ordinary Red Fox Cub (Female)] Age: 0.08 Beast Rank: Animal Level: 1 Title: [Foul-mouthed] Stats: HP: 2/2 ST: 2/2 Vitality: 1/1 Vigour: 1 Toughness: 1 Strength: 1 Agility: 1 Dexterity: 1 Mind: 1 Insight: - Beauty: - Luck: - Stat Points: 0 Skill Points: 0 Skills: [Dig: Lv.1], [Bite: Lv.1], [Scratch: Lv.1], Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], Items: [Welcome Package] ] His mind was still muddled, but he could tell that his blessings were completely outrageous, judging by their names. He also noticed, that he had that unfortunate title, but he didn''t dare click on it, lest he vomited blood and die on the spot... vomit blood? Why would he vomit blood? He clicked on the [Welcome Package]. There were ''birthday'' party effects with some additional sounds. He was startled, but then he looked at it and was greatly disappointed. [Introduction to the Mortal Realm] He didn''t expect anything extravagant from the system, but this was just downright sad. Not because of the book itself, but because... [You need at least 100 Mind and 10 Insight to read this book] His fragile ego suffered a heavy blow. In his previous life, he was very smart!(self proclaimed) But now the system indirectly told him that he was dumb as a brick... He placed the book back inside the system and ignored it. He then went around the forest to find himself something to eat, since he could feel he was very hungry. He strolled without a goal, looking all around to find anything to eat. He found a bird nest far away in front of him on a branch. It had a few eggs inside. He was against hunting since he was formerly a cultured human who didn''t eat raw meat, but eggs should be fine as long as he swallowed them whole without chewing. He steeled his mind and walked towards the tree cautiously. He was worried that those birds were nearby and would use him as a snack. Fortunately for him, it didn''t seem like there were any birds around, as he couldn''t even hear a single bird chirp. He stared at the obscenely huge tree and gulped, his stomach also rumbled, reminding him it was time to eat. He used his sharp claws as climbing gear and slowly moved upwards. He was making some good progress until his body suddenly gave out. He felt powerless as exhaustion washed over him. Fortunately for him, his claws were still stuck inside the bark, not allowing him to fall. He was confused for a moment, but soon he realized what was wrong. [Stamina: 0/2] He ran out of stamina while climbing. He cursed his tiny body, as it wouldn''t even take that much effort to obtain those eggs if he was in his Human form- form? What form? He hung there like a wet towel on a drying rack, waiting patiently for his stamina to recover, as he was not even able to remove his claws from the bark. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. After an hour his stamina recovered by 1 and he cursed again. It would take him a whole day to get to that nest and it better be worth this hassle! Like this, each hour, he moved slightly upwards. He almost fell a few times as he was trying to push forward, but after hanging on one paw for another hour, he didn''t feel as motivated to push forward since his paw really hurt... [HP: 1/2] It seems like he took damage because of it. Curses! ... He finally managed to get on the branch, exhausted and now weak, he heavily panted as he lay on the branch. The eggs were just in front of him, but he didn''t have any Stamina to move his tired body. He waited another hour to recover one stamina and moved in front of the nest. There he saw 3 quite large eggs, but not so large that he couldn''t swallow them. He finished them in 3 gulps and felt satisfied, but also sad that he didn''t get any kind of reward for this feat. *CAW* *CAW* A bird noisily screamed not far from him and he was shaken. If this was that bird''s nest, he was dead! In his panic, he looked around to find a way out, but couldn''t. His blood drained from his body once he heard those same noises, but much closer to him. His mind blanked and the only thing he could think of was to jump down. His body was falling through the air, landing on a bush, but that bush wasn''t sturdy and only slowed down his fall slightly. [You have taken 1 damage.] [HP: 0/2] He felt like his body was no longer his, as if someone had cut off the strings that allowed him to move his body. This made him slowly fall deep inside that bush and lose consciousness. ... He woke up. He didn''t know how long he was out, but he knew he was still alive. [ Name: Aiko Species: [Ordinary Red Fox Cub (Female)] Age: 0.08 Beast Rank: Animal Level: 2 Title: [Foul-mouthed] Stats: HP: 2/4 ST: 4/4 Vitality: 2/2 Vigour: 2 Toughness: 2 Strength: 2 Agility: 2 Dexterity: 2 Mind: 2 Insight: - Beauty: - Luck: - Stat Points: 1 Skill Points: 1 Skills: [Dig: Lv.1], [Bite: Lv.1], [Scratch: Lv.1], Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm] ] He also got multiple messages from the system. [You have demonstrated an acrobatic feat beyond your capabilities!] [System has rewarded you with Title: [Agile]] [Would you like to acquire [Agile]?] He stared at the text mockingly, of course, he would acquire it! He didn''t know the effects, but felt like they were much more important than Classical Skills. [You have acquired [Agile]!] [Title: Agile] [Gives the User a flat 5 Agility and 1 Agility per level.] [You have escaped from the clutches of death and lived to tell the tale!] [System has rewarded you with Title: [Brave]] [Would you like to acquire [Brave]?] ''Do you even need to ask?!'' He cussed the system. He also noticed that he could move his body again. [You have acquired [Brave]!] [Title: Brave] [Gives the User a flat 1 Vitality, Toughness, Strength and 1 Vitality, Toughness, and Strength per level.] [You have digested the last Egg and recovered your satiety.] [EXP gained.] [Level: 2 -> 3] [ Name: Aiko Species: [Ordinary Red Fox Cub(Female)] Age: 0.08 Beast Rank: Animal Level: 3 Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave] Stats: HP: 2/10 ST: 4/6 Vitality: 2/7 Vigour: 3 Toughness: 7 Strength: 7 Agility: 11 Dexterity: 3 Mind: 3 Insight: - Beauty: - Luck: - Stat Points: 2 Skill Points: 2 Skills: [Dig: Lv.1], [Bite: Lv.1], [Scratch: Lv.1], Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm] ] He felt... really springy... those Titles were a huge help to him. He would be able to traverse more easily, but there was still danger from other animals. He also felt full and not as groggy. He spotted that the black bird was still trying to frantically find its eggs, with no success. He could see it was enraged and a chill went up his spine each time it shrieked. After all, it was 3 times his size! He didn''t dare leave the bush, he was safe for now, so he looked at his status and tapped [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox]. [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox] [####] [1st Effect: You can''t be forced into an obedience or slavery contract under #### Cultivation unless you decide otherwise.] He didn''t quite understand the meaning of the effect clearly, but he knew slavery was bad and was happy that he could avoid that. [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix] [####] [1st Effect: You will burn anyone who forces you into a contract. Damage depends on the User''s strength and opponent''s Cultivation.] This was... vicious, but it was another barrier that his opponents had to face if they wanted to enslave him. He nodded happily and laid back down, waiting for the crow to either calm down or leave. The latter would be much more appreciated by him. ... He woke up, he didn''t even notice he fell asleep and it was already dark again. He felt hungry and hopeless once again and squinted his eyes, surprisingly he could see things outside the bush, but not inside. He looked around trying to find the black bird, but with no success. He breathed a sigh of relief and left the bush cautiously, always looking all around him to spot any predators. He would need more skills to survive in here and abilities to protect himself, but for now, since he was small, he was able to traverse this place relatively easily. He made it to a bush with deliciously looking cherries. He ''plucked'' a few, returning to his bush to munch on them. He wanted peace of mind, at least while eating. He sat down, munching on the cherries, when suddenly he couldn''t move his body. His cherries dripped from his mouth and he soon plopped on the ground without being able to do anything. [You have been poisoned.] [Current Effect: Paralysis] He was fortunate that it wasn''t lethal poison, but that also meant he couldn''t eat that delicious-looking bush with so many cherries on it. He also felt really parched after eating those cherries so he will now have to find a water source. After half an hour, the effect disappeared and he could move once again. He immediately set off to find some food, but he couldn''t hear any water nearby. So it was quite tough, but once he sharpened his senses he was able to feel humid air drifting from the south. He followed that air for half a day, avoiding predators and anything that could pose a threat to him... which was everything. He even had to avoid walnuts falling from trees since they dealt a whopping 2 damage to him! He finally regenerated to 3 HP, but now he was back down to 1! He was crestfallen from that and had to pay much more attention to detail, exhausting him quicker. Fortunately, he was able to find the river soon. Unfortunately, it was a rocky river, it had no bushes all around it! He couldn''t hide when drinking water! He would be exposed and defenceless to predators. So he made up his mind and waited until night, it should be safer that way... He hoped. Chapter 3 – Water and Escape Night had come, and everything quietened down. There were no more birds chirping, only some annoying bugs screaming into the night. He waited patiently, being parched made it difficult for him to focus, but the fear of being hunted the moment he approached that river kept his desires in check. This proved to be the right call, as not long after, carnivorous animals walked out of the bushes and hydrated themselves on the river water. He nearly went pale after seeing the amount of animals. There was an entire pack of wolves sipping on the moving water! He waited inside his bush, breathing as quietly as possible. Soon he heard a rumble and the earth shook. Again and Again. He was startled and looked around only to find a sleuth of bears. There were only a few large bears, but many small cubs trodding along the rocky path. Their eyes met and the wolves growled towards the bears while the bears growled lowly back. Both groups stopped and tried to intimidate each other, neither of them backing out. The wolves got more aggressive as they howled and barked while snapping their mouths at the bears. Bears thumped and slapped their paws on the ground huffing at them. Finally, one of the wolves couldn''t take it anymore and dashed towards the bear. The bear scoffed at the wolf and slammed his paw onto the wolf, instantly putting him in a near death state. The injured wolf whined, but couldn''t move. The bear [Howled] at the wolves and they finally ran away with their tails between their legs. Satisfied, the mama bear guided their young towards the river to let them drink. She was alert in case the wolves returned. It took a good 2 hours for them to leave this place because her young loved to play inside the water and hunt for the moving fish. The forest quietened down again, but he was still sceptical. He waited again to see if something or someone would try to approach the river. Fortunately, his ears didn''t pick up any sound for a while. He approached the river to have a drink. The water hurt his throat, since his throat was too dry and sandy. He ignored that feeling gulping down the river water awkwardly as he couldn''t just take a cup and drink it. It was also impossible for him to slurp it, so the only thing he could think of was to burrow his whole head into the water and ''suck'' the water. It was a mild success as he was choking quite a lot when it went inside the wrong pipe, but eventually, he got the hang of it and sated his thirst. He could feel eyes on him, but since he didn''t know from where and who, he didn''t know what to make of them. Should he treat every gaze as hostile? Or should he wait until they make some kind of move? But what if they are faster than he is and he is just a sitting duck? He didn''t know the answers to these questions, so he sneaked around towards the still not dead wolf. He lowered himself to approach the wolf, the wolf growled at him, attempting to scare Aiko away as he was too injured to move. That didn''t discourage him and he stared at his prey. He needed to eat, but considering how dangerous the bounties of the forest were... He couldn''t risk getting poisoned again, it would be much safer if he preyed on the injured wolf''s meat. Aiko was careful with his approach, the wolf was snapping at him, trying to scare him or bite him to death. He started timing the wolf''s snaps and jumped at his throat to kill him. Unfortunately, as he was a weak little Fox Cub, he was unable to kill him or mortally wound him. This scared him and made him jumped away quickly as the wolf''s sharp teeth approached his spine. -1HP The teeth grazed and injured him, bringing him back down to 1 HP... yet again. He was upset at the dying wolf''s tenacity, but since he was weak and now also injured, he couldn''t really do much about it... Aiko found a place nearby between the rocks that could barely fit him and he just stared at the wolf without blinking. This attitude pissed off the wolf. He couldn''t accept that his corpse would be feasted upon by an insolent fox cub! In a fit of rage, he had a stupor of low howling and growling towards Aiko, only to be ignored until he breathe his last, which took several grueling hours... [Congratulations on your first kill!] He was... shocked? He couldn''t understand how this would be considered killing someone. [If killing could be done only with strength and power, then most snakes and other venomous creatures wouldn''t be able to survive in this plane.] Suddenly, the system flatly answered his question, as if she was conversing with an idiot. Ignoring the fact that the system could read his mind, he was greatly upset by this. Shouldn''t all systems be helpful and useful for their owners?! This was the first time he had some kind of system, but it felt way different than the ones he had seen in his previous life''s... games? What''s a game? Either way, he also wasn''t the greatest when it came to the animal kingdom... [You have gained a Level.] [You have gained a Level.] [You have gained a Level.] ... The system resumed its rewards and bestowed everything upon him. [You have demonstrated a courageous feat above your grade!] This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.[System has rewarded you with Title: [Courageous]] [Would you like to acquire [Courageous]?] He naturally said yes after checking the effects. [You have acquired [Courageous]!] [Title: Courageous] [Gives the User a flat 1 Vitality, Strength, Agility and 1 Vitality, Strength, and Agility per level.] [####] [You have gained access to [Skill Shop]!] [ Name: Aiko Species: [Ordinary Red Fox Cub(Female)] Age: 0.08 Beast Rank: Animal Level: 3 -> 9 Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous] Stats: HP: 1/10 -> 29/38 ST: 3/6 -> 15/18 Vitality: 2/7 -> 2/29 Vigour: 3 -> 9 Toughness: 7 -> 19 Strength: 7 -> 29 Agility: 11 -> 33 Dexterity: 3 -> 9 Mind: 3 -> 9 Insight: - Beauty: - Luck: - Stat Points: 2 -> 8 Skill Points: 2 -> 8 Skills: [Dig: Lv.1], [Bite: Lv.1], [Scratch: Lv.1], Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm] ] He felt like his mind got clearer than before and he could think much better now. This was unfortunately not the time to dilly-dally and he returned to the wolf to munch on him. He had a hard time going through his fur pelt, but once he activated [Bite] it felt like chewing on very tough skin. Eventually, he managed to expose a bit of meat. [Bite: Lv.1 -> 2] His bite increased in level and he tried to bite again, it was noticeably easier to bite through the fur pelt this time, but he also noticed his Stamina decreasing faster. However, it didn''t quite feel like a linear increase, the effectiveness was a lot greater, while the stamina usage only increased gently. He munched on the pink meat. He was worried that it would taste bland since it''s a raw meat, but surprisingly it was quite... no, very delicious. [EXP gained.] It definitely was not because he got experience, definitely not! [Level: 9 -> 10] [Newbie protection disabled.] [Your HP won''t regenerate through increasing your Max HP.] [Your ST won''t regenerate through increasing your Max ST.] [Your presence suppression was removed.] [You are eligible for [Evolution Tree].] [You have reached Level 10! [Welcome Package] obtained.] [You can now evolve into different species.] Aiko felt a chill down his spine as many eyes focused on him. He could hear owls and other nocturnal birds singing in the night with eyes on him. Aiko immediately dashed away, ignoring his stamina usage, since he got quite a bit of it. He dashed towards the river, feeling something approaching him from behind and he dived inside it. The presence disappeared soon after, but he still felt eyes on him. He dove under the water and let the current washed him away, only sometimes floating above the water level to take a breather. Noticing that his stamina would decrease greatly after being underwater for a certain period, so he timed his submerging and floating with this, reducing his stamina usage. Aiko was like this until the sun was emerging on the horizon and he finally felt like he was not being hunted. The river washed him onto a sandy beach. Well, it wasn''t really a beach, since this wasn''t a true sea. Not to mention, it was so small that nobody would mistake it for a beach. But Aiko was so small that it looked like a large beach. Aiko was weak and shivering. He spent too much time inside the water to avoid his predators, causing his body to cool down too much. Fortunately, there was an air drift of hot and dry air coming from the downstream. He lay there letting the sun and air dry him as he was too weak to walk. He spent all his stamina during his ''swimming'' so he was too exhausted to do anything. Aiko looked at his system. Pleased with the increase in stats. He could also open [Skill Shop] and [Evolution Tree] He opened [Skill Shop] first to properly check it. [ Skill Shop; Page 1/94637218 Number of items per page: 50 [Passive Skill: Acrobatics] Price: 1 Skill Point [Skill: Dash] Price: 1 Skill Point [Skill: Jump] Price: 1 Skill Point [Skill: Dig] Price: 1 Skill Point ... You can [Hide] already owned Active/Passive Skills. ] He looked at the shop, his mind hurt, seeing so many pages. He naturally hid those that he already had, but still clicked on the last page, wondering what he might find there. It was his habit when visiting forums on... on what? What was the forum again? [ Skill Shop; Page 94637218/94637218 Number of items per page: 50 [####] Price: #### [####] Price: #### [####] Price: #### You can [Hide] already owned Active/Passive Skills. ] A disappointment. He wished he could see what those things were, but it didn''t seem like the system would allow it. He got back on the first page, revising his options and scrutinizing them. Aiko currently had 10 Skill points. It seemed like every 10th Level he would get 2 points instead of one, which was nice. Aiko found quite a lot of them that he could purchase. He guessed that there were thousands of pages that he could pick from, but he needed Insight and Mind for that book and some kind of skills to make him less visible... His mind was overheating from the number of information he tried to process. Aiko cursed in his mind that he couldn''t think that much further ahead and closed the store with a frown. He clicked on the [Evolution Tree] next. [Bengal Fox] [Rarity: Worthless] [Beast Rank: Animal] [Need 20 Vigour to see more] [Blanford''s Fox] [Rarity: Worthless] [Beast Rank: Animal] [Need 50 Agility to see more] [Cape Fox] [Rarity: Worthless] [Beast Rank: Animal] [Need 50 Agility to see more] [Corsac Fox] [Rarity: Worthless] [Beast Rank: Animal] [Need 20 Vigour and Toughness to see more] [Tibetan Sand Fox] [Rarity: Worthless] [Beast Rank: Animal] [Need 30 Vigour and Toughness to see more] [Arctic Fox] [Rarity: Worthless] [Beast Rank: Animal] [Need 30 Vigour and Agility to see more] [Kit Fox] [Rarity: Worthless] [Beast Rank: Animal] [Need 15 Vigour to see more] [Pale Fox] [Rarity: Worthless] [Beast Rank: Animal] [Need 20 Vigour to see more] [R¨¹ppell''s Fox] [Rarity: Worthless] [Beast Rank: Animal] [Need 20 Vigour and Agility to see more] [Swift Fox] [Rarity: Worthless] [Beast Rank: Animal] [Need 25 Vigour and Agility to see more] [Fennec Fox] [Rarity: Worthless] [Beast Rank: Animal] [Click to see more] Chapter 4 – First Evolution and Skills Aiko stared at the screen for a good while, cursing constantly. ''What do you mean I need 20 Vigour?! I have only 10 Stat Points! Not to mention, I don''t know If I can Level Up further or if I''m stuck at this level! I have to hunt or find some non-poisoned food to figure that out, and fuck that! I need Skills that will let me hide since I''m so god-damn weak even when I levelled up!'' He clicked his tongue and stared at the screen, clicking on [Fennec Fox] description, since that was the only Tree that could be clicked on. [Fennec Fox] [A Desert Fox that specialized in survival in the desert. It has unusually large ears, which increases its auditory senses and can even hear prey underground. Those ears also help dissipate heat and maintain ''comfortable'' temperatures in desert climates. Survives longer without water. It is considered an exotic pet and is extremely sought after.] [Specialization: Desert Survival and Hearing] [Body: Smallest of the Fox Kingdom] [Strengths: Increased Intelligence and Beauty (Depends on the condition of head and fur.)] [Weakness: Overall Strength and Toughness.] Aiko didn''t like its weakness, but he was extremely happy about the water and hearing part. He relied on his senses a lot and if he could improve them that would be great. There is also a lot of dry air coming downstream, which could indicate a dry environment. That would be perfect for this type of fox. What he liked the most from this was the increased intelligence. Aiko didn''t care about beauty, since he wouldn''t be meeting any Humans anytime soon. ''I need more Intelligence...'' [Do you wish to Evolve into [Fennec Fox]?] ''Evolve me.'' [Do you truly wish to Evolve into [Fennec Fox]?] ''Evolve me already!'' [Very well.] Aiko could feel some dissatisfaction with the system, but he didn''t care. He needed Mind to learn from that book and clear his mind. He needed to think and carefully plan what he would buy with- ''ARGHHHH'' Aiko screamed, but only a whine came out of his mouth. He could feel his bones compressing and shrinking. His mind was blank from the amount of pain he experienced just from his bones. Then his organs, muscles, skin. Everything started to shrink. It was unimaginable pain and he already fainted several times, only to get woken up again by even worse pain and then fainting again. This repeated many times until he finally grasped some of his sanity and no longer felt any pain. Aiko panted heavily and was startled by how much more he could hear around himself. He groggily stood up and walked towards the river. Here, the current was slow enough that he could see... herself? Aiko looked into the water. The first thing that greeted him were his almost comically large ears. They were at least twice, maybe even 3 times the size of his head. He frowned but was mesmerized by his cute little head. Now, he didn''t like foxes that much, since the last time he met one¡­ it stole his food and ran away like lightning! But he had to agree that every cub was just so cute and lovely that you couldn¡¯t help but say ''Awwwww.'' Aiko¡¯s paws were tiny with small dark beans that cushioned his travelling. He had small claws that were extremely sharp, but not developed enough that they could hunt prey. He had extremely light blue, milky eyes and creamy fur that would blend in the desert perfectly, but in the forest... yeah. Aiko will need something for stealth ASAP. Aiko had delicate and soft fur, which even surprised her, so she looked at her system for answers. [ Name: Aiko Species: [Ordinary Red Fox Cub(Female)] -> [Ordinary Fennec Fox Cub(Female)] Age: 0.08/10 Beast Rank: Animal Level: 10 -> 1 (1st Evolution) Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous] Stats: HP: 29/38 -> 42 -> 16/16 ST: 15/18 -> 20 -> 13/13 Vitality: 2/29 -> 2/32 -> 15/15 Vigour: 9 -> 10 -> 12 Toughness: 19 -> 21 -> 13 Strength: 29 -> 32 -> 15 Agility: 33 -> 36 -> 22 Dexterity: 9 -> 10 -> 11 Mind: 9 -> 10 -> 20 Insight: - -> - -> 10 Beauty: - -> - -> 20 Luck: - -> - -> 11 Stat Points: 8 -> 10 -> 11 Skill Points: 8 -> 10 -> 11 Skills: [Dig: Lv.1], [Bite: Lv.1->2], [Scratch: Lv.1], Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.1] Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], Stolen novel; please report. Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Newbie gift] ] Aiko... quite liked that his stats were more even now, it was true that they would change as he levelled up, but they were quite pleasing to the eyes. Especially Mind and Insight. Even when he was on Level 1 he had 20 Mind! [(1st Evolution)] [Each Evolution will give you +10 to almost all stats!] ''Fuck YEAH! This is what I''m talking about!'' Unfortunately, his joy was short-lived as soon as he noticed a few other things... ''W-what do you mean 10 years lifespan max?!'' That was right, he only had 10 years to live! Why didn''t the System improve his lifespan?! Or maybe he only had less than 1 year to live and the system gave him 10 years through [(1st Evolution)] boost?! That would be even worse! What if he couldn''t improve enough to reach the threshold of evolution?! HE WOULD DIE! Aiko calmed down, his mind was much quicker compared to before and he would spend every single second cursing this system! He huffed, opening the [Skill Store] and looking through it to find anything that he could use... Aiko settled on [Hide], [Dash], [Danger Sense] for his survival and [Tracking] plus [Enhanced Sight] for his hunting needs. He also picked [Health Recovery] and [Stamina Recovery]. His newbie system went away so now he recovered only 1 Stamina per hour, but with this, it was 2 Stamina per hour! HP was worse since it was only 1HP an hour and 0.01% of Max HP. This meant 16 hours to fill his HP capacity, while Stamina was just 6.5... which was still awful, but he hoped as he improved his passive and active skills he would be in a much better place. He placed the rest of his Stat Points in Agility and Vigour. [ Name: Aiko Species: [Ordinary Fennec Fox Cub(Female)] Age: 0.08/10 Beast Rank: Animal Level: 1 (1st Evolution) Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous] Stats: HP: 16/16 (1pH & 0.01%pH) ST: 13/13 -> 13/18 (2pH & 0.01%pH) Vitality: 15/15 Vigour: 12 -> 17 Toughness: 13 Strength: 15 Agility: 22 -> 27 Dexterity: 11 Mind: 20 Insight: 10 Beauty: 20 Luck: 11 Stat Points: 1 Skill Points: 4 Skills: [Dig: Lv.1], [Bite: Lv.2], [Scratch: Lv.1], [Dash: Lv.1], [Tracking: Lv.1] Passive Skills: [Hide: Lv.1], [Danger Sense: Lv.1], [Enhanced Sight: Lv.1], [Health Recovery: Lv.1], [Stamina Recovery: Lv.1] Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.1] Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Newbie gift] ] Aiko was satisfied for now, he still had some Skill Points left, but he didn''t want to look through the shop while being near rivers. They were high-traffic zones that he would have to avoid, which, luckily for him, was possible because of his current species abilities. [Desert Adaptation] [1st Effect: You can survive in the desert] [2nd Effect: You don''t need to hydrate as often] He felt like there was more to it, but he would only know once he improved that Ability. [Passive Skills] [Skills that are always on, but at higher levels can be toggled off. Consume a small amount of your natural Stamina regeneration to keep going] [Passive Abilities] [Improved Skills. These are passive abilities that are always on but can be toggled off. They don''t consume any Stamina (Unless said otherwise), instead, they consume mental power or ####. There is also the possibility to consume Vitality or ####, among other things.] Aiko ¡®drank¡¯ some more water. Now that he was dry and refreshed because of his advancement in Evolution, he embarked on a journey to find himself a den so that he could use the rest of his Skill Points for more useful Skills. Aiko thought about it for a bit. There was a very dry and warm air draft coming from downstream. It would be nice if the climate was also drier or possibly desert-ish for him to completely utilize his [Desert Adaptation]. Aiko walked downstream and periodically use [Hide] and [Enhanced Sight] combined with [Danger Sense] to the fullest when he was out in the open. He didn''t know what kind of predators he could encounter, but now that he was so tiny, he would be able to avoid a lot of them... is what he hoped. The journey was surprisingly uneventful. He passed meadows and plains with very tall grass. He didn''t encounter any animals at all. Aiko arrived at his ''destination'', looking around, he was both puzzled and shocked at the sight. In front of him was a very rocky desert, with a strange tree in the middle. The ''desert'' wasn''t all that big, only about 1 mile in diameter. It was an extremely dry and hot place that even his [Desert Adaptation] with his long ears, had a hard time dealing with. He frowned cutely, looking around again. He noticed a lake that was... bubbling? ''Nope! Not staying here! This is one hell of a creepy place!'' Aiko didn''t want to spend time here, his skills wouldn''t allow it and since it was open space, it would be hard to find a Den or survive. Moreover, this place was so small that he could see the opposite side of the forest. This meant that predators would be able to see him if he lived here and since those predators would be faster than him, they could ignore this scorching desert for a few moments just to catch and devour him. Aiko turned around, walking back inside the forest. This maneuver lowered his stamina by 5 points. Leaving him with only 8 points. He can only traverse the forest for about 4 more hours, including his regeneration, before needing to find a dense bush to hide in and recover. Aiko ventured through the forest. It was a quiet place and soon he knew why that was. In front of him was a grassland littered with corpses. Both Humans and Animals... Animals? There was a horse with horns and a huge lizard with wings. Lion with a snake tail and a frog with mantis hands... It was a bizarre sight. His [Danger Sense] was warning him. He sharpened his senses and noticed heavy breathing. There was a Human still alive, albeit barely. He was in front of... a panther? That was a panther, right? That panther was completely black and blurry, but it should be a panther. He could hear the panther speak? "Kekekeke, how does it feel to be done in by a ''lowly'' Beast." He scornfully laughed at the Human. He noticed the panther was wounded, but the human was worse off. "My sect will wipe you all out, Beast!" The Human proclaimed righteously. "Kekekeke, surely you are not that dumb." He laughed. "It took you 100 people to best 5 ''lowly'' Beasts." He was amused by this dumb Human. "We have hundreds of powerful elders. Each one can wipe out your whole Village with a simple wave of their hand!" He laughed maniacally. "Now die!" He wobbled towards the panther. The panther sighed, clearly bored by this human. The panther waved his paw, cutting the human into 3 separate parts without actually getting close to him. This greatly shocked Aiko and he gulped. He was fascinated, but terrified by this display. ''Wouldn''t that mean that monsters in here were powerful enough to kill me from a distance...?'' Aiko hoped that wasn''t the case, but if that was the case... he would need a lot more skills to deal with that or hide from them. Aiko was deep in thought and didn''t notice the panther looking at him. "Alright, stand up fuckers. I know you are still alive." He scoffed at his fellow ''friends''. Chapter 5 – Odd Fellows "Was it that obvious?" The Lion with a snake tail asked. He snorted at it. "Do you need to ask?" "Your senses are as amazing as when we first met you." The Lion said standing up. "You mean better than before." He spat on the ground before the Lion. "Still, it''s amazing you could deal with so many of them." The Horse stood up with some difficulty. "How is your leg?" The Lion asked, looking at him like he was some kind of snack. "Good enough to knock out more of your teeth." The Horse snorted. The others stood up too, but didn''t say anything. They were in much worse shape than their fellow ''friends''. The panther licked his teeth and Aiko finally realized he was staring at him. ''No way! I''m inside a dense bush and using [Hide]!'' He was sweating buckets, looking at the Panther licking his lips. "What''s wrong?" The Lion asked, following his gaze. "Oh, a snack." Aiko felt a shiver down her spine and she immediately turned around and used [Dash] at maximum capacity. The Lion chuckled. "A quick snack." The Horse narrowed its eyes. He was the oldest one here and the wisest. It made no sense to him that, that kind of small creature would approach and stare at them, only to run away after hearing them making that kind of comment. He neighed. "Interesting, interesting." The Panther looked at him with sharp eyes. "Is it? Can''t we eat it?" "You can." The Horse chuckled. "But only if it isn''t Sapient." The Panther laughed with glee. The Horse laughed and galloped away. ... Aiko was surprised at his speed the moment he used dash, it was a good 20% increase and the stamina was not decreasing as fast as he expected. He had cold feet from their conversation and wanted to only get as far away from them as possible. He remembered that animals, especially cats, didn''t like water, so his best bet was to cross the river and run away further from the horse and lizard. Aiko counted on the fact that the panther is the fastest, so he would have an easier time escaping if he was not pursuing him. Aiko finally encountered the river. His stamina is low. He didn''t expect to consume so much stamina. It was decreasing faster after some time, it could be the effect of the dash... He dove into the water and swam across. He had a hard time but managed. Aiko got across and sighed in relief. "Interesting." The Horse snorted at Aiko. This paralysed him and he looked up. ''What the fuck!? How did they cross the river so fast?! I could hear them behind me until I jumped into the river!'' He almost fainted when he saw the Panther in front of him, licking his lips. "Can I eat now?" The Panther growled at the Horse. He respected him but could use some quick snack since humans weren''t all that tasty. The Horse clapped his hind legs. "Alright, alright! No need to kick me!" The Panther jumped away. Aiko''s body was shaking from the pressure. When he observed them, he was quite some ways away from them and he didn''t notice it. Now he noticed. The only thing he thought was. ''They are complete monsters...'' Aiko sobbed, but only a sad whine escaped his lips. The Horse got closer to him and observed him. He had already steeled himself for death. But no death ever came. He opened one of his eyes. The Horse was in front of him sitting, observing the little fox. "Do you understand me?" The Horse snorted. Aiko didn''t know what to say or do. He didn''t want to nod, since he couldn''t communicate. What if after confirming he understood them, they would kill him? The Horse almost laughed when he observed the various emotions washing over this cute little creature''s head. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. The Panther and others were speechlessly staring at that little Fox. They already noticed that she wasn''t even a beast! Most fascinated was the Lion. He came closer when that little fox was in deep thought and licked her face (Body, since his tongue could lick him 12 times over.). Aiko immediately fainted from fear of being eaten alive. The Lion was startled and immediately defended himself. "I just wanted to clean her a little, I didn''t- AGHHHH." He was kicked away by the Horse. The Panther was innocently sitting some ways away, making cute faces to not get kicked by the Horse. He stared at the Lizard. "You will carry this little thing and be careful not to hurt it!" He glared towards Panther. They nodded like little chickens, afraid to anger the Horse. They didn''t know why the Horse was interested in this small Animal, but they would obey. ... Aiko finally woke up and he felt his body rocking back and forth. Opening his eyes, he noticed that he was being carried by a huge rock. He slapped the rock with his paw out of curiosity. It felt like a rock and acted like a rock, since his paw was numb from the impact. This whole time the others observed the little Fox, as curiously as he observed the rock. "Is it Fun?" The Horse asked. When he noticed they were still around him, he almost fainted again, but this time he felt some kind of energy holding his consciousness from disappearing. He stared at the horse. Their pressure was a lot less than before. The rock rocked again and he enjoyed the shaking. It felt quite similar to a roller coaster... even if he didn''t remember quite clearly. Aiko was still scared but nodded. He really liked this rock. "Amazing!" The Panther got closer to him in the blink of an eye, scaring him to death. He immediately fainted and the Panther looked at the Horse in fear, but before he could defend himself... "AGHHHH." Another painful scream spread throughout the forest. ... Aiko woke up again, still on the rock, but this time it was almost night. He looked around again, but unfortunately, they were still surrounding him. He stared at the horse who was walking next to the rocking rock. "How much can you understand?" Asked the Horse with curiosity. Aiko tilted her head like she was looking at an idiot. The not so wise Horse noticed the little Fox¡¯s strange gaze and asked again, but differently. "Do you understand our language?" Aiko nodded. Horses are herbivores in nature, so he didn''t need to fear him as long as he didn''t startle him. He would surely die if he were to kick him with his hooves. "Do you know what I am?" He asked again. He wanted to nod that he knew, but noticing the horn on his head... he was not so sure, so he shook his head. "I''m a magical beast with Holy attribute." He said proudly but paused when he saw Aiko tilting her head. The Frog took over. "It means he is comparable to Royalty." The Frog said gently. Aiko wasn''t afraid of the frog again, since frogs ate only bugs. He stared at him curiously, looking at his strange hands. The Frog giggled. "This is because of my bloodline, it might be ugly, but it is useful in battle." He moved them swiftly in front of him. It made swishing sounds, which were quite pleasing to his ears. He nodded towards him enjoying the sounds. The Horse looked at Aiko. "We are almost at our Village." Aiko paused, looking at the Horse strangely. He didn''t mind coming inside this Village with this Horse, but since others followed them, that meant there would be a lot of predators inside this ''Village''. She shivered and looked at the Horse like she didn''t want to go. The Horse laughed again. "Don''t worry, nobody will dare to hurt you in my presence and once you meet our Village patriarch I will guide you back to the river if you would want to." The Horse spoke gently but with pride. This eased some of his worries, but not entirely. He jumped around the rock to find somewhere where he could hide, but when he found the place and wanted to hide, the Horse moved him to his back. "You can''t hide there." The Horse said seriously. "He might crush you if he sneezes." "I''m no longer sick, boss!" He cried, startling Aiko again. ''This rock was talking?! How is that possible?'' Now that he was on the Horseback, he had a different perspective and realized that the rocky rock was actually that Lizard! He stiffened, remembering that he slapped him. Sure, the Lizard might not feel it, but powerful monsters like him are prideful in nature... He would definitely die if the Lizard knew! Seeing Aiko''s strange expression the Horse neighed. "Don''t worry, he is the gentlest of us all." The Horse laughed, teasing the Lizard. "Boss!" The Lizard cried. He was the hardest Magical beast in this Village, it was absolutely impossible for him to be the gentlest! The Horse chuckled, gently galloping. ... They arrived in front of the Village. It had huge logs as Walls, but he didn''t think those would be able to stop the Lion or Lizard. They arrived in front of the ''gate'' which was just a sign with ''Gate'' written on it, without an actual gate... ''So shabby!'' He thought in his mind. Sure they were Animals, but this kind of laziness... "Welcome Buddy!" The ''guards'' bowed. The Horse nodded towards them and passed through the gates. The guards were curious about the cute little animal on his back but didn''t want to stop him for such a silly question. The Village was... strange, to say the least. There were holes here and there. Fallen trees that looked like bonfire, but were used as homes for other Beasts. There were even normal-looking wooden buildings! He was confused and curious. Why was the building variety in this village so vast? It''s as if he was looking at two different worlds inside the same Village. The guards let them through. They stared at Aiko, who was curiously looking around. They didn''t say anything but perked their ears so that they could listen to gossip. ... The Horse was guided to a luxurious room deep inside this mansion. A lot of beasts were interested in them, but didn''t dare to approach. What surprised Aiko the most was the fact that there was humans in the village! ''No, were those ears on their heads? Wait, they have tails too?! What is going on here?! They are not cosplaying, since they are moving so naturally.'' The Horse noticed my stare. "Oh? Are you perhaps interested in Cat-folk?" He teased. "I''m sorry to say this, but you are too small." He laughed at Aiko. Aiko growled in displeasure, but it came out as a cute growl, instead of a threatening one. The girl turned around. She wanted to look at this cute tiny creature yet again. At first, she didn''t have a reason to do so, but now that she was interested, she was scrambling in her mind to find a reason to hug this cutie. She knew that all cubs were cute, but this was exceptionally so! The horse chuckled at the girl. She blushed and hurriedly turned around to guide them... a bit faster than before. They arrived in front of huge, luxurious and beautifully carved doors. Aiko was very interested in those doors as, even in the real world, he had not seen anything as beautiful as these. The Horse waited since he could feel the little creature''s burning curiosity. The girl didn''t say anything, since she was also allowed to stare at Aiko. A red heart-shaped heart left her mouth as she was squealing inside her mind, trying to suppress the desire to hug it. Chapter 6 – Even Odder Fellows and How to Power Level Aiko was finally satisfied after intensely staring at the door with her piercing gaze. She looked towards the Horse, only to find him chuckling before gesturing to the guards to open the doors. It was a glorious and well furnished throne hall. There were plenty of carpets and banners all around, it felt like he was transported into the medieval ages with... Odd Fellows. There were guards under each pillar, all of them had their eyes closed, but when they noticed an additional presence on top of their Esteemed Buddy, they couldn''t help, but take a peek. They were surprised that Buddy would let someone ride him, but were more surprised about what was riding him. It was a small furry animal that was curiously looking around. They were confused as to why their Prince would let a mere animal ride him... (AN: The Prince title was given to him and does not mean that he is part of royalty of this town.) "Prince Buddy." A Scaly creature nodded at the Horse. The Horse named Buddy nodded back. "How are you doing, old friend?" "Very well, very well!" The Scaly creature laughed. "By the way... we have a strange visitor?" He noticed the presence long ago, but didn''t understand why they took their sweet time entering the room. ''Do you know how difficult it is to stay in a dignified pose over long periods of time?!'' He wanted to complain but refrained from doing so due to etiquette. Even so, he still didn''t have a good impression of this little creature. "Very strange indeed." The Horse neighed happily. "You wouldn''t understand even if I told you." He shook his head. He came closer to him, the guards didn''t move. "Little one, this is my buddy Char. Char, this is a very intelligent Fox in the Animal Beast Rank." He chuckled when he saw his friend completely speechless. The little Fox scoffed at him, when he saw how he acted. ''Where did your dignity go?! Give me back the Scaly Dragon, you bastard!'' Aiko cussed at him. "... Did... did it just scoff at me?!" The Scaly dragon was speechless and stared at his friend. "Are you controlling it just to get back at me for eating your cake?!" The Horse snorted, wanting to kick him, but he didn''t want to reduce his friend''s already low dignity. "Of course not, you can test her." The Horse snorted at his friend. Char stared at the little Fox with comically large ears and was deep in thought. He then gestured to a maid nearby (the one that guided them) to bring over the stuff. Aiko was puzzled, but didn''t dwell on it. It seemed like nobody would hurt her as long as she was on his back. Which was good news. She could also explore this place with her enhanced sight, since her stamina had almost completely recovered. The room didn''t have any torches and the windows were quite far away. He didn''t understand why there was so much light, there were only strange gems in the walls and nothing else that gave off light. Those gems that were embedded into the walls and ceiling provided pleasant light that didn''t hurt his eyes, unlike lightbulbs... whatever those were. Aiko¡¯s ears twitched at the slightest sound, so much that some other attendants would make strange sounds just to attract that little one''s attention. They had many cubs around, but they matured too quickly, so they didn''t have any outlet for their motherly love. Their young ones would cuddle them only till they were mostly one year old, but then avoided them like plague... ... The maid brought a nicely ornamented box and behind her were young ones with the same complexion as the Liz- Char on the throne. "These are my dumb sons." Char gestured, staring at the little creature. "You will play a game with them." He snorted at them. The maid opened the box and symbols flew out of it. Aiko knew these, they were normal numbers! Albeit a bit strangely shaped... Buddy placed him in front of the cards with numbers and between the brothers. Aiko immediately stiffened and didn''t move. The maid suppressed her giggle and gently explained the game and the different cards. As Aiko thought, those were numbers, the order was from 1 to 100. Char would tell them numbers or equations and they had to find the right answer. They would get 1 point for a good answer and -5 points for a bad answer. ''I''m not going to play this game...'' Aiko thought. Aiko was no longer on Buddy''s back and that meant danger from all around. He wouldn¡¯t play games with his life on the line. Char said a few numbers and equations, but snorted when he saw the little creature with closed eyes laying there without moving. ''See? It''s dumb as any other animal.'' Char snorted towards his friend. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ''Just wait and see.'' Buddy snorted back. The Horse moved towards his friend¡¯s smart daughter, who was eating deliciously looking pieces of meat. She was interested in the small little thing, but lost interest soon after she saw it not moving. The Horse levitated the plate, startling Char''s daughter. She stared at him strangely and the Horse winked at them. She blushed, but still observed what he would do. The Horse blew some air towards Aiko. The delicious smell drifted into her sensitive nose and her eyes snapped open. She immediately jumped into hunting mode, [Dash]ing towards that delicious smell. Everyone was startled by this, but the maid was quick on her feet, catching the salivating little animal. The horse placed the plate with the meat some ways away and said. "For each right answer, you will get a piece of meat." *Rumble* Aiko''s stomach rumbled from hunger and her eyes were trained on the meat. "Meat for equation of 6*9" Char snorted, not believing she would be able to guess it. Oh, how wrong he was. Aiko might be a bit slower than before, but such a basic equation was no problem for her. She immediately dashed to the 54th card and settled there. Startling everyone, especially the 2 brothers. Their sister had shining eyes and while she felt some repulsion towards the little Fox (Mostly because her meat was stolen from her), she was now curious about how much that little one could do. Buddy gave her a piece of meat while Char was stunned in place. ''Even... Even a dumb Animal is smarter than my children¡­'' Buddy saw his friend''s soul leaving his body and laughed. ''What did I tell you.'' With a smirk, he fed the little creature. Char boiled from his friend''s gestures and vowed that the next question would be much harder! As for Aiko... [EXP gained.] [EXP gained.] [Level up!] [EXP gained.] [EXP gained.] [EXP gained.] [Level up!] ... She had the time of her life, easily increasing her Level. Char wanted to say the next equation, but was stopped by his daughter. She was enjoying watching the little creature munch with a blissful expression. ''It was normal meat, yet it felt like she was eating treasure...'' Aiko finished the meat within moments and glanced at her Level. [Level: 5 (1st Evolution)] ''Holy!'' He grinned from ear to ear, waiting for the next card to jump on. "6+9*9+3" Char said slowly, but when he finished the little creature was already sitting on the 90th card. His soul left his body again as the creature happily munched on another piece of meat. ... Aiko was so into the game that he no longer checked his Level, but he had to since a very sharp system notification disturbed him from eating. [You can Evolve!] [Level: 11 (1st Evolution)] [If you reach Level 20 you will be able to pick from [Common] Rarity.] He was stunned. ''So if I reach higher levels, I will get better Evolutions?'' [That is correct.] The system finally responded back after a long time. ''Is anything after that?'' He asked curiously. [Indeed.] The system replied positively, nicely surprising Aiko. He licked his lips, vowing that he will finish all the meat and get the best Evolution! ... Char was completely left without a soul. The little creature defeated his sons each and every time. He couldn''t bear it, he couldn''t believe it. ''It''s impossible that my sons are that dumb!'' ("Oi you lot! Predict her movement and win! You are bringing me too much shame!") He told them through telepathic communication. ("Yes, father!") They couldn''t question their own father, since it was true that they had an awful time with this little Fox. Next game they prepared their senses and when they saw her jump they predicted where she would land and clapped the card with their hands. As such, Aiko landed on their hands. Naturally she didn''t mind since she was still levelling up. She was already Level 16! Buddy chuckled. "Little one, if you can manage to beat them in correctness and speed, I will give you 2 pieces of meat." He could see Aiko''s head immediately snap to him with wide eyes, salivating. She dropped some saliva on their hands and they frowned, but didn''t move their hands, since it seemed like Buddy really liked her, not to mention their sister. If the little Fox got hurt now... they might not survive their next training session. Aiko nodded happily, laughing in her mind. ''HEHEHEHE, all your meat is mine!'' She wiped her drool and positioned himself on the starting line. She couldn''t beat them in speed, since it seemed like they already knew where she was going. That wouldn''t stop him! She purchased [Jump] from the Skill store and waited for the next equation. Char told them and they immediately trained their eyes on her. They would easily predict her movement and their father would no longer be unhappy... Aiko used [Jump] jumping high for her small body, surprising everyone. The Brothers already started to calculate her destination with some difficulty, but still were able to slap the card with a smirk. Char pinched his nose bridge and their sister laughed. They couldn''t understand why, when... Aiko suddenly twisted her body slightly, affecting her trajectory. She landed next to their hands on a different number than them. She turned to them with a smirk. Their sister laughed so hard she was holding her belly. She didn''t believe that her brothers fell for it so easily and that a creature in the Animal Beast Rank was able to outsmart someone in the Magical Beast Rank! "Here you go." He placed 2 meat in front of Aiko, but was stopped by her paw. Aiko had a paw in the air, gesturing more. "More? But you already got 2 meat for being faster than they were." Buddy narrowed his eyes. Aiko tried to gesture. ''But I made them fail! Reward me, reward me!'' She was explaining while happily swishing her tail, smugly grinning. It took her a good 20 minutes to finally explain her thoughts, but she succeeded. "You want me to reward you for failing them?" He asked curiously. The brother glared at her, but she ignored it, since Buddy was on her side. Aiko nodded with glee and Buddy laughed. "Very well! Here are 5 pieces, but no more!" He was entertained by the two brothers, looking so miserable. Their sister laughed in glee, liking this little creature more and more. She ate the food happily and waited for another equation. ... He lost twice, mostly because those two brothers weren''t completely dumb and waited for the last second before claiming their cards. Like that, he was getting only one piece of meat. He begrudgingly ate the meat, while thinking about the shop. He had time while eating and browsed the shop, trying to find anything of value and that he did. Not only he found an interesting skill, it would also help him with his day to day ''problems''. The [Prehensile Tail]. [Prehensile Tail] [You can move your tail like it''s your own hand! Higher Levels will also allow you to use different #### Techniques and some skills through them!] It cost him a whole 5 points! But he had already reached Level 17, he had a whole 20 Skill points to his name! He could spare a few to get more Levels! He bought it and tried it a few times while eating. After getting used to it and feeling ready, he gulped the rest of the meat down and got into position. Char told them the equation and she jumped again. The brothers strained their eyes on her calculating her landing positions and waited to slap the card right before her. Chapter 7 – Give me meat! Guide on how to Power Level Aiko fell closer and closer and closer above their hands. Feeling confident on what the answer was, they were ready to intercept this vixen and slap the card at any moment. Once she was just above the card, they slapped it, but stiffened soon after. She slapped their hands with her tail, propelling her in a unnatural direction. She face-planted on the correct card, but because of her momentum, it slid with her towards Char. Char looked at her stupidly as she was holding her nose, which was slightly crooked from the impact. -10HP She scoffed at the notification, luckily she had 18HP, but she would have to be more careful. Her Max HP was 80, but since newbie protection was disabled, she had to slowly regenerate it with her [Health Recovery]. That would take a few days... Buddy laughed, seeing his friend¡¯s expression like he was eating a bitter medicine. He knew Char ordered his sons to do that and he didn''t step in. Buddy knew that dignity was important for rulers, but that little one ruthlessly smacked his face several times just for a bit of meat. He gave her the rest of the meat and Aiko was confused. The voice resonated in her mind. ("It''s best to leave it here. My friend will need some time to recover.") He chuckled. Aiko nodded and ate happily. [Level: 20 (1st Evolution)] [You can Evolve into a [Common] Animal] Aiko narrowed his eyes. It said Animal, that meant he wouldn''t be able to advance further in the Beast Ranks, but then. [Levelling up further will allow you to Evolve into an [Uncommon] Animal/Beast.] Beast! It might not be some super cool beast, but he was able to Evolve into a Beast! That was the critical part. He ate happily as his Levels increased, but for some odd reason, his meat didn''t lessen? Aiko looked around puzzled, but those beasts avoided her gaze. She didn''t understand why... little did she know that her ''Beauty'' already reached 210, which was a lot and that was also the reason her meat was never running out... [Level: 34 (1st Evolution)] Aiko didn''t get any notification on [Uncommon] Evolution, it seemed like he would need more meat to do that, but... His whole body was one big balloon as he ate too much meat. It was funny because he ate so much that he had a hard time moving. *Burp* He felt too full and wanted to find a place to hide in, but... Aiko was picked up by Char''s daughter with sparkly eyes. She returned to her seat with the plate, nestling Aiko on her lap and enjoying her creamy fur. Aiko was paralysed and couldn''t move, but soon he dozed off into blissful sleep... ... The maid glared at Char''s daughter, pouting. She wanted to nestle this cute little fox! Char shook his head as he noticed the small ''battle'' between the maid and his daughter, but neither made any moves, lest they would wake her up. ... Aiko woke up again, but before she could even stretch, she smelled delicious meat and immediately bit it. The meat was strange, a bit hard... too hard for her liking. She opened her eyes only to freeze. In her mouth was a scaly hand. She didn''t quite know which or whose hand that was, but she knew that either way, it was not good. Her ears lay flat and she pretended to sleep again. "Aren''t you hungry?" The maid teased. "There is food here." Her eyes twinkled when she saw the little Fox¡¯s ears twitch. "Ah, maybe I should give it to the bro-" Before she could complete the sentence, Aiko lunged at the meat, but missed, biting the plate and hanging in the air. The maid was momentarily stunned and she pinched her nose. It felt like she had a nosebleed, but that was definitely only Aiko¡¯s imagination... She carefully placed her down and she ate to her heart''s content again. [Level: 40 (1st Evolution)] [You can Evolve into an [Uncommon] Animal/Beast] Aiko¡¯s eyes twinkled. [Levelling up further will allow you to Evolve into a [Rare] Beast.] Beast! He can be a Beast! He didn''t quite know how good that was, but it was absolutely better than being a simple Animal! Aiko will become powerful! Aiko grinned while eating some more, this time he was able to eat much more, but even after reaching Level 50 it didn''t notify him. It might be increments of 20 in which case he would need to wait for 60. His meat didn''t decrease, so there was no need for him to leave this place. [Level: 60] [You can Evolve into a [Rare] Beast] [Levelling up further will allow you to Evolve into an [Epic] Beast.] He was happy but pressed on... [Level: 65] [Level: 73] [Level: 80] [You can Evolve into an [Epic] Beast] [Levelling up further will allow you to Evolve into a [Unique] Beast.] Unique! He was quite disappointed that he couldn''t Evolve into a higher Beast Rank than Beast, but he would be really powerful if he Evolved at the Unique threshold! Just then, Char came. "Feed her a bit more and then return her to the forest." "But Dad!" She whined. "You can''t keep her! We both know that Foxes don''t appreciate others sheltering their young! This should be enough to help her survive the coming days!" He reprimanded her. She hung her head low, while feeding Aiko. "That doesn''t mean you can''t find her later." Char shook his head, he had a soft spot for his daughter. "But don''t bring her anything! If the Foxes know, there will be problems!" He warned her in a stern voice. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "Okay!" She was fine with just seeing her once in a while, since she was curious about what the fox would become. Aiko felt threatened by their words and munched like crazy on her meal. At the edge of her eyes, she could see her Levels increase one by one. She already wanted to take Aiko out, since she got permission from her father, but she couldn''t bring herself to, seeing her munch so much. Her father shook his head and said. "You can escort her out once she finishes." He laughed, leaving his daughter''s place. ... [Level: 100 (1st Evolution)] [You can Evolve into a [Unique] Beast] [Levelling up further will allow you to Evolve into a [####] Beast.] Another thing he was not allowed to see, but that was fine, he intended to settle for a Unique Rarity Beast and leave the rest for later. He also had a shit ton of Stat Points and Skill Points, but since the lizard''s daughter was already carrying him outside, it would be unwise to browse his shop, but he really, really wanted to... [ Name: Aiko Species: [Ordinary Fennec Fox Cub(Female)] Age: 0.08/10 Beast Rank: Animal Level: 1 -> 100 (1st Evolution) Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous] Stats: HP: 16/16 -> 30/412 (1pH & 0.01%pH) ST: 13/13 -> 40/315 (2pH & 0.01%pH) Vitality: 15/312 Vigour: 12 -> 215 Toughness: 13 -> 211 Strength: 15 -> 312 Agility: 22 -> 621 Dexterity: 11 -> 110 Mind: 20 -> 1010 Insight: 10 Beauty: 20 -> 1010 Luck: 11 -> 110 Stat Points: 1 -> 18 -> 155 Skill Points: 4 -> 3 -> 20 -> 15 -> 150 Skills: [Dig: Lv.1], [Bite: Mastered], [Scratch: Lv.1], [Dash: Mastered], [Tracking: Lv.1], [Jump: Mastered] Passive Skills: [Hide: Lv.1], [Danger Sense: Lv.1], [Enhanced Sight: Lv.5], [Health Recovery: Lv.1], [Stamina Recovery: Lv.1], [Prehensile Tail: Lv.4] Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.1] Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Newbie gift] ] Aiko was very pleased with his stats. She escorted her deep into the Forest and placed her down, petting her one last time. She then disappeared without Aiko being able to thank her, but realising she couldn''t speak, she didn''t dwell too much on it. Aiko looked around. It was peaceful, yet eerily quiet. He wasn''t aware of the fact that she scared all the animals away and he would have a few hours or maybe even dozens of hours before the Beasts would return into this part of the forest. Aiko swiftly pulled up his [Skill Shop]. She wasn''t all that good at finding nice Dens, so she hoped to find something in the shop that could help her... Unfortunately, she didn''t or it might''ve been too expensive for her... which was surprising since she had 150 Skill Points. Aiko didn''t dwell on it too much and resumed his walking, looking for his Den, but then it clicked for him. He already had [Dig]. It wouldn''t be impossible for him to create himself a Den. While he didn''t want to live inside the ground, he realized that it would also possibly be the safest way for him to survive. As such, instead of looking for an abandoned Den or hole, he was now looking for a pleasant meadow or something really nice and somewhat close to the river, so that if he needed, he would be able to drink water. Aiko scouted around, finding a few holes or places, but they were still a bit warm, so he didn''t want to push his luck. It guided him towards a nearby river, where he found a small hole on the side of the tiniest ravine, but that was good enough for him. Aiko activated [Dig] and he had a very easy time playing bulldozer. He didn''t notice that he blocked a part of the river until his paws were soaking wet. ''Well damn... I will have to dig upwards now if I want to stay dry and safe. But that would also mean that the Den would be destroyed with me suffocating inside if a heavier Beast were to tread by...'' He sighed, but still dug upwards. The water filled the lower parts of the Den, due to the river being too close. Aiko was slowly losing the ability to see, so he purchased [Dark Vision]. He naturally had [Night Vision] even if the System didn''t show him, but here it was pitch black and it wouldn''t be a terrible idea if he enhanced his night seeing capabilities. It cost him a whopping 50 points, but it was worth it for him, as he was now able to see in complete darkness. He was able to see. There were a lot of tree roots, it seems that he was unintentionally digging straight below a tree, which would shield him from being buried alive. This was good news, so he continued to dig all around until... [Dig: Mastered] His digging was [Mastered], because he was digging in difficult terrain. There was no notification about what to do next with Mastered skills, but- [If you Master your skills, you will be able to either Upgrade or Combine Skills.] There it was, the quiet system was speaking yet again. This time it was very helpful for him and made sure that he would be able to make use of his [Mastered] Skills, but he decided to leave it for later. ... Aiko finally finished. The Den was quite cold, which slightly disheartened her, but it was better than living above ground where predators could ambush her. She sat down, relaxed and looked at her status once again. [ Name: Aiko Species: [Ordinary Fennec Fox Cub(Female)] Age: 0.08/10 Beast Rank: Animal Level: 100 (1st Evolution) Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous] Stats: HP: 35/412 (1pH & 0.01%pH) ST: 2/315 (2pH & 0.01%pH) Vitality: 15/312 Vigour: 215 Toughness: 211 Strength: 312 Agility: 621 Dexterity: 110 Mind: 1010 Insight: 10 Beauty: 1010 Luck: 110 Stat Points: 155 Skill Points: 100 Skills: [Dig: Mastered], [Bite: Mastered], [Scratch: Lv.1], [Dash: Mastered], [Tracking: Lv.1], [Jump: Mastered] Passive Skills: [Hide: Lv.1], [Danger Sense: Lv.1], [Enhanced Sight: Lv.5], [Health Recovery: Lv.1], [Stamina Recovery: Lv.1], [Prehensile Tail: Lv.4], [Dark Vision: Lv.3] Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.1] Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Newbie gift] ] Aiko had plenty of Skill Points, so she clicked on her mastered [Dig] Skill. [Upgrade Tree] [Dig: Mastered] into [Burrow] [Allows the user to Burrow into the ground within moments. Great Stamina usage] [Enhanced Dig] [Increases Digging capabilities, while overall decreasing Stamina usage] [Passive Dig] [Increases Passive Digging capabilities at the cost of decreasing passive Stamina Regeneration. Works only with limbs that can dig!] ''Whoa, so many options! Here I thought that I would just spend some Skill Points to make it better, but you can even decide which way you want to improve!'' She giggled, thinking about what she should pick. She wasn''t as much of a Digger if you ignore the fact that she just dug her burrow. Aiko won''t be using it for a long time, so it wouldn''t be wise to get [Enhanced Dig]. That leaves him with [Burrow] and [Passive Dig]. Aiko was thinking long and hard about the [Burrow], since if she was in danger, she could just burrow herself into the ground and wait for her enemy to pass. Or just keep digging and emerge somewhere further away from her enemy, completely losing them. Chapter 8 – Skills and Requirements Aiko chose [Burrow] and moved to [Bite]. There were similar options to [Dig]. It seemed like you were offered a greatly enhanced option, a slightly enhanced option and a passive option. He picked the greatly enhanced option. [Crushing Bite]. [Dash] was changed into [Sprint], which had a lower top speed, but could be activated for a longer time, because of the decrease in Stamina usage. [Jump] turned into [Quick Jump], which didn''t change the distance, but greatly increased the activation time and speed of the Jump. Each of these upgrades cost him 5 points, leaving him with 80 Skill Points. Aiko browsed the store yet again. Now that his vitality is high, it is hard for him to regain it all with his miniscule base regeneration. As such, he had to find a Passive Skill that would allow him to speed up the recovery process. Fortunately, he did find one... Unfortunately, it''s one that he has mixed feelings about... [Vitality Devouring #### Technique] [Intimate contact with #### allows you to devour their Vitality, recovering some in the process.] [Cost: ####] While the cost and certain parts of the description couldn''t be seen, the thought of reading it still gave him goosebumps. He looked in the shop for something else and he found one, but the cost was a bit... [Vitality Recovery] [Recovers one Vitality per Hour and additionally 0.01%pH of Max Vitality.] [Cost: 10,000 Skill Points] Yep, that''s right. 10,000 Skill points. He still had no idea why that was shown to him while the others weren''t, he might be missing something, but he didn''t know what that was. She was very ''smart'' now, but that didn''t mean she was all-knowing. That''s right! The book! She could read the book! Let''s get some help from it! Aiko pulled the [Introduction to the Mortal Realm] before him. If he said that it looked like the bible... it would be a severe understatement. It was so thick that it almost couldn''t fit in his Den. That was not how it looked previously which made him feel eerie, but without opening it, he wouldn''t be able to answer his questions. ''OH? Does it have a search function?'' He looked at the incredibly densely packed words that even he couldn''t read. He stared at the Search function and thought about the [Vitality Devouring #### Technique]. [Vitality Devouring #### Technique] ''... That doesn''t help...'' He thought, but he was mistaken. [####] [####] [####] [Cultivation] [Cultivation in Mortal Realm is separated into ''Cultivation'', ''Demonic Cultivation'' and ''Beast Cultivation''] [Those are further separated by the type of Cultivation Technique. Mainly ''Energy'' or ''Qi'' Cultivation Path, and ''Body'' Cultivation Path. There are more niche Paths, but those are the main and most widespread ones.] [Normal Cultivators harness the ''Essence'' and ''Energy'' of Heaven and Earth to cleanse their bodies and enrich them with newfound Vitality.] [Demonic Cultivators prefer to harness ''Vitality'' by itself. Often seeking pleasures through Torture or Rape. Most, if not all their techniques are focused on extracting their Victim''s Vitality and they rarely Cultivate Heaven and Earth Energies.] [Beast Cultivators are Beasts that harness Energy from The Beast Cores of their fallen prey. They indulge in hunting and killing enemies to increase the Internal Energy of their own Beast Cores.] [There are some Beasts that developed different techniques by seducing Humans and sucking their Energy out of them. Very few do this since the danger is often not worth the effort as there are many Humans that stick together, while Beasts rarely stick together.] [There are even a few Beasts that get into intimate relationships with Humans. Those beasts can, in theory, Dual-Cultivate with their mate, but are often killed, since the Energy is not as rich as when Humans take it straight from their Core.] ''Whoa... a lot of information. Cultivation eh? Sounds exciting, I read a few books myself, but I don''t remember them any more, which is a pity.'' He shook his head sadly, then he looked at the Skill Shop. [Vitality Devouring Demonic Technique] [Intimate contact with Cultivators will allow you to devour their Vitality, recovering some in the process.] [Cost: As this is a Cultivation Technique, it can''t be bought from this store] ''Aha, figures.'' He nodded with a hint of sadness, but now he knew what that thing was. He looked at Beasts next. [Beasts are separated by Ranks] [Animal Rank: In this Rank, normal Human beings without cultivation can take care of the Beast without worrying about their life.] [Beast Rank: In this Rank, only those that have started Cultivating stand a chance against these Beasts and even then, it would take a lot of time and effort to dispatch of one. They have poor intelligence, but are still competent enough to employ advanced tactics. However, this often comes at the expense of their natural senses. As such, not many survive through this phase, since they often pick the wrong enemies to anger. They are also often hunted because this is the first Rank that creates Cores in their Bodies.] [Magical Beast Rank: Only those who have developed intelligence are in this rank. There are some cases where a beast loses their mind while attaining a pseudo-Magical Beast Rank, but it robs them of their reasoning, causing them to attack anyone and are unlikely to survive. In this stage, Intelligence reigns supreme and Humans would frequently make contracts with a Magical Beast, taking care of them and fighting alongside them. However, once a Beast is under this contract, their life is bound to their owner. If the owner of the Beast dies, they would also perish along, but if the Beast died, the owner would remain unharmed! As such, Humans would often use Beasts in this stage as bait, since the Beast wouldn''t be able to refuse the owner''s orders.] [Spirit Beast Rank: Beasts in this rank have attained some form of Enlightenment and are able to Cultivate using Beast Cultivation Techniques. These are different from the Innate Cultivation Techniques, which they gain in their Magical Beast Rank. They can choose any path as long as it fits them. Humans would go crazy to contract Beasts in this Rank. These Beasts would have already advanced through their cultivation and be leagues ahead compared to their peers. Their Cores are also more solid, making it possible to refine them into Beast Orbs - A Spiritual Beast in its truest essence, allowing Cultivators to summon their Beast if contracted and refined properly. Spiritual beasts are ethereal, as such, only Techniques containing Qi or #### can hurt them. Even if you somehow kill the beast, as long as the Beast Orb is intact, it can be nourished back to life. However, if Humans refine a Beast into a Spiritual Beast, then there is little to no chance to make them stronger, a Spiritual Beast will be stuck at the same strength as they were in their Spirit Beast Rank! A good deal of intelligence gathering organisations around the world will try to keep track of Spirit Beasts.] [Demonic/Holy Spirit Beast Rank: One of the MOST important Ranks as they will be able to attain a Human form and form a Dantian. While it is possible for some Beasts to gain a Human form in the Spirit Beast Rank, it depends on the Beast''s cultivation and emotions. Without the proper ''want'' they wouldn''t be able to attain Human form, but that is not the case with Demonic or Holy Spirit Beasts! They would gain Human form the moment they enter this stage, but at a cost. Their Beast Cultivation and Strength would regress to the earliest stage of their life! In some cases, that could mean they would be weaker than Human babies! After creating a Dantian in their bodies, they can start Cultivating Human Cultivation Techniques, greatly widening their paths. Humans are obsessed with getting Beasts at this stage, as they are much more beautiful than humans and can be used to make great cauldrons. Their blood, strengthened by their Cultivation, is the perfect form for Normal and Demonic Cultivators to attain ####. Pills created in the Cauldrons from these Beasts are also greatly enhanced, depending on the type of Beast they were previously. Dual cultivation with Beasts in Human form also provides more than 5x the benefit compared to cultivating with ordinary fellow Humans. As such, they are extremely sought-after commodities and any beast at the Peak of Spirit Beast Rank would be watched over constantly so that they can be captured when they are at their weakest after breaking through. Demonic and Holy Spirit Beast do not differ much other than their preferred way of consuming energy. It''s unlikely that Holy Beasts would follow a Demonic Cultivator, but it is likely that a Demonic Beast would follow a normal Cultivator, as they are a great source of cheap energy and easily charmed!] Stolen story; please report. [Beast Ranks are further separated by Grades from 9 to 1, Low-Middle-High, but these Ranks are mostly used by Human Cultivators, as Beast can sometimes slay other Beasts above their grade, or be slain by Beasts below their grade.] ''... Too much, but it''s nice to know when I will get my Human form.'' He thought for a moment. ''It''s not that bad being pampered with food... but... I don''t like the demerits of those and considering I was quite the asshole in my previous life... even though I don''t quite remember what I did... I wouldn''t trust Humans to take care of me, more like Enslave me...'' He shook his head. ''The first step towards my Human form or any kind of enlightenment would be one that allows me to hide myself from them.'' Aiko thought. [Evolution Tree] [Possible Evolutions: Too many] [User, please decide the rarity and specialisation of your future Species] ''Hmmm...'' She pondered for quite a while. ''Anything that would allow me to become Mistress of the nigh-'' He shook his head. ''Nonono, I''m a guy! I will become the darkness itself and Hunt my enemies from within!'' Aiko shook her head again, thinking it wouldn''t be that bad if she became Mistress of the Night. He was confused and restless, but that didn''t last long as the [Evolution Tree] found something to match. [Dark Fennec Fox; Epic] [Specialised in hunting in dark places, especially swamps and caves. [Specialisation: Dark hunting and hearing] [Body: Small and nimble, the size of a common Fox] [Strengths: Increase in killing capabilities in complete darkness.] [Weakness: Extremely weak during daylight or when subjected to light.] [Night Fennec Fox; Epic] [Specialised in hunting in the night, especially in swamps and forests or densely packed vegetation.] [Body: Large, size of tiger] [Strengths: Increased killing capabilities and greatly increased stealth at night.] [Weaknesses: Extremely weak during daylight.] [Shadow Fennec Fox; Unique] [Specialised in hunting in the shadows, especially during the brightest days when there are the darkest shadows.] [Body: Small and nimble, the size of a common Fox] [Strength: Increase in overall stealth and assassination, those are greatly increased if the User is in shadow or night.] [Weaknesses: Not very durable, No strengthening if User is not in shadows or during the night.] Damn... Only one Unique... It seems that the higher the rarity, the greater the strength and fewer the weaknesses. This would allow me to survive better in hostile conditions... which is always true. ''I will definitely choose the [Shadow Fennec Fox], not just because it''s unique, but also because there are quite a few predators at night. Sometimes it is safer to hunt during the day and since I''m inside quite a dense forest, there is plenty of shade to get around.'' He was a bit worried about the requirements. [Shadow Fennec Fox; Unique] [Requirement: 250 Luck and spend 30 days straight in the shadows without touching daylight. (Can''t touch daylight or else counter will be reset)] ''... that''s not that bad... I just need some food here and there, and water is easily accessible through my Den.'' He stared at it. ''I just can''t touch daylight... That seems alright.'' He placed 140 points into Luck and 5 points into Vitality, Toughness and Strength, thus reaching the 250 Luck required to start the Evolution. [Starting Evolution process: [Shadow Fennec Fox] - 29 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes] ''Hell yeah! That''s what I''m talking about!'' Now I just have to wait and buy more Skills! He browsed the store and picked some that might be useful during his time as Mistress of the-Assassin! Assassin! [Enhanced Speed] [Enhanced Manoeuvrability] [Enhanced Flexibility] [Enhanced Agility] [Enhanced Smell] [Climb] For 5 Each. [Predator Sense] [Temperature Regulation] For 25 Each. This took him the whole night since he was going through each one of them carefully and slowly. He could make different choices, but he didn''t necessarily need to kill. Since he could hide in the shadows, he could just steal eggs or jump around to find some cherries... definitely not cherries, but apples and such should be fine... right? ''Alright, let''s sleep, since I can''t go outside when there is light... I hope moonlight doesn''t count into it...'' ... He saw that it was night outside and went to drink from the river. It was quiet, but life was slowly returning to the shrouded forest. [ Name: Aiko Species: [Ordinary Fennec Fox Cub(Female)] Age: 0.08/10 Beast Rank: Animal Level: 100 (1st Evolution) Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous] Stats: HP: 35/412 -> 51/417 (1pH & 0.01%pH) ST: 34/315 (2pH & 0.01%pH) Vitality: 15/312 -> 15/317 Vigour: 215 Toughness: 211 -> 216 Strength: 312 -> 317 Agility: 621 -> 621*1.2 Dexterity: 110 Mind: 1010 Insight: 10 Beauty: 1010 Luck: 110 -> 250 Stat Points: 155 -> 0 Skill Points: 100 -> 80 -> 0 Skills: [Burrow: Lv.1], [Crushing Bite: Lv.1], [Scratch: Lv.1], [Sprint: Lv.1], [Tracking: Lv.1], [Quick Jump: Lv.1], [Climb: Lv.1] Passive Skills: [Hide: Lv.1], [Danger Sense: Lv.1], [Enhanced Sight: Lv.5], [Health Recovery: Lv.1], [Stamina Recovery: Lv.1], [Prehensile Tail: Lv.4], [Dark Vision: Lv.3] ,[Enhanced Speed: Lv.1], [Enhanced Manoeuvrability: Lv.1], [Enhanced Flexibility: Lv.1], [Enhanced Agility: Lv.1], [Enhanced Smell: Lv.1], [Predator Sense: Lv.1], [Temperature Regulation: Lv.1] Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.1] Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm] ] He went outside with a smirk, he got bonus agility from the [Enhanced Agility: Lv.1]. This made him even faster than before and would allow him to outrun his predators or prey. Aiko sneaked around during the night. He already verified that he could bask in the Moonlight, which was perfect as it means that he wouldn''t need to worry about it resetting his counter. However, that also meant that he could only hunt during the night, like right now. As he sneaked around, his hide ability went up surprisingly fast before eventually slowing down. It seemed like he had entered some kind of Beast territory which had boosted the growth of his Skill. He spotted his next target, another nest. This time, he was aiming for revenge on another innocent bird! Which his [Predator Sense] guided him to. Aiko took his time sneaking around, as those eggs looked big and delicious, allowing him to recover quite a bit of stamina. He used his [Climb] and he was surprised at how easily he got up the huge tree! He didn''t even spend half of his stamina and was already high in the crown! The bird moved, but Aiko was already hidden with his Level 5 [Hide]. He wasn''t spotted, he crawled closer, only moving when his [Danger Sense] and [Predator Sense] would allow him to, doing so made him increase the levels of the Skills by 1, making it much easier to guess the bird''s location and intention with his extraordinary senses. Aiko positioned himself as closely as possible and waited for the right time. ''Now!'' Aiko used [Quick Jump], not to jump up, but forward, shooting like a bullet towards the bird, the speed surprising both Aiko and the bird. He should''ve practised and tested his current limits, but didn''t as he wanted to hunt as soon as possible. *BANG* He collided with the bird and they both fell down. Fortunately for him, his toughness was already great, and he was able to use his [Enhanced Manoeuvrability] to gracefully land on his paws, while the bird crashed down like a rock. Aiko didn''t dilly-dally and killed the bird with [Crushing Bite]. It was very easy since the bird was stunned and almost didn''t have any Toughness at all. As such, he was successful with his first proper hunt. Unfortunately, this wasn''t counted as his first hunt, but the previous was too... wrong. He licked his... lips? ''Not bad, while clumsily executed, I have not suffered even a single HP of damage.'' He praised himself, but he was already hidden with his [Hide]. While he was proud, he was not stupid. He climbed the tree again, spending most of his Stamina before gulping down the eggs. They could barely fit inside his mouth, but he was still able to swallow them... with some difficulty. He then jumped down again, increasing his [Enhanced Manoeuvrability] and [Enhanced Flexibility]. With this kind of speed, he would master them soon enough... Unfortunately, he won''t be able to upgrade them, since he didn''t have any Skill Points to his name... How unfortunate. He left the bird there, although he had a sensitive nose, it paled in comparison to some of the more sensitive predators in the wild. As such, he did not want to risk eating the bird and encounter a deadly predator! He returned to his Den, sleeping the night and day away... Chapter 9 – Another Painful Evolution [Warning - There is gore and massacre in this Chapter!] It''s been 25 days since he started to hunt for his prey. He didn''t directly fight anything out of his league, mostly because he ambushed all of them. That didn''t stop him from provoking some of his enemies and then using [Burrow] to hide in the ground and confuse them, before killing them. This was also a great way for him to increase his Level. That night, he activated [Sprint] again. He managed his Stamina well, so he always had his Stamina topped up, to the point that he increased his [Stamina Recovery] to the 3rd Level. Aiko had also increased his [Health Recovery] to the 4th Level. This happened because he experienced many hardships, most of which was because he overestimated his luck. There was a landslide nearby, chopping his HP almost down to zero. That was also the first time he experienced the effects of Low HP. His body felt heavy and unresponsive, being greatly weaken by his wounds. As for stamina, it felt like he was in a constant state of daze and out of breath, which drastically reduced his efficiency and coordination. As such, he always maintained full HP and Stamina whenever he could to never experience that again... However, what truly made him upset was the fact that he had never levelled up once since been dropped out of the Village. His current level remains stagnant at 100. It seems like he would have to hunt a much more powerful Beast to be able to level up further. Even so, the hardships paid off in the end, as he only had a few days left. During his time in the forest, he had also noticed that the forest grew restless, in which he had spotted Buddy a few times. Everytime he saw Buddy and his comrades, they would always be bloodied and tired. The least injured was always the panther, but judging from his fur, he was likely also a shadow predator, allowing him to avoid direct confrontation and sustain less damage compared to his peers who confronted their enemies up front. ... He snacked on some more eggs and returned to his Den. He realised that his [Burrow] skill softened the ground so that he could ''move it'' out of the way when he burrowed. This could also be used during digging. He could soften the ground with [Burrow] and then ''shovel'' it away with his paws. Aiko laid down in his enlarged Den. He was worried that he would be stuck inside if his Evolution enlarged him too much. Aiko lay down and waited for the counter to finally finish. He would then hunt for some food later once it was finished. It would take him about half a day to 2 days to digest the eggs, and he was fine without eating for just 3 days. He had water nearby, so that wasn''t a problem, but even then he could go for 5 days without water. Not that he would... ... [Starting Evolution process: [Shadow Fennec Fox] - 0 days, 0 hours, 1 minute] Evolution was upon him. He was waiting for it to start, quite anxiously. He noticed things like [Reduced Pain] or [Increased Pain Tolerance]... but they were too expensive. Aiko would have to bear the pain with his skin and teeth. [Evolution is in process] ''AGHHHHHHHHHHH'' His mind immediately blanked from the pain soon after he heard strange voices. -100Hp ''It''s nice to be in the darkness, right? You can kill anything you want and nobody will find you~'' ''It''s pleasant to be female, they dote on you so much and when you are pretty enough they even worship you. Imagine having everyone at your beck and call~'' ''It''s fine to just murder everyone who enters your domain, after all, it''s yours!'' ''You should enjoy your beauty and create a harem, so you don''t need to hunt for yourself and just wait for the delicious meat dripping with juice to arrive in front of you~'' ''You should expand your domain, so you can continue Hunting! The Hunt never stops!'' -100Hp There were strange noises that gnawed at his Willpower. His mind was in turmoil, questioning his race, attraction, murdering, hunting... Everything was asked, but only some were answered. This was the burden of the [Unique] rarity. -100Hp Then she heard another snap. Aiko¡¯s body shook as unimaginable pain coursed through it. Her body swelled as her bones expanded. Her muscles and skin ripped as it couldn''t accommodate her new, larger body. Aiko¡¯s fur was dyed red from her bleeding and she soon lost the ability to feel her body. -200Hp She lay there motionlessly, the pain still torturing her body as new bones, muscles, and tissues for skin were swiftly created. -1 Vitality She could feel this draining her greatly as something small was slowly forming in her body, something so minuscule, yet... -1 Vitality -1 Vitality -1 Vitality -1 Vitality It was draining her so much. The system didn''t expect her to reach Unique rarity so soon. It was supposed to guide her through a few worthless rarities and slowly make it up the food chain, but the one who controlled it was currently making a new Feather Duster and wasn''t watching all that much. Her Vitality dropped to 5, yet it was not over. She could feel her life flashing in front of her eyes as her vitality slowly dropped to 1, but it stayed there. Soon a violent draft of air entered her Den. It collided with her body as her body was trying to greedily suck everything in. The dirt turned from a nutritious black colour to mere brown and soon into sand. The Den was slowly collapsing, the outside landscape was no better. A huge whirlwind was above the forest, cycling the Energies of Heaven and Earth, trying to maintain their balance. Yet one greedy little bastard was not satisfied and was continuously sucking its Energy! Soon it couldn''t sustain the whirlpool and nearby trees withered, having their Essence forcibly stolen. Yet, the culprit was currently marvelling at the fact that it didn''t hurt her as much as before. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. She quietly laid there as she waited for her Evolution to finally complete. Unaware of the fact that she had not only alerted the friendly Village but also many Cultivators nearby... War was upon them. Who would be the first one to find the cause of this? ... [ Name: Aiko Species: [Ordinary Fennec Fox Cub(Female)]->[Shadow Fennec Fox Cub(Female, Unique)] Age: 0.12/10 -> 0.12/100 Bloodline(New): [Shadow Fiend] Beast Rank: Animal -> Beast Level: 100 -> 1 (1st Evolution -> 2nd Evolution) Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous] Stats: (*1.5 Shadow Enhancement) HP: 0/417 -> 5/75 (1pH & 0.04%pH) ST: 315/315 -> 75/75 (2pH & 0.06%pH) Vitality: 15/317 -> 1/52 Vigour: 215 -> 52 Beast Core(New): 220 Toughness: 216 -> 50 Strength: 317 -> 54 Agility: 621*1.2 -> 65*1.3 Dexterity: 110 -> 43 Mind: 1010 -> 52 Insight: 10 -> 20 Beauty: 1010 -> 52 Luck: 250 -> 183 Stat Points: 0 -> 2 Skill Points: 0 -> 2 Divine Ability(New): [Duality of Cultivation] Ability(New): [Shadow Walk: Lv.1] Passive Ability(Moved): [Desert adaptation: Lv.1->2], [Shadow Enhancement: Lv.1] Skills: [Burrow: Lv.1->Mastered], [Crushing Bite: Lv.1->Mastered], [Scratch: Lv.1->Mastered], [Sprint: Lv.1->Mastered], [Tracking: Lv.1->Mastered], [Quick Jump: Lv.1->Mastered], [Climb: Lv.1->Mastered] Passive Skills: [Hide: Lv.1->Mastered], [Danger Sense: Lv.1->Mastered], [Enhanced Sight: Lv.5->Mastered], [Health Recovery: Lv.1->4], [Stamina Recovery: Lv.1->6], [Prehensile Tail: Lv.4->Mastered], [Dark Vision: Lv.3->Mastered] ,[Enhanced Speed: Lv.1->Mastered], [Enhanced Manoeuvrability: Lv.1->Mastered], [Enhanced Flexibility: Lv.1->Mastered], [Enhanced Agility: Lv.1->Mastered], [Enhanced Smell: Lv.1->Mastered], [Predator Sense: Lv.1->Mastered], [Temperature Regulation: Lv.1->Mastered] Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Newbie gift] ] She woke up completely hammered. Her Den was destroyed, or rather it had turned into a sand castle. All the Vitality from the surroundings was squeezed dry. Even her ceiling was slowly crumbling with each tremor. Aiko blinked a few times. It was a warm feeling. A feeling of power coursing through her veins. She felt familiar, even intimate, with the darkness. She was loved and caressed by it. Encouraged to run and hunt, yet hide at the same time. She walked outside before her Den completely collapsed. It was a full moon. A beautiful night for a Hunt. Her senses were more sensitive during the night. She felt weaker, yet strong. Her Level declined, but she wasn''t discouraged. She had mastered almost all of her skills and gained many more. But her senses were warning her. Get away from here, get away from here and quickly! Aiko ran using her [Sprint], yet the darkness encouraged her further. She glanced at her system. Her eyes were drawn towards [Shadow Walk]. Aiko activated it and the whole world changed. She could see the darkness swaying as if burning. She could see the pathways she should take and others that she should avoid. It was a surreal feeling. Aiko ran on the predetermined path, encouraged by the darkness. The darkness clung to her, yet she only felt lighter and faster, it was not slowing her down, but helping her. She made it to the edge of the forest. There was a desert, a blood-red desert. Her [Shadow Walk] activated with her [Hide]. She stopped there to observe the carnage. Humans were killing each other. Beasts were killing Humans and Humans were killing beasts. The blood ran until the ground was red, dying the previously creamy and rocky desert into a red and black, putrid hell. The shadows were protecting her. Protecting her from the cruel world, yet she was allowed to observe it. Observe the struggle, observe that massacre. Should she join? Should she leave? She decided to wait some more. She could feel their energy. It was a strange feeling... like staring at a powerful hero with the mask of a Joker. (AN: Card Joker, not the other Joker) It was a disgusting sight, the fighters rejoiced in euphoria and relished in their power, some getting stronger with each kill, while others with each slash they made. Many ran low on energy and either fled or were done in by other Beasts. Some grew too strong and Beasts avoided them. Aiko stared as something magical was happening in front of her. It felt like she was witnessing fireworks each time those Humans gathered their energies and released it, yet she knew that she couldn''t just sit around as she would definitely be killed by the aftershocks! A person was tossed near her, completely oblivious to her presence. She observed him, noticing that his Vitality waned as his inner organs slowly slip out of his wounds, until he died soon after. The Shadows encouraged her. Guiding her towards his finger. There lay a pretty ring with strange runes on it. If she was in her right mind, she wouldn''t take it as it looked like a wedding ring. She took it, the body was unmoving. Soon she noticed that others came closer to the body and the darkness guided her away. They searched his body and cursed loudly. It seems like they were looking for the ring, but considering their clothes... they weren''t the dead man''s friends. Bandits? If so, they were incredibly powerful, enforcing her opinion to avoid Humans. The darkness guided her away. Her senses warned her, but they were too vague. She couldn''t make out where and what was the danger. She walked through the darkness. Her [Hide] would no longer break while she moved around. It could be permanent if she wills it, but her Stamina wouldn''t keep up forever. Aiko made a mental note to find a way to greatly increase her stamina. She was in a strange trance. Observing the living as they slowly breathed their last breaths, she didn''t feel repulsed or disgusted. She felt broken. Aiko arrived outside a small camp. 5 Humans were roasting food around the campfire, chatting and laughing. She sneered as she stared at their defenceless backs. One move and one of them would be dead, but she would have to fight the rest. That was not optimal. She observed them for some time as her senses no longer warned her of danger. It was safe, she could take her time. Chapter 10 – Shadow Fiend and Buddy Aiko observed for a while, noticing a pattern in their alertness. Each of them would spend around 12 to 13 minutes observing their surroundings, and then change over. That changeover when they were not alert was around 20 to 30 seconds, which was more than enough time for her to steal their food. The darkness guided her again to an advantageous position, where she waited. She dashed with her [Quick Jump]. Now that she had mastered it, she was much more proficient and accurate with it. Aiko snatched the delicious-smelling meat and ran deep inside the forest. She could hear them cursing behind her, but she didn''t mind. Darkness was her friend, Darkness would guide her away from the bad Humans. The Forest quietened and she stopped running, she sat down and munched on the meat. [EXP gained.] [EXP gained.] [EXP gained.] [Level gained.] ... It was somewhat good meat, but not as good as in the Village, yet the Darkness wouldn¡¯t guide her there. She felt sad but was comforted by it. Aiko felt like a new guiding post was put in front of her, tempting her with delicious treats. She didn''t know what to think of it. Could Darkness have taste buds? Or was it just pulling her leg? A path opened up in front of her, and white paw prints were marked on the ground, guiding her with where to step. Darkness was her playground, and she felt safe in Darkness. Her strength increased... slightly, it was too little for her to care much, but she felt another heart beating inside her. It was a quiet yet powerful roar that strengthened her body with each heartbeat. Yet, she felt that her new heart had... issues. While it felt powerful, it also felt like gears trying to grind something that wasn''t supposed to be there. Something was slowing, restricting those gears. Aiko arrived at another destination. Beasts fought Humans and Humans fought Beasts. She noticed one familiar sight. It was Buddy, he was held back by a powerful Human, while the weaker ones stood at the back throwing fireworks at him. To help or not to help... Buddy gave her delicious treats and allowed her to Evolve into this... ''Help him.'' Aiko made up her mind. The grass was of mid-height, which barely concealed her, but since moonlight wasn''t considered sunlight... She got almost the full effect of her [Shadow Enhancement]. Aiko sneaked around. "Careful! There is a Beast around!" Shouted the powerful person. She was found out, but they didn''t know her exact location. Aiko sneaked around, feeling their connection. They were doing something. Suddenly, one of the Humans slashed towards her direction, but it was too far off and missed. Aiko used this opportunity and used [Sprint] in tandem with [Quick Jump]. She blasted through the grass, arriving at the furthest Human and using [Quick Jump] again with [Crushing Bite] on his neck. He looked shocked at the small beast shrouded in Darkness quickly approaching him. His perception was much quicker than his body, but he wasn''t able to react in time. *Crunch* [Level gained.][Level gained.][Level gained.][Level gained.].... His throat was crushed and he died immediately. She fell with him into the grass. Suddenly, he ''opened'' his eyes and started screaming. Attracting everyone''s attention. "It''s an illusion! FOCUS!" The Powerful person shouted at them again, but it was too late. She dashed again, this time towards the person in the middle. Humans often employ tactics where the person in the back or middle is the weakest or most susceptible to injury. She used this simple knowledge and dashed towards the girl in the middle. *Crunch* This time she didn''t jump at her throat but crushed her leg. This unfortunate girl was only a Late Body refinement Cultivator. With Aiko''s boosts in the complete darkness and mastered [Crushing Bite], her leg didn''t stand a chance and was completely crushed. The girl screamed, attracting attention again. The powerful Human was nervous and sweating, it was obvious he wanted to protect her. Buddy used this brief carelessness and smashed his torso with his hooves, gravely injuring him. Meanwhile, Aiko dashed again towards the most distracted person who was ready to run away. She did her combo of [Quick Jump], and [Crushing Bite] to instantly kill him. "No!" The powerful person number 1 shouted, but no matter what he did, he couldn''t help them. He was now tied with Buddy and he wasn''t able to shake him off. The Human Cultivators panicked, frantically using their fireworks all around them to retaliate, but to no avail as the Darkness had already guided Aiko away from the danger. The only thing that remained was a desperate show put up for Aiko to enjoy. "Idiots! She isn''t here!" The powerful person number 2 shouted while vomiting blood. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Buddy laughed with glee as he heard another *Crunch* in front of him. Yet another Cultivator was killed. [Level gained.][Level gained.][Level gained.].... The powerful person N¡ã3 was desperate and launched fireworks towards her location, but she was far from slow. Aiko had reached Level 13 from killing those Cultivators, thus having 209 Agility, which was boosted by x1.3 and again by x1.5 to reach a whopping 407 Agility! She was comparable to a normal 3rd Layer Foundation Establishment Cultivator in speed! While he was much more powerful, he couldn''t spare the time to properly prepare his Technique and as such, it only had the strength of a 1st Layer Foundation Establishment! She dashed between the bombardment and *Crunch* [Level gained.][Level gained.] She bit another Cultivator''s throat. Her speed soared through her levelling, but her help was no longer needed. Buddy was able to pierce the powerful person''s chest with his horn, piercing his heart in the process. He felt desperate and helpless, but before he could shout at the others to run, they were already killed by the aftershocks from Buddy. Of course, Aiko was far away, enjoying herself in the dark. "Come out." Buddy panted, but still called. "I want to thank you for saving me!" She moved as the Darkness guided her and landed on his back. He was ready to shake her off and blast her with his hoofs because of this but paused again. "Are you the little one?" He frowned, the only thing similar to her would be the comically large ears. Aiko nodded, smiling as her tail swished from happiness from being remembered. The Horse with a Horn was completely dumbfounded. If he hadn''t met her he would not have believed this was the same person, since she had a similar energy to those at the Peak of Beast Rank. Yet it had only been a month or so since they parted. This was unbelievable for him. One had to know that it takes years to go from an Animal to a Beast Rank, and even longer from Low-Rank Beast to Peak Rank. Yet this little lass was already at peak, while just entering the Beast Rank! "Do you want to help me? We will share the treasures evenly." He made this proposal. Normally he would never do something like this, at most, he would only give all his helpers half unless they were his friends or fellow Beasts. Yet he couldn''t help but to be respectful and aware of this fox''s boundless potential. As such, he was willing to offer someone who was of much lower Rank the same benefits as those who he considered equals! One has to know that her Agility has already soared to 454! In speed, she was comparable with the 3rd Middle Layer of Foundation Establishment! Buddy noticed that sharp rise in speed. He wouldn''t invite her normally, but since she could increase her speed so much, he could take her! It would also be much easier on him. "What do you say, lass?" He laughed once he saw her nodding at him. "Let''s go then." ... "Lass, we are coming towards quite a large group." He told her. "Two are in Nascent Soul, one is in Golden Core and the rest is in Foundation Establishment." He explained their prowess. "Your only mission is to distract them! Don''t fight them! It''s unlikely you will be able to hurt them like those guys in Qi refinement. I will try to take care of those guys at Golden Core and Higher, but if things get dicey we will call it quits!" "What are you talking about, let''s rip ''em!" The Panther suddenly appeared nearby. "I was smelling a powerful Bloodline from your side, so I was worried you had already croaked and been eaten by someone." The Horse snorted. "You were only worried because you wouldn''t get a taste of me!" He scoffed at him, but the Panther was ignoring him, speechlessly staring at Aiko. "Oi, oi, oi, are you serious? Where did you find a Shadow Beast, do you know how rare they are?!" He demanded answers from him. It was already bad enough that he felt the Powerful Bloodline, but it just had to be THAT kind of bloodline? What did he miss?! Buddy snorted again. "I¡¯m surprised you can''t even tell, considering you tried to eat her the first time you saw her." The Panther was silent, he thought long and hard about where he might''ve met her, but he couldn''t figure out where. There was a crazy thought at the back of his head, but he denied it with all his might. "That''s right, it''s the lass that slapped Char''s face during the face-off." He laughed heartily. The Panther was flabbergasted. In his mind, there was no way that was possible. "Let''s talk later, we are here." Buddy trained his hooves and Aiko jumped down. The moment she disappeared inside the grass, the Panther shivered. "My god... it''s not completely awakened yet..." He shivered like a cat facing its worst enemy... water. He laughed awkwardly, getting into battle mode with goosebumps all over his body. Aiko sprinted rather far behind, they were much faster, but this gave her time to circle the powerful ones and find the weaker ones. While her speed was ridiculous, her biting power would work only on those in Qi refinement at best. So she would do what she was best at, running. She dashed around them, they were already in the heat of battle, those Powerful Cultivators had already told them that there were 3 Beasts and they were on high alert, but this wouldn''t stop Aiko. She would get 50% of the treasure, in other words, she could exchange those treasures for more meat and power level more! Aiko got closer, while those at the Peak of Foundation Establishement were aware of her, the others weren''t. She dashed around all the clueless bastards and used her mastered [Scratch] on their legs. While it wouldn''t hurt them much, it would be god-damn annoying to pay attention to her while trying to dodge the aftershocks from the Nascent Souls'' fight. "AGHHH." "AHHH." "AAAA." "FUCK." Questionable noises drifted from behind those Nascent Soul Cultivators, and they shook their heads. Their disciples couldn''t even take care of a lowly Beast... Those disciples had many scratches on their legs. Once she mastered her Skill, it provided a great decrease in consumption. Moreover, because her Species specialised in stealth, only those at Peak Foundation Establishment were able to spot her, but that was no good for those below it. Even if you were to tell them that she was there, by the time they turned around she was somewhere else. Thus, those at peak started to chase her and tried to fire off their little Techniques towards her, but she would always hide behind those at lower Cultivation Layer, angering her pursuers. "Friend... Please tell me I didn''t anger her." The Panther asked with a crestfallen expression. "Do I have to recall the amount of times you made her faint?" The Horse snorted in glee. "Curses, my stupid habit!" He cursed himself. This was the first time in his life he regretted chasing and trying to eat someone. But make no mistake, he is vastly more powerful than she is! That is only considering her current strength. It has to be known that someone with a superior Bloodline, can suppress someone with a lesser bloodline. That means if she grows a bit more... yeah, he would be at her mercy. Buddy noticed his difficult expression and shook his head. "Bring her plenty of good quality meat and she might forgive you." He would help him just a little bit, but not much, since he still wanted to enjoy his misfortune. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" He thanked him, which stunned Buddy, this would be the third time in their 2,000 years of life that he would thank him. It felt like a dream for him... "AGHHH." Aiko was still torturing the group with her superior speed, so much so that the Golden Core tried to leave the battle in front of him to take care of her. Unfortunately for him, he had to shield them from most of the aftershocks or they would absolutely die, but they were being killed by that little Beast! "Master!" The Golden Core pleaded. "Do you think we don''t know?! You have to stay there to shield them, otherwise we can''t defeat these Beasts!" The Nascent Soul shouted at him. The Golden Core flinched and didn''t dare to move from his place any more. Chapter 11 – Battle and Fairy She dashed again. Her Stamina was rapidly depleting, it seemed like this battle would have to be her last one before she would need to retreat. They were in a panic, but most of the damage was done by those at Peak Foundation Establishment, who were frustrated at her quickness. While they had much greater speed, they had a hard time tracking her in the grass, coupled with the fact that they had to avoid their fellow Taoists... which didn''t help them. She dashed again, seeing someone fall into the grass, she narrowed her eyes. The man started to scream, sending shivers down the Panther''s back, who vowed again to hunt some delicious meat for her. What was happening to that person who fell? He was greeted by Darkness whispering and tempting him, abusing and loving him, torturing and helping him. It was a pure nightmare to be in the Darkness with [Shadow Fiend]. Soon he let his guard down and- *Crunch* [Level gained.][Level gained.][Level gained.][Level gained.].... [Level: 20 (2nd Evolution)] [You can Evolve into [Worthless] Beast] [Levelling further will allow you to Evolve into [Common] Beast.] Aiko frowned cutely. Previously, it was enough to reach Level 10 in order to Evolve, but now it took 20. This was bad since she had to hunt many more Beasts to Level up. She shook her head resuming the ''Hunt''. The Darkness guided her again and she scratched another person. Seeing that her Stamina was approaching 25% left she distanced herself. Those at Peak of Foundation Establishment noticed this, but those who weren''t were still throwing their fireworks around. The Nascent Soul Cultivators were at their limit. "RETREAT-"*PUFFF* Buddy slammed his hooves into the Nascent Soul''s chest the moment he was distracted, mortally wounding him. The Panther seeing this jumped at him and- *Crunch* He took his life swiftly. Soon after everyone died and none were spared. Buddy huffed. "This is it for me, I''m too injured..." "Yeah, my Stamina is low." Panther agreed. Aiko jumped on his back again lying down. "It seems like she is also exhausted, let''s call it a day." The Horse snorted and they left the place after completely robbing them. ... Along the way... "You know that I have never seen such a majestic Beast like yourself-" Panther was trying to desperately flatter Aiko, who was snorting at him. Buddy laughed with glee at him. "Once we get into the Village we will split the treasures and you can do whatever you want with them." Aiko nodded at him, her ears flapping happily. Panther sighed, trying to remember if he had any good meat stored in his home... ... ''This way, this way.'' The Darkness spoke. Aiko straightened her ears to listen. ''This way, treasures, this way.'' She tilted her head, since this was the first time, or rather second time counting her Evolution, that the Darkness spoke to her clearly. She looked towards the path that was highlighted on the ground. She slapped Buddy''s back a few times alerting him. She waved a few times as if saying goodbye. "Do you know the path to our Village?" Buddy asked, noticing that she wanted to leave. She tilted her head. "Here." He gave her a small pebble. "This can guide you towards our gates, use this to enter and I will be able to find you." He nodded at her. Aiko nodded back and jumped down. She was very curious about where the path would lead her. The forest was completely silent... was a complete lie since the forest was in utter chaos. Tremors and wailing could be heard all around her. Far enough that it wouldn''t affect her, but close enough that it would alert her. Yet the Darkness was guiding her towards one of the tremors and moans. She was scared, but Darkness reassured her. She didn''t know what to say, since she couldn''t speak, but with her [Enhanced Sight] she could see it. A battlefield. Many against one. Yet the one was prevailing and killing the many. Not without wounds, but it was amazing to see how well they fought. Darkness guided her to a nearby tree. She could see that everyone was alert because of her, but since she was just out of their range they didn''t do anything to her. They had bigger problems on their hands. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. "How about it Saintess? Just one night and you will be free of all pain and suffering." The deranged guy giggled as he lost his head. She had a cold aura around her, unmoving. Yet she scoffed at those lowlifes. "As if you would survive our first encounter." It was the truth, they were at their wit''s end trying to anger her, distract her or anything that could help them kill her. Unfortunately for them, she was a Saintess. If she were to be distracted so easily she wouldn''t hold that Title, which only a few had. She rotated her wrist cutting another 5 heads off in the process. Aiko''s eyes shined as the only thing she could see was a very thin line of energy leaving her sword, yet that thin energy was cutting them effortlessly. "SHIT! FUCK! FUCK EVERYTHING!" One of the many lost his mind and rushed at her. She pierced his heart without effort, but because of her exhaustion failed to notice that he was gathering his energy to blow himself up. *BOOOOM* The sky shook and even Aiko was blasted away, but fortunately, because of [Enhanced Manoeuvrability] and [Enhanced Flexibility] she came out unharmed from the blast, jumping from tree to tree to slow herself down. She went back under the tree to watch the show further. Another fighter sent a huge Lion out of his body that rushed towards the Saintess, but she crushed it. Similarly, a big Phoenix came out of her body and roared. Paralysing and injuring everyone in the vicinity. -5HP Even Aiko was caught at the edge of the radius and shivered. Fortunately, some kind of warm current inside her cushioned the pressure, vastly decreasing the damage, otherwise she would have already died. It was only now that she realized it might not be a good idea to be there. She still had 4hp left, but only 1 Vitality out of 115. The battle resumed, many were already on their last legs and in their desperation they rushed at the Saintess, intending to blow her up. Unfortunately, only 2 of them were able to blow up as everyone below her cultivation had their energy locked and they couldn''t blow up. As such, some of the energy was absorbed by those that couldn''t blow up, ever so slightly cushioning the blast. Unfortunately, it wasn''t enough. The Saintess made a translucent wall in front of her, but that was also destroyed. She coughed up blood and fell into the crater that had been created. Aiko was curious about what happened to her and being encouraged by Darkness, she followed the highlighted steps and safely arrived at the top of the crater. It was an exceptionally big crater, not as big as the ''desert'', but big enough for anyone to stare at it with awe. Suddenly she heard cussing. "If my cultivation wasn''t sealed by this forest I would slaughter their sorry Demonic asses!" She proclaimed while coughing another mouthful of blood and laying back. The moon was now behind Aiko, casting a shadow inside the pit, but not covering the Saintess. It was still some way from her. The paws guided her down, and when the Saintess closed her eyes, Aiko slowly descended. She was about 20 meters away from her when she suddenly stared at her paralysing her. Saintess stared at the dumb Beast for a while and realizing that it was not worth the trouble and that Aiko couldn''t hurt her she laid back down. Aiko was sweating from this encounter, but seeing she was ignored, she approached a bit closer... ... The Saintess lay down after staring at that the dumb Beast. She was already exhausted and couldn''t spare the energy to wipe out that Beast. Yet she kept her senses sharp. The Beast was approaching... A truly dumb animal that didn''t know any better. She looked back at the unintelligent animal, ready to wipe Aiko out, only to freeze. The dumb Beast demonstrated a plethora of emotions, from confusion to annoyance, scoffing and snorting. She observed the Beast, confused. While it was amazing that this Beast was quick, nothing else was really exceptional about this little furball. Yet she had this an odd feeling in her heart. The Beast stopped and walked to a very particular place, greatly upsetting her. ''That is my blind spot.'' She gritted her teeth and waited for her demise, only to notice that the Beast didn''t move an inch. The Beast lay there staring at her. Was it waiting for her death? She didn''t know. She had never experienced something like this. She had extensive knowledge about Beasts and their Ranks, at its current Rank it should only have basic knowledge, with even cruder intelligence. Yet this Beast could find her blind spot! It should be known that she never considered Bloodlines, or Divine Abilities, since it was nearly impossible to get them at her current stage, moreover, most monsters had only a 10% Chance to awaken Bloodline at the Spirit Beast Rank! She stared at the Beast. The Beast yawned clearly tired- ''Was that a Spacial Ring?!'' Her eyes widened and strained as she noticed a ring under her tongue. She closed her eyes to identify that ring, at her current cultivation she didn''t quite have a perfect memory, but it was close enough that she could investigate that ring. It was quite a small ring, but very densely packed with inscriptions, it should be the work of at least a Forging Emperor. That also meant its inner size was significant! There would be quite a large possibility of having Healing Pills. She gritted her teeth as an insane thought was at the forefront of her mind. "Little one, may I have the ring for a moment?" She stared at the Beast and kindly and gently asked. It was an insane thought, but she had already suffered a severe blow when her Senior Sister stole her Spacial Ring and sold it at an Auction. This taught her a lesson to never give anyone what was hers lest they try to steal it. The Beast stared at her, narrowing its... beautiful eyes? The Saintess had never seen a beast with such light-blue eyes. It was mesmerizing for her. The Beast frowned as if thinking about something, so she tried to reassure the Beast while sweetening the deal. "I will only borrow it for some healing pills. I will naturally pay you in Beast Cores that can increase your Strength." She could see it''s ears twitching. Now that she looked closely... weren''t they a bit too big? Yet they looked incredibly fluffy! She really wanted to touch them, but for some reason, she also had some apprehension towards Aiko. Her senses warned her about this Beast. The Beast nodded which dumbfounded her. All the knowledge she had was completely useless in front of this Beast that was clearly more intelligent than some Magical Beasts! The Beast looked at the ground again and frowned, clearly scared of her. It tried to spit the ring at her so it wouldn''t need to approach her, but failed miserably as the ring fell below the little Beast. Its face distorted in anger, but for the Saintess it looked like an incredibly cute creature that was upset its great plan hadn''t succeeded. Aiko tried to grab the ring, with her paws, only to fail miserably again. The ring was unwieldy and stuck on the rocky surface. The Saintess observed the creature''s cuteness, savouring it, until the creature finally managed to pick the ring up, only for it to fall down again. Aiko was upset and stomped her paws into the ground, not doing any real damage. Saintess'' heart melted and she was soon lost in thought... ''Should I make it my contracted Beast? I have never seen someone so cute, my fellow senior and junior sisters would be jealous, but... It could get hurt because of it...'' She had an awful dilemma on her hands. Aiko had enough and used her [Prehensile Tail] to sweep the ring towards the girl. She puffed her chest triumphantly as she finally managed to get the ring within the Saintess'' reach. The girl giggled, startling Aiko who immediately made distance between them, settling back in the Saintess'' blind spot, cautiously looking at her. The Saintess picked up the ring and explored it. She was shocked by the amount of resources it had. ''It seems like this Beast found or stole it from someone.'' It had a bit of just about everything, but it was mostly pill recipes and many, many Pills. Chapter 12 – Beast and Human Saintess picked up the ring and explored it. She was shocked by the amount of resources it had. ''It seems like this Beast found or stole it from someone.'' It had a bit of everything, but mostly pill recipes and many many Pills. She narrowed her eyes at the little Beast which was licking her paws and ruffling her ears. She sighed, having a weak spot for cute animals was a true sin for her. It got a bit better, but when she joined her Sect, she would always follow her Senior Sisters and Brothers from the Beast Peak, just so she could cuddle with them... The problem was that the Beasts didn''t really like her. It was the same with this small Beast. It was cautious of her and wouldn''t approach her. She took a pill bottle out, smelled it and placed it back. There were many pills that recovered her Energy, but that was not really needed. She needed Blood Pill, Blood Clotting Pill and Wound Closing Pill. Blood Pill to replenish her own blood. It was a very ineffective method as it would replenish a small part of your blood because her cultivation and her body would block 99% of it. While it was ineffective once you bled too much it would increase to about 20% efficacy which would allow her to restore quite a bit of her blood at the cost of impurities. She didn''t need to care about impurities because of her Cultivation Technique. So she swallowed a small handful of Perfect Graded Pills. Blood Clotting Pill would stop the bleeding, but wouldn''t close the wound. This was important for prolonged fights as they would bleed a lot, especially against Demonic Cultivators which can and would make the wounds worse with their poisons and spiky weapons. This was a very effective and very sought-after Pill since it used her own blood to create a filter that would block the rest of the blood. She then could take a few more Blood Pills to replenish it, in case she couldn''t form that thin film. This allowed the Pill Concocters to earn quite a bit of money as long as their success chance was greater than average. Wound Closing Pill was the only one that didn''t do what it said. This pill would use the thin film from Blood Clotting Pill and make it much harder to break. The film from the previous pills was very thin and very easily torn, so Cultivators would use the Wound Closing Pill to strengthen the film allowing them to move more freely without the worry of tearing the film and bleeding out. That doesn''t mean this didn''t have negatives. The film would certainly be strengthened but also made hard. In certain places like around joints or shoulders, if you use this Pill it would actually restrict your movement. She used her Divine Sense to scout the surroundings. While her cultivation isn''t the highest, her Divine Sense is out of the norm. She easily covered several miles, spotting some of the battlefields, but none were aware of her existence even after the mess she made. She sighs, seeing her fellow Sect members get slaughtered. Her sect posted a notice about an abnormal Beast inside the forest with very generous rewards especially Sect Points, which are used as the main currency to buy Cultivation manuals or Elders time for teaching. Her Senior Brothers and Sisters were overjoyed with the rewards and immediately set off. She was sceptical at first so she asked her friend who was good in Divination about it. That friend told her that if she went her life would be turned upside down... She didn''t expect that her Senior and Junior Sisters would betray her just because she trained with one Senior Brother... She used the Blood Pill with Blood Clotting Pill in tandem, sealing her bleeding. She then used a Wound Closing Pill so that it would harden which would allow her to run her Cultivation Technique to heal faster. She swallowed the Blood Pill and crushed the Blood Clotting Pill on her wounds. She then added a crushed Wound Closing Pill that made that strange red/black film completely blacken, making it hard as a rock. She breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the Beast curiously staring at her wounds. Aiko was especially curious about the Pills. ''Those look like Futuristic jells for Soldiers... How do I know that again?'' Her mind was full of bits and pieces of information, she no longer remembered her name or where she came from. What she remembered was that she was not from this World and had known two strange names. Fairy Snow Phoenix and Fairy Jade Fox. She didn''t know how these names were of any importance, but for some reason, she couldn''t forget them. Saintess healed herself a bit and moved, startling Aiko. She stretched before laying down, she would need to recover some of her energy to move on her sword again. She stared at the stars and Darkness slowly approached her. The moment it touched her she stiffened as the World turned blacker, but making the stars more beautiful. Her Divine Sense was powerful, thus her mind was strong and resilient. She could still hear those strange voices, but they couldn''t affect her like it affected Aiko. ''Isn''t she cute? She is the cutest little creature. Why not form a contract with her?'' Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.''She is the hungriest creature. It will be pain to feed her, kill her and skin her beautiful fur!'' ''She is so lovable, her fur is nice and smooth, touch it! Stroke it!'' ''She is a Beast an Enemy of Humankind! Kill it, torch it!'' ''She is very cute and gentle, perfect contracted Beast! Every Junior and Senior Sister would be jealous of you~!'' ''Beast can''t be trusted, raise her for Internal Cauldron!'' She ignored those voices... well half of them. She had to agree that the Beast was very cute and lovable... but it also meant that this Beast was a Demonic Beast. You see, a Holy Beast has a very soothing atmosphere when not threatened or in battle mode. They are great pets to soothe your nerves and help you advance in cultivation. Meanwhile, Demonic Beast is the total opposite. They would attack you on sight, no matter if you were stronger or weaker. They would also cause Mental Hallucinations. Great examples are those voices, but there can also be Visual Hallucinations, Somatic Hallucinations and many others. Those hinder you or can even cause Inner Demons, which practically cripple Cultivator''s path and they won''t be able to advance until they gets rid of them, which in most cases is impossible. She recited her knowledge in her head only to pause abruptly. ''Demonic Beasts are supposed to have repulsive and sinister Aura... But she doesn''t have any of that... Is she too young to have it? But the scriptures said that no matter the Rank, as long as it causes those things it is considered a Demonic Beast...'' Her mind was in turmoil. Her knowledge was useless, she was taught not to make theories, but what to do in this case?! Then it clicked. ''I can present her different types of Cores and observe her. Since she is very expressive I will be able to ascertain if she is Demonic Beast, or just something else...'' She nodded happily at her genius, but little did she know that her knowledge would be questioned yet again... "Hey~, little one?" She gently stared at Aiko. "I have some cores for you for letting me borrow your ring." She tapped her own Storage Ring and many Cores fell down, startling Aiko. She was staring at her suspiciously, trying to find the place where they came from, but it had to be said that this Fairy had quite a tight outfit! There was no room for her to hide so many shiny marbles from her! ''I get it that they are small, but... They just appeared in mid-air from nothing!'' She stared at the Fairy. Those orbs were in her hands! She wouldn''t approach her! ''It''s fine~, it''s fine~, she won''t hurt you~'' ''Just kill her and take those orbs! She is weak and you are strong!'' She shook her head to not get affected by those voices. "I won''t hurt you... just let me pet you." The Fairy looked at her strangely, a mixture of want and need in her eyes, but none of hurt. Aiko was cautious, even though Darkness highlighted paws coming towards Saintess, she wouldn''t go so easily! She would wait and then snatch- "I also have some meat on me, but it''s processed..." She looked troubled. ''MEAT!'' Aiko immediately snapped at the word meat and dashed in front of her, her tail waggling like crazy, trying to find the meat. The Saintess was startled at how easy it was to bring the little Beast closer. She could see those shining light-blue eyes staring at her, searching for the ''meat'' on her. That little Beast''s tail was waggling so much that she had a hard time trying not to laugh. "I have it here." She gently tapped her ring and a piece of meat appeared in mid-air. Aiko immediately activated her [Quick Jump] to snatch the meat, but was caught by the Saintess... not that she cared. [EXP gained.][EXP gained.][EXP gained.][EXP gained.][EXP gained.] ''This was some high-quality meat!'' She munched happily, as she saw the notifications from the system. ''I got her!'' Fairy happily smiled and petted her only to get stunned multiple times. Not only was her Fur extremely soft, but if she stroked one way, it would make her black-coloured fur into cream-coloured fur! She was mesmerized by the switching colours. (AN: Imagine those light pillows coloured pillows that if you glide your hand one way nothing happens, but the other way it would turn its texture into a dark one. That kind of colour change.) She regretted not getting one of those Recording Jades. She knew that her Junior and Senior Sisters would go crazy for those images. Not to mention she could sell it for quite a lot. She stroked the fur, enjoying the texture while placing the marbles into her hand and showing them in front of the little Beast. Aiko noticed that hand with shiny marbles, but for some reason only liked a few... ''So many of them look... dirty.'' She tilted her head and her ears twitched. Saintess was observing her closely, but couldn''t quite understand why she was frowning. She then placed each and every individual marble in her hand and Aiko would stop her by instinct if she liked something... ''I... don''t even know anymore...'' Saintess sighed. ''She likes all of them, both Holy Beast Cores and Demonic Beast Cores, but the biggest reaction is from high-quality neutral Beast Cores. It also seems she is very sensitive towards impurities. Even if the Beast Core was High Grade, she would ignore it in favour of Lower Grade, but Higher Purity.'' She was... confused. In her learning scriptures, it never said anything about a Beast that would like both Demonic and Holy Cores... Only one or the other. Sure some Beasts would also like the Neutral Beast Cores, but they were less picked as they would be only moderately effective. Yet this little one liked the Neutral Beast Cores the most but didn''t mind either Holy or Demonic. ''What to do with you, little one...'' She sighed again. This was probably the first time she sighed so much in a single day and most of those sighs were because of this little Beast! ''Your fur is amazing and you can understand me, however your effect on your surroundings is that of a Demonic Beast, yet you don''t have any Aura of said Demonic Beasts...'' She stroked its neck, only for the Beast to growl at her. ''Don''t touch my neck when I''m eating! Do you want me to vomit my food?!'' Aiko was upset at this thoughtless Human, yet couldn''t hate her since she had many treasures... ''Why is she growling at me? I''m just trying to pet you!'' The Saintess was upset that another animal didn''t like her. Chapter 13 – The Chase and Victory? The Saintess stored the Cores inside a small pouch that she hung around Aiko''s neck. "I will also give you this." She placed a small pebble on her hand, it radiated warmth and shined slightly. Aiko tilted her head. She didn''t know what kind of rock this was, but she wanted a few hundred of them so she could make a floor out of it in her Den. "This Spirit stone will allow you to cultivate faster, but for you, it only gathers the ambient Energy around you for you to use." She explained. ''It also tracks your position for my research purposes, I don''t believe I can''t find anything about this strange situation in those scriptures!'' She smiled kindly at Aiko. Aiko took the warm stone, she quite liked it and with the help of the Fairy, it was placed inside the pouch. Rhe Saintess'' eyes sharpened. "You should run, more people are coming." She warned this little Beast. Aiko nodded the second Saintess finished and ran. She was low on stamina and unable to use her abilities to their fullest potential, but it was good enough to use a bit of [Shadow Walk]. ... "Saintess." The girl cupped her hands in greetings, yet there was no politeness in her voice, only vile poison. "I never imagined you would be able to contract with a Beast." She shook her head, gesturing to her little slaves to chase that little Beast. "I would''ve never imagined you would collude with Demonic Sects." The Saintess shook her head. "Colluding?" She laughed heartily. "It''s only a matter of view, they provided Cultivation resources that our sect didn''t and they only wanted a bit of information. No matter how you look at it, it''s no different than our Sect''s bulletin." She shook her head at this stupid Saintess. ''You say that, but you only did those things because you were jealous of me.'' The Saintess sighed, she knew that her Senior Sister was enamoured with the Senior Brother that she trained with, but unfortunately, he didn''t like Senior Sister and as such Senior Sister funnelled all her emotions at her. Normally she wouldn''t be the Senior Sisters match, but she willingly stepped inside this forest making everything much easier. Her blood boiled and a sculpture of Frozen Phoenix roared above her head signalling their battle. ... Aiko ran with the Darkness. She felt danger behind her so she didn''t dare to slow down or look around. She would rely on her senses and Darkness to get out of this. Her loot was overall... quite good, no, very good. That single piece of meat kicked her up to Level 36, settling her with speed in the middle layer of the 8th Stage Foundation Establishment. If she could use her sprint she would easily topple 9th Stage. *Swish* An arrow brushed past her. She dodged it because of her senses, but it would be a bad idea to drag this out in this scarce forest. She will have to run into the dense part so they lose sight of her. *Swish* Another arrow brushed past her. This one was a lot closer, sending shivers down her spine. She can''t get hit by this arrow, otherwise she would surely die with her meagre Health! "Chase her! She is up ahead!" The scout shouted at his fellow simps. "Get her! Don''t let her get away!" Another shouted with crooked eyes. "For the Saintess!" Shouted the last guy with a blissful expression. They chased her, but it didn''t seem like they were faster than her, it could also be possible that they just wanted to tire her to capture her easier, which is not good. She doesn''t want to die or get captured. While she entertained the thought of being a pet and being fed each and every day something extremely tasty... She also realized that they would make her do things that she wouldn''t necessarily like. She jumped behind another tree and the arrow flew past her. By the speed of shooting, he only had a couple of arrows and he was recovering them in the process and that''s why he avoided hitting rocks or trees. It could also possibly mean that the tip was coated in something. They were delirious talking about how the ''Saintess'' would step on them and whip them. It disgusted her, but since she couldn''t talk, she couldn''t tell them to shut up. ... "Fuck... why do you have so much energy." The ''Saintess'' vomited blood. "You have simply picked the wrong target Senior Sister." The Saintess shook her head. Her Bloodline, if used correctly, would allow her to suppress her enemy''s Inner Energy, simply dropping their Cultivation and how much Qi they can use. Senior Sister who also had Higher Cultivation was no exception because she was foolish enough to enter this forest. This forest would suppress any Human Cultivator to the Peak of Foundation Establishment. Of course, Golden Core and Nascent Soul had a few tricks up their sleeve, so while their Cultivation Dropped, their overall power didn''t drop by much. This Senior Sister was the same at the Peak of Golden Core, but because she was inside the forest and heard the Phoenix Cry she dropped all the way back to the Low middle of Foundation Establishment, around the 4-5th Stage. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. "You can regret your decisions in the grave Senior Sister." Saintess said gently. The fake Saintess laughed. "Did you know that those guys have poisonous arrows? They will make your beast suffer from the gentlest touch!" She laughed like a maniac. "And we both know you would never choose the normal contract to bind yourself to the Beast! In other words, you will suffer the same as your Beast! Slowly corroded by poison, writhing in p-AAAAAAAAAAA." She laughed with glee, until Saintess cut off her arms and legs with Special [Martial Arts] that allowed her to create sword wounds in the shape of ''V''. That means if she practised it enough she would be able to cut off their arms and legs at the same time as it happened right now. Moreover, she was so proficient with this Technique that she was able to imbue it with her freezing flames. Cauterizing her wound, not letting her die easily. The fake Saintess screamed as she was slowly cut apart by her. "It matters not what you do." Saintess shook her head. "What matters is that all of you will die!" The fake Saintess panted in her delirium, smiling like a maniac. "HAHAHA, do you think we won''t be able to track your Beast!? We both know that you can''t help, but give people tracking Spirit Stones. You have probably given her one too right?" She laughed again noticing Saintess''s odd expression. "We can track her through the faint signal that we encoded! Nowhere is safe from us!" The Saintess shook her head her whole body shaking. The fake Saintess laughed in glee. The Saintess sighed but was interrupted by her. "That''s right despair and-" "I had a higher opinion of you... Senior Sister." She shook her head again and the fake Saintess was confused. "I indeed give out Spirit Stones with Tracking, but their main purpose is to gather Heaven and Earth Energies. The Tracking was just a by-product of increased efficiency so that it would gather more while still sustaining itself." The fake Saintess was confused by her rant. "As such the normal Spirit Stones have a different ''Code'' than my handcrafted ones." The fake Saintess lost her colour. "Moreover, I have not formed a contract with that Beast yet." The fake Saintess looked lifeless since she knew that Saintesses wouldn''t lie lest they would want to decrease their Special Cultivation. "Which means that you allowed me to survive again. Since if you had such powerful poison on you, it would''ve been better to use it here and not there, where it was questionable if it''s my Beast." She sighed staring at the reality-denying fake Saintess. "That''s-That''s impossible! You would never pet a Beast! Moreover, you looked over it so gently!" She denied the possibility that she misjudged her situation, whenever she went to the Beast Peak she would never pet the Beasts! But nobody can truly blame her. She colluded with Demonic Cultivators, which gave her the ''Great Cultivation Technique''. Her Cultivation increased sharply allowing her to reach the Peak of Golden Core even faster than this young Saintess, but it came at cost... It would erode her mind and make her more prideful about her assumptions and moves. This wouldn''t be as much of a problem if she didn''t feel inferior towards the True Saintess, as such the erosion was much worse than it was supposed to be, making her clouded, prideful and completely useless... ... Aiko arrived in the dense forest. It was now much harder to track her. "Spread out and find it! We need to poison it at the least, but bring it back at the best!" The strange-speaking guy said. If one looked closer they would realize that his foundation was unstable, it seemed like he cultivated the same technique as the fake Saintess and as such was much dumber than when he was at the beginning. If he had any working brain cells he would realize that they should set up a Tracking Formation and Soul Chasing Formation to locate her easily, but their brains weren''t working properly, and as such they were looking around like dumb robots. Aiko almost merged with the shadows and was almost invisible to the naked eye. They searched around and once one got closer she used her [Quick Jump] with [Crushing Bite]. *Crunch* [Level gained.][Level gained.][Level gained.]... [Level: 40 (2nd Evolution)] [You can Evolve into [Common] Beast] [Levelling further will allow you to Evolve into [Uncommon] Beast.] She ignored the system and hid in the shadows again. They shouted, but she couldn''t hear them through the voices of Darkness. She hid behind a tree and waited for another victim. ... *Crunch* [Level gained.][Level gained.][Level gained.]... She was able to take down most of them, but the last four stuck together, tailing her. ''I''m stronger now, but I was able to kill them only because I was able to catch them off guard. I don''t think I will be able to kill them quickly without the element of surprise.'' They tailed her well and she had to jump around to hide from the arrows, unfortunately, these bastards retained some of their brain cells and decided to stick with the archer which was the worst enemy, because of those coated arrows. She hid in a nearby bush trying to measure the distance. Her current mind was light and swift and she was able to decide the angle of attack quickly. She waited and then dashed towards them. She had only a few more points in Stamina and she had to make good use of them. Using [Quick Jump] she was able to cover a great distance for very little Stamina. She used the momentum from her jump and arrived in front of the leftmost guy. The Archer already strained his bow towards her. She used [Crushing Bite] on that guy''s neck, but because of the momentum and her not-so-light weight, she was able to twist his neck, thus hiding from the Archer''s arrows. She jumped down and hid in the medium-sized grass. Those guys were at their flying swords, but some of them had poor control and wobbled up and down. She used that moment to [Quick Jump] at another person. This time the rightmost. He had a shield and was the wobbliest of them. She crashed into his body as he was trying to bring the shield in front of him to slam her with it, but because he wasn''t used to the whole flying thing and because he was dumb from his Cultivation, he didn''t manage to block her and suffered a heavy blow to his body. What was more, because of this impact he brought the shield close to his body, thus shielding Aiko from the Archer again. She impaled him with her fangs and bit his throat when he was stunned by the impact. They both fell, but once he entered the Darkness his eyes abruptly opened and he started screaming. The others were startled and disorganized, they still thought he was alive from his screams and the last 2 guys (excluding the Archer) rushed to his help. The Archer tried to warn them as it seemed he was the only one who had more than a couple of brain cells, but it was too late and he exposed himself to attack. Aiko wouldn''t leave that be and used [Sprint] with [Quick Jump] to make herself into a bullet. She swished through the air, using [Crushing Bite] when she was near the Archer, successfully biting him. She heard another crunch and she used the Archer''s body to jump to the second to last guy killing him from behind instantly and jumped at the last one who was too shocked to act. She was savouring her victory still being glued to the last guy''s throat when piercing pain assaulted her side. Chapter 14 – The Fox and The Fox, One stranger than the other… [Warning Gore and Cannibalism! It will be weird! Read at your own risk!] [HP Depleted, next blow will reduce your Vitality!] [Vitality Low! You won''t regenerate any health, please increase your Vitality to at least 2 or more] [Stamina Depleted as a means to regenerate Health.] [Stamina was too low! Unable to regenerate even a single HP.] Aiko flew through the air from the impact on her side. Still biting into his neck, she turned around a bit seeing her assailant and her pupils constricted. It was the Archer Cultivator, he was wrapped in Energy, especially his neck. His skin was ripped and he was bleeding, his bones were showing through the skin, but a light-grey aura was wrapped around his neck holding it in place. The Archer scoffed, her mind clearing, yet her energy draining. She looked around in despair but then realized her comrade had fallen and her eyes flashed in strange colour. Aiko fell to the ground, in mind-numbing pain. [You have been poisoned!] [Effect: Agonizing Pain] [As this poison was made to cause as much pain as possible, it was robbed of its HP/Vitality decreasing effect.] Her mind writhed in pain, but she couldn''t move or do anything. The Archer stood above her comrades and pulled out a knife, slashing their chests. She then pulled his organs out one by one with her bloodied hands and ripped them apart, shoving them down her throat. Each time she ate a piece of intestines, lung or any other organ she would roar. Her skin darkened, turning a shade of red. Yet her neck and body were healing and strengthening. She butchered his chest further, revealing the rest of his organs. Her eyes turned up into crescent curves revealing her joy. She slowly savoured those organs, but it was not enough. She skinned the guy from top to bottom and slurped his skin into her stomach. Her skin slowly turned back to a healthy pale colour. She gained a bit of height, but she ignored that. She carved out his skull to reveal a juicy brain, it jiggled seducingly at her and she laughed at the beauty swaying her tits in front of her. She cupped her heavenly peaks savouring them until gently biting them. She devoured that brain and looked at those well-defined muscles and bones. She ate both of them, feeling pain throughout her body, but she was in bliss and was unaware of that. Her bones were replaced with sturdier ones and she obtained another Spiritual Root. It was stored in her Dantian and was aiding her in circulating her Energy and regenerating her body. She snapped from her stupor once she finished that body and looked around. There were more corpses of her comrades and she licked her lips. "Do not worry fellow Senior Martial Brothers." The Archer cupped her hands gently. "I will take good care of you~." She licked her lips and walked towards another body. ... Aiko was in mind-numbing pain, she didn''t know how much time passed. She felt like she was in a glass room suffocating, yet couldn''t move at the same time. She felt hopelessness and despair slowly seeping into her bones, yet she couldn''t go mad or lose consciousness. [Your mind is protected.] She didn''t know why her mind couldn''t just stop and let her pass out. Those steps and words already faded long ago and what was left was just lush forest with singing leaves... *Step Step* She heard something moving around. Soon a fox appeared above her. She felt... relieved. ''Ah... it will finally end...'' She felt her death at the tip of her fingers, yet she didn''t fear it. She relished in it. The prolonged pain already numbed her senses and gradually chewed at her mind. Her whole body no longer fought against the poison and completely relaxed. ... She ran through the forest with stolen rings. She was able to rob many Cultivators allowing her to soon increase her Beast Cultivation greatly. At first, she was upset when she found out she was betrayed and ''kicked'' out of the Upper Realm. She felt indignant at them. Kicked her?! The most Powerful Charming Beautiful Mesmerizing Amazing Terrifying Badass Lovely... you get the point. She was a former Immortal that just didn''t make it. She was completely oblivious to the fact that her Dao companion cheated on her and plotted with his new spouse. When she first found out, she was angry about it. ''How could he! He was just a pretty little toy with shitty Talent! This Queen helped him all the way through the Lower Realm to the Upper Realm, yet that bastard!'' If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. That is how she felt at the moment he stabbed her... yet soon her mind paused... ''This... isn''t all that bad. This Queen made many poor decisions in her life, reducing her future. This would hinder this Queen in Ascension into ####, no, she would be stuck even lower...'' She suddenly felt relieved and smiled brightly at him. He was frozen stiff from her smile. It had been a long time since he saw that beautiful smile of the young blooming maiden. Tears trickled down his cheeks as her body slowly disintegrated. Soon she went through the Underworld and appeared in this strange forest. She was back at the beginning but with knowledge of Immortals. She saw many strange and unnatural things and encountered many similar beings, but in this single moment, she felt liberated. Half of her time was spent nurturing her former sweetheart, but now she had all the time for herself. She could slowly and carefully shape her foundation. Making it stronger and more powerful than before. She would no longer rush, just because her ''best friend'' teased her about her slow progress. She would take her time and slowly reach her Peak, which would be much higher than before and then Attain her own Dao... oh how wrong she was... ''I have many treasures in these rings, while they are trash in the Upper Realm, there should be something usable in them for the Current Mighty Queen!'' She snickered, only to pause. ''I can hear a strange noise somewhere in here, but I can''t make out where it is. Impossible! It''s impossible for this Queen not to find the source!'' She huffed in annoyance and explored the whole immediate place. Yet she couldn''t find anything! Just a few blood puddle- ''Hmmm? There is something... No way!'' She stared at the vague silhouette of a Beast in the Shadow of a Tree. Her pupils widened like lightbulbs and she couldn''t believe her eyes. ''A Beast that can almost perfectly blend in shadows?! Impossible! This Queen never seen such a Beast in her life!'' Her mind was slightly shaken, but as she was a trained Immortal she recovered almost instantly. She came closer to the little Beast, realizing it was a fox like her. ''Wha-!'' She was stunned realizing that this little Beast was literally just a Beast! It was not a Magical Beast like her! Yet she wouldn''t be able to find it if she wasn''t so well trained! ''I should get rid of it...'' This Beast threatened her seat, this Queen wouldn''t allow it after experiencing ''that''. She would get rid of any and every inconvenience that would threaten her Mighty Throne. She stared at the Beast, noticing its emotions and thoughts... wait thoughts?! ''This Beast has Intelligence?!'' She was once again speechless and shaken. The number of times she has been shocked like this in her life could be counted on only one hand! She stared at its eyes and the Beast stared back. Suddenly she felt her emotions more clearly. Pain and suffering, but at the same time she felt liberation and hope, yet there was no fear of Death... ''...'' Her mind blanked yet another time once the Beast completely relaxed and its Dark Fur slowly turned a creamy colour. While this Queen couldn''t say that it was the most beautiful Beast. She could say that it was the most mesmerizing Beast she had ever witnessed alongside the Flaming Divine Peacock that this Queen had for dinner... Her trained Immortal mind shook, she was no longer certain. This Queen also noticed her awful wound that was already infected. Even if she didn''t do anything the Beast would die and nourish the Earth... The Beast looked at her in hope, not hope of life, but hope for death. Something in the Queen''s mind clicked and she stared at the Beast for some time... ''To save or to leave...'' Her mind was in turmoil once this Queen wasn''t willing to kill it, yet... she felt like she stared at herself. She has never experienced these odd and disturbing feeling before... This Queen didn''t want those feelings and didn''t want to remember her past, yet... yet she wondered if this was her in the past and if that person would hel- ''No... nothing would change...'' Her eyes grew cold, ready to slay the injured Beast, but the Beast was ecstatic when it saw her. ''To kill......... would really nothing change?'' For the second time in her life, she doubted her experience. ''No, this Queen is right... always...'' Yet she couldn''t make up her mind and kill it. ''FUCK!'' She howled in anger. ''FUCK EVERYTHING! DO YOU REALLY HAVE TO MOCK ME, HUH?! HEAVENLY DAO I''M ASKING YOU!'' Yet nobody answered. ''I WILL SHOW YOU, I WILL SHOW YOU ALL!'' She huffed as she used a lot of her Energy and Mental Power to convey those words. She used her Divine Sense on the Fox to levitate her. Her mouth was already occupied by her Treasures and she had no room to spare, yet she used her precious mental power to gently levitate her. Unknowingly to her, she was much gentler to this Beast than to her boy-toy Dao companion... She rushed through the forest. ''This Queen can feel a great place to settle in, but there are some annoying bugs that are trying to occupy it!'' With her speed, she soon appeared in front of a cave. That cave was the Den of an Earthen Grizzly, a ferocious Beast with impenetrable skin and already with the strength compared to the Peak of Nascent Soul! The Queen clicked her tongue. ''Just beginning of Golden Core trash...'' She snorted disdainfully. The Earthen Grizzly woke up from his slumber. He walked outside and with each step, the ground quivered and shook. He came face to face with this rude intruder who woke him up from his slumber. He readied himself, wanting to roar at the top of his lungs to crush his opponents with an immense sound wave. "Tsk. Such a dumb Animal that can''t even see this Queen''s Greatness!" She clicked her tongue and before he could even roar she whirled her tail and incredible force descended upon his head, popping it like a watermelon. One of the hardest Beasts that you can encounter in the wide world was easily crushed by a fox 30 times smaller. If any Cultivators saw this, they would likely go crazy about her, wanting her as their ''contracted'' Beast, unfortunately, there weren''t any nearby... Walking inside, the cave was surprisingly spacious and for a good reason. "Earthen Shard?" She was baffled that something like this would be here. She certainly felt some kind of energy from this cave, but to have something like an Earthen Shard... Earthen Shards are one of the main elemental shards of this world, it allows Cultivators to build Huge caves without compromising their structure or needing to use complicated formations to sustain said caves. "This is good..." But she then frowned. "This little pipsqueak will cost this Queen quite a bit." She sighed, placing her down inside the Grizzly''s nest and rummaging through the rings. Chapter 15 – How to Rob Immortal 101 The Fox had her treasures in front of her, but she kept her frown on her face. ''To suppress the poison inside her I will need either 4th Grade Antidote, but preferably 5th Grade to not leave any residues for her future Cultivation, or completely awaken her Bloodline. Considering her state and how well she was able to hide... it will cost me, but having a follower with such a powerful bloodline would mean that I would be able to passively suppress all assassins that might get sent after me.'' She thought into the future since she intended to rob all the rich, but stupid families. Most of them don''t know what kind of riches they have on their hands yet they dare to stash it away from the naked eye... She prepared the necessary herbs for her so that she could pull out the arrow. The wound was already infected and it would take quite a lot of time to heal even with those herbs. She then prepared Qi Armours, weapons, etc. and laid them on her rough Array circle. This Array would allow the extraction of Energy from objects at the expense of greatly reduced efficiency. For example, if you had a Qi Sword imbued with 100 Qi during forging, then this Array would extract that Qi, but only around 1/10 would be usable for the Cultivators, as such this Array is mostly unused... unless you are rich. ''I''m quite wealthy.'' She nodded. ''But since I won''t be able to use most of them, since I''m an Energy Cultivator, it would be better to put them to use.'' She nodded at herself happily. ''By awakening her bloodline she will live and serve this Queen well and since I can''t use the Energy from these swords, rather it''s so negligible that eating these armours would be more efficient...'' She shook her head and returned to her little Servant Beast. "This will hurt... but it doesn''t seem like you can move." She snickered. She held her body down with her paws and used Divine Sense on the Arrow, effortlessly pulling it. *Whine* Aiko whined in her ''sleep'', startling Queen, but she resumed her work and slapped herb salve on Aiko''s would with a few crushed pills. ''You will need Blood Pill and Blood Clotting Pill...'' She crushed quite a few of them and then slapped another layer of herb salve on Aiko''s wounds. The wounds started to sizzle and all the infection was slowly turning into bubbles. ''I was banned from using this ''Technique'' even though it''s very effective!'' She snorted. It was true that her Technique was effective, but it also robbed the target of their Energy... [Beast Core: 220 -> 215 -> 210 -> 205 -> 200 -> 195] She swiftly activated the Array and the equipment slowly crumbled into dust. [Beast Core: 195 -> 196 -> 191 -> 192 -> 187 -> 188...] A tug of War was demonstrated as she was healing her. ''... HOW MUCH DO YOU INTEND TO CONSUME?!'' She was speechless as another whirlpool was created above Aiko as she sucked another round of Energy into her body. "NO! DON''T YOU DARE CONSUME THAT SHARD, I''M WARNING Y-" The whirlpool doubled as her Bloodline found a source of energy and eagerly sucked anything and everything within the radius. Queen had a bitter expression on her face as she placed a few Spirit Stones on the Array. "You..." She shook her head. She couldn''t believe this little thing would rob her blind even when she was unconscious. "You better serve me well or I will send you to the underworld!" She cussed at the whirlpool. [Duality of Cultivation] *ROAR* A deafening roar crashed into her body. Her senses warned her to be careful. It felt like something Ancient was looking at her, something so old it was already forgotten, yet at this moment awakened. The formless Beast looked around, making the Queen choke on air. He then turned to Aiko, observing her with those huge formless red eyes. *ROAR* He roared again and yet again, another terrifying wave of pressure descended upon the forest. Imprinting that Energy on Aiko as a celebration of her complete Awakening! The whirlpool of Energy slowly lessened and she cursed in her mind for helping her. ''At least I still have...'' She looked around blankly, she remembered she placed her ring outside the range of the Array just in case the Array ran amok and wanted to consume anything with Qi, but... "W-where is my ring?" Her voice quivered as she robbed and slaughtered 200 Humans just to stockpile that ring. She looked around noticing something shiny in the corner of her eyes. She breathed a sigh of relief. "You scared me so much my little sweetheart, you can''t make this Queen worr-" She stopped, it was certainly her Storage Ring and it certainly had her signature... but why was there only half of the ring??? Her mind stopped working completely, a week of hard work thrown out of the window just because she helped this little bastard! "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" She howled in the night and cried until morning... ... Aiko woke up in the morning, feeling quite fresh. She still had a hard time moving her body, but it was not that bad anymore. She peeked at her status only to get stunned. [ Name: Aiko Good/Evil(NEW): 400 - 600 Species: [Shadow Fennec Fox Cub(Female, Unique -> Peak of Unique)] Species(NEW): [-] Age: 0.13/100 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Awakened)] Bloodline(NEW): [-] Beast Rank: Beast Level: 1 -> 45 -> 1 (2nd Evolution) Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], Stats: (*1.5 -> *2 Shadow Enhancement) HP: 0/417 -> 7/75 -> 0/251 -> 243/243 (1pH & 0.04%pH) ST: 315/315 -> 75/75 -> 0/339 -> 243/243 (2pH & 0.06%pH) Vitality: 1/52 -> 1/184 -> 136/136 Vigour: 52 -> 272 -> 136 Beast Core(1%): 220 -> 220 -> 620 Toughness: 50 -> 138 -> 134 Strength: 54 -> 274 -> 138 Agility: 65*1.3 -> 593*1.3 -> 154*1.3 Dexterity: 43 -> 87 -> 127 Mind: 52 -> 492 -> 136 Insight: 20 Beauty: 52 -> 492 -> 136 Luck: 183 -> 227 -> 267 Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Stat Points: 2 -> 108 -> 110 Skill Points: 2 -> 108 -> 110 Elemental Affinity(NEW): [Shadow - 3], [Earth - 9] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [(NEW)Jaws of ####] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered] Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.2], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered] Skills: [Burrow: Mastered], [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Scratch: Mastered], [Sprint: Mastered], [Tracking: Mastered], [Quick Jump: Mastered], [Climb: Mastered], [Camouflage: Lv.1(NEW)], Passive Skills: [Hide: Mastered -> Stealth: Lv.1], [Danger Sense: Mastered], [Enhanced Sight: Mastered], [Health Recovery: Lv.4], [Stamina Recovery: Lv.6], [Prehensile Tail: Mastered], [Dark Vision: Mastered] ,[Enhanced Speed: Mastered], [Enhanced Manoeuvrability: Mastered], [Enhanced Flexibility: Mastered], [Enhanced Agility: Mastered], [Enhanced Smell: Mastered], [Predator Sense: Mastered], [Temperature Regulation: Mastered], [Intimidation: Lv.1(NEW)], [Killing Intent Perception: Lv.1(NEW)], [Weakness Detection: Lv.1(NEW)], [Hunting Mastery: Lv.1(NEW)] Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Newbie gift] ] So much changed for her... She clicked at her status in curiosity [Good/Evil(NEW): 400 - 600] [What kind of moral compass the User has...] [Duality of Cultivation] [You can switch Species depending on your alignment] [As you currently don''t have secondary Species your Alignment is unstable and will slowly degrade.] [Please solve this as soon as possible or you might turn into a [Demonic Beast] without sense!] ''Oh... I''m not sure if I should be happy or mad about this...'' [Species(NEW): [-]] [Additional Species that should act as a counterbalance for the other Species.] ''... this didn''t tell me much...'' [Shadow Fennec Fox Cub(Female, Peak of Unique)] [Unique Breed of Fennec Fox that blends with its surroundings.] [(Female)] [After Evolution your soul will be adjusted to your current vessel and taught.] ''... Curse you system!'' She frowned at it, now she understood why her mind was in disarray. Blame everything on this stupid system! [(Peak of Unique)] [In the next Evolution User may tap into the full potential of this Species.] ''Oho? I might be able to uncover that [####] Beast Rarity?'' She was very happy about it, but there was still a lot to think about. She would need to find some way to obtain another Species to counterbalance her ''misfortune'' and she would also have to find a way inside the Village for her rewards... [Bloodline(NEW): [-]] [User will alter between bloodlines depending on User Alignment.] [It is possible to create [Synergy] between bloodlines, where both of them would stay active during certain moments.] ''Hooo? I can be twice as strong?!'' She giggled in her mind happily, but it was so much more. Bloodlines made the Beast much stronger, for example, her current bloodline gave her 100 Points for almost every stat! and that would only grow! Meaning if one had 2 bloodlines it would be an immense boost to Beast Powers! There are also ways to earn more Bloodlines, but having more than one Bloodline would greatly increase the Energy requirements for their Beast Cores! Of course, that was not the case for Aiko as she had those Bloodlines separated, meaning she wouldn''t get any penalty for having 2 Bloodlines! (But would have if they were in the same bracket) [Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Awakened)]] [One of the Oldest Bloodlines there is. When Heaven and Earth Collapsed and Darkness took over, one #### #### ruled them all. But there can''t be Darkness without light as such his Rule was brief, but none will ever forget the terrifying age that came with it.] [This Bloodline dislikes light, as such any Holy or Light attribute will deal additional Damage to the User.] [This bloodline is completely Awakened and can be Evolved further with the right ''ingredients''.] ''So not only do I have to pay attention to my level so I can Evolve my species, but I also have to pay attention to Bloodline so they don''t lag behind...'' That was a lot of things to keep track of. [Title: [Foul-mouthed]] [This Title makes the User more susceptible to cursing.] ''Well fuck...'' [Title: [Thief Who Robbed Immortal]] ''??? Since when did I rob someone?!'' She was unaware that just a day ago she unconsciously robbed everything from an Immortal. [This Title makes it Easier to steal from anyone below the Rank of ''Immortal''] ''... That''s nice... since I already have Species revolving around shadows, this is just nice spicing on the cake.'' She thoughtfully nodded while grinning to herself. [Beast Core: 620] [From the number of Evolutions: 20] [From the Beast Core itself: 500] [From the Bloodline: 100] [Beast Core Purity: 1%] [Beast Core is the literal Core of its being. If the Beast lose their Core they will regress to mindless Animals and would never be able to enter the path of Cultivation again. (There are possibilities to heal or create pseudo Cores, but those are weak and take an insane amount of materials.)] ''What the fuck is wrong with my Beast Core?! Why the fuck does it have such low Purity?!'' Aiko cursed her system, but that was ultimately her fault. Beast Cores consume the Energy of the Body, Heaven and Earth, and Vitality. It begins with Energy from the Body. The Core is shaped depending on how much Beast collects their Energy. In other words how many Cores from other Beast he collected. Then Energy from Heaven and Earth is added. If the Energy of Heaven and Earth is not enough lastly the Core would seek the Vitality from its surrounding. That can be corpses or living, very rarely Nature and even more rarely soil. If even that was not enough the Core will be incomplete and can have various negative effects, ranging from simple not completely awakened Bloodline, to the worst which is Death. If the Core didn''t consume enough Energy from sucking Vitality it would turn back to its User and completely drain him of his Vitality. Those kinds of deaths were excruciatingly painful as in rare instances the Core might go after the Beasts Soul... [Vitality: 136/136] ''For some reason, my Vitality recovered...'' When a Bloodline completely awakens it will Heal the Beast almost completely. If there are any mortal wounds it would heal them partially, but any superficial wounds or not mortal wounds would be healed completely. If the Bloodline is rare enough it would also cure any ailments the Beast has. [Elemental Affinity(NEW): [Shadow - Stage 3], [Earth - Stage 9]] ''This is also a new one... That wasn''t there before.'' [When a Beast Core is formed it will bestow an Affinity upon its User. This can range from basic affinities like Flame or Water to more rare affinities like Light or Shadow.] [Affinities go from Stages 9-1. the higher the affinity (Lower number), the easier it is to manipulate the Element and the harder for your opponent.] ''That''s extremely good! That means they won''t be able to kick me out of my shadows unless they have a Higher Affinity or the complete Opposite. I imagine.'' In this case, Aiko was right. It would take the Enemy to have a higher affinity to suppress her element or Opposite Affinity. In which case it would need at the minimum 1 lower than Aiko''s affinity to affect her. (She has Stage 3 Shadow Affinity and it would take at least Stage 4 Light Affinity to affect her or higher Cultivation which would depend on how much the opponent spends of his Energy.) [Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [(NEW)Jaws of ####]] [The Cream of the crop when it comes to personal arsenal. Abilities at this stage are Earth or even Law changing.] [Duality of Cultivation] [This is a Divine Ability that splits the law of conservation and allows the User to obtain another Breed of Species and Bloodline. The only negative is that unless practised to perfection User has to balance his intentions in order not to ''fall''.] ''This doesn''t feel sinister at all, nu-ah!'' She sighed. ''More work to do...'' [Jaws of ####] [Divine Auxiliary Ability. It would allow the User to escape from the clutches of cultivators. Sending the User back to its marked location, no matter how far that place might be.] [Warning! This Ability requires a great deal of Energy and if not properly satisfied the Ability will choose its sacrifice instead of Energy!] ''Now this shit is sinister!'' She shook her head. ''While it''s nice to have an escape ability I would rather not use it.'' She would keep it in mind just in case she couldn''t get away, but she wouldn''t bet on it, since it doesn''t describe what kind of sacrifice it can take. [Camouflage: Lv.1(NEW)] ''This is like [Hide], but more powerful and consumes more stamina. I can move during it, but if I attack it would temporarily break my [Camouflage].'' [Hide: Mastered -> Stealth: Lv.1] ''Just a more powerful Ability, I can move in stealth without the need of [Shadow Walk], but it will be cheaper and safer to use in tandem and when I want to attack, using [Camouflage] would be the perfect combo.'' [Intimidation: Lv.1(NEW)] ''Just intimidating presence... a bit meh...'' Aiko thought, but she was unaware that this skill would be terrifying if she were to use it in shadows where her enemies couldn''t quite make out where she was. [Killing Intent Perception: Lv.1(NEW)] ''I can spot if someone wants to kill me. This one is good.'' [Weakness Detection: Lv.1(NEW)] ''Nice! I don''t have to aim for their necks all the time and come up with my enemy''s weakness, but I will need to practice this thing...'' Yet another thing that she will have to do. [Hunting Mastery: Lv.1(NEW)] ''It''s just knowledge on how to hunt effectively...'' She didn''t really need it since she was already quite fast with her kills, not to mention, in shadow she was twice as powerful! *Yawn* ''That was a nice rea-'' She suddenly sniffed delicious meat. Chapter 16 – Fox with Meat and a Fox with Inner Conflict She immediately snapped towards the spiced meat, only to get treated to a strange scene where the Fox was sitting near the fireplace stroking it with a stick and meat was levitating in the air getting roasted by the fire. The Fox noticed her and sneered. "What are you staring at idiot?" Aiko was taken aback. Frowning and slapping the ground with her paws, she stared at her, yet noticed a thick scent of melancholy from her. She calmed down and observed her. Her sides still hurt, but that was mostly psychological pain rather than actual pain. She stood up with some difficulty and looked at the flying meat while salivating. "That meat is mine, hunt your own meat." The Fox growled, angry at this rascal who was completely oblivious to the damage she had done. Aiko was taken aback by her sharp attitude and her tail with ears dropped low. The Fox narrowed her eyes. "You have ruined me! You destroyed my ring!" She growled at her. Aiko shivered, shrinking back, she was hostile, but more than an anger she could feel sadness. She still had a small pouch around her neck, looking inside there were no more cores, but she still had that strange warm stone and her own ring that she stol- *Cough* borrowed from that unfortunate person. Looking at her own body she noticed her arrow was removed and the wound was clean and healed. She realized that this Fox must''ve healed her. She didn''t believe this Fox would have any owner since her tongue was too sharp, but that made it better since she wouldn''t have to worry about more Humans, Humans were scary after all... She slowly got closer to her, her tail and ears still low. The Fox was hostile to her, but not hostile enough that she would bite her. Aiko gently touched her paw that was on the ground supporting her body, while the other paw was still stoking the fire. "What do you want?" She growled but froze once Aiko presented her with the ring. She knew she couldn''t currently open up the ring, as the girl used some strange energy on it, but she couldn''t produce that same energy, so for now it was useless for her. ''No way! This pipsqueak found a [Storage Ring] one Grade higher than I did!'' Her eyes shook, but she took the ring from this little Beast. ''Hmpf, at least she knows how to repay her saviour.'' ''I hope she doesn''t hate me...'' Aiko thought as she saw her freeze or scoff whenever she looked at her. The Queen looked through her new ring only to pause again. ''So many Pills?! And they are either High or Excellent Grades?! There are even a few Perfect Grades?!'' Her mind was burdened by this ring, hers was nowhere near as valuable as this one was! She looked at the pipsqueak shivering in front of her and her mind changed minutely. She didn''t truly hate this Beast, she might even like her a bit... She tossed meat on a plate in front of the small Beast, which startled it. Aiko looked at the meat salivating but didn''t bite it. She stared at the Fox as if asking if she was still hated. Queen saw the cute little creature wagging her tail, salivating, but still not biting. She wondered how long the Beast would last in this state, but for some reason, she didn''t want to disappoint her. "You can eat that piece, but don''t disturb me." She snorted, but Aiko didn''t feel as much sadness and dislike, from her than what she felt before. She immediately pounced on the meat, she was oh so hungry from that arrow. ''I wonder who she is, considering she can already speak...'' She glanced at the Fox from time to time, trying to measure her strength and origin, only to always fail. Queen had a hard time not to smile from ear to ear. It had been quite some time since someone looked at her with pure adoration and not lust, a strange change, but a welcome one. Her mind will be able to rest and recharge till she gets her [Pseudo-Human] form back. After that, she will be showered in gifts and affection from every side exhausting her mind... Aiko brainstormed what she needed to do. She should visit the Village as soon as possible to get more meat or something that might help her. She will have to find a way to purify her Beast Core. The system might be able to help with that. [That is correct.] Aiko was startled and almost jumped out of her skin as a voice she had not heard in quite some time appeared in her mind. [Seeing like you rushed with your Evolution. I will have to adjust a few things. Geh- What did you do to your Core?! And since when can you Achieve a Unique Rank in a few months?!] If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The system fell silent for longer than necessary. [*Cough* Well... since you worked so hard I will unlock the technique shop, you can find both Cultivation Manual/Scriptures and Martial Arts Technique, both Energy and Body.] [You have unlocked [Cultivation Shop].] Aiko was happy and annoyed at the same time. Why annoyed? One thing would cost her whole kidney! Well, not a kidney, but it cost a lot! [Perfect Heavenly Phoenix Dragon Refining Cauldron] [Cost: 1,000,000,000 Skill Points.] ''Are you fucking kidding me?!'' She screamed in her mind at the system. [Why are you angry at me? Those prices are CHEAP! Cheap I tell ya. It would cost you a lot more if it was in Spirit Stones! And don''t forget that your Evolution came cheap the ''first'' time! It will only get worse from here!] The system yelled at her and her ears dropped low. Queen was observing her for quite some time, seeing her sadness mix with happiness only to end with gloom. She flung another piece of meat on her plate and Aiko''s ears immediately straightened. Queen thought if she didn''t get scammed by this little thing, but seeing her munching happily she ignored that thought and munched on her own meat. It was perfectly crisp and juicy as she liked it. The seasoning was well done and not overwhelming, she had to do a lot for her boy toy since he was a miserable cook. He could ruin even boiled eggs! Anger flared through her body as she remembered that he burned those phoenix eggs which were the greatest delicacy under 35 heavens! Aiko finished her meat and burped, using her paw to rub her eyes and clean her mouth from the oily meat. Queen''s anger was suddenly doused and she couldn''t help but sigh. ''If this cute little thing appeared in the Upper World she would be adored by all...'' She shook her head and smirked. ''But now this cutie is mine and everyone will envy me! Especially those from the Darkness Sect! Those bastards might die coughing blood once they notice I have such a cute little Shadow Beast.'' She giggled in her mind, looking over her cutie as she swayed from side to side. She swiftly moved her onto the bear''s nest, which was large and covered in different feathers and wool. Once Aiko touched the bedding she immediately dozed off into dreamland. ''But it seems she also has some kind of Spirit Stone with an Array.'' She narrowed her eyes. ''Well... let''s leave it be, since it doesn''t seem harmful for the time being, no fool would want to enter this forest where all Humans are suppressed.'' ... Aiko woke up and seeing that her new roommate was still asleep she browsed the shop. [The 9 Heavenly Cultivation Technique] [4 Spirit Cultivation Manual] [1,000,000 Heavenly Soldiers Sutra] ... ... There were too many of them and they were very expensive for the current her. She was trying to find something that she could do that would help her with her Beast Core, fortunately, there was that search option, maybe it would help her find something for her? [Body Technique] [The Ever Shaping Cauldron] ''... That''s such a lame name...'' Aiko thought. [This Cauldron can grow alongside the User, it starts very weak, but later it will be able to surpass even the greatest Cauldrons, creating the most wondrous Pills under 35 Heavens! But that''s not all! It can even forge weapons and equipment inside!] [This Cauldron is made out of oneself as such it greatly increases the User''s Durability, moreover, in case of a lethal attack the Cauldron could take the hit instead of the User, granting the User additional life!] [Warning! This Cauldron needs care and a lot of resources, in case the User would like additional effects and options he would have to consume somewhere between 10-20x as many resources in order to obtain those effects!] ''I take it back! This shit is dope as fuck! And it only cost 1,000 points! I can make this work If I save my points!'' She marvelled at the idea of having a furnace surrounding her body that would protect her, and she could even cook meat in it! That''s right, the thought of creating more Pills in this never crossed her mind! The only thing she thought about was ''How well will it cook meat.'' and that was it. She didn''t care about Pills, she didn''t care about equipment. She was a Fox! Why would she need those things when she can get a portable stove! She giggled, not realizing the Fox had already woken up and hovered above her. Queen lazily descended on her attendant and licked her attendant''s side. The wound was almost completely gone. There wouldn''t be any scars left. This Queen wouldn''t allow her servants to have scars. Her own Boy Toy would never have a scar! She even travelled through 3 Heavens just to find a miraculous herb to heal his well-chiselled body! However, now she was actually regretting it since it might''ve helped her in advancing... Aiko turned around growling. She disliked being other people''s pillow. Her fur slowly turned black and sinister, yet the Fox ignored her growling and only stared at her in amusement, even a twinkle in her eyes! Queen thought deeply. ''I see, when she is threatened she would turn her fur black blending with nearby shadows to escape her pursuers, but it doesn''t seem like she has good control over her body or energy, she is leaking too much and is easy to spot to the trained eye.'' She cleaned her fur with the [Clean] Technique and gave it a lick. As she thought her fur was creamy! It was just kept in her dark version to blend better! She giggled at these revelations liking this beast more and more. ''She would be the best Beast for this Queen.'' She thought. Aiko finally escaped her clutches. She felt refreshed as her fur no longer stuck to her body but was now fluffy and nice to the naked eye. She snorted towards the Fox and ran out. The Queen shook her head and returned to her lazy sleeping position. She took some pills and was refining her insides to increase her Beast Core strength. This would take quite a long time to finish and she didn''t want to rush or hunt. Luckily that kind bear was kind enough and strong enough to leave his carcass behind. This carcass wouldn''t rot any time soon as it was packed with energy. That''s why you can find Dragon corpses long after they already died. Their own energy could sustain their souls even if their body was killed. Those were marvellous and pretty much Immortal creatures! ... Aiko blended with her surroundings trying her mastered [Shadow Walk]. She felt intimate with the shadows once again, but this time it didn''t consume as much Stamina. It also felt like those white paws on the ground were much clearer, not sharper, but their intention or where they led were much easier to understand. She used her [Sprint] to further boost her speed. She wanted to eat more delicious meat and it didn''t seem like the Fox would be welcoming of her leeching, but that Village was nice to her. Yes, they kicked her, which she didn''t understand, but it should be alright now since she had to claim her treasures! Chapter 17 – Village and History She finally arrived in front of the Village. At first, the guards were wary of her, but once she showed them Buddy''s item, they called for him. "That took you quite some time." Buddy chuckled seeing the ''angry'' fox stomping her feet. "I have already prepared your share, you can keep whatever you want, or you can trade it with us for some other items." He told her with a chuckle, their loot this time was quite great, it seemed like those Humans spent a lot of resources locating something, but it didn''t seem like they got the thing. The only one who profited was them and this little Fox. "Come inside, while we can''t keep you around, it will be no problem under the rouse of celebrations!" He chuckled at her. "I will also answer your questions later, but for now, let''s go." Aiko jumped on his back, which he didn''t mind, because of this little rascal he was well and alive. Moving through the Village there were many more wooden houses. It seems this Village was enriched well by those battles. There was some sentiment of melancholy, but most of them celebrated with meat and some kind of yellow liquid with red foam. "You can''t drink!" Buddy proclaimed. "We need you in good shape until you decide on your rewards! Otherwise, I might feel like ripping you off." He snorted happily. He wouldn''t really rip her off, but it would be better if they made the trade while she was herself so that she wouldn''t feel cheated later, it would be sad for him if she felt like that. Aiko nodded, she never was ever interested in alcohol, so she wouldn''t mind missing this celebration, but she would mind missing meat. "Oh! It''s the little Fox." Panther popped out of nowhere with slightly flushed cheeks. "Are you drinking with us today?" Never mind he was totally hammered as he talked to a pole. Aiko shook her little head making a few nearby passersby smile at her. Buddy continued walking ignoring his fellow comrade in arms that didn''t stop talking to a pole and invited Aiko into his home. It had very large doors, possibly because Buddy was also large, but it was very simply made. If someone saw this wooden house they would more likely say that this is a Barn than a House. Aiko also thought like that, but because she couldn''t speak it saved her from a lot of trouble. Buddy was deified in this Village and many would rebuke her for her words. It was a very simple house, fortunately, the furniture was closer to Human kind than Horse kind. Dry grass was nowhere to be seen, but there were large couches or ''chairs''. It felt a bit overwhelming as Aiko was very small compared to this huge house. Buddy calmly walked through the house and into one of the rooms further inside the house. There were a few rings on the table and parchment with everything written on it. Unfortunately, Aiko couldn''t read and could only rely on Buddy to read it for her, but she vowed to herself to later buy herself a linguistic skill. ... Buddy told her the contents and she only blankly stared at him. She didn''t know most of them, she could guess some which he called the Burning sword, or shield of sorrow, but the rest? Nope! Those... names were cringe to her heart and she just couldn''t imagine anything meaningful under them. "I will pull each one out and you will tell me what you want or not." Buddy helped her with this since he would be much more injured if he were to fight alone in that fight. Aiko nodded and listened to him when he pulled out those things. She didn''t like most of them, she won''t be using swords any time soon, nor will she be using shields. As for herbs... can''t they be just found on the side of the road? "You will take those herbs!" Pressured Buddy, he has never seen such intelligent, yet ignorant Fox. "Those are indispensable for your advancement in your Cultivation!" He told her seriously. Aiko nodded and agreed to keep those herbs. "No! You can''t not take these Spirit Stones! That''s like refusing gold coins! They are invaluable to the cultivators!" "No! You need-" This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ... This went on for most of the night. Aiko was completely overwhelmed by the vigour Buddy displayed and was mentally drained. She would have to increase her stats if she wanted to advance smoothly or she might become a smooth brain... Aiko sighed holding 5 [Storage Rings] that she couldn''t use. The rest was traded for Spirit Stones... which she couldn''t use. It was... an underwhelming experience. Her ears hung low like someone cheated her and Buddy chuckled. "There is a feast later, so you just have to wait, for now, let''s take a seat and I will tell you about the history and why most if not all Villages won''t shelter you." Aiko nodded, but her ears didn''t recover her springiness as the food was too far from her reach. Buddy walked them to the main attraction and sat down with Aiko for the story. "A long, very long time ago- There was a single continent where Humans lived miserable lives while the Beasts ruled nature. They ruled their Villages and each Village had its own quirk. Dragons had insanely long lifespans, sturdy scales and breath that could torch the plane. Phoenixes had their Vitality and their never-ending cycle of Rebirth. Monkeys had their skilled hands that could craft pretty much anything the heart desired. Then there were Foxes, miserable bed warmers for both Humans and Beasts. Don''t get me wrong, Foxes had their masterful Illusions that were hard to see through... unless you had a lot more powerful cultivation. You see Foxes needed Human souls for them to Evolve into higher stages, but even then they would lag behind other Races. Then something changed, the Earth split separating the continents. The Density of Heaven and Earth increased drastically, thus paving the path for Humanity''s return. Humans thrived as they were much better at gathering the energy of Heaven and Earth than Beasts, which relied on other Beast Cores or natural formations. Time passed and most races were miserable as they were attacked and plundered by Humans for resources... Except for Foxes. Their kind had their beautiful Human Form, and as such they were very welcome in Human society for a time. Then came the age of Gods, where old fossils laughed and ruled as they wished. The Dragon clan, Phoenix clan and many other clans gathered in one place. Each and every one of them tried to boast about their race''s might. When one Human proposed something. ''How about we see how many of our young ones can reach Spirit Beast Rank?'' It was a sound game, which started it all. The races shared their findings but paused when Foxes presented theirs. At that Age, around 80% of Foxes made it into the Spirit Beast Rank and their numbers grew. Both Humans and Beast felt repulsed as their Human form was neither Human nor Beast. They felt intimidated by their rapid increase of might. The Beasts started joking at the Fox''s expenses. The most Powerful Kitsune wouldn''t have it and declared ''Since when are we Foxes so easy to bully!? We will see who has the last laugh when you can''t use our services!'' And she locked all of their Villages, isolating themselves from the whole plane. This was an extremely heavy blow to both Humans and Beast as Humans could progress faster when Dual Cultivating with Kitsune, while Beast needed the soothing effects of their Illusions to rapidly advance their intelligence. The leaders pleaded to the Fox Goddess and groveled before her, but their pleas fell upon deaf ears. She would have none of it. The millions upon millions of years of trust shattered just like that. "As such anyone who would shelter a Fox in their Village would incur the Wrath of the Fox Goddess," Buddy explained thoughtfully. "also other races couldn''t really take such a heavy slap, so even if some Foxes would like to live outside of their Villages, there was almost no chance since the leader of said Villages would reject them." He shook his head. "Which also means you have to do EVERYTHING in your power to not get kicked out of ''Fox Village'' once you get there. There would be no chance for you to find a home since none would like to shelter you... without some benefits." He gave Aiko a meaningful stare and for some inexplicit reason, she felt a chill down her spine. She slowly nodded as Buddy laughed. He was happy that she listened to him so intently and understood her situation. He didn''t want to be hated by the powerful, since those powerful people were often incredibly petty. He would keep a good rapport with her allowing him to live a long life. "As for what actually happened." Buddy snorted and Char nearby frowned. "Nobody knows any more, the only thing people remember is the rule ''Never Shelter a Fox!''" He shook his head at those idiots in the Olden Age. "And before you ask, I have no idea where ''Fox Village'' is, you might hear rumours near Human Villages since they like to hunt them for bed warming, but other than that, none of the major Villages would be able to help you." Buddy slowly pushed meat in front of her so she would forget such heavy topics. "For now just do your best and maybe someone will guide you towards ''Fox Village''." He said slowly, but not really believing it himself. "Just keep in mind that ''that'' place is your only true home." Aiko had her mind full, she wanted to travel the world around having many homes in beautiful places, but now it seemed like the situation was not that easy. She will need to find a way to coexist with both Humans and Foxes or... wipe them both out. ''Ha! As if I would be able to do something so big just by myself...'' She lamented, but she needed some way to create full Human form or be powerful enough that nobody would be able to get in her way. Either way, this is another thing she has to keep in mind and think about periodically, so that she doesn''t forget or doesn''t miss some kind of ''fortuitous opportunity''. She munched on her meat even though the party had not yet started and people stared at her, not strangely, but with an odd smile. They looked happy as if they were liberated from their worries at this moment and just enjoying life... Chapter 18 – Char and Farewell The party was nice, but for some reason, it increased her Level to only five. It seems that either that was not very high-quality meat or that she wouldn''t be able to power level like before. That''s not to say it was not delicious, she still ate every bit of meat that got in her range, making her look like a stuffed hamster. ... "How are you feeling? Have you enjoyed our little festival?" Buddy chuckled seeing the lazy Aiko lying flatly on the ''armrest'' on the couch. She nodded weakly not wanting to move. She tilted her head to get a better look at Buddy, wondering where in the world he stored all that food. "Hehe." He chuckled again. "I have my technique to stay fit, after all, everyone has their own little fantasy about me and since it keeps our morale high there is no reason for me not to fulfil those fantasies." He shrugged seeing those stars in Aiko''s eyes. "By the way Char would like to talk to you." He neighed. "I know the reason and you should think about what you want to do in the future once you hear it from him, it won''t be an easy journey." He snorted. Aiko nodded again, not really feeling up to talk with Char, but didn''t reject it either. It''s not like he was hostile to her and he gave her the opportunity to eat that delicious fulfilling meal so his ''status'' was quite high in her heart. "I will guide you there later, for now, sleep and digest your food." Aiko didn''t need to be reminded again and immediately fell asleep, the enthusiasm of the people here was too overwhelming for her. They would keep coming to feed her more and more food. Some wanted to pet her a little bit and some wanted to cuddle with her *Cough* Char''s daughter *Cough*. This was too much for her and she avoided them later. Of course that got a laugh out of Buddy who was her benefactor and people soon kept their distance, allowing her to return to her seat. ... "Slept well?" Asked Buddy, but looking at the yawning fox that immediately went back to sleep he shook his head. He had to grab her with his mouth as they didn''t have a powerful enough Divine Sense and placed her on his back. He then slowly moved through the Village so that she still had a bit of time to rest, but not slow enough that people would gossip about them. They arrived at their destination soon, but Aiko was still half asleep. He shook his head again but entered inside. The sooner she talks with Char the sooner she can make decisions and maybe their path will meet up again one day. "Welcome my friend." Char greeted him in a friendly manner. "Where is the little Fox?" "You still wish to tell her about that?" Buddy asked with concern. "It doesn''t matter if she knows it sooner or later, with her current talent it''s only a matter of time before they recruit her." He shook his head. "We both know that." He pointed at the obvious. "True." Buddy snorted and turned slightly sideways revealing a yawning fluffy Fox. The maid who played the math game with her noticed her and almost fainted with a nosebleed. The other maids tried to support her, but staring in the direction from which she was fainting, they also noticed that cute half-asleep Fox that was rubbing her eyes and they too melted into one collective blob of sweetness. "Little Fox." Char proclaimed in his ruler''s voice. "The journey before you is long and will be filled full of-*Haaaa*" He exhaled. "Whatever, you have already seen me looking like an idiot so let''s skip those flattering sentences. You will be invited or maybe even seek to join ''Fox Village'' however that is not a true Fox Village. We are but a small continent in a larger world and Sects or Villages on this little continent do not matter as much." He shook his head. "Once you gather some fame and wealth you will be invited to the main continent where the true and mighty Sects reside," He explained. "There you will truly struggle as this continent''s power is much lower than theirs. You should always strive for the best and not skimp on anything! Only that way can you reach the Peak, but remember! While you are not welcome in this continent everything changes on the main continent. You have to be more careful as many old fossils like myself live there and take an interest in the strangest things." He glanced at her with a knowing expression. "While you can''t avoid being noticed, you should always strive to be on top during negotiations or you will end up like me ruling over a small Village in nowhere." He shook his head. "Do not believe Humans and do not believe beasts, only those that are with you and protect you with their lives might be sincere, but even some of them they would lay their lives to slightly improve their cultivation while kicking you around." He sighed. "Always be on high alert, no matter where you are. It might be exhausting at first, but once you get into rhythm there will be hardly anything that will catch you off guard!" He smiled gently. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. "This will be possibly the last time we see each other, but you will definitely encounter my friend as he is not as stupid as I was and will definitely reach the Peak." He sighed. Aiko nodded at him blankly, she never expected this Lizard to spit so many sentences back to back. "Thank you for helping my friend in need. We have gathered some Beast Cores for your cultivation so use them later as you see fit." Char gestured, but unfortunately, his trusted maid was a fluff blob alongside the other maids. He coughed awkwardly and one of the protectors brought those Cores to her. It was a small pouch, but there were about 10 Cores of quite high purity, but each one was of pinkie size. "They might not be much, but please take them, they are of good purity and won''t pollute your own Core that much, which is the most important thing in the beginning." He laughed, but Aiko felt like she was chewing on shit... [Beast Core Purity: 1%] She sighed in her mind but accepted those Cores gratefully. "That will be all from this old fool, I still have a Village to manage and dignity to retai-" Buddy coughed. "You... *Sigh* what is left of my dignity." Buddy nodded at Char, smiling from ear to ear. "Now shoo, shoo. I don''t want to see you in my Village otherwise the paperwork would be unbearable!" Char kicked them out of their mansion and Buddy laughed. "That went better than I expected. We will meet again little one, but keep his words in mind since he came from the main continent." He started to walk towards the exit of the Village. "He was one of the rising stars, but fell short because of injury and he was no longer able to keep up with the prodigies." "Everyone mocked him especially his rivals until his Master couldn''t take it and sent him here to recuperate and he ended like this." He laughed, and while those memories were sad at the beginning, now only laughter remained. "Don''t believe other Foxes, they are more cunning than any other creature. While it''s unlikely that you would fall into their schemes, it would be better to stay alert." Buddy warned. "Especially about custom, you might find yourself in a situation you can''t reverse just because someone took a liking to you, but that someone was already pursued by someone else. Keep your distance to avoid trouble and only allow those you truly trust close." They were now at the exit of the Village. "This will be farewell, but you should know one last thing. It''s impossible to get onto the main continent as it is separated by a vast Ocean. That Ocean is more dangerous than anything you might come across as very few Humans can enter it. Moreover, down there are races that could even reign above dragons, so be careful not to fall in!" He warned sternly. "It is good to think about the future, but keep in mind, you can''t cross the Ocean without someone''s help!" Aiko nodded, still confused about how the Ocean could be that dangerous, but she didn''t want Buddy to worry about her so she was obedient. "Now go, before any bastard spots you and reports it to those annoying Foxes." He laughed, nudging Aiko. Aiko hopped away from him waving her paw at him. Saying goodbye before disappearing into the Darkness. "What a terrific little Fox." Buddy neighed in amusement and returned inside the Village. ... Aiko walked through the forest. She was in no hurry as there were many things to think over. First up was her Beast Core Purity, it was abysmally low. She would need to somehow increase it. She could ask the System now since nobody was around, but first, she would find some kind of bush to completely hide from the unwanted eye. ''Alright, first up let''s look at the Beast Cores.'' [Beast Cores] [Depending on what beast consumes impurities can and will accumulate inside. For example, normal food has a high concentration of impurities, meanwhile, things like natural Qi formations have extremely high concentrations of pure energy.] ''... my meat.'' She silently cried in her heart. [Improving the [Beast Core Purity] is extremely hard as most Pills can be only used once before they lose their efficacy.] ''Well, fuck me I guess.'' She thought for a moment. ''Not literally.'' She had this odd sense that someone was eavesdropping on her thoughts. [Another way to improve the efficiency of Beast Cores is to ''burn'' them. Powerful and Pure enough flame can Purify Beast Core, this is a slow and painful process, but it is possible to reach 100% purity this way.] ''... I hate pain...'' Aiko closed her eyes. ''Hmmm.'' Aiko opened the [Skill Shop] and searched for any Pain-reducing skills. [Hold your Breath] [Decreases pain in the User''s body and increases focus greatly for a short period.] [After Skill ends User experiences backlash increasing the pain User is feeling] [Pain Tolerance] [User increases their pain threshold.] ''...'' Aiko blankly stared at this and then opened [Cultivation Shop] [Cold Heart] [User cuts his basic Emotions] [It has 6 Stages: Anger, Disgust, Fear, Happiness, Sadness and Surprise] [User decreases its body temperature slightly, thus decreasing the pain User experiences.] [Monks Heart] [User cuts all 27 Emotions] [It has 27 Stages: Admiration, Adoration, Aesthetic Appreciation, Amusement, Anger, Anxiety, Awe, Awkwardness, Boredom, Calmness, Confusion, Contempt, Craving, Disappointment, Disgust, Empathic Pain, Entrancement, Envy, Excitement, Fear, Guilt, Horror, Interest, Joy, Nostalgia, Pride, Relief, Romance, Sadness, Satisfaction, Sexual desire, Surprise, Sympathy, and Triumph]. [User won''t feel anything once he completes this sutra.] ''No.'' Aiko shivered looking at these useless techniques. [Revolving Crushing Wheel of Destiny] [User Cultivates by crushing his bones] [Each circulation User crushes his bones strengthening them and as a by-product obtaining greater pain tolerance.] ''I just said I don''t want any pain and you present me this?!'' She spat at this stupid system, can''t it find something useful?! ''Do I have to go with the [Skill] solution?'' She thought deeply about this. ''Maybe if I can increase those skills I can obtain full immunity without penalties? If I can manage with just slight pain or if it counts the pain during combat when I''m full of adrenaline that could mean I would be able to level it up painlessly... somewhat'' She snorted. ''It would be much better than crushing my bones or forgoing my emotions.'' She then paused... ''Shouldn''t there be more Cultivation techniques?'' [That is correct.] ''... why can''t I see them?'' She asked while frowning. [Because your Insight is not enough to understand them.] ''...'' [You should''ve evolved slowly.] System coldly said. ''I will manage!'' She proclaimed while wagging her tail. Chapter 19 – The Fox Versus Cuteness Aiko returned to the cave, only to get welcomed by the lazy Fox still lying in the nest. ''She has not moved from that place since I left.'' Aiko stared at her speechlessly. ''Well, I''m a bit sleepy so let''s rest too...'' She was still tired from the Village and information, the best way to advance now would be to rest and settle her mind so that tomorrow she would be able to think about it. ... The Queen woke up. ''Another day alone...'' She sighed trying to stand up, but feeling heavier. ''I have not gained any weight have I?'' She frowned, she couldn''t mess up her status just because that bear meat was slightly more delicious than she expected. She looked at her body only to spot something unnaturally small and fluffy. ''... is this nest not big enough...?'' She stared at the furball that was slowly breathing, seemingly asleep. ''Couldn''t you sleep somewhere else?! I''m really hungry!'' Her face scrunched up, but she didn''t growl or move. ''5 more minutes shouldn''t hurt...'' ...5 hours later... "..." The Queen stared speechlessly at the little furball that was just waking up. Aiko spotted the Fox only to freeze up. She wasn''t cold, but the nest wasn''t all that comfortable after sleeping on Buddy''s couch, so she wondered if this fox was any softer. It was incredibly soft and Aiko immediately fell asleep! She awkwardly moved down from her ears low, but her tail was wagging. Obviously happy about the night''s rest. "At least decide to be guilty or happy! Not both!" The Queen reprimanded her, but couldn''t stay angry with her when she saw her crestfallen expression. She tsked away, upset at herself for falling for this furball traps. From here on out she would steel her resolve and not give her an inch! ...Incense stick of time... "Is it that tasty?" The Queen asked as she saw the furball devour the food like her life depended on it. ''Do you have to ask?!'' Aiko stared back at her, while... [EXP gained.][EXP gained.][EXP gained.][EXP gained.] ''This is some good shit!'' Aiko praised. Queen pouted, she was unhappy that this little Beast didn''t know the delicacies of the Upper Realm and thus she was able to enjoy this average meat. "Eat slowly, there is more to come." Queen reaffirmed Aiko but cursed in her mind as she realized something important. "This will be the last piece of meat for today." She said seriously, startling Aiko. ''I can''t let her pollute her Beast Core too much.'' Little did she know, that it was already too late... Aiko looked like someone had stolen her soul and Queen flinched. "Okay, you can have this small piece, but no more!" She caved in immediately. ... "Listen well! Just because you have slightly better intelligence than others doesn''t mean you are that special! You need to learn the basic Techniques to get by when you are low on Qi!" The Queen explained, relishing in the fact that this incredibly smart Beast was listening to her and paying attention to her. She also liked how this little Beast didn''t know any better and explained its emotions so clearly. "The first thing you need to learn is [Lightness Technique]. Follow me." Queen almost immediately ran away, but Aiko was able to follow her with a bit of difficulty. "This is normal running speed, but if you apply [Lightness Technique]." Queen circulated her inner energy, not letting anything leak and she more than doubled her speed, startling Aiko. Aiko immediately applied [Sprint], since [Shadow Walk] was already used to just keep up with her normal speed. "Not bad." Queen praised. "But you are burning too much Stamina." She could tell that Aiko''s muscles were getting more tired with each passing second. "I can run much further because I''m merely circulating Qi, while you have to burn a vast amount of stamina just to keep up with me!" She reprimanded Aiko as she saw her already panting. "Let''s stop here." The Queen paused inside a nice meadow. "You will learn [Meditation], so you can replenish your lost stamina. This also allows you to replenish your consumed Qi. It is a very important skill that you need to master as soon as possible as cultivation is about enlightenment and meditation!" She explained. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Aiko finally was able to catch her breath and felt like dying as she pushed her limits a bit too hard trying to be competitive with this Fox. That was a bad idea as this Queen was vastly more powerful than Aiko. "After you learn [Meditation] I will give you a few pieces of meat." The Queen already knew how to appease this little Beast so that it would listen to her. She practised this often as she had to soothe her boy toy. She would often comb his hair or cuddle with him so that he would be happy. *Sigh* ''Nothing, but memories. This Beast will be nothing like that bastard and will serve me well!'' She laughed in her mind. "First thing first you should get comfortable," Queen commanded and waited. It didn''t take all that long for Aiko to lifelessly plop on the floor looking like an Animal carpet. Queen had a hard time holding her breath as the only indicator of life from this Beast was the tongue that would roll outside when breathing out and inside when breathing in. "Now relax your mind," Queen commanded, but has not realised how gently she said it. Aiko relaxed, a bit too much as she almost immediately fell asleep. "Wake up! There won''t be any meat if you don''t succeed with [Meditation]!" She warned Aiko. Aiko snapped back as she really wanted that meat, but sleeping was... ''No! I need to stay awake so I can go to sleep after the Fox! I will claim that warm spot for myself!'' Aiko almost drooled as she remembered that soft sinking feeling when she settled on this strange Fox. ... It took her about half a day to fall into [Meditation Trance]. She only woke up after her Stamina recovered completely, but she also realized that the sun didn''t settle all that much. This meant that meditation was vastly superior to waiting for her [Stamina Recovery] skill. [Congratulations you have learned [Meditation].] [Meditation] [Increases Stamina Recovery to 1% of Max Stamina per second and increases Qi recovery by the same amount.] [User needs to completely relax his body and mind to activate Meditation, as such this can''t be normally used in battle since it would expose User to external danger.] ''This is some good stuff! 100 seconds to recover all my stamina!'' Aiko was happy and her tail waggled like a broom. Queen giggled but soon turned serious. "You can''t use this if you are near a battlefield or danger as it will cancel any and all Abilities, including Divine ones, as you will completely let go of your thoughts and not manage your internal circulation to manage your Abilities!" She warned Aiko as her friend died because of this. Aiko nodded slowly wagging her tail. "This will be all for today, let''s return and I will give you your meat." Queen promised and almost couldn''t contain her laughter as she saw the little Beast salivating at the word ''meat''. ... "Why are you eating like it''s your last meal?!" Queen was shocked yet again by this Beast''s appetite. ''Why do you think, stupid?!'' She scolded this stupid Fox in her mind. [EXP gained.][Level Gained.][EXP gained.][EXP gained.] Queen sighed. This little Beast really reminded her of her friend. She was a good friend who always got her back, but she was stabbed by her own Dao Companion just for a piece of herb... it was not even a rare herb. That thing made this Queen mad and she swore that she would never entertain the thought of male Dao Companions, only boy toys that would sate her boredom and that worked... until it didn''t. She still had to agree that those times were not all bad. She had fun multiple times and it was not unpleasant, but it took her too much time just to bring him into the Upper Realm, almost half of her lifespan to be exact. Did she regret it? At the time, no. However now that she has a different perspective... oh how foolish she was, she should''ve ditched him. That way she would be able to reach the Peak and then just come back for him so that he could entertain her for eternity! Aiko noticed Fox''s strange expression and finished her meat in a blink of an eye. She then placed her paw on the Foxes, snapping her from that strange Dream. "Are you worried about me?" The Queen snorted, but seeing the little Beast nod... her heart melted a tiny bit. "Then be a good girl and learn well! or I will ditch you!" She stared at Aiko, who was looking at her gently. ''I know, I know, I won''t be able to eat your meat.'' Aiko thought about the delicious meat. ''Good, good, with this I won''t need to spend half of my lifespan. What a smart Beast.'' Queen praised her... for all the wrong reasons. "Let''s go to sleep." The Queen moved back into the bear''s nest and settled down, circulating her Cultivation for the upcoming journey, everything was almost ready to go. Aiko moved nearby, but into the shadow to lessen her presence. She waited until the Fox was relaxed and slowly moved towards her. Queen snorted in her mind. ''Why is she approaching me? Is she still hungry?'' She couldn''t understand this Beast sometimes. Aiko moved closer setting one of her paws on the Fox. Seeing no reaction she gently, but swiftly nestled herself on top of the Fox. ''Sh-She dares to sleep on me?!'' Queen had her brain short-circuit as no beast or man was brave enough to do that. Yet this little weak Beast dared just that! Queen''s body was frozen as she saw the little Beast almost immediately fall asleep. ''... just this one time.'' She thought soothing her immortal soul, but this would not be the last time... ... A week passed and the Queen made a harsh regiment for this little Beast. Not only did she dare to sleep on her each night, she would even steal her meat when she was not watching! And when she confronted her about it, Aiko just looked at her like an innocent little Fox! She couldn''t get angry at her since she would work hard and no matter in which way she made it worse... this little Beast would still listen to her advice. She had conflict in her mind. On one side it was the camp ''Spoil her until she rots.'' and on the other side was the camp ''Torture her and train her! Make her strong so she is not a liability!''. She was truly torn for the second time in her life. First would be her friend getting a Dao Companion. She wanted her to be powerful so that nothing bad would happen to Aiko, but at the same time, she wanted to spoil her since... it''s been such a long time since someone appreciated her cooking so much! This little Beast would not leave even a stain behind on the plate! That made this Queen incredibly happy and conflicted. "You still have not learned the [Lightness Technique]." Queen reprimanded her. "I will be cutting your meat again!" Aiko cried at this stupid and mean Fox! ''You have already cut my meat to 1/8 of what I was eating!'' She cried and protested. Chapter 20 – Preparations "Oh?" The Queen smiled as Aiko finally got the basics of [Lightness Technique]. ''This is quite good, not as good as those prodigy folks, but good enough that she might be able to reach #### and that means she could serve me for at least a few hundred thousand years.'' She licked her lips and Aiko shivered as if the great enemy was just approaching her, but it was just that stupid and mean Fox. ''I will get back at you for this injustice!'' She cried in her mind, but was really happy to acquire [Lightness Technique] naturally rather than having to spend a whopping 10,000 Skill Points! This also meant that if she could find the technique name she could get a more detailed description and then decide if it was worth it to learn or not. But what surprised Aiko was... [You have learned your first Auxiliary technique! You have gained 10 Insight!] Queen nodded again. "Let''s get back, you will be hunting tomorrow with this technique." She walked towards their cave slowly so it wouldn''t burden Aiko too much. She was glad that she didn''t pick anything too dumb and untalented and while Aiko couldn''t be called prodigy she can be called talented... if you bribe her with enough meat. Queen shook her head in her mind and sighed. ''I have spoiled her too much and her Core will definitely be in bad shape, but I will teach her how to extract Energy from Beast Cores and that should offset her indulging... I hope.'' Even though she was not sure if it could offset it, but she couldn''t really bring herself to stop her from eating the meat. Aiko was always too happy and cute whenever she ate meat. ''I will need to eat plenty and upgrade my skills, this way I will be able to train in those skills while training to hunt with that strange technique...'' Queen didn''t know that Aiko had utterly clogged her Beast Core and that was the reason why she learned so slowly. It was like pushing clogged sewage water down the tunnels only for them to get caught on every single little piece of debris. This also caused her some discomfort when using the [Lightness Technique], but because this dumb Fox didn''t listen to her she couldn''t explain it to her and was forced to work hard, otherwise her meat would be taken away! She wouldn''t let that happen! It''s not like it was painful, just mild discomfort! ''I will... do something to her later!'' She swore revenge on this Fox that liked to torture her with all kinds of strange obstacle courses. ''She even burned some of my fur!'' ... They returned to their Den and Aiko lay near the fire waiting for a few pieces of meat while expressionlessly browsing her Skills. Queen already confronted her, saying that ''She had a strange expression.'', but fortunately she was able to play it off by playing the ''cute'' card. This didn''t mean she shouldn''t be careful! Quite the opposite since she didn''t know what might happen to her if others realised she could just buy every single Cultivation Technique under the Heaven! It would still cost her, sure, but that wouldn''t stop those Cultivators from experimenting on her especially when she saw this Fox so interested in her strange attitude! Aiko ate her meat silently while looking over her skills. She clicked on individual skills and looked over their upgrades when she accidentally clicked 2 skills at the same time and... [Stealth: Lv.1] + [Camouflage: Lv.1] = [Shadowy Presence] She was shocked that she could combine and upgrade multiple skills. It was just... the cost... [Costs: 100 Skill Points] That was all she had! And she still wanted to purchase the portable stove! But even that stove Cost 1,000 points! She combined a few and got some interesting results. [Danger Sense: Mastered] + [Predator Sense: Mastered] + [Killing Intent Perception: Lv.1] = [Intention Perception] [Costs: 35 Skill Points] [Enhanced Sight: Mastered] + [Enhanced Smell: Mastered] = [Enhanced Basic Senses] [Costs: 85 Skill Points] [Tracking: Mastered] + [Weakness Detection: Lv.1] + [Hunting Mastery: Lv.1] = [Assassin Mastery] [Costs: 230 Skill Points] [Enhanced Speed: Mastered] + [Enhanced Manoeuvrability: Mastered] + [Enhanced Flexibility: Mastered] + [Enhanced Agility: Mastered] = [Agility Mastery] [Costs: 20 Skill Points] [Camouflage: Lv.1] + [Sprint: Mastered] = [Shadow Sprint] [Costs: 30 Skill Points] ''It seems like there is not just one combination...'' Aiko would have to carefully think about what to pick, but. ''I will definitely get the [Agility Mastery] since it''s cheap, I should probably get [Intention Perception] too since it is also cheap. There is also the [Shadow Sprint], but I like [Shadowy Presence], but it just costs too much... like the [Assassination Mastery]... [Linguistics] [Costs: 1,000 Skill Points] ''... Let''s just go for [Agility Mastery] and [Intention Perception]...'' Aiko purchased them, only to get stunned. ''Whoa! Are they actually abilities?! So they can be upgraded like that!?'' She was extremely happy as now she had a possible way to obtain more Divine Abilities. ''This will make the hunting easier! I also have plenty of Stat Points and since it seems I''m going the Assassination route I should spend a lot of them on Agility, but let''s do that if we can''t catch our prey~'' Aiko hummed happily. [ Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 400 - 600 -> 380 - 620 Species: [Shadow Fennec Fox Cub(Female, Peak of Unique)] Species: [-] Age: 0.12/100 -> 0.16/100 The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Awakened)] Bloodline: [-] Beast Rank: Beast Level: 1 -> 8 (2nd Evolution) Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement) HP: 243/243 -> 271/271 (1pH & 0.04%pH) ST: 243/243 -> 285/285 (2pH & 0.06%pH) Vitality: 136/136 -> 136/157 Vigour: 136 -> 171 Beast Core(1%): 620 Toughness: 134 -> 148 Strength: 138 -> 173 Agility: 154*1.3 -> 273*1.5 Dexterity: 127 -> 134 Mind: 136 -> 206 Insight: 20 -> 30 Beauty: 136 -> 206 Luck: 267 -> 274 Stat Points: 110 -> 126 Skill Points: 110 -> 126 -> 71 Elemental Affinity: [Shadow - 3], [Earth - 9] Martial Arts(NEW): [Lightness Technique(NEW)] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered] Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.2], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Agility Mastery(NEW): Lv.1], [Intention Perception(NEW): Lv.1] Skills: [Burrow: Mastered], [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Scratch: Mastered], [Sprint: Mastered], [Tracking: Mastered], [Quick Jump: Mastered], [Climb: Mastered], [Camouflage: Lv.1], [Meditation(NEW): Lv.1], Passive Skills: [Stealth: Lv.1], [Danger Sense: Mastered(Combined)], [Enhanced Sight: Mastered], [Health Recovery: Lv.4], [Stamina Recovery: Lv.6], [Prehensile Tail: Mastered], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Enhanced Speed: Mastered(Combined)], [Enhanced Manoeuvrability: Mastered(Combined)], [Enhanced Flexibility: Mastered(Combined)], [Enhanced Agility: Mastered(Combined)], [Enhanced Smell: Mastered], [Predator Sense: Mastered(Combined)], [Temperature Regulation: Mastered], [Intimidation: Lv.1], [Killing Intent Perception: Lv.1(Combined)], [Weakness Detection: Lv.1], [Hunting Mastery: Lv.1] Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Newbie gift] ] ''Nice! So many things changed~! I will have to upgrade the rest, but now that I know I can combine them I would rather hold onto them so I can create something much more powerful! This place is somewhat safe. I have not encountered anything that I couldn''t kill so there is no real rush to upgrade skills by themselves.'' Aiko thought the Archer was the only unfortunate part of this life, but that one disappeared when she was in pain. ''But why the hell does linguistics cost so much?!'' Aiko frowned, looking at the system that was silent as if taunting her. She noticed the Fox already lying in the nest staring outside. Aiko moved almost by instinct and wanted to settle on her, only to stop abruptly and settle near her. Queen stared at this ''shy'' Aiko. "Are you not gonna sleep on me today~?" She teased, only to make Aiko uncomfortable. She indeed wanted to sleep on that nice and soft Fox, but in the morning she wouldn''t feed her! Telling that sleeping on her should sate her hunger! Aiko angrily slapped the nest, making Queen giggle. "Sure, sure~" She had some grasp on what Aiko was thinking about, but it was too much trouble to try to understand her completely. Aiko would have to wait till she reached the Magical Beast stage before she would be able to properly talk with this Queen and scold her. ... Morning came and Aiko was nestled on Queen. The Queen narrowed her eyes but didn''t kick Aiko down. She had already done that once and had to watch the crestfallen expression of Aiko throughout the day and that was honestly unbearable. She waited till Aiko yawned and told her. "Let''s go, your hunt is upon us." Aiko nodded and followed the Fox, it seemed she wouldn''t get her meat again since for some reason her body lay on the Fox, but Aiko couldn''t remember moving herself on top of the Fox''s body... Aiko sighed disappointed that she wouldn''t be able to eat nice meat, but followed with her [Lightness Technique] after the Fox. ''She has improved quite a bit, I''m surprised she can keep up...'' Queen smiled in her mind. ''Whoa! That [Agility Mastery] makes me much faster!'' Aiko thought happily. Soon she would be able to punish this Fox! The journey was uneventful as Queen leaked a tiny bit of her bloodlust scaring all of the animals and beasts away. "We are here." Queen said and pointed to a very familiar yet unfamiliar place. ''... that''s the desert...'' Aiko frowned. ''I will be in trouble if I fight there.'' "You are to fight the beast that is guarding the shard." Queen told Aiko flatly. ''I will what?'' Aiko thought that her ears had already rotted from sleeping on that comfortable cushion named Mean Fox. "Don''t look at me like that, you will fight the beast." Queen repeated it and saw Aiko''s shocked expression. ''Do you want to kill me?!'' Aiko threw a tantrum in front of her, slapping her paws on the ground. ''I will lose all of my boosts because there is no shade! Can''t we at least wait for the night!?'' But Queen couldn''t be bothered by Aiko''s antics. She picked Aiko and threw her with her Divine Sense into the middle of the desert. ''Curse you, you stinky Fox!'' Aiko cursed before disappearing in the sand, unaware that the stinky Fox was nearby watching her, but shrouded in illusions so that she couldn''t be spotted. Aiko stopped after a few rolls. The desert heat didn''t bother her as her race and [Desert adaptation: Lv.2] were doing all the hard work for her, but she still felt uneasy. There were no shadows, no one to talk to her, no one to guide her. She was restless. She moved around the rocky desert, the heat was scorching. She always found this desert strange. Desert in the middle of a lush forest. It was like a completely different place altogether. She stepped forward. That stinky mean Fox pointed at the middle of the desert and that''s where she would find her prey. Why she didn''t decline? She wanted to eat more delicious food and get revenge on the stinky mean Fox. She wouldn''t be able to do that if she didn''t stick with her! Aiko walked and walked... the desert was much larger than she imagined as it took her till midday to arrive anywhere close to the centre. There lay a Lizard wrapped in flames. Each time he would breathe out his flames would intensify. She felt strange... looking at it, reminding her of Char. Just smaller and much less intimidating- and more dignified, let''s not forget that! She didn''t have any way to attack from range. She would have to time her attacks or attack where the flames were not. She tried to sneak near him to make a first surprise attack on the softer side of its leg, but the Lizard abruptly opened his eyes, staring straight at Aiko. *ROAR* Chapter 21 – Hunt? Aiko shivered as hot breath blasted her face. She immediately used [Lightness Technique] to make the distance between them. She stared warily as the Lizard''s tongue swished in and out of his mouth. "Another dumb beast disturbing my slumber." The Fire Lizard snorted. He gathered flames in his mouth and shot them towards Aiko. Aiko''s fur stood straight up as her senses warned her of her upcoming death. This Lizard hated her and wanted her to die. There was no way to negotiate only to battle. Aiko jumped away with [Quick Jump] barely dodging the fireball. She used sprint with [Lightness Technique] to make up for the difference in class. Aiko was elusive, being able to dodge everything that the Lizard sent her way, but she wasn''t able to get close to him or injure him. This time she waited until the fireball was closer and dove inside the ground with [Burrow]. Queen already wanted to save her and scold her, when suddenly Aiko was sucked into the ground. The Queen stared at the place where Aiko disappeared, completely speechless. ''So she did get something for consuming that shard! But what a useless technique!'' She scoffed. She lost the perfect shard that could help her, to build her the perfect cave, yet this... *Sigh* The Lizard was satisfied by burning that dumb Fox until not even ashes remained. He... was not the smartest Lizard. That was also because he just entered the [Magical Beast Rank]. He had developed intelligence, but that intelligence blinded his senses. His pride was too big as he Evolved into a Fire Lizard and would be able to evolve into [Salamander] if everything went well. He no longer relied on his senses but upon his unrivalled flames. Those flames were further imbued with the [Fire Shard] ''s energy, which allowed him to prepare the techniques quicker and make them more devastating. After all, he was the number 1 reason why so many Cultivators died in here. They all wanted this shard as it could improve their [Fire Cultivation] and some even their [Spiritual Roots]! Aiko moved below the Lizard and popped her head from below. The Lizard was unaware of her presence and was defenceless from this side. Aiko saw very pinkish and soft-looking skin. It looked delicious. She slashed that skin with [Scratch], but it was a very shallow wound. It wasn''t even bleeding! She immediately dove down. The Lizard was puzzled why his hindlimb itched. The Queen almost facepalmed. She wanted this fight to be properly difficult but didn''t expect the creature in her Rank to be so, so incredibly stupid. ''This is... painful to watch.'' She frowned. ''And it''s all because of that Earth Ability! if she didn''t have it she would struggle at least a bit!'' Queen was unaware that Aiko didn''t have any ranged Abilities. Most shadow beasts had some kind of ranged Ability that would allow them to utilize enemy shadows. That was also the reason why shadow beasts were so formidable on the ground, where there were plenty of shadows. Aiko opened her menu looking through it and upgrading [Scratch]. It turned into [Lacerate], which dealt high damage at the expense of Stamina and Beast Core energy. Aiko moved behind the Lizard popping her head up. Her Stamina was doing fine and she wanted to know where exactly the Lizard was, as she couldn''t see when she was under the ground. The Lizard already lay down, seemingly bored. This window of opportunity would allow her to strike his weak point... but where should she strike?! ''His whole body is red when I activate [Weakness Detection].'' Aiko frowned. It seems she will have to pay attention to the Skill levels much more. She dove down underground and made her way to the Lizard''s tail. She sharpened her mind and used [Laceration] at his most relaxed moment. *RIIIIP* "GAAAAAAAAAAAAH" The Lizard screamed as someone cut deeply into the underside of his tail. Aiko giggled seeing the damage and the blood that was spraying everywhere with shiny eyes. She didn''t expect such a simple upgrade to do so much... but it did consume a lot of Stamina. She will have to manage her reserves well or she might die. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. She hid in the ground as the Lizard was trashing above her. She waited as her [Burrow] Skill would use much less Stamina if she didn''t move. "WHERE ARE YOU BASTARD!? SHOW YOURSELF!" The Lizard roared at the top of his lungs but was unable to find his assailant which enraged him further drawing his animalistic instincts back to the surface. He then noticed that something small was below him, deep in the ground. *ROAR* He immediately raised his temperature to the peak, making glass out of the nearby sand and rocks. Penetrating deep into the ground. Aiko felt this heat and was terrified by it. She immediately went down deeper and away from the Lizard to avoid the shock wave of heat. Aiko popped above ground as she wouldn''t be able to sustain [Burrow] if he trashed so much. Lizard noticed that tiny presence and immediately aimed his flames at it. Aiko jumped away and dashed further away from him. She would now wait and let him bleed- ''His wounds burned?!'' The Lizard''s heat cauterized his wounds, making it impossible for him to bleed out. That was one of the main reasons besides his flames why he was such a tough opponent. Additionally, he was also immune to most lesser poisons as even if they made it into his bloodstream they would get vaporized by his inner heat. ''FUCK! SHITTY FOX I WILL PUSH YOU INTO MUD AND THEN SHIT ON YOU FOR THIS!'' Aiko cursed the stinky Fox in her mind. Queen was unaware of her cursing and was currently praising Aiko for her wits. ''It was a good idea to go for the tail. Whenever he moved the wound would open slightly furthering his pain and blinding his emotions. With that, the Lizard would get exhausted if he spent most of his energy in this enraged mode.'' The Queen nodded approvingly. ''JUST YOU WAIT!'' Aiko stopped her curses as her tail almost caught ablaze from the Lizard''s attacks. She scurried around like a rabbit getting further and further from him, no longer caring about the meat she would lose from escaping this hell. ''Oh... She gave up. How unfortunate, and she was close too.'' The Queen shook her head at her silly Servant. ''That''s fine, I didn''t expect her to have that Ability.'' Queen sighed. This meant that Aiko wouldn''t get proper challenges, she needed to know her limits and constantly challenge them to get more powerful evolutions, but that is for another day. She withdrew her illusions and the Lizard noticed her. He wanted to tear this Fox apart, but he couldn''t, as fear assaulted his entire being. "W-what pleasure do I owe to such mighty Guest?" He stuttered as he realized that he wasn''t her match. What was worse since he tried to kill that little bastard Fox and then this Fox appeared... they are probably related in one way or another. This might be the end of him. "I will be taking that shard." The Queen calmly pointed at the [Fire Shard] behind the Lizard. "Yes, yes, here." The Lizard obediently handed her the shard. He might need it, but he has already attained intelligence, thus increasing his lifespan greatly. This will allow him to slowly and safely Cultivate to another stage. He didn''t want to lose his life just for a Shard. It might be a treasure, but the dead do not need treasures. "You are a lot smarter than this Queen expected." She smirked and used her Divine Sense to levitate the shard, shocking the Lizard even more. "T-thank you, n-now if you excuse me." He really wanted to run away, since there were only two types of people that would call themselves ''Queens''. The first one was an absolute lunatic and high on her power, the other was an absolute powerhouse that could wipe anyone that came her way and unfortunately for him, this Queen seemed like the latter. "You are excused." Queen said while leaving. She didn''t need to kill him since he was Aiko''s prey, but since she wasn''t able to kill him... he would stay alive so that he could take revenge on Aiko and teach her about the world. The Queen nodded at herself for such a brilliant plan as it was much safer than if Humans were those that wanted to take revenge. Beasts have their pride and would never group with others, but Humans... anything goes. That was the reason why it was less dangerous to annoy beasts than Humans. Humans would just group up and kick you until you were lying down and continue kicking you until you died. There would be no escape as there were more powerful Human Cultivators than lonely beasts. Sure, in the grand scheme of things there were a lot more monsters, but in terms of strength. They just couldn''t compare against Humans as beasts had to hunt other beasts to advance, while Humans just needed to fuck each other... The Queen sighed spotting her little Servant. Aiko was inside the river cooling down and caressing her tail. She noticed a gaze on her so she turned around only to- ''Here you are you shitty stinky mean Fox!'' Aiko growled at her while protecting her tail that was singed by the flames. The Queen was amused that this little creature was willing to growl at her, but not at the Lizard. She glared at Aiko making her shiver. Aiko''s eyes moistened as the stinky Fox glared at her. ''It''s not my fault alright!'' She sobbed. ''I did everything I could!'' The Queen was stunned by that pitiful expression and the fact that her eyes looked cuter when they were moist. She looked so pitiful and lovable that she had the thought of returning after the Lizard and cooking him for their dinner! Fortunately, she was a powerful Immortal Cultivator and wouldn''t be swayed by emot- *Clean* ''GAH! I did it again!'' Cursed the Queen. She cleaned this little fox out of any mud, dirt and/or soot. The Aiko still stared at her pitifully, cursing her in her mind, but much less once she realized she was much cleaner and didn''t smell like burnt hair. "You did well." The Queen praised. ''GAH! You were supposed to reprimand her for running away and then tell her she still did a good job!'' She was failing miserably in maintaining her outer appearance with her inner thoughts. Aiko looked at the stinky Fox much less hatefully, but she still vowed she would get revenge for every little thing! Chapter 22 – Beast Cores "Before we leave I will show you how to extract energy from Beast Cores." The Queen said gently. "It won''t be easy as it will pollute your Beast Core, but if you can find any nice flames in the wild. You can use them to further refine the Beast Cores and consume almost pure Cores. But that is talk after you have an affinity with fire!" The Queen sat near her and gestured for her to follow her lead. She would sit like a Sphinx and place the Beast Core between her front legs. She would then use her energy to nudge the Core until it cracked. What was left is suck all the leaking energy out of the Core and watch it crumble into dust. Aiko was amazed by the changes in the tiny marble. When it cracked it shined in that place and would ooze out energy like a gas pipe that was leaking. Then it would shine less and less, slowly turning into stone, until it finally crumbled into dust! Queen puffed up her chest as Aiko stared at her in admiration. She felt a little bit shy, which never happened, but she also never experienced such burning eyes without any lust. "I will guide you through it slowly so you don''t waste too much of the Beast Cores energy." The Fox smiled gently. Aiko sat down like the Fox did and tried to use her energy. It was incredibly sluggish like trying to push water down a blocked drain. At times it was uncomfortable at times it was painful. ''What in the world...'' The Queen paused looking at this strange reaction. ''There is no way right...'' She had a bad premonition. "Stop for a moment and relax." She commanded Aiko. Aiko did as she was told as she didn''t understand much about many things. The Queen probed her Core or at least tried, when Aiko suddenly jumped away from her growling at her. ''That hurts!'' She growled. The Queen sighed and chased Aiko. Aiko was naturally no match for her top speed and was pinned down in the blink of an eye. She growled at this stinky Fox but soon felt unbearable pain. She cried, whining, trying to claw away, but she couldn''t get away. An incredibly sad whine drifted away from the cave, making the closest beast shiver from it. ... ''Fuck!'' The Queen cursed. She stopped probing her Beast Core and used [Clean] on her. She then licked Aiko until she stopped whining, but Aiko still lay motionlessly on the ground. "It will be alright." Her voice quivered at the end as she slowly regretted her decisions. ''Dammit! If I weren''t spoiling her so much she wouldn''t have such a mess of a Core!'' She regretted it deeply as most Pills would be able to clear only tiny bits of impurities, but she had so many impurities that she was lucky she was alive. ''I really shouldn''t have spoiled her.'' She gently licked Aiko as the misunderstanding slowly deepened. "Everything will be alright little one." She reassured the quivering Aiko. "Let''s take it slow and I will help you improve your Core slowly, alright?" She had an incredibly gentle voice, a voice that she only used with her friend. She continued licking Aiko until she fell asleep on her front paws. Only she knew how painful it was for her to get probed, while her Core was in such a mess. To put it in perspective imagine not being able to shit for a whole month and your intestines are completely packed. Then a doctor suddenly comes along to you and shoves his fist down your ass. Everything is pushed and strained beyond the limit, you feel like your intestines are tearing apart and even if the doctor suddenly stopped the pain would still persist. She felt awful about this situation as it was caused by her indulging her too much. She would have to help her fix her Core over time as she was responsible for it in the first place. That didn''t stop her from cursing herself over and over again. The last time a blunder like this happened it caused the War in the Upper Realm. She used [Clean] periodically on her so that she could sleep peacefully without being drenched in sweat. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ... 3 days later Aiko woke up, her body heavy and tired. That shitty Fox was above her licking her fur, but Aiko was too tired to drive her away. Plus it didn''t feel all that bad, it felt rather nice. "We will try to increase your Beast Core up to a Peak of your current Rank. You are not allowed to consume food that I have not cooked and I will also help you with energy extraction so that you don''t consume any more filth." She continued licking Aiko''s fur, periodically using [Clean] on her. "After you hit your Peak, I will let you consume Pills that will allow you to cleanse it further and we can only hope that your next Evolution is not as volatile as this one." Aiko grunted weakly, not going against her. "Good, rest for now and I will cook something for you." She guiltily walked away to gather meat. That bear meat couldn''t be used as it would pollute her like it did now. She would have to use meat from rare monsters with high purity and then increase the purity further. That will be a pain in the ass as she doesn''t have enough firepower to cleanse it completely if it''s a higher Rank. So she had to find a beast with a lower Rank that would have high purity, which was also a pain in the ass. Most beasts would eat any shit they would come across, thus they would gather impurities over time. She could squeeze them out if it''s below 10% impurities, any more and it would be difficult and very time-consuming. Meanwhile, Aiko went to sleep again. The Queen was out for several days, Aiko was feeling hungry and slightly thirsty, but her pain lessened which was fortunate. Today she finally returned and she caught some kind of strange bird with colourful feathers. "It''s not much, but it will do." The Fox nodded to herself as she placed the bird down. She used her Divine Sense to strip the bird of its feathers and squeeze the rest of the blood out. She then used her [Clean] on it several times and butchered it with her claws. She bathed the meat in her Qi, forcing the impurities out of the meat. This would degrade the meat, but it is a better option than further polluting her Core. ''Until I find some pure flame with purifying capabilities I will slowly inch her to higher purity with clean meat and clean Cores.'' She thought to herself while preparing the meat for Aiko who was watching her with some interest. The meat blackened as she pushed the impurities out and used [Clean] several times on it to clean that black residue. She washed it in her Water Qi and let it dry for a bit, before setting it up near flame to slowly roast it. The meat was very tender and easy to chew so there was no problem with being too hard or chewy for Aiko. She also added just a hint of spices instead of the full course she usually used so as not to upset her stomach. She came over to Aiko and used [Clean] on her and licked her a few times. Aiko grunted but didn''t move, waiting for the deliciously looking meat to be done over the flames. ''I really look forward to that portable stove.'' She suddenly thought as the meat was still levitating in the air. ''There wouldn''t be a need to keep them afloat like that and I could also use it to create broth and other things...'' She thought yawning a bit. ''I''m more exhausted than I was before.'' This puzzled her, but she didn''t question it much as questioning was hard by itself. ''It smells nice, much nicer than what she usually makes.'' Aiko thought. She was unaware that the purer the meat the tastier it was. That''s why some of the Fire Element beasts were so sought after. Their flames would purify their bodies keeping the purity of their Cores high, but also keeping their organs and muscles clean as by-product of the heat. "It''s almost done, I won''t let you eat much of it since they are hard to find, but I will be carrying you around for the time being until your Core calms down." She told her gently while grooming her fur. She wouldn''t say it out loud, but her fur was soft. She was even tempted to go for her Human form to properly pet her. She placed the well-done meat in front of Aiko and Aiko slowly chewed it. She was not as enthusiastic as before as moving was difficult and it sometimes even hurt. The Queen was heartbroken, she hoped that she would be a bit more springy since this meat was cooked with her full skills, but she also understood that having a painful Core is generally not good. Sure some Cultivation paths rely on pain and those guys would harm themselves just to advance, but more sane Cultivators wouldn''t take those paths. ''I will have to increase my Divine Sense so that I can probe her without actually touching her Core, but that would require getting to another stage. I''m still far from another stage and that''s why I wanted to visit the small Fox Village and get admitted to the bigger one.'' She sighed, the closest Village is quite far and it would be a straining journey for Aiko, but she couldn''t let her be since she caused this whole issue. She still had her integrity to maintain! Aiko chewed at her meat, ignoring most things that were happening around her. It was only a few pieces, but she felt much more full and sated. "We will be leaving tomorrow from here." The Fox told her gently, nestling near her. Aiko finished chewing and laid down again, closing her eyes and drifting to dreamland where she wasn''t in pain. ... The Queen was already up roasting today''s food, watching over the sleeping Aiko. Aiko was pretty much completely useless until her Core settled down. She would have to watch over her and care about her needs. She felt that this was similar to her previous boy toy, but different at the same time. She sighed, at least this little one was much cuter. Aiko woke up a few moments later, watching the Fox cook. She was a bit upset that she couldn''t eat more meat, but she also didn''t want to upset this Fox. She realized they were leagues away the moment she pinned her down. The moment of helplessness and not being able to move was deeply engraved in her soul. She would never forget that feeling and she swore that she would push this Fox down! It would be a blissful feeling for her the moment that this Fox would be hopelessly under her squirming. ''Hehe~'' She giggled relishing in that thought. Chapter 23 – Forest and Demons They ate together. She was squeaky clean from the Fox constantly using some strange technique on her. She didn''t mind that, since it was quite a nice feeling, although it couldn''t compare to a proper bath, it was still nice enough like a shower. The most important thing was that she was completely clean! The Fox levitates her on her back. Aiko was startled and confused, but couldn''t question the Fox as she couldn''t talk nor express herself. "I will be carrying you around until your Core settles down." The Fox said gently. Aiko was taken aback. ''She understands me?'' She scrunched her face. "I don''t understand you, you are just easy to read sometimes." The Queen answered gently, slowly and carefully moving through the Forest. "When we leave the Forest we will have to cross and go around several cities, so be a good girl and stay put." The Fox still said gently but with a hint of seriousness. "If you wait for me I will give you delicious meals." She negotiated the terms since it would be bad if Aiko hunted like this. Aiko felt like she was losing on this deal, but since she was carried around on this soft and fluffy back... she didn''t mind as much. Queen and Aiko made it out of part of the Forest. In front of them, the forest was thinner and there was less vegetation. There was more light since the trees were much farther apart. Aiko also felt weaker as she was in the light, but that wasn''t all that bad since this stinky Fox at least carried her gently. This part of the forest was much quieter, there were fewer birds and beasts around than before and even those beasts looked weaker than the others. It felt like a completely different world as there were much more peaceful animals/beasts, like deer or hedgehogs. It would be a lot easier on her if she ''spawned'' in here as the food was abundant and easy to obtain and there was much less danger. What she didn''t know was that the Inner part of this Forest had thicker ambient energy, making it easier to advance and gather energy. If she tried to Evolve in here she would surely die, being sucked dry by her own bloodline. "We will be leaving the forest shortly. this might be only a Middle part of this Forest, but it gets smaller the further you get from the centre." The Fox slowly explained as she felt Aiko looking around curiously. "We also were nowhere near the centre of this Forest. While we were considered to be in the inner part, it was only on the edge, much more powerful beings roam the inner parts and they would constantly fight for territories destroying the forest in the process." Aiko was puzzled. ''Then why isn''t this forest already destroyed?'' "The Forest in the inner parts is much tougher and quicker to grow. So it actually helps thin out the forest, when the beasts fight." She explained, getting back into rhythm like she did with her boy toy, just this little one was paying more attention. *Sigh* ''You can read my mind right?!'' She angrily slapped her back. "I can''t read your mind." The Queen answered flatly. ''I call bullshit on that one!'' Aiko was very angry, but no longer slapped her paws as it was exhausting and it''s not like this stinky Fox would feel it. They fast walked through this part of the Forest arriving in a much thinner part. This was the Outer part of this Forest. The trees were far and few in between, there was plenty of light and very little vegetation. Aiko also felt heavier as the amount of ambient Qi was much lower. "We beasts are more dependent on ambient Qi until we reach at least pseudo-human form. That''s when we can keep Qi inside our bodies and expend it if we go through Qi-deficient parts of the world. This allows them to stay in top shape even if the Qi disappeared, while beasts would be troubled since we use part of the ambient Qi to empower our Abilities." The Fox explained as this was very important information if she managed to enter the ''Fox Village''. If someone would set a trap for her it would be in a region with little to no ambient Qi to limit her powers. "If you can help it, it is better to avoid places with little Qi, as they are often plagued with bandits and traps." She warned the curious Aiko. Aiko nodded slowly. She didn''t like this place as it didn''t have much shadow and she felt weaker here. She wouldn''t want to spend any time in here if it could be helped. There were peaceful plains in front of them. Sheep and cows were freely grazing. They were obviously wild animals because of the lack of any signs of Human intrusion and while there were many humans they often would not leave their Villages. While Humans were the main and most powerful Cultivation beings in this plane, that didn''t mean they purged the world from monsters. They were greatly beneficial for them and if they wiped all of them they wouldn''t be able to have their own pets, so most powerful individuals would restrict the hunting to a certain degree as they didn''t want their possible future Dao Companions or Cauldron to be hunted till extinction. That was especially true for Foxes as they had many beneficial arts that could aid Human Cultivators greatly, as such they would severely punish or straight up kill if someone hurt a Fox too much. They would be abused, but not to the point that they would die, which again was beneficial for the leaders. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "We will be passing near a Village soon, I will take a slight detour but still don''t make too much noise. I don''t want to dirty my hands with filthy Humans." She said flatly but with a hint of danger in her voice. Aiko nodded blankly, it''s not like her ride was hurting her, she did not need to do anything, maybe she would appreciate more meat? A bit more? A few kilos more? They tread the grassland, it''s peaceful, yet chaotic. "Kill that bastard!" A young male voice drifted from the treeline. 3 people were fighting among each other and near them was an herb that was glowing softly. ''Maiden''s bells.'' The Fox telepathically said to Aiko. ''These bells are special as they allow you to see in complete darkness if prepared properly, of course, once you reach high enough Cultivation you will be able to see in the dark, but they are at the beginning of Foundation Establishment and as such it''s extremely beneficial to them if they want to explore it. That herb would also be beneficial to those that want to enter the Golden Core as it purifies the liquid Qi quicker.'' She told her a few things about the herb so that if she encountered it she would know the basics and not fight for such useless herbs... well it wasn''t useless for Aiko since she needed to purify her Core, but it would take too much time to refine that herb so it can be used by beasts, not to mention it could be used only once, so it''s better to combine it with more herbs so that the effect is much greater than each individual plant. They continued to watch and the Fox waited, she would kill the last one standing and take all of their treasures alongside the herb. If two were alive she would just leave, not because she couldn''t kill them, but because she didn''t want to stain her hands with grouping scum that can''t even take the herb by themselves. Naturally, she would still take the herb either way, leaving them helpless and with possible inner demons. This would delight her as it meant less powerful Cultivators overall. The guys fought, and fireworks flew everywhere as each one of them recited fanciful names of their techniques. Aiko watched over, but it was less interesting than seeing those at the peak of Foundation Establishment or in the Golden Core fight as their fireworks were much more powerful and pleasing to look at. It felt like the higher you went up the Cultivation chain the more colourful your techniques became, she didn''t understand this. Shouldn''t power rule over everything? Why make it more colourful? The Queen stole the herb in the meantime and placed it in her [Storage Ring], watching over those dumb Cultivators still fighting even after the herb vanished. ''So idiotic, so dumb...'' The Queen scoffed, as they finally managed to kill their comrade. How did she know he was their comrade? They had the same clothes with the same symbols, simple as that. "Haha... finally..." The youth breathed heavily. "Now for the herb." The other youth looked over only to freeze. "What''s wrong?" The first youth asked. "T-t-the-" The second youth stammered and couldn''t answer. "T-T-T-What? Can''t you speak more cl-" He ridiculed that youth only for himself to freeze. "W-w-w-where is that herb?" They both looked in disbelief and one suddenly gripped his head. It was the first youth. He screamed like a madman and Aiko could see his eyes slowly darken and turn red. It was a mesmerizing colour if it wasn''t for that sinister energy leaking out of him. The youth laughed at his partner in crime and slashed with speed incomparable to when he fought with that youth, killing that still stunned youth instantly. ''That is how others become mad. They lose themselves to the inner demons whispering sweet things into their ears. At first, it starts inconspicuous, small whisper here and there, those whispers increase in frequency over time, "guiding" you for the better. At the last step, they increase in intensity, commanding you to do things, stepping/interrupting your meditation/advancements, until your mind finally slips and gates open. At that moment they overtake your body as pure thoughts and desires to fulfil their purpose.'' She explained to Aiko in the wishes she would be able to avoid becoming one herself. ''He has killed his comrade in order to get that herb. Seeing the herb not there he developed an inner demon about killing. This demon overtook his body and is fulfilling its desires and that is to kill everyone he considers a comrade.'' The Queen explained. ''After he kills everyone he will revert back, but that guy will lose his mind again meaning this kind of thing is never ending once you allow your inner demons to possess you.'' ''For us beasts it''s different, nothing takes over us, but we will degrade into Demonic Beasts. This way many beasts can skip the magical beast stage at the cost of their intelligence. Those beasts are loved by demonic cultivators as there is a possibility for their intelligence to return, but at that moment they would be already in contract unable to hurt anyone, but those that they are ordered to hurt.'' She sighed. ''Some Humans also like Demonic Beasts more since they are a lustful bunch and love Dual Cultivation. They are quite sought after for the trait of live dolls, but people would go completely nuts over an intelligent Demonic Beast, as they can learn the art of seduction and invade righteous sects and destroy them from inside.'' She killed that Demonic Cultivator with her tail and gathered their [Storage Pouches], while those are unwieldy and smaller than [Storage Rings], you don''t need to use Qi to open them, as such even mortals can use them. This trait also makes them much cheaper as you need just high-quality textiles and not rare and non-renewable metals. The Inscription on them is also much simpler as you don''t need to carve into hard metal but just paint the pouch. She took all of the items inside her own [Storage Ring], but kept those pouches around her neck for Aiko''s use until she learns how to properly control her Qi. Chapter 24 – I want to QUIT! The Queen ate her meat with Aiko as they settled in a lush forest. They still had quite a long journey till they arrived at their destination. "We got few Spirit Stones, herbs... useless manuals... they didn''t have anything worth our time, but that herb." The Queen frowned. "This was a waste of time." She concluded. Sure those [Storage Pouch]es were useful for the current Aiko, but once she learned how to properly control her Qi, she would be able to open [Storage Ring]s which are incomparably bigger and more compact. ''Well not completely.'' She looked at Aiko. ''It is good that she could see what happens to people that succumb to inner demons since her aura is closer to a demonic beast, but her actual energy is neutral in nature, which is interesting.'' She chewed on her slabs of meat, while Aiko ate small pieces. It was enough to sate Aiko''s hunger, but not enough to enjoy the taste. ''Her neutral energy is a good thing because many Beast Cores of lower beings get cleansed after their death making those Beast Cores more neutral in nature. That is why it''s difficult to find the proper Beast Cores for fast advancement, but with a neutral disposition she would be able to eat all those Beast Cores that are normally used in alchemy and thus are dirt cheap to obtain.'' She smirked. ''I don''t like how she is looking at me... I hope she won''t force me to fight another unfair beast...'' Aiko cried in her mind, not letting it be seen on her face, otherwise, this mean Fox would lick her even when she tried to sleep. She felt like this stinky Fox was strangely attached to her all of a sudden. She wouldn''t let her out of her sight and would always drag her around or carry her. ''Carrying isn''t all that bad since it''s soft and I can often sleep, but it''s a pain in the ass to walk.'' It would make Aiko uncomfortable or if she moved too much it would even hurt her! The Fox sat near Aiko and waited for her to finish her food. The Queen liked to observe her little Servant, as the gentlest wind would be able to change the colours of her fur. It was a mesmerizing dance for her old soul and she felt healed whenever she would watch it. That was one of the effects why Foxes were so popular, they had a natural soothing effect because of their incredibly fluffy tails. It would take only a few pats to calm down your restless heart and relax your mind. Of course, some cultivators hunted them so they could sell stuffed tails and while they did sell incredibly well, it couldn''t really compare to the real deal. The Fox placed Beast Core in front of Aiko. "Let''s boost your Beast Core a bit, just focus on drawing energy into you." She gently told Aiko as she pierced the Core and separated pure energy from impurities. She didn''t mind those impurities entering her body as her Core was pure enough that it could deal with a small amount of said impurities. It would be a different matter if she consumed a lot of it, but Aiko wouldn''t be able to sustain such rapid improvements... or at least that''s what she thought. Unfortunately, she never met someone with neutral energy, otherwise she would curse herself for such naive thinking. Aiko didn''t know how to draw that energy into her. She stared at the leaking energy. It felt... tasty? She tilted her head and a bit of that energy entered her body. Aiko flinched, but not from being repulsed, but from being startled. That energy was very soothing, it felt like the river was caressing your skin and it also soothed her painful Beast Core. She slowly closed her eyes enjoying that feeling when. *CRACK* The pleasant feeling disappeared. It was no more. She felt disappointed and looked with a sad expression at the mean Fox. The Queen stared at the little thing that was staring at her with ''big'' cute eyes, trying to nudge her for more, but she just couldn''t... she was too shocked at her consumption rate, normally that was supposed to be impossible and it would take quite a while for her to consume that Beast Core. Unfortunately, her Beast Core was very hungry, it was hungry because it was unstable. This instability was from the fact she didn''t have that ''secondary'' bloodline that would create equilibrium. As such her Beast Core compensated with increased absorption capabilities, which Queen was unaware of. ''I don''t believe she will be able to consume all our Beast Cores in one sitting!'' She challenged Aiko in her mind, which only proved fatal for her Immortal Soul. ... ''I-I can''t believe it...'' She stared blankly at Aiko who was smiling at her. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. [Beast Core(1%): 620 -> 1,000] ''All... our Beast Cores... in one sitting...'' She suffered a major blow as she kept looking at Aiko who looked completely fine and not affected by the amount of energy she just consumed. ''I-I would have to take a few hours to consume all of them, but... she didn''t need even an hour!?'' The Queen was completely speechless when she saw Aiko cutely look at her, clearly wanting more. "Bah! You want more?!" Her inner thoughts leaked from her mouth. Aiko nodded smiling nicely and making a cute expression. It was certainly bullseye for the mean Fox, but she ran out of Beast Cores! The rest were special Elemental Cores, which had many unique uses and she wasn''t willing to use them on her since her Core was still not stable enough. "I-I don''t have more!" She stuttered. Aiko was sad that she couldn''t eat any more tasty Beast Cores. It was not quite as tasty as meat, but it was gentle and soothing enough that she would have to pause if she were given the chance to pick only one of them. "You will need to wait for later!" The mean Fox said somewhat guiltily, but she couldn''t cave in here, otherwise she would have to guide this little thing for her entire life! That thought crossed her mind for the first time and shockingly her mind wasn''t all that against it, but her Immortal pride wouldn''t allow it and pushed that motion away. ''As if I would succumb to such simple temptations!'' She declared in her mind. She placed Aiko on her back and moved from this place. It was too close to where those Cultivators fought and while it was fine to stay there for a snack, it was not fine to stay there for the night. They would have to move a bit throughout the night until they would be able to rest. This was just in case so that ''that'' sect wouldn''t send more disciples to that location. It was fine in a way that she could easily slaughter them, but it was not fine considering their elders might come too and if she killed them then their masters would come and after that... yeah, a never-ending flood of people after them. That was also one of the many reasons why beasts hated Humans. There were just too many petty Cultivators on their side and their pride could pierce the heavens! The mean Fox found a peaceful place near the pond. It was a shiny pond where Qi oozed out of it. ''A natural Qi formation.'' The Queen''s eyes twinkled. ''This would allow me to advance to the Peak of Magical Beast and if lucky enough I could then find a place where I would be able to reach Spirit Beast!'' She was very happy about her find as these kinds of places blend into their surrounding and were incredibly hard to find, like Spirit Stone Mines! She placed Aiko near the pond so she would also get some effect. She then turned around to cook a bit of meat for Aiko and herself. ''What a pretty pond.'' Aiko thought as the pond was making small stars inside it, gently twinkling as if inviting others to bathe in there. Aiko relaxed and energy washed over her body. It was a much more natural kind of feeling, like when you drank spring water, instead of tap water. It was refreshing and would make you more healthy. [Level gained.] ''Huh?'' Aiko narrowed her eyes and relaxed as messages popped one after another. The Queen felt a shiver down her spine and she turned around to see what was happening, only for her to drop her meat and rush towards Aiko. "NO! BAD BEAST! DON''T YOU DARE STEAL MORE FROM ME!" The Queen dragged Aiko away, which prompted her to stop slurping that energy like it was never-ending spaghetti. Aiko looked away with her ears down and pleading eyes. The Queen suffered another major blow, but couldn''t budge this time if she wanted to be closer to leaving this place. "No! You have already consumed enough!" She said. "Your Core is already full for the time being!" Foxes had much lesser Beast Core capacity than other beasts. Thus they had an easier time advancing, but a harder time advancing with good Evolutions. They were also much weaker than other beast equivalents, making them very susceptible to harassment and kidnapping. Aiko stared sadly at the stinky Fox, using her cuteness to the maximum. The Queen licked her several times. "I can''t bring you closer, you need to advance if you want that energy, okay?" She was gentle with her but didn''t want to bring her closer as their survival would depend on this. Aiko didn''t say anything and pouted away, Queen took another hit into her heart and said gently, like a soothing child. "Once we reach the ''Fox Village'' I will give you plenty of snacks and Cores." Aiko''s ears twitched, that offer was tempting. "I will include my cooking too." The Queen sighed. She lost to this Fox again, but seeing Aiko so happy... it wasn''t all that bad feeling. "Okay, okay, let''s discuss your Evolution later." She licked Aiko and returned to her cooking. Aiko was tempted to get closer but chose not to. The meat smelled nice and she was looking forward to it more than to her Levels, albeit they were impressive. [Level: 8 -> 19] But she also drained quite a lot of energy from that pond and it was not as shiny as it was before. It would have a lesser effect now, but it was still beneficial to anyone who found it. The Queen and Aiko ate their meat and the Queen returned to the pond to Cultivate and absorb that energy, she wouldn''t leave even a piece of energy behind. She didn''t want those bastard Humans to have any. ''It''s... much less than I expected...'' The Queen thought sadly, looking in a certain direction. ''*Sigh* I will have to be careful in the future with what I give her or where I leave her, lest I lose all my treasures because of it.'' That pain still was engraved in her heart and she wouldn''t be able to forget it for a very long time, fortunately, she was not a petty Immortal that would take revenge on their juniors... even if they were a bit mischievous and thieving at times. She closed her eyes and slowly Cultivated into the morning, but didn''t notice Aiko in the shadow who was sleeping on her tail with a happy expression. Chapter 25 – Aiko is missing?! In the morning the Queen''s lips twitched. ''This rascal...'' She was staring at Aiko who was sleeping on her tail. ''She just can''t sleep without me...'' She sighed quietly, she didn''t mind it as much, it was a nice feeling to be ''needed'', although this kind of need was strange. ''Does she like soft things so much?'' She asked in her mind, but she already knew her answer. ''I will wait a bit and go hunting.'' The Queen thought quietly. ''She was very cute and obedient so let''s reward her with good meat. That way I can keep her nice and obedient.'' She nodded to herself. ... The Queen went hunting, leaving Aiko alone. Aiko might''ve been bored since the pond no longer shined, however the stinky Fox promised her good meat and more Beast Cores. She wouldn''t move from this place even if it killed her, all of those things were yummy and it would be difficult to acquire with her aching Beast Core. ... "Oi!" Hunter1 slapped Hunter2. "Oi!" Hunter2 kicked Hunter1. "Bastard!" Hunter1 scoffed. "You said that place was close!" "It IS close." Hunter2 snorted. "Compared to how far Sects are." "Fuck," Hunter1 cursed. "Couldn''t you say that sooner?!" "I did say it!" Hunter2 looked at his comrade like a dumb animal. "Asshole!" Hunter1 kicked at Hunter2 but missed since this time Hunter2 dodged. "Save your energy! We need to claim that Qi pond!" Hunter2 shook his head, watching this dumb bastard still trying to kill him. They both were Loose Cultivators, and as such resources were incredibly limited. They had to learn different crafts to survive in this world, but it was difficult to even reach Foundation Establishment as Loose Cultivators. They would have to impress the Sects to get inside since they already passed the age requirement for brainwashing and didn''t have the necessary talent to even start in the most outer part of a Sect. Sect cleaners. Those would clean the steps and other challenge sites so they are squeaky clean. This would allow the Sect to boost their prestige as everything looked like out of this world, untouched by dirt and dust. Many praised the Immortals for how heavenly they looked. They never saw dust or impurities on their clothing. Their faces were a beautiful pale colour with long hair envied by many. The longer the hair the higher the status. The cleaner their clothes the wider their prestige. Some Cultivators even bragged that they could fight while keeping their clothes clean, unfortunately, most of those fools were killed by jealous female Cultivators. They treasure their beauty much more than men, as they have much less opportunities to shine. Sure they could go for Alchemy or such, which they were really good at, but who wouldn''t want to fly high in the sky on a sword while throwing technique upon technique at their enemies! That was the reason why these Loose Cultivators were so desperate. Prestige and Jade Beauties. The longer their lifespan was the higher the chances of obtaining one. Then they could spend the rest of their days just rolling around enjoying them. "Well..." Hunter1 looked at Hunter2. ""Fox Beauties are not that bad either."" They both laughed speeding up. ... The Queen was on a hunt, it was not as difficult as she expected, since it seemed like this part of the Forest was untouched by Humans. As such there was a high concentration of animals that she could hunt for her little Servant. She nodded at the pile of corpses she hunted and stored all of them in her ring. She also kept Aiko''s rings and pouches since that lazy little Beast kept forgetting them, or whenever she slept she would drop them in her sleep. ''She is too defenceless...'' The Queen sighed, even her boy toy wasn''t so defenceless... at least she was cuter. She reminded herself of what she was supposed to be doing and slowly returned to Aiko. ... If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Aiko... wasn''t there. The pond also disappeared. Sure it took her a few days to hunt those birds for her, but for things to change so drastically. She swallowed her heart, fearing the worst. "Pipsqueak?!" She tried to call Aiko, but nobody answered. Her mind was heavy and dull. ''Sleeping powder.'' She growled terribly. ''THOSE SHITTY BASTARDS!'' Her energy flared everywhere, trying to fight those bastards, unfortunately, she was not in her right mind and couldn''t spot that strange energy that was running away from her. "I WILL MURDER ALL OF YOU!!!" She roared at the top of her lungs. She then dashed towards the direction where those steps headed, but unfortunately, those were bait from the Hunters, so that they could escape safely... ... ''SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT!'' Both Hunters were cursing in their minds. They were extremely fortunate to find what looked like an abandoned Fox, since they sell exceptionally well, especially to the old bastards. Unfortunately, there was not the Pond they knew about, but fortunately, they would make much more money from this Fox, than they would make from that Pond. The Pond was great don''t get me wrong, but it couldn''t match the allure of a Beast that could turn into a gorgeous female, which could help you Cultivate at unimaginable speed! ''W-W-WE ARE FUCKING RICH!'' They screamed in their mind as they carried the sack with sleeping Aiko. ''This is fucking amazing!'' They grinned at each other speeding up and ignoring their fatigue. They were able to arrive at the City quite quickly and were immediately allowed to the underground market. "Hey, Boss." They both grinned like silly children. "What''s up, you bastards? Do you have that ''mysterious'' Pond?" He teased them as they were bragging about that Pond from morning to night. "Unfortunately no." They shook their heads. "But we found this!" They showed the sack with Aiko inside and the merchant''s eyes shrunk. "That''s a Fox, you bastards! And a cub at that!" He was sweating. He was sweating buckets from this. "Chill Boss, it was abandoned." Hunter1 grinned, only to stop when the shopkeeper threw a jab at him hitting him straight. "YOU INSANE?! DO YOU WANT TO KILL ME?!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. "HAVE YOU OBSERVED THIS CUB FOR A WEEK OR DID YOU JUST STEAL IT UNDER HER MOTHER''S NOSE?!" He noticed the well-groomed fur without much dust on it. His heart quivered as he hoped they would answer no. "What? No, why would we do that?" They asked like the dumb duo they were. The shopkeeper almost fainted and kicked them out of their establishment. He has reached Golden Core already and was from a nearby Sect. It was a shady Sect, but it had many resources, so that''s why he joined them and there was only one rule imposed on them. ''If you ever hunt for Fox cubs, make sure they are abandoned.'' was the rule, and the rule of thumb would be the week he mentioned. Most mothers wouldn''t leave their cubs for more than a few days unless they died, as such the mother might be already coming towards this place. If that mother was weak that would be fine, but when he saw the high-quality fur which you can get only from hunting much higher Cultivation beasts... his heart nearly stopped. ... ''Luckily I''m quick, I need to get out of here before she comes-'' His heart stopped the moment he couldn''t hear any outside noises. *BANG* The doors which were inscribed with numerous protections shattered like wooden sticks. A terrifying Fox entered his establishment, covered in blood. Staring straight at his soul. "I did not buy your cub!" He immediately kowtowed. "All I wanted was that Pond, I did not know the sky and disturbed your territory!" She banged his head on the ground until it bled. "Where..." The Fox growled, fortunately, this merchant was quick-witted. "They live in an Inn nearby!" She showed her a gem that shined and displayed their faces clearly. He always kept check on his customers, just in case something like this happened. "If you want to keep your life you will pack everything and give it to me once I return." The Fox growled, with a strange feeling. ''Humans got smarter over time...'' She realized this and was in a hurry. She went to that Inn, but couldn''t find Aiko. She used her illusions to torture those two guys. They sold it to a Cultivator. She vanished from that place and appeared in front of the merchant. He immediately kowtowed with all his wealth between his hands. 2 high Grade [Storage Rings]. He didn''t see anything and she growled. "Do you know him?" She showed him the visage of a Cultivator. The merchant glanced at it and immediately answered. "He is a Senior Martial Brother from my Sect, he runs auctions a few cities away, but always carries a movement scroll just in case he finds something interesting that he wants to sell immediately. He is probably already at his Auction House." He shivered. ''Shitty Senior! I hope you die.'' The Queen grabbed those rings and sped off, she noticed he had protective gear, but those rings were the only ones around, so at least he was somewhat sincere. She didn''t have time to deal with his protective gear. She could always return to kill him, but if Aiko was sold to one of the old bastards tracking her would become difficult for the upcoming years... ... "Let''s make this Auction a grand one!" The Senior Martial Brother smiled from ear to ear when he watched his Junior Sisters look at his loot with twinkling eyes. "Senior Brother." One girl said seductively. "How much would it be for the beast?" She revealed even more cleavage, making the Senior Martial Brother burn with passion. Fortunately, he was already used to the normal seduction techniques so he only got a boner. "Unfortunately she would be only sold in Auction, Junior Sister." He shook his head. ... The Queen felt like she was breaking as she sped through the Forest and Plains. She still felt the imprint on Aiko from far away, but she would take at least 7 days at top speed before she could arrive at that place. She was already panting, her crude usage of [Lightness Technique] was draining her. This was the second time in her life she felt so miserable. Her mind was in turmoil and she couldn''t make heads or tails from this. She just wanted her little cutie to be safe... Chapter 26 – Stupid Cultivators Aiko woke up inside a cage. It was quite a spacious cage, but a cage nonetheless. She was stunned, she could only remember being sleepy and that was it- "Fuck!" A curse drifted from behind the doors. "Tell me about it, that thing is impossible to tame." A sigh of a woman, a very young one. "We have already lost 8 Cultivators and nobody wants to try it now, but Boss said we need to tame her without harming her." He cursed his boss for this injustice. His boss was always driving him to suicide through those missions, but this was the first time he actually felt it was impossible. "Well duh, have you seen that fur!? It''s so amazing and soft, if I had money she wouldn''t appear in the auction!" The girl scoffed at her co-worker for being useless, but she was also distressed since she really liked this one. "Do you think if I take that little thing Boss will find out?" There was a silence. "If you want to die don''t drag me with you!" He cursed his co-worker, this animal-loving maniac! She snorted. "So what? I will have you know I can join any Sect I would like, that''s what you call prodigy!" She proclaimed. "Prodigy my ass." He said in disbelief. "Oh, you are awake, little one." Said a deep voice nearby. "What a curious little creature, I almost lost my life because of you." He sighed, and a scent of burned flesh drifted towards her, Aiko scrunched her face since she didn''t like that kind of scent. "You will be sold soon, alas we can''t keep you. While Boss wanted to keep you there is no way to tame you." He shook his head. "We will make more money by selling you than training you, you look too young and tender." She looked around, burned bodies were littered on the ground. She then looked at the system and was pleasantly surprised. [Level: 27] It seems like she didn''t need to kill them directly and could just let them fall over when she was asleep. She laid down, she had already tried to activate her [Shadow Walk], but it didn''t work, nor did any other of her abilities. It seems this cage has some kind of sealing properties. She watched as Cultivators scurried around, bringing cages outside the room, while ignoring the corpses. She was surprised that they didn''t clear them, but since she couldn''t ask she only stared around. She was unharmed, it seemed they treasured her fur greatly and thus she wasn''t treated all that badly, especially when she looked around at those other battered beasts. Whip marks, burn marks, cut marks, anything you can imagine. Those beasts were either whining or already half-dead. Aiko was in the stone room, but it wasn''t cold, there were floating crystals that gave off strange heat. "Oi, we are at the peak, should we bring that furball?" Rough voice asked. "Yeah, bring it, I believe I will be able to sell it for at least 2x the estimated price." Said the female in a seductive voice. "Hooo?" The rough voice admired her. "That''s a nice commission payout, how about you treat me to dinner and I will destroy that cunt?" He chuckled at her. She snorted. "Maybe if you were 50 years younger I would consider letting you bring me out." "Ouch." He pretended like he was hurt, but was already unlocking the doors. "How are you doing old man?" He asked, but with respect. "How do you think I feel after almost being burnt alive?" The old man who spoke to Aiko responded to him in sarcasm, he was at the Peak of Nascent Soul and had to use his technique to suppress the flame, this caused him to drop all the way down to the starting point of Nascent Soul. "My bad." He apologized, he had great respect for this old guy since he took most jobs that others were not willing to do, if he didn''t get burned here he would be able to reach Soul Formation. Fate was cruel sometimes... He picked Aiko''s cage, it looked quite heavy and he grunted, but Aiko didn''t move much, while her Beast Core didn''t ache as much, she didn''t want to spend energy here. Since they can''t tame her there will always be a chance to escape. He brought her to the Auction Stage, the room quietened as Aiko was blinded by the intense light. Murmurs spread from everywhere. "Today we have special merchandise, a Fox cub!" The seductress announced. The murmurs intensified greatly, she could even feel the upper floors peaking curiously. She waited to build up the hype and continued. "She is a rare breed of Shadow Fox!" "Bullshit!" One of the customers spat. The seductress came closer to the cage and ruffled Aiko''s fur. Aiko growled and her in displeasure and the seductress took distance. The room was speechless and mesmerized by that fur. They have never seen a beast that could have 2 different colours of fur. Sure there were beasts like Zebras, but nothing like what Aiko had. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. "As you can see, she is a rare breed of Shadow Fox. Her fur is the highest quality we have ever encountered!" The hype was building and even the highest floor was now paying attention. "I don''t believe that." The person in the front row said and the room quietened. He was known for his loose lips and stingy behaviour. The seductress smiled from ear to ear and gestured towards him. He stood up and came on the Stage. This auction was known for this and that''s why it was so popular. He touched Aiko swiftly, she tried to bite him, but could not as he was faster than she was. The stingy customer froze and looked at his hand. He couldn''t believe it. His emotions changed greatly, from shock to happiness to grief. "What do you think?" She puffed her chest attracting attention to her bosom. It was very jiggly and the second reason why so many attended this Auction. While other Auction Houses had their own jiggles... this house completely beat them in that. "How much is it?" He didn''t beat around the bush, which shocked many. They knew this person was extremely stingy and would never spend his money frivolously. "Please sit down." She gestured him down. He begrudgingly listened and sat down. The room was already restless imagining the beauty that they would train to their preferences. Some even drooled not minding their manners any more. "Starting price is 1,000 Spirit Stones." She said gently, but firmly. That was an astronomical price and was more than 5x the price at what she was supposed to start at, but she already had the attention of the higher floors so there was no need to stick with the lower floors. "You can raise the price by a minimum of 10 Spirit Stones, let''s begin!" She raised her voice and the room was immediately in uproar. "1,010" "1,020" "1,030""1,040""1,050""1,060""1,070" "2,000 Spirit Stones" Drifted from the upper floors. "3,000 Spirit Stones" A female voice also drifted from the upper floors. "Do you wish to acquire this beast, Princess? I''m more than willing to let you have it, for the cheap price of one night." There was a sinister giggle. "I understand, trying to save your face when you are so poor must be really hard." She directly insulted him. A Prince from a neighbouring Kingdom. "5,000 Spirit Stones" He said with a grudge. "10,000 Spirit Stones" The Princess said gently. The prince frowned, he would soon be hitting his limit. "15,000 Spirit Stones" He said with a deep voice, trying to boost his ego. The other people on the lower floors already had popcorn and listened to this banter. It was not often that someone would try to flex their wealth and while those numbers were unimaginable for them, it was not for the Royalty. Some Royalty had roots with nearby Sects at thus were much richer than others. Loose Cultivators couldn''t compare to that as they would make at best a couple dozen Spirit stones a year. They couldn''t sell their treasures as most of them would need them to advance or replace the old ones. They were a miserable bunch that were the main cause of recruitment for Demon Sects. Of course, righteous Sects didn''t do anything about this, they didn''t want to feed beggars when they could have a couple of young brats that they could brainwash to their image and let them loose in the world. It also made loyalty much easier as vows were placed upon them if they wanted to enter the bigger Sects. The seductress almost fainted when the price reached 5,000 Spirit Stones. They expected the payout from this to be around 6,000 Spirit Stones, but she hit the number in less than half an incense of time. Her legs were quivering as the price skyrocketed to 15,000 and she could hear a thud behind her. The rough guy was on the floor eyes like a lighthouse looking speechlessly at how much something so small could cost something so much. "30,000 Spirit Stones" The Princess smiled and the Prince almost coughed up blood. "31,000 Spirit Stones!" He yelled, but before the seductress could confirm that number. "62,000 Spirit Stones" She smiled gently from ear to ear as she leaned on the railing of the terrace. The Prince vomited blood, he felt like he was losing his mind. The Princess smiled at him and he vomited even more blood passing out. "P-Prince!" The Guards were in distress, if something happened to the Prince it would be their fault and their heads that would roll. They quickly picked him up and moved to private rooms to heal him. The seductress was too shocked and only recovered after half a minute. "6-62,000 Spirit Stones, once... twice... sold." People could see her soul leaving her body and ascending as she had never imagined such an astronomic price to be put for such a small and weak beast. She couldn''t mutter anything any more and the Auction House had to replace her for the rest of the Auction as they also couldn''t believe the price. ... "T-thank you for purchasing our merchandise." The old manager smiled at them awkwardly as he stared at the HUGE pile of Spirit Stones. "It''s a pleasure doing business with you." She fanned herself gently, but the old guard behind her knew how much she wanted to pet that beast. ''Don''t get too close to that beast, you can''t tame it, it''s protected.'' A voice sounded in the Princess''s mind, but she ignored it. They placed the cage in front of her and she almost screamed as the beast was looking around cautiously, but its huge ears betrayed Aiko as they were twitching around. ''S-so big, so fluffy.'' The Princess screamed in her mind. ''It''s a good thing that that good-for-nothing doesn''t have much wealth~'' She hummed pleasingly. "Princess it is not wise to free that beast." The Guard warned her as he knew his Princess''s antics. ''You can locate it if it runs away.'' She sent a telepathic message to him. ''But do not hurt it, unless you want to lose your head.'' The guard sighed and cupped his fist. Aiko sharpened her senses. She understood their language. The princess opened the cage and the restriction on her skills vanished. ''Go left, doors will open~.'' ''Go fast, slaughter him.'' Aiko listened and jumped outside, the princess thought it was jumping at her and screamed in her mind at how cute she looked, but Aiko used her [Prehensile Tail] and coiled it around one of the bars making her sharply turn towards the left doors. Her back muscles strained as she used her Beast Core to boost her Skills and Abilities. [Shadow Walk], [Quick Jump] with [Sprint]. She used the fact she was still in the shadows of the cage and her fur turned black. Her speed reached that of a Pseudo-Nascent Soul Cultivator and she disappeared from their sight the moment the doors moved. *BANG* -100HP She crashed into the doors, opening them completely, it hurt her, but she didn''t care right now as this was an opportunity to escape. She used her Skills in tandem and swished like a bullet hitting the walls and speeding up through the corridors. The Guard was stunned for a moment, but he fortunately attached a bit of energy to the beast and would be able to locate her, but still. The manager was stunned. They approximated her strength to be around the 2nd Layer of Foundation Establishment, but this speed. ''We have lost money... I might lose my head.'' He looked like he ate shit at this moment, but the Princess ignored him as she squealed in her mind. ''S-so amazing! So cute! I hope she is not injured, we should go after her as soon as possible!'' She stood up and the Guard followed. Chapter 27 – City and Serenity Aiko was able to leave the building without much trouble. She thought that it was a bit too easy, but she didn''t know that the Auction House didn''t guarantee the merchandise, rather they were happy if the merchandise escaped since it meant that if they captured it again they would be able to sell it twice! Unfortunately for the manager, they wouldn''t be able to catch it, as the only Nascent Soul currently inside was the injured old man and as such they had no means to capture Aiko. Aiko was outside, but stunned, no matter how far she looked or ran, the City never ended. The scale was too large for Aiko to leave in one day. She jumped into nearby alleys. They were much more peaceful than the main roads, fortunately, it was night so she was hard to spot with her black fur and small body. She was able to pass ruffians and other creatures without any difficulty. She blinked several times as she thought her eyes moistened, but unfortunately for her, it was not her eyes, but rain. The rain was very cold and the only places safe from the rain were brightly lit, if she tried to hide there someone would be able to spot her and that would be bad. She didn''t want to get captured again, but... ''It''s fucking cold!'' She shivered as her fur was completely soaked and she suddenly weighed 3x her usual weight. She felt heavy and tired. She hadn''t eaten anything since she was asleep for who knows how long. She blinked several times but eventually laid down on a rock in a nearby alley where water didn''t reach... ... "Princess..." The guard was concerned as he noticed it would rain soon. "It''s fine, it will be easier to negotiate with it." The Princess smiled, she was already fangirling over Aiko and now she would be able to groom her fur, touch her and cuddle her~. ''I won''t miss this opportunity.'' The Princess attracted a lot of attention because she was known for her skills and dignity, but when people saw her all smiles and happy they were stunned. Soon rumours spread around the city about the smiling Princess that was more beautiful than those legendary Fairies. "It''s this way, Princess." The Guard''s lips twitched. "Ugh... I never imagined she would make it this far..." The Princess frowned, she was tired from walking during the rain. She was a [Fire Cultivator] and hated rain so much. Rain would also make her weaker. The Guard smiled from ear to ear. "Princess how about training a bit more so you-" "NO!" She immediately protested and glared at this water-loving maniac, who was also a [Water Cultivator]. She clicked her tongue and the Guard spoke again, she really wanted to shut him up, but shut herself up this time. "We are here, that beast is in this alley." He told her gently. She sighed. It was a seriously long journey since the rain. She entered the alley to find her little furball, but what she found was something small, much smaller than the beast. She held her laughter in as it looked like a wet cat and observed it. It was small and shivering, its fur was still black, but in some places creamy. She really wanted to test its fur, but first, she had to make a deal. "Hey, remember me, little guy?" The Princess smiled and waited for Aiko to observe her. Aiko saw her but didn''t have any strength left in her. She was too cold and hungry. They both stared at each other and Princess was shocked as this beast was heterochromatic! One eye was beautiful light blue, while the other was ruby-like red! She was mesmerized by those eyes and it took her a while to speak. "How about coming with me? It''s warm and nice at my place." The Princess said gently. Aiko didn''t move an inch, she didn''t see this as tempting as the Princess had imagined. The Princess giggled. "We also have plenty of meat~." It was not the first time she would try to bargain with the beast. She would have to show her the me- ''W-what?!'' Both Guard and Princess were shocked as it seemed like the beast understood her. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Aiko''s ears were twitching. ''Meat, meat, delicious meat.'' She was still heavy and tired, but one part wasn''t. *Rumble* Her stomach rumbled out loud announcing her hunger. Aiko stared at the Princess waiting for meat. The Princess laughed and gave Aiko a small piece of dried meat. While it was dried it was as tasty as the stinky Fox''s meat. Aiko gave it a good evaluation and stared at the Princess. "I will take you with me and take care of you, while you will act all cute and cuddly, okay?" The Princess smiled, my mum will lose this, unfortunately this little beast is just for me~. She giggled at the thought of her mum being sad that she couldn''t have this smart beast. Aiko thought about it for a while but eventually nodded. She needed to eat and this Princess didn''t seem all that bad. The shadows also praised her quite well so she would believe them again. The Princess picked up the beast and the guard was startled. "Princess please allow me!" The Guard was in distress as the beast was dirty and would dirty the Princess''s expensive clothes. "Then you should''ve used your [Clean]." She reprimanded him. "M-my apologies." The Guard swiftly used clean on the beast and on the Princess''s dress. It was a Traditional Eastern red dress. She really liked these as they were much more modest than the Western ones, where tribes liked to dance half-naked, but even then the Princess was considered one of the most modest ones on this continent. They never saw her shoulders or ankles naked. A lot of people pursued the Princess to collect images of those parts as they would sell for more than this tiny little beast. Moreover, some even slandered her for being so prude, but those people were silenced by the Princes who tried to court her. They walked throughout the City. The beast was in her arms and she was incredibly happy. It was always better to let the beast experience the city and then bargain with them. She had done it quite a few times and none of the beasts wanted to leave her. She hoped that this little one would be the same, but she realized this little beast''s goal was only meat. She smiled at that thought. ''Maybe if I gather enough meat he will stay with me?'' She was unaware that it was a female beast, but even if she was aware she wouldn''t change anything. She would just cuddle a lot more. Mother reprimanded her for cuddling the male beasts, mother told her that when they turned human they would be too attached to her and would want her body, so she was much more careful when handling the various beasts. The beasts were fine with it since the treatment, food and pets didn''t change much, some intelligent creatures laughed or scuffed at her, but they still stayed. The City was peaceful, the red rooftops highlighted the richness of this city. This was one of the largest cities in the world and spanned several hundred miles. The centre of this city was for the Royalty so it was functioning well, but most people would not even go for the middle parts of the city because of how far it was, but that was only for mortals. Immortals liked the middle and inner parts since they were much more peaceful and much less dirty than mortals. They had their own shops and privileges and lived in harmony with mortals. They were just really, really expensive so most mortals would not approach them, of course, that was different for Royalty as they were rich from nearby Sects. The well-paved road led to incredible fortress walls and behind those walls was a whole palace. It was an incredibly large and beautiful place. The road was paved with white jade and it slightly shined even during the night, illuminating their path home. The Princess strolled like she owned that place. People bowed towards her left and right and were curious about the little furball in her hands, but they didn''t dare to even meet her eyes. While this Princess was quite gentle, she still was strict, but still better than the other Princesses who would whip their servants for the smallest things. That was also why it was difficult to assassinate this Princess as her servants were incredibly loyal! They arrived at a smaller Palace. Owned by the Princess. She had her own small Palace, which was different from other Princesses, who lived near her Father''s Main Palace and bothered him all day. She didn''t need to do any of that as she was very rich. "Princess." The servants bowed. "Mmmm." The Princess hummed entering her place. "Prepare a bath, we will have a new cute beast." The Princess summed it up. The servants were already used to her antics and didn''t say a word. They immediately went to prepare a bath for the Princess and the Beast. "Princess you should check its gender, the Queen would be very upset if you bathed with another male beast." The Guard pleaded as it would be his fault and he would be punished. "It''s fine, if it''s once nothing will happen. I also didn''t feel anything during our walk so chances that it''s a boy are close to nil." The Princess coldly rebuked him. The Guard sighed, preparing for his punishment as he knew this Princess was too stubborn to listen to him. The Princess jumped inside the bath like a child, prompting smiles from nearby servants. Aiko... didn''t like water as much since the rain so she was reluctant. "Come here." The naked Princess picked her up and placed her on her well-developed chest. "You don''t have to worry, I won''t let you drown." She smiled scratching Aiko''s head. Aiko slightly tilted her head as it was really really nice and plopped her head near her neck. Some of the servants already squealed and passed out from the cuteness, while the others passed out from the beauty their princess showcased. "..." The princess stared at her ''useless'' maids that melted into one big puddle. "This... might be an issue." She had already trained half of them to her beauty but didn''t the other half as it was very exhausting and time-consuming, but it seemed that this beast was even more devastating than she was and she pouted. "What am I going to do with you? Everyone will want you like this." Aiko licked her a few times, she wanted meat, but this bath was not all bad as it soothed her Beast Core, and she would soon be in tip-top shape! ''And meat, give me a lot of it. It also needs to be pure and delicious!'' Aiko demanded from the Princess, but the Princess only giggled as she didn''t understand what the beast was saying. She just found Aiko incredibly cute and wanted to spoil her. Chapter 28 – I Like Meat Aiko lay on the Princess''s chest. ''It''s soft and feels nice, but it can''t beat that stinky Fox...'' Aiko paused. ''Now that I think about it... I hope she is doing alright. It has been quite a chaotic day and she had no time to think things through. She was under the impression that everything would be solved after she escaped, but now that she actually stopped. It wasn''t all that good idea. ''It was lucky that I got someone gentle and from what that guy said, those blessings are working wonders so I don''t have to worry about being tamed, but worry about being skinned...'' She sighed, but only bubbles came out as her mouth was under the water. She swam around since the water was nice and warm. She wasn''t all that interested in this ''Princess'', she would eat and leave later. "Princess, there will be a banquet 3 days later, so the King asked you not to wander around." The servant politely told the message from the King. "So he doesn''t want me to wreck more havoc after a few snobs can''t match my pace, got it." Princess gently washed herself and the servant sighed. "The King only wants the best for you Princess." "Mother*, wants the best for me, not him. He wants to increase his land and thus married so many third-rated whores." Princess coldly said. The servant sighed but didn''t say anything. They had this conversation so many times, that it was better not to mention it, but the 3rd concubine ordered the servants to do this. Princess clicked her tongue. "Useless whores that want to ruin this place." She sighed. She had not yet picked any Sect, most of them were completely useless to her as they didn''t have any forging legacy. She could join her mum, but she wanted to know the bigger world and go for some kind of Sect. She didn''t know it would be so difficult to find any decent Sect as most of them were trying to brainwash their disciples. Naturally, she didn''t want that. ''But it''s no better here, poisons, assassins''... She shook her head, she would surrender and come back to her mum since her father is completely useless and lets the whores do whatever they want, thus mortals are suffering. Mortals were suffering from famine, but instead of doing something for them the King''s concubines spent it on their jewellery and dresses. Aiko swam around, ignoring everyone who tried to come close to her. She eventually was quite angry at the attention she was getting and returned to the Princess since it seemed like there was a natural barrier that didn''t allow others to approach. ''I wonder if she lets me roam around...'' Aiko thought. If she could explore this place and find some treasures she could conf- *Cough* move them to a different location. She still had the pouch from that Fairy, it seems that it will stay hidden on her body or everyone just ignored it... She knew that the Fox knew about the pouch, but didn''t take it away for some reason. She couldn''t ask why and she honestly wasn''t really interested in her answer as long as she could keep it. They got out of the bath and Princess tapped on some kind of strange device. It blew hot air towards them. ''I think I do remember what this is... but at the same time I don''t...'' Aiko frowned, feeling a bit lost. She knew that she lost a lot of memories, but she didn''t know it was that bad. They were dry in a few dozen seconds. It was fast and it didn''t smell like something was burning all the time. "Time for your fur~" The Princess giggled. The grooming brush was already in her hands ready for action. Aiko didn''t like that stare and didn''t move from her place. "I won''t hurt you come on, I will be gentle~" The Princess was too enthusiastic to Aiko''s liking and only moved once she was promised good food, she was still hungry and wanted to eat. ''Awwww, this is sho sho nice~'' The Princess melted while she groomed Aiko''s soft fur. ''I could do this for my whole life.'' Princess hummed. Aiko stared around. This place had many expensive, but useless things. She wouldn''t take anything that wouldn''t benefit her. ... In front of Aiko was a whole feast. She thought about taking some and then giving it to the Fox for reference, but then thought against it, just in case those Humans would want her pouch. She wouldn''t want to give it to them! Aiko stared at one meat. It felt... wrong? She tried to find meat that gave her the same feeling as what that Fox gave her, but only some pieces were like that and the others... just weren''t good enough. Aiko played a picky eater and the servant who bought the food frowned. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. "You shouldn''t spoil the beast, Princess. They don''t know any better, they should eat everything so they can grow strong." Said the Cook to the Princess. He was haughty because he was picked out of all the participants and was granted the greatest honour. Serving the King. "You should cook more and speak less. What my beasts eat have nothing to do with you." "Prince-" *Smash* The Princess swiftly picked up a glove and smashed that Cook''s face. He was blasted out of her room through the window and landed in a nearby pond. She scoffed at this useless servant. All of them were useless unless they were trained by her or her mother. Only those servants can humour them as they have extensive knowledge and discipline, not this... thing. Aiko nodded in appreciation and returned to pick and choose her food. She was extremely picky and only about every 1 out of 20 meat pieces landed in her stomach. That meant she didn''t eat much, but enough she wasn''t starving. "You only like the highest quality huh~" The Princess hummed. "What an expensive pet~" She didn''t really mind that as some other beasts were as picky as Aiko and all of them were highly intelligent. She returned to grooming her own hair, the glove still on her hand ready to smash that nobody if he came back. Aiko was looking around. The Princess didn''t have any servants waiting on her and she has done everything by herself. She could feel servants in the nearby room doing something. Aiko went inside the next room with the servants observing them. "We should include that poison from the 9th Concubine." One servant whispered. "Let''s do that, I will also include the one from the 3rd Concubine." The other servant snickered. Aiko was observing this, thinking how stupid they were. She would be able to hear them in the next room there was no way the Princess wouldn''t be able to hear them. "Here you went~" The Princess gently hummed as she picked up Aiko. The servants froze but resumed everything and brought in the food and other delicacies. She sat down gracefully like the Princess she was and placed Aiko on the empty spot on the table. "Do you like anything?" The Princess asked Aiko, smiling gently. Aiko tilted her head and thought about it. Since she will be here for some time she might as well mess with the servants. They were too stupid anyway and if they were cultivators it would be the nice income of Levels. She stretched her paw. Placing it behind the poisoned cup and slowly nudged it like a cat until it fell on the ground. *Crash* The Princess was startled, she naturally knew it was poisoned as she was trained well, but to think even this beast knew it... she would have to train harder so that she wasn''t overtaken! The crash was quite soothing for Aiko. It seems she was quite upset at those kidnappers, but since she couldn''t vent on them she would find a different outlet. *Crash* Aiko smiled from ear to ear really liking the sounds of those cups breaking. It felt like they were singing. "Do you like it that much~?" The Princess giggled seeing Aiko nod. The servants had their heads low not daring to meet her eyes, so they didn''t see Aiko nod. They still thought she was just a stupid beast that liked to break stuff. *Crash* Well if you exclude the stupid part they weren''t all that wrong. Aiko noticed that all the cups or dishes with poison were already broken and felt sad. The Princess laughed at that and ate some food. It was not as good as what Mother''s servants made, but she didn''t need to eat that much so she was not as angry. Her mother though... she would properly destroy those who cooked this... garbage. She finished eating and Aiko was yawning. Not because she was sleepy, but because she was bored. "You can go outside, but don''t wander too far." The Princess told Aiko during her meal. Aiko immediately jumped down and left. She would explore and confis- *Cough* move a few things into her pouch or just look around to see what she could move at a better time. Princess had quite a nice garden in front. There was a pond with fish. Colourful at that. There were a few beasts in cages, but they ignored her so she passed around them easily. She used her Skills in tandem again and jumped to the top of the wall that was separating the princess place from the servants. This place was huge... but poor. Sure there were plenty of expensive things, but none of them appeased Aiko as she wouldn''t be able to use them or sell them. It would be better if there was something she could use, like Beast Cores or meat or those shiny stones. Unfortunately, this place had none of those so she walked outside of this complex. This place was huge and as such it had many shadows, coupled with the sun going slowly down she was able to blend with her surroundings. The main road was humongous, it could host several wagons next to each other, 10? or maybe even 15? Fortunately, the walls were high and the shadows were dark. She calmly walked around. Her Stamina depleting slowly, much slower because of her speed and calmness. ''Treasure, there is treasure~!'' ''Treasure, but it''s dangerous! We can''t take it!'' Aiko followed the Darkness to where they led her. It was towards the main building far away, but she had time. She could spot several powerful individuals so she also activated [Stealth]. If something went awry she would also activate [Camouflage], but so far it was fine. She made her way towards that place without much difficulty as she sneaked around. ''What a curious little creature.'' An old fossil stared at Aiko, but since she didn''t have any hostile intentions he only observed. He was the guardian of the nearby relic and would not move unless someone tried to steal it. Aiko was unaware of him and followed those voices. She came into a large garden. Her objective was in the middle and several beasts guarded that objective. "Do you think she will finally die?" A woman dressed in lavish clothes asked the other woman in lavish clothes. "Unlikely, apparently some stupid beast broke everything." The woman clicked her tongue. "What useless servants, they can''t even get rid of one stupid child." "They are too scared of her." She shook her head. "We should''ve bought some Cultivators to end her life." She sighed. The conversation went on, but since Aiko was not interested in that she went away deeper into that garden. The beasts were growling and patrolling the place, at this point Aiko used her [Camouflage]. She didn''t want to be found out. ''Interesting.'' The Old fossil smiled. ''Finally something interesting and not boring, I wonder what that little beast will do, but since it was a gift from that person, or rather that person forgot it here...'' He chuckled looking at Aiko. Chapter 29 – Shiny Stone, Starving Kingdom Aiko was sneaking around avoiding all the beasts. All of them were strange beasts with stingers instead of tails. Lion with a stinger, dog with a stinger, you name it. Fortunately for her, they didn''t develop intelligence yet, so she was able to easily avoid them as she attracted their attention by throwing rocks away. She managed to arrive at the opening and was stunned. In front of her was an extremely large white stone that was shining gently, what was more amazing was that it soothed her emotions... [Good/Evil: 380 - 620 -> 420 - 580] ''I want this.'' Aiko''s eyes shined with stars. ''I will definitely take this!'' She giggled in her mind and left this place. She felt something wrong about this place but didn''t know what. The Darkness also told her that it was not yet time to push her luck, so she obviously wouldn''t. She sneaked back which was much easier than sneaking in. She already knew the path and was quickly out. A delicious smell drifted into her tiny nostrils. ''MEAT!'' She drooled, the meat smelled better than what she had at the Princess''s palace. She walked around, avoiding servants and guards, yet swiftly arrived at her destination. "I''m telling you! If it wasn''t for the stupid beast, I would be able to easily poison her!" Screamed the very familiar Cook. "I won''t hear your excuses." Yelled the familiar overly dressed woman. Aiko ignored them and moved around towards the food. She used her tail to sweep the plates inside her pouch. She would eat them later and she noticed they were all of extremely high quality almost rivalling that of that Fox... Aiko paused, she quite missed that Fox''s cooking. ''I hope she is alright.'' Little did she know that the Fox was currently an unstoppable beast sweeping through the towns demolishing anything and anyone who slighted her. Aiko made it out of the kitchen unnoticed. Only after she was almost out of that she heard the scream of that Cook. ''Serves you right! You should''ve given me good meat!'' Aiko hmpfed away, but not yet returning. She also browsed the nearby palaces. She didn''t take anything, she would just scout for future opportunities. ... Aiko returned in the middle of the night and the Princess was waiting for her. "Took you long enough." She pouted. Aiko placed deliciously smelling food in front of her and puffed her chest. "Y-you stole them?!" She was speechless, but from happiness. She heard that the Cook that was after her was suddenly executed, but didn''t know why. ''This little rascal solved that so easily?! and the 3rd concubine killed him so I don''t need to do it myself before I leave~'' She hummed happy about picking this beast. She ate the meat that the beast shared. She knew that little rascal had more, but didn''t ask her, she would wait until she was given more. ''And for that, I need to groom her and make her happy~'' The food was very delicious and it wouldn''t be her loss if she groomed her since her fur was just irresistible. She finished her food and took Aiko with her into her bedroom. She laid down with Aiko near her and slept soundly while cuddling Aiko. Aiko was a bit uncomfortable at first, but once she kicked her a few times so she would ease her grip she was able to sleep peacefully. ... The morning came and Aiko woke up alone. She looked around only to spot the Princess completely naked. She had... quite an amazing body. Her chest size was just right, maybe a bit on the bigger side, around 80-85cm. Her waist was slim and her skin was pale in colour drawing a nice contrast with the surroundings. She had a nicely shaped butt but on the smaller side. She couldn''t compare with the Fairy which had the buxom body, but she still did have that hourglass figure. She had small cherries on those larger peaks. Well-defined midriff. Long legs that were slightly apart. She had dark brown/black hair, that was long enough to cover her buttocks. Her ears were small and cutely shaped. She had thin feminine brows and gentle light-violet eyes. Her lips were small and biteable, seducing anyone in range, like her hips. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "You are awake." She smiled. She came closer to Aiko and picked her up and placed her on her body. Aiko didn''t feel much attraction as she was still a cub, not to mention an animal. She cuddled with Aiko for a while and dressed up. "Today we will have to visit the administration building and donate some money." The Princess said slowly and gently. "Those concubines are completely useless and they don''t realize that without those hardworking people, they wouldn''t be able to eat or wear those clothes, yet they suppress and abuse them." She caressed Aiko''s fur, soothing her emotions. "It will be quite a long day so stay with me and don''t get lost, okay?" She gently kissed Aiko on her forehead and placed her down on the bed. Aiko was confused, but she didn''t dislike this girl, so she would stay with her just a little bit longer, what would happen in the future... nobody knows. She slowly dressed, wearing more casual, but still modest clothes. They hid her curves quite well... no, just now she realized that every piece of clothing hid her curves really well, it almost felt like they were designed to do that... surely not, right? She dressed up and picked up Aiko. She would carry her around and store money inside her [Storage Ring]. "Hang on tight." She jumped on the walls and skipped a few rooftops until they arrived in front of that huge fortress wall. Aiko was once again impressed by the 40 or so meters of high brick wall. It looked sturdy and considering it was more than 10 meters wide, it definitely was. They passed the gate with a Guard just behind them, it was the same guy who guided the Princess towards Aiko. It seems he was her exclusive Guard. "Princess-" The Guard wanted to ask something but was cut short. "She is female, now shut up." She rebuked him, he was always like that. She did dislike it quite a bit, but since her mother assigned him... he would be incredibly skilled and hard to come by. "I understand." He was professional and didn''t say more, only silently following the Princess. He would intercept any danger that might come her way. That''s how he was trained, but that didn''t mean he would be suicidal. He was also trained to survive as long as possible. This kind of professional always works in a group. As such the Princess was followed by an additional 4 guards, with the same strength as the Guards behind her. They walked through the streets and while Cultivators ignored them, mortals were incredibly happy about seeing this Princess instead of the others. "Immortals bless you, Princess." They constantly chanted those words as they bowed towards her. She smiled at them nodding towards them and that was enough for the people. They already knew that most money donated towards their well-being was by this Princess and not by those ungrateful Royals. ... They arrived with some difficulty as commoners were too happy to see her and gave her many gifts. Apples, carrots, blueberries, etc. She accepted them, she was already subjected to this and knew that it was useless to decline as they would later come in full force with even more gifts. This burdened her greatly, but the people were happy, so she couldn''t just tell them to stop. The administration building was mostly deserted. It was a poorly paid job after some concubines changed the payouts. Almost nobody wanted to work here as there was too much paperwork and too little money. Aiko looked around, this place almost looked abandoned, in the sense that it was already crumbling. The paint was scraped, some bricks fell here and there, the wood looked rotted from the inside, etc. "This place looks more awful than before..." The Princess sighed. "My apologies Princess." Official bowed towards her. "There is no need, I know you got almost no money left." She smiled gently. "I''m here for another donation for the starving people." "We are grateful for any kind of help Princess." He bowed almost 90 degrees. "Please, we''ve gone through this already too many times." She shook her head. "How are they doing." "Our kingdom might collapse at this rate. 70% of the working farmers do not have enough food to feed themselves, 30% of that won''t be able to survive the upcoming winter and 5% won''t be able to survive the end of this month." He explained the status. Showing her all the ledgers and everything. "I will be leaving soon so I have brought more than usual, after I leave I probably won''t be able to return in the foreseeable future, so it will be up to you." The Princess explained. "That''s- I understand." He bowed gently, but it was obvious he hoped that the Princess would stay in this kingdom. Aiko jumped down walking around. The Princess sighed, but let Aiko do whatever she wanted since there would be a lot of paperwork to take care of and they were short on hands. Aiko strolled around this building. Some things already crumbled and it seemed like only the main building was maintained. She jumped on top of the wall and looked around. The buildings were... awful, most were shacks or already half-destroyed ruins, but those ruins still housed families. This kingdom was slowly perishing, not that she minded. She never lived here so she was detached from such emotions. Looking further there were... a lot of brothels. It was the cheapest and easiest job to do, so most of the families around lived from that, but since this city was known for Cultivators, not many normal kinds of visitors visited, as such even those whores didn''t earn nearly enough to support themselves. Aiko jumped onto a nearby building looking further, but there was no change, this whole place was one big ruined country slowly descending to hell. Once the people weren''t able to support themselves that would naturally affect the people in higher rankings. Sure they could support themselves for longer since they could use their warehouses full of food, but every food had an expiration date and they still didn''t know how to extend the shelf-life of food. Everything spoiled too quickly unless it was winter. In that case, everything froze and it was once again inedible... Chapter 30 – The State Aiko returned inside, where the Princess was still discussing the situation with the administrator. "So the concubines were paid to make the people suffer so the Demonic and Righteous Sects could have more youngsters or cleaners." When the administrator finished speaking, the Princess had a baffled expression. "Seriously? Those lousy Cultivators make them suffer because they are running out of disciples??" She was completely speechless, people were dying as they spoke and all of that was because of stupid Sects... "It is what it is Princess, we can''t do shit against Cultivators." He shook his head. "We are normal mortals, after all." He sighed. "We will use the money well, but they won''t last all that long since all support was cut off by the concubines, especially the 3rd." "I see... so-" ... They continued talking, but this thing was not for Aiko so she slept until she was picked up again by the Princess. "Let''s go home, I will need to exchange a few more Spirit Stones for gold and give them some so they last long enough that my father will snap out of it... hopefully." She didn''t have any faith in her father from the moment he married the 3rd concubine. The second one was alright and well-versed in state affairs, but the 3rd one was just a whore from the West. She didn''t know anything about management or affairs but still messed with them. This caused many issues during the flood or drought seasons where people needed help the most. The King was so busy managing foreign kingdoms and expansion that he had not paid any attention to his own people. "He is a complete failure." She sighed. They walked through the city again. The people bowed to her, there was some tension and melancholy in the air. She didn''t announce her departure, but people could guess what was happening. There were too many rumours drifting around for them not to make any stories or fantasies. ... The palace was cold, yet they were still preparing the banquet. She has already crippled her fiance so he wouldn''t be coming unless he was a complete masochist. The only ones that would/could be coming were Cultivators, since their Royal family had their own Sect. It was only 8th Grade, but it still had a lot to say since they had 2 Nascent Soul Cultivators. (AN: 9th Grade lowest, 1st Grade Highest.) "Princess, you were asked to-" The Princess immediately suppressed the annoying servants. Those concubines won''t leave her alone even when she is leaving. ''I will contact Mum later, she will have a good laugh and pick me up later.'' She shook her head annoyed at everyone and everything. Her personally trained servants were used to this as they knew this place was not good for their young miss. They didn''t say anything, they were only tasked to make her stay in here at least a bit more pleasant. One of her personal servants was giving her reports. "Princess, there were-" The Princess sighed. "Now they even want to poach my servants." She shook her head at that ridiculous motion. ''They wanted to pay my servants in gold when all of them were Cultivators...'' She sighed, she had a higher opinion of her father, but it seemed like beauty was the only thing he was interested in. ''For Cultivators gold is completely useless, if they paid at least in jade it would be somewhat alright, but gold? Did their brains rot or something?'' She thought about it and paused. ''No, their brains rotted a long time ago.'' She leaned on the table, caressing Aiko to soothe her emotions. Aiko was half-asleep and didn''t really care. There was no danger to her as most servants were too weak in terms of Cultivation. The only danger would be from the Princess''s guards who were quite powerful, but if they didn''t catch her off-guard she would be able to run away. ... The outside servants bought food for them, but neither Aiko nor Princess ate. They were not hungry and both of them noticed that it was poisoned. Neither of them would be hungry if they didn''t eat for a while. The Princess activated a special high-grade talisman. "What is it sweetie~" A mature yet seductive voice drifted from the slowly burning talisman. "Mum, I want to join your Clan." The Princess said quietly. "Did someone hurt you, sweetie? Should mom torture them for you?" There was concern in her voice. "Dad is being a fool." She sighed. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. There was a long pause, longer than necessary. "I understand, I will pick you up soon, I will just finish my work." The voice sighed. "Do you have any good news for Mom sweetie?" "I bought a beast for 62,000 Spirit Stones." She proudly proclaimed. "S-sweetie, did someone... sell you something bad?" Her mother asked her. ''There is no way that others would try to rip her off, right?'' She was paranoid. "No, she is really beautiful and soft and still a cub and cutie-" The Princess barraged her mother with her words, not stopping until finishing everything she had in mind. "Shadow Beast, huh?" Her mother pondered for a while. "That''s not a bad price and did you say that it could even outrun Golden Core Cultivators?" She asked again not really believing it. "Yeah! It was amazing to see her just dash out of the room~!" The Princess hummed. "... not bad. Have you already formed a contract with it? This is a beast that is suitable for you." Mother told her gently. "I didn''t~, nobody can, they die if they try to form a contract with her." The Princess pouted. "Interesting. That means you can''t force the beast to submit, a rarity. The price was well worth it. If you can raise it well and increase her affection towards you she will be indispensable for you." Mother commented. "I know, but everything needs time. Fortunately, it already has intelligence~" The Princess puffed her chest in pride. "What?!" Her mother was startled. "Dammit! Don''t tell me she is that Lunatic Fox''s cub?!" Now she was extremely concerned about her daughter. "Um... they said that they transported her?" The Princess was awkward not really willing to part with Aiko. "Dammit! It will take me at least 3 days to arrive!" Her mother panicked. "If a Fox is destroying the palace you MUST bring her the cub, otherwise our clan is doomed! Understand? Mother will help you to have a better beast in the future. You can''t keep her, understand?!" This was the first time Mother was so adamant about something. The Princess understood the situation and no longer wanted to keep Aiko forcibly by her side, but... she really liked this little cutie... "Don''t worry! Foxes are tough and if what you all said is true, she will seek you out eventually! Just treat her well, mom wouldn''t be able to survive your loss too, okay?" Her voice sounded firm, but she was quivering. If she willed she would be able to challenge the Fox that was destroying towns, but the problem was that other old fossils would be very interested in her and she couldn''t have that! She must stay hidden! "I will do as you say, Mum." The Princess spoke gently still caressing Aiko that was now looking at her strangely. "Good, good. Don''t be too sad, Mom will pamper you later, alright? Just be safe... please." She was still distressed. "I will mum, don''t worry." She spoke gently trying to reassure her mother. "Love you, sweetie." She said gently and affectionately. "Love you, Mom." Said the Princess with the same affection and gentleness. The talisman burned. Now she only had that relic to contact her mother, but she wouldn''t use it unless she faced death. "Little one, your mother is looking for you. What are we going to do." She sighed, she really liked her fur and how mostly good-natured this little furball was. Aiko didn''t try to destroy her pillows, claw her pillars or shit on the carpets. She was way too good-natured that Princess was pained to separate from her... "Will you visit me later?" She spoke gently kissing Aiko''s forehead. She loved the feeling of her fur and would love to have Aiko as a contracted beast, but she was no fool. She didn''t want to burn like those idiots. Aiko thought for a while, considering how many things she would confis- *Cough* move from one place to another place (Her pouch). She would feel kind of bad about it, since this Princess was really gentle to her and let her have quite a lot of freedom. Of course, she still didn''t want to become her pet, since it seemed like she had too many enemies and it would be a pain to take care of all of them. Aiko still nodded. "YAAAY~!" She threw Aiko high in the air and caught her once she was falling down. She then cuddled Aiko relentlessly, trying to enjoy her as much as possible until she had to go. "Princess, King calls you." One of the outside servants told her. "Tell him I''m too busy and that we will see each other at the banquet." She dismissed her immediately, upsetting that outside servant. She still left as she knew she would get punched if she pestered that Princess too much. "Seriously, stupid father, first he wants to wed me away from my hometown and mother, and now he wants to spend time with me?! Ridiculous." She didn''t really have a high opinion of her father, since once he sipped the power of being King he didn''t want to stop until he became Emperor. ... "Princess declined your offer, King." The servant spoke slowly and didn''t dare to look at the King. "I see..." He looked tired, he wanted the best for his family, but his first wife left and his only normal daughter didn''t want to spend time with him. ... The Princess was rolling in the bed with Aiko. "Tomorrow we will stay here and play some more and then there will be a banquet." The Princess spoke gently. "I will take you with me since the banquet food is much more delicious than what you would get in my palace." She scratched Aiko behind her ears and Aiko enjoyed that greatly. "Afterwards you can leave for your mother or stay with me until she comes. I won''t keep you in here if you don''t want to." The Princess was gentle with her beasts, that was also one of the reasons why so many beasts stayed by her side. "There will be visitors during the banquet, but you can ignore them. They have nothing to do with us, what is important is that you will eat well and have fun. Okay?" She smiled kissing Aiko''s forehead. "Haaa... I will miss you (Your fur)" The Princess lay on her bed. ... The next day they spent the time exploring the palace, the Princess guided her almost everywhere, so that if Aiko wanted to escape she would know the place well and could choose different routes. She wanted to protect Aiko, but she knew that she was too weak and her guards would act first to protect her and not Aiko, so it would be dangerous if she promised Aiko something like that. "This is the last passage, even cultivators can''t destroy this, so if everything goes awry, this should be your best bet." The Princess explained a secret passage only Royalty uses. It was built with inscribed jade and its defence was peaked until the jade ran out of energy. Chapter 31 – Short Banquet, pretty Dancers The Princess was well dressed and Aiko sat on her shoulder. Aiko would be carried later by Princess, but for now, she had a nice view of her surroundings. She looked around as they rode onto the main road in the carriage. The outside was colourful, but not yet dark. There was a long carpet coming from the main palace all the way to the huge fortress walls, it was a display of wealth not seen often. The carpet looked quite expensive yet they let them ride all over it. There were many paper lamps on the side of the road, all leading towards the main palace. The main palace didn''t have any lighting as of yet, but that was only because it was late afternoon, once it became evening/night, they would light it with Cultivation Techniques and additional lamps/artefacts. The main palace was lavishly decorated. Silk was hung on all the beams creating a nice and pleasant atmosphere. The carpets were almost everywhere, not letting the mortals freeze. Once they entered the main hall it was even more lavish than before. Jade was paved inside the walls and support beams. Spider Silk was used as the main decoration and hanging. Paper lamps were beautifully painted, creating a nice mystical feeling. There were low tables everywhere and in the middle high above all of them was the King''s seat. The King also had his own table with everything he might need. The tables were made out of expensive spiritual wood. Another demonstration of their Sect/Kingdom''s wealth. People were announced before they entered and seated by the common rules. Princess was also seated, not too far, but also not really close. She was in an odd place, but she didn''t really care. This would be the last banquet she would attend. She sighed gently, all the concubines and their stupid daughters were almost right below the King, which was insulting to the many officials who were trying to keep the Kingdom running. The servants brought her juice, surprisingly it was not poisoned, which was strange, but she didn''t dwell on it. She drank the juice and placed Aiko on her lap. Aiko was curious about this juice since it smelled nice, not as nice as meat, but nice enough to pique her curiosity. The Princess let Aiko sniff it, but Aiko''s face distorted once she was hit by that bitter smell. She couldn''t understand why that happened as it was sweet before, but now suddenly it''s bitter? The Princess giggled. "It''s from a special fruit. As long as you don''t get too close to that fruit it will smell sweet and delicious, but once you get close enough, it will smell bitter." Aiko lay on her lap, no longer interested in that fruit juice. ''I don''t like bitter things.'' Aiko scrunched up her face. ''Sweet is somewhat alright, but I mostly like salty things. Which is strange since I''m an animal, but I still like salt?'' Aiko thought about it for a moment. ''I don''t know much about animals so it''s useless to ponder on it.'' The Princess had a smile on her lips. She really liked this part of Aiko, nice, obedient and sweet. The King arrived in the room and everyone bowed except the Princess, the bow was also a sign of respect, but she didn''t have any respect towards her current father. The King seated himself and beckoned others to do the same. He was bitter that his daughter didn''t greet him and seated herself so far away... A sigh escaped his lips. ''Everything changed when I tried to protect her. Everything is turning the wrong way.'' King sighed. He was tired, unable to protect his love, letting her leave him and now even his daughter was like that... The banquet was quiet waiting for the visitors. The announcer called. The Water Flowing Sect is coming. Those old fossils entered the hall and were seated. They lecherously looked around especially when the lightly dressed dancers entered the hall and danced to the tune. Aiko really liked them, they were almost perfectly in sync and it was a joy to watch them as they moved. She had experienced this once before, she didn''t know when or where, but she knew that the previous guys were not even half as good as these dancers. The Princess glanced at Aiko who was watching them in curiosity. She almost looked like an NPC as she had her head move in sync with them. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The Princess giggled, tasting the food they brought to her, it was alright, but not as good as the other tables. It seems like the concubines didn''t have enough, but she didn''t care enough to do anything about it. She would soon leave with her Mom, which meant there would be carnage and she just had to wait a few days. The dancers continued dancing and Cultivators had a conversation with her Father, she noticed a few glancing her way, but she ignored them. "King, how about giving us one beast as a sign of friendship?" One of the Cultivators asked shamelessly. The Princess was stunned, her mind restless. It would be fine if they picked one of the King''s beasts, but- "It doesn''t need to be anything big, just that little guy would be enough." The Cultivator smiled gently, gesturing towards Aiko. The King paused looking at his daughter. The Princess had her blood almost boiling over. ''How dare they suggest something like that.'' She didn''t let it show on her face, but she was waiting for her Father, will he do at least one thing right? "I don''t think that''s a bad idea, dear. First Princess has many beasts, so giving one away for friendship isn''t bad." The third concubine spoke. Before King could speak the Cultivator praised his wife. "You have a wise wife, King." The Cultivator smiled. "Naturally it won''t be for free and we will give you treasures in good faith." The other Cultivators who were with him didn''t speak, but they were already rubbing their hands and... other things. Licking their lips in anticipation. Of course, discreetly. The King looked at his daughter. ''She doesn''t seem too affected nor is she glaring... is she fine with it?'' The Princess stared at her Father. ''Don''t you dare suggest anything or I''m no longer your daughter.'' The Princess didn''t glare since that''s how she was taught. Her father was in a high position not by default, but he fought his way from commoner to King thanks to the help her mother provided. That meant that he didn''t get an education about Royal etiquette, at least not the complete version. "I don''t think that''s a bad idea-" King was cut short by the Princess. "FATHER!" She screamed at him, but couldn''t move. Her Guards were nearby and ready to kill those Cultivators if they dared to touch the Princess. The Princess was suppressed by one of the Cultivators. She couldn''t move and her Guards moved in front of her to protect her. "Thank you kind, King." The Cultivator smiled and stood up, he needed to act quickly unless the king changed his mind. Aiko observed everything. ''This girl is nice, but also a fool.'' She shook her head. The Princess was trying desperately to move against the restriction to hug her. Aiko jumped on the table eating here and there, since soon there would be chaos. "What a smart beast." The Cultivator praised and the King groaned. He messed up again. The Cultivator had already prepared the Beast Enslavement rune on his hand, just a little touch, no a brush on her body and that little beauty would be his. He smiled from ear to ear. Aiko was observing him, she didn''t mind him coming closer since she noticed a ring on his finger. The same ring that the Stinky Fox used and what she also ''found'' on the desert battlefield. "You are mine~!" The Cultivator hummed with a perverted expression. King didn''t realize that it was a Fox, otherwise, he would never agree with it, but alas. [Someone is trying to forcibly Contract you.] [User doesn''t wish to be Contracted.] [[Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox] frowned and Activated. Contract Nullified.] [[Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix] roared in anger and Activated! Contract abuser will burn in Phoenix Flames!] *BOOOOOOOM* "AAAAAAA" The Cultivator lit up like a candle burning. The people inside the room were shocked. Especially the King, Princess and visiting Cultivators. The King, because he never saw this sight where people would spontaneously combust. The Princess, because while she did hear that they died during the Contract. She never imagined it was this violent. The Cultivators, because they didn''t expect someone at the Peak of Golden Core to so easily fall. Aiko didn''t dilly-dally and used her [Quick Jump] to get near the Cultivator''s head. She then used [Laceration] and easily cut off his head, silencing the room in the process. [Level gained.] There was no resistance since he was already weakened by the flames. He was already a Mortal. When she was falling she used [Laceration] yet again and cut off his fingers. Picking up the ring. She turned around, nodding at the Princess with the ring around her small teeth. She looked cute and terrifying at the same time. This beast easily took down a Cultivator! The mortals didn''t move, lest they would be targetted by the beast, but the Cultivators snapped out of it as Aiko had their precious [Storage Ring] with all the wealth they brought. "Give it back!" The Cultivator yelled releasing the Princess''s restraints and chasing after Aiko. Aiko shook her butt with a tail at him, enraging him. She then slipped inside shadows doubling her speed, escaping them quite easily. After Aiko escaped the Princess got up. "I HATE YOU!" She stormed back to her Palace where she would wait till everything calmed down... or not. ''I hope she is safe...'' She was really tempted to pursue them, but she was also scared she would get in the way. She was a Cultivator, but she was still in the Body Refinement(Preparation) Stage. She needed to adjust her body to a mortal peak before she could start gathering Qi. Princess looked towards the chasing Cultivators. ''There is also that way, but... Mum would scold me if I used it for this.'' She sighed abandoning that thought. "Send one Guard after them, if the little beast is in too much danger you are allowed to intervene." The Princess commanded. At first, they hesitated, but knew Princess''s antics so they nodded at each other and one left... The rest was guided back to the Princess''s Palace where they activated a Defensive Formation just in case those Cultivators wanted to go after them. ''This will keep them at bay for a few days maybe even weeks, but by that time Mother would already be here, we have enough food in our rings that we don''t need to open this Formation, so everything will be alright.'' The Princess thought still looking towards those Cultivators trying to search for Aiko. ''Wait, did they lose her?!'' The Princess was speechless. ''How useless are those Cultivators?!'' She pinched her bridge and frowned towards the main Palace. ''Father... you are a fool.'' Chapter 32 – Breaking Things is Fun~ Aiko ran away from the pursuing Cultivators. It was very simple to shake them off as it didn''t seem like they had that many brain cells. ''Thanks to the Princess I know this place quite well, it''s time to steal from some of the smaller palaces~'' Aiko giggled in her mind, her first destination was the 3rd concubine''s palace. It was a large place, far larger than where Princess lived. It had many expensive vases, ornaments and carvings. Aiko was disappointed. ''Why is there nothing of value.'' See searched the place high and low, but couldn''t find anything. This greatly upset her. ''This vase looks expensive...'' She thought looking at the beautiful vase. *Crash* Aiko giggled. ''This will be fun~.'' She went around the palace and with her tail she would- *Crash* *Crash* *Crash* "Something is happening in the Empress''s palace!" Someone shouted. "Secure the Empress''s Vault!" Another shouted. ''Vault.'' Aiko''s eyes shone in greed. She went around the person who shouted about the vault and tailed him. She was not noticed as most of them were mortals and only a few Cultivators, but they were still too weak to notice Aiko. The Vault was a large safe-looking thing, way larger than what she imagined, but surprisingly... that was it. There were no symbols on it or anything that would present itself as a defence. Aiko used her [Laceration] on it and made a big gash into that metal. Satisfied with her damage she went around to cut down the main holding hinges and all the metal pipes that restrained the Vault doors. Since she did this cleanly and whenever some big sound happened she was not spotted. She entered that place and was too shocked. ''D-dildos... it''s all dildos...'' Her eyes shook. This Vault was completely useless to her! ''Why...'' As she was about to cry she noticed an inconspicuous box in the left corner of the Vault. ''It won''t be another Dildo, right?'' She gulped hoping for the best. She slowly came to it, trying to hypnotize it. Affect it with her luck. She put a paw on the box, praying to the 1,000 gods and cosmic energies. She slowly opened it and was shocked! Such a magnificent thing, it could help her in so many ways. Cultivation, weapon refinement, talisman creation- ''AS IF!'' She wanted to cry as the box had a dragon-sized dildo inside. ''WHYYYYY!'' She cursed that slutty concubine to the 9 Heavens. She was so angry that she slapped the box away with her paw! *Roll* There was a strange rolling sound and she looked its way. It was some kind of vial that was under the dragon-sized dildo. She came closer to it and to her surprise... she was afraid of it. ''It''s scary?'' Her mind didn''t understand this feeling as it was different from when she faced that Fire Lizard. She immediately put it inside her Pouch. She trashed the Vault some more, just in case there were more hidden secrets. She did find another [Storage Ring], but she couldn''t open it... better take it with her. She stored it and left the Vault, not forgetting to smash more vases along the way. She scouted the other concubines'' palaces, but couldn''t find anything. She jumped around and towards the big garden with the strange rock, but- ''Don''t go there, not yet, not yet.'' ''Go into the back of the Main Palace.'' ''Yes, yes, go, go.'' ''Steal broken sword.'' Aiko was guided by the Darkness. She arrived at the back of the Main Palace. This whole place was one big mess so she was not spotted and arrived in front of a small shack. The Darkness nudged her to enter it. She entered the house and was confused. The shack was much much bigger on the inside than it was outside. On the outside it looked like no more than a 9 square meter shack, but on the inside... You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. It looked almost like a vast world, with its own light and air currents. It was also midday in here, while outside was already evening/night. ''This... this place is fucking cool!'' She praised this place, wishing she could take it away with her, but unfortunately, the shack was too big to fit in her Pouch. She explored the place since the Darkness told her to stay here, but not take anything just yet. The place was a grass plane with few trees, but each one of the trees felt majestic and was incomparably huge compared to normal trees. Aiko felt insignificant in front of them. There was a sense of oppression. She licked her paw as she stared at the strange trees, not going anywhere. She wondered if those trees were sapient, but quickly dismissed that thought. ''As if trees could be intelligent.'' She snorted at her stupid thoughts. ''I feel like I''m becoming stupid over time.'' But then she was captured by one of those vines. ''Fuck! No way it was real! Curse you World! Curse my luck.'' She was trashing around trying to shake down the vine. "What a cute little beast." A gentle voice drifted from the tree. "Say say, will you listen to me if I release you~" The voice jokingly asked, but Aiko wouldn''t take any chances and nodded like a broken Shake Doll. Aiko felt like the person who spoke was surprised, but it still let her go. Aiko jumped a few meters away, stopping a bit further from the tree. She felt the Tree''s spirit lessen. "I won''t hurt you." The voice spoke gently. "Do you know how to leave this place?" The voice asked softly. Aiko nodded, that voice was quite nice and soothing, she liked that voice. "Will you take me out?" The voice asked, but her voice was quivering. Aiko tilted her head. ''Is there even any use for a tree? ... firewood for cooking? No wait, how would I transport it to begin with?'' She shook her head and the Tree vines plopped on the ground. "I-I see..." Her voice was really sad. Aiko shook her head, she didn''t mean to answer her like that, but she made a mistake and it turned out like this... The Tree was confused a small hope sprouted in her heart. "W-will you take me out? I can help you with your Cultivation." The Tree looked desperate. Aiko nodded a bit reluctantly. ''You better sing me a lullaby whenever I want to sleep or I will make you into firewood!'' She threatened the tree in her head. The Tree beamed in happiness and the centre part of the trunk slowly opened. There was a beating seed. It looked like a wooden heart, but much smaller probably the size of a thumb. "Please take this, once you are ready you will know what to do, just... don''t give me to anyone, okay?" The Tree pleaded and Aiko nodded her head. Since she would be stealing the sword she would steal this too, stolen things shouldn''t be given away or sold. They should be used to enrich yourself. Why steal useless things when you can steal something useful. Aiko touched the seed and the scenery all around started to warp and wither. The Tree no longer looked healthy. It looked like an old tree that was rotting. The grass plain also waved. It looked like thousands of horses stomped the grass into nothingness. Aiko was shocked at those sudden changes and was puzzled, but the Tree Heart shined brighter and brighter. So she guessed that this was the cause of all of these things. The root vines around the seeds crumbled and Aiko caught the seed. She immediately tried to store it inside her pouch, but couldn''t so she placed it inside her mouth, being careful not to swallow it. ''It''s time, it''s time~'' The Darkness told her and she stole the broken sword that was now lying in the middle of the small shack. She was able to store that sword inside her pouch and ran away from this place. She still had to take that shiny rock with her and nothing would stop her. The city was also in turmoil for some reason so she couldn''t delay it. She didn''t know what was happening inside the city, but she didn''t really want to know right now. She could always use that secret passage that the Princess showed her. ... She sneaked around in the shadow. The beasts in the garden were much more agitated from all the loud noises outside. They were roaring and sniffing around scaring Aiko. She felt their pressure was more than 3x greater than when she was here the last time. If they found her it would be difficult to escape from them, as such she shouldn''t do anything stupid! She bypassed the beasts and arrived in front of the shiny rock. "YOU DARE TO STEAL OUR TREASURE!" A loud voice boomed above the capital. "Fellow Taoist please calm down, we have not stolen anything." Another voice tried to calm down that voice. "BULLSHIT!" The voice roared and energies exploded above the capital. "Return that treasure now, while I''m still asking politely." "Senior we have not stolen anything!" The voice pleaded with the Senior. "Give. Back. That. Sword." The voice was losing patience. Aiko ignored that commotion and looked at the shiny rock. She no longer felt anything wrong with it, but... how was she supposed to steal this thing again? The rock was bigger than the Stinky Fox, so she didn''t believe it would fit in this strange Pouch. She touched the small Pouch pouting. *Slurp* Aiko was taken aback as the Pouch slurped the whole rock inside like it was nothing... ''SHIT! That means I could''ve taken those golden statues?!'' Aiko cursed the Pouch for not telling her that it had that feature. The City was getting more and more restless. There was no time to spare as Cultivation Techniques were lighting up the night sky, the battle was underway and unfortunately Senior was winning. She dashed around the Palace for that secret passage. ... She was inside the secret passage with some difficulty as some parts of the main palace were destroyed by the battle. Those tiles with inscriptions also were not shining making it a very dark place. Fortunately, Aiko still had [Dark Vision: Mastered], as such she was not affected, but that didn''t mean this place wasn''t eerie. Aiko walked through that place as the battle above shook the entire tunnel. ''Didn''t she say it wouldn''t be affected?!'' A tile crumbled in front of her and she cursed that Princess. What she didn''t know is that this place was sustained by the broken sword she stole and the same thing can be said about the shiny rock. The formation protecting it was also tied to it. Aiko rushed through the tunnel as it was crumbling. The tunnel was slowly collapsing so she was forced to use her [Burrow], but! For some reason, she was not able to borrow into the walls. ''Why the fuck can''t I run away?!'' She panicked and looked around. Spotting another tile fall down and behind that was normal soil. ''Maybe?'' She assessed the thing she tried to burrow into and it was that tile. She tried to burrow into soil and she was able to do that easily. ''So I can''t pass through ore? Or is that tile just special?'' Aiko thought about it and slowly made her way outside, but the after-effect still shook her body. HP-10 HP-10 HP-10 She was slowly losing HP. The Qi was penetrating the ground damaging her, which was still better than being above ground. She hurried away from the City and once her Stamina was almost rock bottom she finally surfaced. ''I''m finally safe...'' She huffed, it was some time since she had her Stamina completely depleted so it hit her even harder. Chapter 33 – The Aftermath Aiko lay on the floor panting. She was in the nearby Forest, which was a relief. She was a bit worried that she would appear in the middle of the city, but fortunately she didn''t. ''Did my luck improve? Good.'' She nodded happily, after that dildo disaster she was too dispirited to do anything. Something was rushing towards her. Aiko stood up weakly ready to run, but it collided with her body. *Gulp* "I''m so glad you are alright." The Stinky Fox had tears the moment she found Aiko. ''Stupid, idiot, jerk!'' Aiko was already cursing her in her mind trying to drive her away, but she was too exhausted to do anything about her. She lay there as a barrage of licks assaulted her body. ''At least let me sleep, Stinky Fox.'' She cried in her mind. Queen was overwhelmed with emotions as she didn''t hope for her to be unharmed and uncontracted. She already expected her to be contracted and taken away. ''This little one has good luck.'' Queen cleaned her fur with [Clean] and licked her fur again and again. She wanted to take her away when a deep voice stopped her. "Please wait." ... The fight just ended, the Senior looted those Cultivators and looked through their [Storage Rings], but couldn''t find anything. He looked everywhere, but he just couldn''t find that broken sword. Then an insane thought appeared in his mind. ''Let''s first ask Princess.'' He flew towards the home of the Princess and landed before the gate. "My apologies for disturbing your rest, Princess." He gently and with respect cupped his hands. "What do you need Elder?" The Princess asked gently but didn''t open the Defensive Formation. "Do you happen to have that little Fox with you?" The Elder asked softly. "No." There was some apprehension in her voice. "Please don''t misunderstand Princess. The Broken Formation Sword is missing and it''s not with Cultivators. I saw the Fox wander around and wondered if she took it or if she was with you." The Elder was polite even though the Princess had vastly lower Cultivation. "I see. The Fox is not with me, but I believe her mother is nearby so be careful." The Princess said, but it was mostly a warning that if he does something to Aiko, he won''t be forgiven. "Of course, Princess." He bowed again and flew high in the sky. He scanned the capital but didn''t find anything. He also noticed the Moon Stone, was missing. ''It''s definitely that rascal.'' He chuckled. ''Another Moon Fox, eh?'' He smiled from ear to ear. ''Those old bastards will vomit blood once they realize their treasure is gone, but naturally, I won''t tell them who took it. It''s much more fun to see them struggle~'' He was a bit of a sadist. ''Ah, there she is and there is also the Mother dashing.'' He thought. Let''s carefully greet them since I don''t want to startle them or run away. He flew towards the duo, not concealing anything, but at the same time not trying to look mighty. ... "What do you want." the Fox growled towards him and frowned. ''I don''t want to fight more than this.'' She was quite low on energy since she was rampaging until today. "May I ask the little fox to return the Broken Formation Sword? It is needed to maintain the barriers and facilities in the Main Palace." He was polite, almost as polite as with the Princess. The Fox tilted her head and stared at Aiko. ''Do you have anything like that?'' She asked her through telepathy. Aiko thought about it a moment, she didn''t want to give away any treasures, but she was too tired to argue against them. She used her pouch and the broken sword was coughed out. The Queen inspected the broken sword and growled towards the Cultivator. "I understand what you mean, but hear me out." He bowed gently. "This Broken Formation Sword is indeed part of the Vitality Extracting Formation, but we are using the Reverse the Heavens Formation to change the effect from Vitality to Demonic Energy. This made the capital safe from Demons and mostly safe from Demonic Cultivators." He explained its uses not hiding anything as he well understood that this Fox is very knowledgeable. "Passable." The Queen snorted towards him. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. She threw her sword towards him with her Divine Sense and he caught it. "Thank you so much for giving me back the sword. Allow me to tell you one more thing. That rock that your cub took is Moon Stone. The purest one there is so far. It''s a great material, but it also fulfils the Evolution requirement. Now if you excuse me." He cupped his fists and flew away, he needed to restart that formation as soon as possible. The Fox wanted to stop him once he said ''your cub'', but was too shocked afterwards. ''D-did you steal Moon Stone?'' The Fox asked through telepathy, but Aiko snorted and avoided her eyes. ''You made me swallow that (Tree)heart! Fuck you!'' She would not talk to this Stinky Fox if she didn''t need to. The Fox giggled. ''Good, good. Rob all of them~'' She was very proud of Aiko, but of course she wouldn''t tell her that. If she had too big of an Ego she would definitely get hurt. She can''t allow that. "Let''s go some way away and rest. We will resume our journey soon after." The Fox smiled gently. ... 2 days later. "Mum." The Princess rushed towards her mother and hugged her. Her Mother was a Buxom beauty who would be envied by many. Her wide hips and fluffy tail would steal anyone''s heart. Wait! Fluffy tail?! That''s right. She was also a Fox, but one that was banished from the ''Fox Village'' for falling in love with a lowly Human. Mother hugged her gently wrapping her tail around her. "Everything alright sweetie?" She spoke in a soothing voice. "Mm." The Princess hummed. "But I miss that little Foxie." She gently protested. "It couldn''t be helped, but don''t worry in the future, she will find you since you treated her well." Mother soothed her child and walked inside her cute little Palace. "I will deal with your father later, let''s rest and catch up for now." She kissed her daughter''s forehead. "En." She was very happy. "I will take you to our Clan later, but once you get the basics sorted we will send you to the allied Sect for you to learn about the bigger world. That stay is temporary, so you can make friends and enemies as you wish, just be careful about it." Mother warned her, she already lost one child and didn''t want to lose another. "Okay, Mum." She would spend the day on the bed telling each other stories. ... The King was currently sitting at his desk tired. ''My wife came back suddenly, but didn''t even say hello... not even to the servant.'' He was heartbroken and not in the mood for anything. He dismissed everyone except one servant with exceptional Tea Ceremony Skills. He sighed looking outside. ... The king was currently on his knees with his head low. His wife barraged him for doing this and that. He was too tired. "W-wife... Will you stay with me, please?" He pleaded with her desperately, but his voice was soft and slow. She snorted. "As if I would want to join your shitty brothel." She had no intention of staying here with her daughter. She was fine with the 1st and 2nd concubine since both of them were smart and gentle, but not with the others. King chuckled. "I understand." She was hurt by his dispirited and sad emotions, but she didn''t want to suffer or let her daughter suffer any more. Her daughter wished to stay in her hometown, so she let her, but now that she wants to leave... King spoke darkly. "I will make this quick. I promise." He stood up, going to his sword. She was alerted and on guard. The King unsheathed his sword and left the room, leaving his first wife speechless. "What the hell is going on...?" She frowned. "AGHHHHHHHHHHH." "AAAAAAAAAAAAAA." Shrieks and screams drifted from the outside. She unconsciously shivered. She stood up going outside to see what was happening. She found the 5th concubine lying on the ground dead. She then went towards the side Palace where some of the concubines lived, but there was deathly silence. She entered the side Palace that she hated so much. Bodies littered the ground. The King opened yet another room. There was his daughter. She was currently visiting the 2nd concubine. He stared at his daughter for a bit and nodded. He then stared at his 2nd concubine with a sword covered in blood. The 2nd concubine almost had a heart attack, even more so once the Princess stood in front of her. The King stared at them, there was a light feeling of liberation. ''The 3rd concubine is the last one.'' He left the room without saying a word. Mother came inside the room soon after. "Are you okay sweetie?" She knew that her daughter didn''t see as much blood as she did. She might be scared and distressed. "I''m... okay." She nodded at her mother still a bit unsure, but she wouldn''t say it so her Mum wouldn''t worry. "It''s okay to be scared. Your Father won''t hurt you now." She noticed that slight change in his temperament and her heart palpitated like the first time she met him. ... "WHY?! I GAVE YOU EVERYTHING!" The 3rd concubine screamed at the King who was able to easily dispose of all of her Guards. "There was something wrong with my head before, but not now." The King shook his head. He didn''t feel his mind feeling so light in such a long time. She continued to scream at him and hurl insults at him, but he didn''t care. *Swish* He lopped her head off with a smooth and graceful motion. He felt free, only now was he eligible for her forgiveness, only now was he allowed to beg, but he wouldn''t. He missed that opportunity a long time ago. He returned to the side palace to apologize to his daughter, 2nd concubine and his wife. He opened the doors gently but closed them almost immediately. He threw away his clothes and cleaned himself in a nearby pond then he went into another room to dry and change clothes. He returned in front of the doors. The handle was... heavy. He felt like he was trying to push the entire world now that he had calmed down. He somehow managed to open those doors but looked miserable. His wife stood in between her daughter and 2nd concubine. He slowly moved in front of her and fell on his knees hugging her legs. "I''m sorry, I know that you can''t forgive me for what I have done. I don''t intend to beg any more." The King said gently. His wife was stunned and frozen in place. He soon stood up and apologized to his daughter. "I''m sorry, for not being a good father and forcing you to do so many things." Then concubine. "I''m sorry your sister died because of my negligence and you have suffered because of it too." He bowed deeply to each one of them. The wife and concubine froze. Their heart beat fast. "This is farewell. I''m going to raid that place." He smiled gently, like a fool in love. It took them a while to recover and they both rushed after him. Only the princess stayed since she didn''t understand his words. "Dad is a fool." A tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. ... In the future, there will be a story about a valiant man who challenged his wife''s enemies with a small number of people. While he did successfully kill them, thus freeing his wife from their clutches, He died with his enemies, on the cold and unforgiving battlefield. But, there is a strange story, where a beautiful Fox found that wounded man and pitied him, but that story is for another time. ... "You shouldn''t eat this meat!" The Queen reprimanded Aiko. Aiko growled back. ''This meat good, fuck you!'' Chapter 34 – Queen’s Might and Backstory [Past] Somewhere in the past, the timeline of the Olden Age. "Sister, sister~" I small cute girl resembling the Queen was running after her sister. "You need to improve your Lightness Technique." The Sister reprimanded her. "So I can catch Senior Brother?" The girl giggled. *Sigh* "You are still in love with him?" Her Sister shook her head. "He is not a good person." "I know! But he is hot!" The girl smiled. "Stop thinking about him and keep practising!" Her Sister reprimanded her again. She needed to teach her that technique so she wouldn''t get in trouble and could escape. ... "You have failed, huh?" Her sister teased her. The girl cried, startling her. "Come here, I told you he is not a good person. He is not worthy of you." The girl continued crying. "But he is so hot!" Her Sister shook her head again. She would need to teach her a lot more and steel her mind so she isn''t affected by pretty things. ... [Present] The Queen dashed through the City with the ''Market''. She would kill anyone who would stand in front of her or try to block her. She didn''t care if that person was Golden Core or Nascent Soul Cultivator. In her eyes, everyone looked the same. ''Someone I have to kill.'' Yet another Cultivator fell in front of her and drowned. ''I''m sorry, Sister, I''m so sorry.'' She apologized to her Sister every time she used this technique. It has become her habit and she just couldn''t stop herself. She dashed out of the city. She was pursued by the mayor''s private Cultivation army. ''This is annoying...'' She thought. It was not difficult to kill all of them, but it would take time, time that she didn''t have. ''I don''t know if she isn''t suffering right now, I need to hurry.'' She dashed much faster forward, easily shaking them off of her tail. ... [Past] "Sister... do you need to go?" The girl asked gently looking at her Sister. "Mystic Realm is a much more precious realm than Secret Realm. I need to go and improve." "But..." The girl looked sad and uneasy. "No, buts, Sister will return much stronger and help you improve, okay?" She smiled gently. ''I will never forgive that bitch for cracking your Core and I will definitely solve this issue!'' She vowed in her heart. The girl nodded with moist eyes and was hugged by her Sister. ... [Present] The Queen was quick on her feet and almost reached another city. There were already Cultivators waiting for her. "This is the end Beast." The Cultivator shouted, but that didn''t stop the Queen. She gathered her momentum and used her Divine Ability to clean them. [Ever Flooding Earth] A tsunami was created behind her and it matched her momentum. The faster she got the greater the wave. This wave was very special in the sense that it relied on the User''s acceleration, even if it would be interrupted midway. That accumulated acceleration of the wave would persist and crash into any Cultivator standing before it. It was an extremely rare technique since it was hard to interrupt. The tsunami got bigger and bigger. The Cultivators already sweated buckets as they saw it getting bigger and bigger. "This... is not normal Beast." His legs turned to jelly and he fell down to the ground from his flying sword. The tsunami crashed into the city, submerging it. Few lucky fellows escaped the flood, but most were killed by it. The Queen used her other Divine Ability, which every Fox that lost her Virginity could use. Well, she still had her Virginity, but since she already experienced the inner workings of this Divine Ability, she was able to recreate it. [Harvest Festival] The souls of the dead were torn from their bodies. They then rushed above the Queen where they were washed again. They were washed multiple times as the souls were dirty, full of malice and other Sins. If she didn''t cleanse them she would lose her mind and become Demonic Beast, which she didn''t want to. The souls were washed and she slurped the outer parts, letting go of the rest. She didn''t want to increase the difficulty of her Tribulation, so she would take just bits. That was still enough to boost her prowess and Core. She almost reached the Peak of [Magical Beast Rank]. ''After finishing them all I will be Spiritual Beast, but I will hold it for later. I need to locate her first.'' She stored the rest of their souls into her tail and dashed away. ... [Past] "This is ####, my mate." The girl''s Sister introduced her mate, which she got during the Mystic Realm expedition. He was a handsome young man who looked honest and smiled all the time. Yet the girl felt unease whenever she looked at him. "Are you alright Sister?" The Girl asked looking at her. "You should address her as ''Senior Sister''." Her Sister''s mate reprimanded her. She didn''t like him, she really didn''t. That egotistical and condescending attitude. His actions of trying to take away her only Family. She didn''t like it. She hated it! ... [Present] She left the ruins of the former City. There were no Cultivators with high enough Cultivation that would be able to stop her, so she had free reign over this side of the plane. ''I will have to break through before getting to her, there is no telling if some kind of old fool appears out of nowhere and ''Contracts'' me.'' She was cautious about that. She needed to save Aiko, but she wouldn''t be able to do that if she was captured first. She dashed towards the mountain range along her journey. This breakthrough wouldn''t take her much time as she could just eat the rest of her stored souls to recover her Vitality and energy. This would allow her to pass her Tribulation without danger and still keep her body at Peak. She was once at ####, which meant she didn''t really need to ''stabilize'' her energy as she already experienced that change. She didn''t need to spend a month to adjust to the changes, but a mere few hours at most! ... [Past] "S-sister!? You are bleeding!?" The girl''s Sister was bleeding and her energy was a mess. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. "I almost failed my Tribulation. I will teach you about it later, just let me rest for now." Her Sister asked her to help her to get in her nest. The girl helped her and her growing distaste and hatred for her Sister''s mate intensified. ''If Sister didn''t need to keep her body just for him she would be able to hunt more Human souls to protect herself during Tribulation.'' She wanted to tear that mate apart, but she was worried that her Sister would hate her. ... "Remember, gather as many souls as possible whenever you want to improve your Rank. Those souls can act as nutrients for your own souls strengthening it and protecting it from the Heavenly Dao." Her Sister explained. "That way even if you are caught off guard after finishing your Tribulation, your body and mind would still be in tip-top shape and you wouldn''t fall like me, okay?" Sister was caressing the girl''s hair, very gently. ... [Present] The Tribulation clouds had gathered. Covering vast sky and darkening everything. ''I wonder if that little rascal would have any advantage during Tribulation...'' She was slightly distracted, which upset the Heavenly Lightning quite a bit. So it increased the difficulty for her. The First lightning fell, but a mountain was erected above the Queen. She used another of her Divine Abilities. [Heavenly Mountain Range] A vast mountain range appeared above her blocking the lightning. The Heavenly Lightning was unable to pierce the mountain which angered it. Second, third, and fourth lightning strikes, but it didn''t even dent the mountain range. Heavenly Lightning is a petty being. It gathered the fifth to ninth lightning and struck with it at the same time. The mountain range received that blow, but it was too powerful for it, and it slowly started to crumble... ... [Past] "Congratulations on attaining Human body Sister." The girl''s Sister was happy that she finally had a body. "T-thank you." She was shy as this was the first time after quite some time she was praised so much by her Sister. "You are real beauty. Tsk, tsk. I will have to keep those horny dogs from you, otherwise, you might wipe the whole Human race." Her Sister giggled, staring at the blushing girl. "You are alright." Her Sister''s mate told her coldly. He really wished she was at full strength, but since she just attained a Human body she wasn''t all that strong. ... [Present] The Queen was charred and she could feel her energy was starting to converge into a single place, but she shattered that place. She didn''t wish to attain Human form just yet, she couldn''t afford to be weak, as she hadn''t found Aiko just yet. She used the numerous stored souls and ate all of them, replenishing her lost Vitality and energy. She was able to recover from her injuries and greatly increase her Soul Strength by this. Now she would be unmatched in Soul Arts for quite a while. She dusted her fur and used [Clean] many times as the lightning forced a lot of impurities out of her body. Her current purity reached 99%. The last 1% was incredibly hard to obtain as even breathing would cause impurities to enter the body. She would need exceptional Cultivation or Divine Abilities/Arts to stop that from happening, but unfortunately, she didn''t have those. She stretched, Cultivators were just about to approach her, but they spontaneously started to drown. ''I''m sorry Sister...'' She apologized again and dashed away from this place, now she would be able to reach her destination much faster. ... [Past: Warning almost rape territory, please stay away if you don''t want to read that!] "Come here!" Her Sister''s mate chuckled as he tore another piece of clothing off that girl. "No! Stay away!" She screamed, but nobody could hear her. There was a formation surrounding her cave. "Don''t worry, I will treat you well." He chuckled again, ripping the rest of her clothes off, revealing unparalleled beauty in front of him. His loincloth was strained as he stared at her spotless body, it was so supple and soft that it stroked his sadistic desires. ''I will break her slowly and then go after my ''mate''.'' He chuckled in his mind as he lowered his pants. The girl screamed and thrashed herself, but he just pinned her down. His impressive-ly small member was on her stomach. It felt like it was burning her skin. As he was about to take her purity his Sect Token shined. He picked it up quickly as it was a colourless shine. "Yes, Master?" He spoke without any changes in his tone. "But, I''m doing something important Master." He tried to make excuses only to stiffen. "Y-yes! I''m going immediately, Master!" His body shook as he was picking his clothes. "You are lucky I have something important to attend to." He scoffed at her and left her place. The girl was still paralysed and sobbing on the ground until her Sister found her. ... [Present] ''As I thought, rapist souls taste like shit.'' The Queen frowned as she destroyed yet another city. The Cultivators were desperate and set up numerous Formations, but those formations were only as strong as their Users and materials. The True Formation Emperors would never leave their mountain Peaks as they tried to comprehend more advanced formations, as such they would send their disciples to learn about the world, but those disciples were much less than their masters, and as such they were unable to restrain this Lunatic Fox. "Out of my way trash." The Fox spoke slowly, not because she was tired, but because she felt like she was trying to speak to a road-killed turd. Those Cultivators shivered, losing their will to fight. Her Divine Ability triggered and extracted their souls, but she would leave them be as she wouldn''t be able to contest against Formation Emperor. ''You are lucky that you have bald bastards backing you!'' She scoffed at those souls that were drifting to their respective sects. Everyone knew that Formation/Array Masters would lose their hair from the insane amount of runes and combinations they had to learn. She ate the normal Cultivator''s Souls and resumed her journey. She could feel she was getting close. ... [Past] "Sister~! Look~" The girl brought her another girl of the same race. "She is my mate!" The girl proudly proclaimed, making her mate blush beet red and her Sister giggle. "She is pretty~" Her Sister also teased the girl''s mate and the mate was now completely red wanting to run away. "I-it''s, p-pleasure to meet you." She had an incredibly soft and soothing voice. "Kyyaaaa~!" The girl''s Sister immediately became this girl''s fan. "She is so cute, her voice is so cute~!" She rubbed her cheeks against her. "Lucky you~" The girl''s Sister teased both of them and both of them tried to beat her shoulders, but it came out more like a child being upset at her mother for revealing her secrets. ... [Present] The Queen arrived at a completely empty City, there was no living soul, no Cultivator, nothing. Just emptiness. She didn''t mind this and rushed ahead without stopping. This was the perfect situation for her as she didn''t need to deal with useless Cultivators trying to stop her. She rushed ahead. There were only a few cities left, probably... ... [Past] "Sister come, run!" The girl yelled as she used her Divine Ability to grow an Earthen wall in front of her. "We can''t shake them off!" The Sister yelled back. "This way." The girl''s mate guided them towards a cave that had an air current inside. It had another exit. They ran through the tunnels, being pursued by the other Cultivators, but since Earth was everywhere around her, she used her Divine Ability to the best of her abilities blocking their paths with walls and rocks. ... "We made it!" The Sister was incredibly happy as they were able to shake those Cultivators off. "Yeah! We mad-ARGH!" The girl screamed as mind-numbing pain assaulted her Mind and Core. She turned around only to see her mate being pierced by a sword. Her life was snuffed, like a candlelight. She was dumbfounded, not believing what she saw. Her Sister''s mate killed her mate. Anger clouded her mind and her Bloodline completely awakened. She appeared in front of him. He was trying to mock her, but he soon stopped as his heart was no longer his. It was now inside the girl''s hand, bearing slower and slower until stopping. "ARGH!" Her Sister yelled snapping her out of her madness. "S-sister... n-no. I-i-no, no." The girl''s body and Soul shook. Her mate died and now she killed her own Sister. She couldn''t believe it. She rushed towards her Sister as she was still alive. "I-i-" She couldn''t mutter a word about anything that just happened. "It''s alright..." The Sister gently spoke, slowly bleeding out of her mouth. "I''m sorry, for everything. I should''ve killed him myself, but I-" She coughed. "I couldn''t leave you all alone and now my selfishness killed your mate, your love and your other half." "I''m sorry." The Sister apologized as she grew weaker. "N-no! Please don''t, don''t leave me!" The girl cried, tears of blood. She just lost everything, nothing mattered to her more than her mate and Sister. "Here, take this and eat it. You will obtain my Bloodline and Abilities." Her Sister gave her a beautiful marble. "S-sister! I can''t this-" The girl shook and cried even more. "Take it, while I''m still alive, once I die it will disappear. Don''t make me angry." The Sister tried to threaten her. The girl unwillingly swallowed it. "Good... I''m so sorry, I love you, Mei." Her Sister had the purest and most beautiful smile she had ever seen. "No, no, please don''t leave me An, please." The girl pleaded with her, but her Sister no longer heard her. ... [Present] Queen made it into the capital, many Cultivators stood before her and her destination. She was so close yet so far... The Cultivators tried to suppress her, but she was now in [Spirit Beast Rank] and with a powerful Soul, they wouldn''t be able to suppress her even if they used artefacts. Those Cultivators gathered their Qi inside their bodies and conjured her Martial Arts. The Queen snorted and summoned her mountain, suppressing them completely. Now they were forced to use only their bodies, there were a few body Cultivators, but this was much better than having to fight hundreds of normal Cultivators. She needed to see that, that little rascal was okay. She would never leave her again. She would take her to hunts and feed her delicious meals. It was definitely not because she was reminded of her mate. Definitely not! She fought those Cultivators head-on, she didn''t have any time to spare and as such she used her movement technique in tandem with her Tsunami. Most of the City was immediately crushed, but the inner parts were left untouched as there was a great Defensive Formation protecting it. ''Tsk. I will have to break it if I want to reach my destination...'' She thought, annoyed by this fact. ... [Past] Somewhere in #### "Queen." Her servants bowed to her. The girl had a grand Palace, great servants, and endless wealth, but that was not enough. ''Those shitty bastards from the Golden Palace are protecting those two fuckers.'' She made the mistake of not shredding his Soul. The one who killed her mate. ''I don''t understand how did he managed to survive when he was only Golden Core.'' She clicked her tongue. "Are you displeased, my Queen?" The boy toy asked her a bit scared. He was trying his best to massage her feet. "No, continue." She shook her head and gently replied. She stared outside. ''Another shitty day, in this shitty realm. I can''t wait till I rip them apart!'' She vowed in her heart that she would definitely avenge her mate and Sister. ... She was stabbed by the boy toy that she painstakingly raised. She felt empty, the hole in her heart only widened and she couldn''t stop that feeling. She felt free, she felt like she could forget her Sister and mate. She was terrified but soon drifted away. ... [Present] The Queen abruptly stopped. She noticed the energy on the barrier dissipating. Her little sweetie was also running away from the Palace. ''That rascal made it!'' She laughed. The Cultivators felt a shiver down their spine but soon felt relieved as they saw the Lunatic Fox rushing away. "W-we survived." One Cultivator collapsed on the ground completely drained, but others soon followed. The Queen rushed towards that faint energy but didn''t measure the distance properly and crashed into Aiko. Aiko was upset and was trying to scold her, but Queen only had the silliest smile on her face. ''S-she is alright! And uncontracted!'' She almost cried, but trying to retain her Immortal dignity she used [Clean] on her and licked her happily. Chapter 35 – Medicine Bath Aiko was carried by the Queen away to a nearby cave. The Queen would confiscate any food that she would bring from her pouch, making Aiko upset. "You really can''t eat that!" The Queen reprimanded Aiko. "You need to purify your Core!" Aiko hmpfed away. There was something she had not done yet. [Receive a reward for reaching Level 10?] ''I completely buried that in the back of my head.'' Aiko thought, shaking her head. [You have received Meat x20] ''...'' [Receive a reward for reaching Level 20?] ''Please be any better than the previous one...'' Aiko prayed. [You have received Meat x40] ''...... Seriously?'' Aiko thought that the system was playing games with her. [Receive a reward for reaching Level 30?] ''It better not be another meat!'' Aiko glared at the system. [You have received Meat x60] ''God fucking dammit!'' Aiko cursed. [Receive a reward for reaching Level 40?] ''I don''t even care any more.'' [You have received A Skill Coupon] [Skill Coupon] [Allows you to get 1 Skill for free] ''Never mind! I do care! Give me that shit!'' Aiko giggled inside her head, completely forgetting that she was scammed 3 times. [Receive a reward for reaching Level 50?] ''More Amazing rewards please~!'' Aiko hummed. [You have received A Skill Combination Coupon] [Skill Combination Coupon] [Allows you to make 1 combination for free] ''Yes! That''s what I''m talking about! Let''s do the most expensive Skill Combination EVER~!'' Aiko was really happy and her tail swayed left and right. [Receive a reward for reaching Level 60?] [You have received A Skill Coupon and Meat x50] [Receive a reward for reaching Level 70?] [You have received A Skill Coupon x2] [Receive a reward for reaching Level 80?] [You have received A Skill Combination Coupon] [Receive a reward for reaching Level 90?] [You have received A Skill Coupon x2 and Meat x100] [Receive a reward for reaching Level 100?] [You have received a Cultivation Gift.] [Cultivation Gift] [Gives you the most suitable Cultivation Technique] ''OOOOOOOOOO.'' Aiko almost took off with her tail how fast it whizzed. ''Should I wait or should I use it? I still have the [Duality of Cultivation] problem so I should probably wait till I solve that, having 2 Bloodlines would make it difficult for me to find a suitable Cultivation Technique. Yeah, let''s do that.'' The Queen was looking at that little windmill Fox and shook her head. She figured out that since this little sweetie is so strange she probably has something on her to help her. She Wouldn''t pry into Aiko''s secrets unless Aiko would tell her. Of course that is only a privilege for Aiko, if it was any other bastard she would try to extract every single secret out of them. The Queen was slowly cooking meat for Aiko while observing her. She would never separate from her until they got into the ''Fox Village''. Let''s first look over what I have and can do. Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x250], [Skill Coupon x6], [Skill Combination Coupon x2], [Cultivation Gift] ''Six Skill Coupons, I should probably get some really good skills for me or something that would improve my Survivability.'' Aiko Thought. ''For Example...'' [Vitality Recovery] [Recovers one Vitality per Hour and additionally 0.01%pH of Max Vitality.] [Cost: 10,000 Skill Points] [Cost: 1 Skill Coupon] ''I will definitely get this one!'' Aiko bought it immediately. ''And this.'' [Linguistics] [Costs: 1,000 Skill Points] [Cost: 1 Skill Coupon] ''It doesn''t have a description, but that should be alright. It cost a lot so it should be good.'' Aiko thought. ''But there are quite a lot of skills to choose from, some are really good while others are useless... I don''t know what to pick... let''s hold on for now, maybe I can get some "Skill Combination Book" or something, that would allow me to see the Skill Combinations.'' The Queen brought her the food and munched on her own. ''It''s tasty, but the Palace one wasn''t all that bad either...'' Aiko thought. ''I wonder what that Princess is up to.'' Aiko shook her head as it was pointless to think about someone whom she would probably never meet. She finished her meat and went to sleep. That night she had a nightmare of being chased by a strange Lunatic on a sword, another on a Ship and the last one running on the ground... ... "We will travel most of the time, so I will be teaching you about a few things along the way." The Queen said gently as Aiko finished her food. She strapped Aiko on her back with her Divine Sense and left that cave. "Every beast can evolve, but not every beast will be able to. At that stage, everyone is just a mindless animal that doesn''t know any better." "We would eat anything that comes our way, unknowingly polluting our Cores with impurities." "Those impurities will make it harder for us to obtain better Evolutions as we won''t be able to gather as much energy as needed and the possible bloodline would suck us dry because of it." Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. "That''s why it''s important that whenever you Evolve to have enough energy around you that you can consume." The Queen smiled bitterly remembering that [Earthen Shard]. Aiko nodded and Queen continued. "The easiest way to make your Evolution successful is to gather natural ingredients, Natural Qi Formations or Spirit Stones." "The easiest would be natural ingredients like herbs, Shard and like." "But we can bypass all those hard steps since we will be joining the ''Fox Village'', you will be able to gather resources much more easily as you will only need to go on missions." "That means that even if the reward that you gathered along the way was insufficient you would still get some more from the ''Village''." The Queen dashed along the plains. There probably would be few stops with Natural Qi Formations, since it seems this land was quite rich from it. The amount of ambient Qi was higher than when she was starting back then. This would allow her much quicker ascension this time. ... They arrived around another sparkling pond. ''This is good, let''s do some tweaks on my little sweetie.'' The queen nodded in her head. She would use quite a few herbs and dumb them inside here and circle the energy in a certain way to make a medicine bath. What she used as medicine was for [Body Tempering] bath. It would cause excruciating pain to the User, but as a reward, their body would be strengthened greatly. ''But this would make your skin hard, which is not ideal for Foxes, nice soft and spotless skin is the best for us, who use beauty and illusions.'' She smirked. ''Those old fools called my methods crude, but this little tweak to the prescription would make it so that the [Body Tempering] is ignored and it would pull a lot of impurities out.'' She prepared the herbs one by one and Aiko was curiously watching her. ''The only problem is that this bath is extremely expensive. I have to use most of our herbs, but it would allow her to Purify her Core from the worst to not so bad.'' She carefully washed the herbs with her Water Qi. ''It will also boost her beauty each evolution, which means the sooner one bathes in it, the greater the benefit later on.'' She was almost finished with the bath, the quality was comparable to Perfect. It needed a few touches here and there to reach Perfect, but this was good enough for someone not yet in Magical Beast Rank. Aiko was watching the pond change colours, from pellucid to green to blue... It was very nice to look at, especially when the colours started to mix, it looked almost like those star Nebulas. "In you go." The Queen chuckled and threw Aiko inside. Aiko was cursing at her since she had never before swam in the water as a Fox. The previous one doesn''t count as she almost downed and didn''t have time to learn to swim properly. Aiko panicked and quickly bought [Swimming] with her Skill Points. Surprisingly it cost her only 1 point. But she noticed that she was floating on top of the lake? How was she able to float? She knew for sure that Skills weren''t as magical as one might think, so it''s not like Level 1 swimming would make her a professional swimmer. The pond was very warm and nice to lay in, she almost left like she would- *Zzzzzz* "This..." The Queen sighed. "How is she able to sleep in such weird places." She remembered that time Aiko slept on her tail. "Seriously... if you look away for a second she would be asleep." But Queen was still smiling towards Aiko, unknowingly to her. She prepared another piece of meat for Aiko while observing her closely. Since she was asleep it meant that she was completely relaxed and would get the best benefit from this. ''Last time I bathed in it I was awake and uneasy." She sighed. "That caused me to only absorb about 12% of the medicine bath, why have I not thought about sleeping?" She shook her head, slowly roasting meat. Aiko was slowly dirtying the pond with her impurities, which the medicine bath pulled out of her. ... Aiko woke up and yawned, almost gulping water. She was startled awake and realized that she was still on that pond, but this pond was strangely black? The Queen pulled her out of the pond and Aiko was shivering. She used [Clean] on Aiko and put her on her tail. That tail was near the campfire and was nice and cosy. Aiko almost immediately dozed off again, if it was not for the deliciously smelling meat. She munched on the meat while being completely stunned. [You have entered the medicine bath.] [All your [Stats per Level] increase by x2] [Your [Beauty per Level] increases by 50] [Your Core has been purified!] [Beast Core Purity: 1% -> 10%] [Current Beast Core Bonus: 6 -> 62] [ Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 380 - 620 -> 420 - 580 Species: [Shadow Fennec Fox Cub(Female, Peak of Unique)] Species: [-] Age: 0.23/100 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Awakened)] Bloodline: [-] Beast Rank: Beast Level: 8 -> 27 -> 28 (2nd Evolution) Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement) HP: 271/271 -> 280/519 (1pH & 0.05%pH) ST: 285/285 -> 303/685 (2pH & 0.07%pH) Vitality: 136/157 -> 145/301 (1pH & 0.01%pH) Vigour: 171 -> 467 Beast Core(1%->10%): 620 -> 1,000 (1,120) Toughness: 148 -> 272 Strength: 173 -> 413 Agility: 273*1.5 -> 1,089*1.5 Dexterity: 134 -> 238 Mind: 206 -> 742 Insight: 30 Beauty: 206 -> 2,142 Luck: 274 -> 378 Stat Points: 126 -> 172 Skill Points: 73 -> 119 -> 118 Elemental Affinity: [Shadow - 3], [Earth - 9] Martial Arts: [Lightness Technique] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered] Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.2], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Agility Mastery: Lv.1], [Intention Perception: Lv.1] Skills: [Burrow: Mastered], [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Scratch: Mastered -> Lacerate: Lv.1->3], [Sprint: Mastered], [Tracking: Mastered], [Quick Jump: Mastered], [Climb: Mastered], [Camouflage: Lv.1->3], [Meditation: Lv.1], Passive Skills: [Stealth: Lv.1->3], [Enhanced Sight: Mastered], [Health Recovery: Lv.4->5], [Stamina Recovery: Lv.6->7], [Prehensile Tail: Mastered], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Enhanced Smell: Mastered], [Temperature Regulation: Mastered], [Intimidation: Lv.1], [Weakness Detection: Lv.1], [Hunting Mastery: Lv.1], [Vitality Recovery(NEW): Lv.1], [Linguistics(NEW): Lv.1], [Swimming(NEW): Lv.1], Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x250], [Skill Coupon x6->4], [Skill Combination Coupon x2], [Cultivation Gift] ] Aiko was very happy with this turn of events, now she just needed to reach the appropriate Level and Evolve again. She has that rock called ''Moon Stone'' she would definitely use that, but it might attract some attention so she should be careful. She would only evolve once she found a very deserted place. Chapter 36 – Troubled Queen ''Am I imagining it or is this mean Fox glancing at me too often?'' Aiko was puzzled as she felt the Foxes stare at her too often. Meanwhile the Glancing Fox. ''D-did I overdo it?? I mean she was kind of nice to look at, but who would have thought it would make her fur so shiny!?'' The Queen was struggling. She was extremely tempted to acquire human form so that she could pet her to her heart''s content. She breathed heavily. ''Calm down, don''t rush, she might be a bit shiny, but we can just wait.'' Then she paused and the air around her changed. ''No, wait a minute! If we arrive at the ''Fox Village'' other bastards would also like to pet her!'' Her murderous intent almost leaked and her thoughts warped and clouded her thoughts. ''Right... it would be a pain in the ass to kill them all.'' She regained some clarity. ''Let''s just announce her as my mate when I arrive there, that way nobody would go after her!'' Never mind, her mind had already a few screws loose. This was not unexpected as she lived too long and Aiko''s fur and love for meat constantly reminded her of someone. ''Since it didn''t work out the previous time, let''s make it work this time~'' She hummed inside her mind and Aiko for some reason shivered, like some kind of beast was staring at her poor body. ... Aiko was extremely apprehensive against this mean Fox. For some reason she would get licked much more often, not to mention whenever she would sneakily sleep on her mean Fox, the next day she wouldn''t make any fuss about it?! And even made her delicious meat?! This was too much for Aiko and she was very wary of this Fox. Such a strange, sudden and sharp turn in treatment... she wouldn''t get eaten by her right? Aiko ate her meat the Fox was suspiciously close to her, but since the Fox didn''t do anything to her and only kept Aiko warm with her tail, she didn''t say anything, for now. The Queen strapped Aiko on her back again and moved through the Forest. Aiko once again enjoyed the feeling of wind against her fur. Thanks to this Fox''s [Clean]ing skill she was always squeaky clean. Sure it couldn''t compare to the feeling of taking a bath, but it was much faster and less tedious when it came to drying. She had to wait several hours on that beach to dry, yet this fox used skill and in the blink of an eye she was completely nice and dry! She pouted a bit, it would be great if she could use that skill, but it seems like one has to have an affinity with Water Element to do so. She only has Shadow and Earth, and neither of them is of any use when it comes to cleaning. She even looked through her shop, but to her shock, some Abilities and Martial Arts were locked behind a wall named Elemental Affinity. She wasn''t completely locked, she could buy them, but those Abilities were incomparably more expensive than if she were to buy Abilities based on Shadows or Earth. She stared at this mean Fox in a new light. It seemed like she was very good with Water Element. The Queen used her [Clean] on Aiko too many times, so Aiko thought she might have bottomless energy or it just cost too little. Little did she know that it was actually quite expensive to use that Ability in terms of Qi, but the Queen couldn''t get enough of Aiko''s fur so she willingly burned through her Qi so that she could lick and cuddle that nice fur, especially now after the medicine bath! It was incomparably better! So good in fact that she questioned her morals as Immortal! Aiko naturally didn''t know about this inner conflict that the Fox was having and even if she knew she wouldn''t do anything about it unless it threatened her meat-producing capabilities. "Evolution depends on several factors. Most beasts would evolve without unlocking any Bloodlines or they would have such generic Bloodline that it would be useless to them. Then there are exceptions like that [Fire Lizard] you fought in the desert." The Queen smiled, but Aiko wasn''t smiling. Aiko slapped the back of the stinky Fox, still upset at the fact that she threw her inside that desert without telling her anything, not to mention she was forced to fight such an unfavourable fight. If Aiko could she would be now hurling insults at the stinky Fox, but the Fox was just smiling happily running along the river. "Most sources of food and water are contaminated with impurities." She suddenly explained. "That is also one of the reasons that only some beasts make it in their lives. You shouldn''t drink common water or food, since it would pollute your Core, but if you are around extreme environments, like Volcanos or Vast Iceland. Then you can drink and eat there. Those extreme environments cause the beast to adapt and the easiest way to do that is by keeping your Core clean." The Queen continued explaining. "Especially those with pure flames inside their body. They naturally keep their bodies clean. That''s why [Fire Cultivators] are so treasured, you don''t have to spend nearly as much materials, compared to someone with Water or Earth, since those are easily polluted." "But there are some benefits, for example [Nature Cultivators] thrive in zones with high pollution. They can use that pollution and turn it into Pure Qi, which is much more beneficial than Natural Qi, as natural Qi has all elements, while Pure Qi is more neutral and thus allows everyone to benefit." "It is a good idea to keep one or two [Nature] or [Wood] Cultivators around yourself as it will speed up your Beast Core absorption capabilities. This in turn lowers your chances of polluting your Cores, if you would-" The Queen abruptly paused. ''Nonono, I can''t tell her that Dual Cultivation with such individuals can improve her Beast Core Purity.'' The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. A drop of sweat rolled down her back. ''I almost ruined my chances in keeping her for myself, I will have to be more careful in the future.'' She nodded to herself. ''Of course, I will make sure that she has the necessary ingredients and time to develop without the need for Dual Cultivation with others.'' She smirked. Aiko thought for just a moment. ''I wonder if there is a possibility to get [Water] affinity for [Clean] or [Nature] affinity for that purification effect. She really liked the idea of being able to eat anything she wanted, while simultaneously turning it into more energy. "We will rest for today." The Queen said. "Tomorrow we will be entering the territory of the ''Fox Village''. We will see more and much more exotic species, so be prepared." The Queen had a serious voice. ''Especially since you are still a beast and others will try to go after you.'' She snorted. ''I have gathered quite a few Beast Cores during my rampage, so let''s use that to strengthen her a bit. The Queen cooked her another meat and they went to sleep together. ... ''I realized some time ago that even though her Beast Core is full she is still able to benefit from absorbing Beast Cores.'' The Queen thought. ''I will let her consume as many as possible in these 2 days since once we enter their territory it would be too dangerous for us to do that.'' While the Queen was powerful she didn''t want to unnecessarily fight other Foxes just in case it would affect her time inside the ''Village''. Sure she wanted to spend only 50 years there before moving to the main Continent, but that didn''t mean she wanted to spend those 50 years in unnecessary disputes. Aiko played with the Beast Cores that the mean Fox gave in front of her. She was looking forward to it. The Queen glanced at the excited Aiko and smiled. ''Yes, yes, I wonder if I was as happy as she was the first time I extracted Beast Cores.'' She nestled Aiko in front of those Beast Cores and would pierce one after another and let Aiko draw that energy in. [EXP gained.][EXP gained.][EXP gained.][Level gained.][EXP gained.] She was Levelling quite nicely, the unfortunate thing about this was that the nice feeling when extracting that energy was too quick. It was nicer than eating meat, but awful when it came to enjoyment as it was too quick to sate that desire. [Level: 40 (2nd Evolution)] [You can Evolve into [Common] Beast] [Levelling further will allow you to Evolve into [Uncommon] Beast.] There it was the notification she was waiting for! Previously you needed only Level 20 for Common rarity, but now she was at 40 and something in her mind told her that it would get only worse from here on out. She licked her paws and waited for the mean Fox to give her more Beast Cores. The Queen was again shocked. ''How can she improve her body so much without directing that energy into her Beast Core?!'' Now she was absolutely sure that Aiko had some kind of ancient relic that was helping her body to strengthen. ''I hope it doesn''t have any side effects, it would be bad if it polluted her Beast Core or caused some unwanted side effects.'' She really wanted to ask about this, but at the same time, she was worried that this would cause Aiko to distance herself from her. This plagued her mind but kept it hidden for now. ''As long as it doesn''t cause anything negative to her I won''t ask her, but the moment something happens I will have to force her to tell me.'' She thought. ''I have vast knowledge and there wouldn''t be anything that I couldn''t solve!'' She placed more Beast Cores in front of Aiko and they resumed their spree for the next few days. [Level: 80 (2nd Evolution)] [You can Evolve into [Uncommon] Beast] [Levelling further will allow you to Evolve into [Rare] Beast.] Aiko consumed a vast amount of Beast Cores, but could only reach the Uncommon Rarity. This greatly disheartened her as she would have to consume too many Beast Cores if she wanted to Evolve later. Not to mention the Evolution in itself would consume a LOT of Spirit Stones/Energy. [ Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 420 - 580 Species: [Shadow Fennec Fox Cub(Female, Peak of Unique)] Species: [-] Age: 0.35/100 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Awakened)] Bloodline: [-] Beast Rank: Beast Level: 28 -> 80 (2nd Evolution) Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement) HP: 280/519 -> 567/719 (1pH & 0.07%pH) ST: 303/685 -> 781/1,197 (2->3pH & 0.1%pH) Vitality: 145/301 -> 349/453 (1pH & 0.03%pH) Vigour: 467 -> 931 Beast Core(10%): 1,000 (1,120) Toughness: 272 -> 372 Strength: 413 -> 773 Agility: 1,089*1.5 -> 2,697*1.5 Dexterity: 238 -> 286 Mind: 742 -> 1,726 Insight: 30 Beauty: 2,142 -> 5,726 Luck: 378 -> 426 Stat Points: 172 -> 342 Skill Points: 118 -> 288 Elemental Affinity: [Shadow - 3], [Earth - 9] Martial Arts: [Lightness Technique] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered] Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.2], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Agility Mastery: Lv.1], [Intention Perception: Lv.1->Mastered] Skills: [Burrow: Mastered], [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Lacerate: Lv.3], [Sprint: Mastered], [Tracking: Mastered], [Quick Jump: Mastered], [Climb: Mastered], [Camouflage: Lv.3], [Meditation: Lv.1], Passive Skills: [Stealth: Lv.3], [Enhanced Sight: Mastered], [Health Recovery: Lv.5->7], [Stamina Recovery: Lv.7->Mastered], [Prehensile Tail: Mastered], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Enhanced Smell: Mastered], [Temperature Regulation: Mastered], [Intimidation: Lv.1], [Weakness Detection: Lv.1], [Hunting Mastery: Lv.1], [Vitality Recovery: Lv.1->3], [Linguistics: Lv.1], [Swimming: Lv.1], Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x250], [Skill Coupon x4], [Skill Combination Coupon x2], [Cultivation Gift] ] Chapter 37 – Fox Territory and Other Foxes The next day Aiko was confused about what happened. For some reason, the Fox had 2 tails. They were both fluffy and soft, felt real and everything. ''2 Tails.'' Aiko was looking at her strangely. The Queen smiled, she had a breakthrough during the night. She could have it sooner since she consumed so many souls but was worried that Aiko wouldn''t be able to remember her with such a drastic change since she knew that Aiko liked to sleep on her. She prepared a small surprise for her and surprise it was. Aiko was cautiously touching those tails, sometimes slapping them. She was like a kitten who found a new toy to play around with. "You will get more tails too." The Queen smiled gently. "The maximum amount of tails is 9, each tail gives you a strength boost, some Cultivation techniques can also weaponize those tails like [Fox-Fire] or illusion Techniques." Aiko stared at the strange Fox. Still confused about how she got another tail overnight and how both of them became even softer. The Queen picked Aiko and they left their temporary den. They have no time to spare as they already spent too much time here and it would still them some more time before they arrive at the true border of the ''Fox Village''. The Forest had much less Qi than what they were used to, so Queen slowed down so that Aiko could readjust. While it wouldn''t hurt her if she continued to run, it might cause nausea and vomiting, which would be a pain to clean since she should conserve her energy. She might be already in the Spirit Beast Rank, but it''s not good to waste your Qi like that. Especially when you are in a territory that is ruled by a ''neutral'' faction. "We are not their ally until we join them, so don''t believe those vixens alright?" The Queen spoke gently towards Aiko. ''Aren''t you one of them?'' Aiko asked in her mind, it was a good thing that she couldn''t speak otherwise she would get an earful from this Fox. As they walked forward Aiko spotted other Foxes. There were different colours and sizes. It was quite a sight to behold, but they didn''t look all that appealing to Aiko. ''Too short tail... dirty fur... too small...'' Aiko was appraising anyone and everyone that got in her line of sight. Naturally, the Queen didn''t stop her since she was doing similar things. Nobody approached them, they could feel the Queen''s energy, which was vastly out of their league so they didn''t try anything funny, but that didn''t stop them when they glared at Aiko. Aiko didn''t feel all that good, while she wasn''t weak when it came to speed, she didn''t have as much power behind her claws, unless she would be able to ambush them she wouldn''t deal much damage to them as most of them were around the middle stages of Magical Beast Rank, while Aiko sat at Peak of Beast Rank. They walked at a steady pace and throughout the night Aiko slept. Around the half point of the day she already gotten used to those unsavoury sights, but there were also some strange sights. A fox that was walking on two legs and had a large bag on his back. He was glancing at Aiko here and there. ... The next morning Aiko woke up and that strange bag carrying Fox was close to them, her own stinky Fox didn''t mind him so Aiko was curious about him. "Good morning, Miss." The Bag Fox bowed towards her and Aiko blinked at him strangely, that bag was just too out of place. "You have beautiful eyes, Miss. Your eyes are like the ocean; I could swim in them all day." He spoke gently towards Aiko, making the Queen frown. The reason she kept him close was because he was considerably strong and if he wasn''t picked at the beginning he could protect Aiko, but now she didn''t really like that plan. Aiko stared at her mean Fox since she was glaring at the Bag Fox. She did understand it was a pickup line, but she was never on the receiving end so it felt too strange to react to in any way. On the other hand, Queen was way too hostile for some simple and nice words. Aiko didn''t understand why. *Boom* A Fox blasted past them, being chased by blood-coloured fur. The boom-boom Fox had a flat tail that would cause dust particles to gather and then she would ignite them with the upper part of the tail, which would- This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. *Boom* She blasted forward still being chased by that blood-coloured fur Fox, but Aiko noticed another one with black fur chasing the blood-coloured fur Fox. ''What a strange combination.'' Aiko thought. She saw them running in a strange circle and then noticed that there was plenty of dust gathered around them. The black-coloured Fox withdrew as the boom-boom Fox ignited her tail. *BOOOOOM* The Forest shook and the earth was gouged out from the force of the explosion. She noticed the shadow Fox was near her staring at her, and soon something fell from the sky. It was the boom-boom Fox, she looked exhausted. The blood-coloured Fox was almost unscathed, some parts of her body were slightly burnt, but considering the size and force of the explosion it was surprising that the Fox survived unscathed. Aiko was amazed by the blood-coloured Fox and admired her. "That Fox is a Demonic Beast." The Queen told Aiko as a warning. "It will attack anyone that would upset it." Aiko nodded at Queen, not noticing she was observed by the boom-boom Fox, the shadow Fox and Bag Fox. They all had high intelligence since they were almost at the Peak of Magical Beast Rank, but they couldn''t feel that same energy from Aiko. Either she was hiding too well or she wasn''t Magical Beast like them. They didn''t have much knowledge about Beast Ranks, so their curiosity was purely because she was being carried by such a powerful Fox and the fact that Aiko dared to meet the eye of the Blood Fox. The Shadow Fox was a bit wary and apprehensive of Aiko. She would always try to suppress her peers with her shadow Abilities, but she found out that Aiko had the same Elemental Affinity as her. Aiko''s was just much stronger. "We will be soon entering the inner part of Fox territory.'' The Queen spoke towards Aiko gently. The Bag Fox looked disheartened, like someone stole something from him, while the other duo were much more at ease. They walked together, soon it felt like more and more trees were blocking their path. The Queen easily navigated and the others followed behind them. Most less intelligent Foxes would get lost in here and eventually die, but this mere trick wouldn''t work on this Queen. This low-grade Array couldn''t even hide from her and she already made a backdoor for herself just in case they tried to weaponize this Array. She gave the same key to Aiko, which Aiko was unaware of. The Queen did it so flawlessly that only a few old fools in the ''Fox Village'' would be able to see through, unfortunately for those old fools, they didn''t like watching these tests so they rarely attended. They easily managed to get through that Array arriving at the grass opening. It wasn''t all that vast, just a little bit and further on there was a swamp. It smelled really bad and Aiko wanted to leave, but Queen wouldn''t allow that and Aiko was dragged into the grassy opening. Other Foxes were already there and Aiko soon forgot about the smell. There was a Fox that completely burned the ground under her, and another that froze everything within 10 meters. Surprisingly they sat next to each other, as if fighting over who had a more powerful aura. "So... how are you popsicle." The Fire Fox asked. It was quite a gentle, but still male voice. "Did you say something? Even our bonfire is hotter than you are." It was a female voice, not as gentle. Aiko could see that both of them were sweating buckets. The Fire Fox from being wet and the Ice Fox from her increased temperature. Aiko was really curious if it was that hot, but was stopped by mean Fox. "They are about 3x hotter than the Fire Lizard you fought." The Queen told her with a smirk. That doused any curiosity of getting closer to those Foxes. She still had sometimes nightmares about her fur burning and the Lizard chuckling with glee. She didn''t really want to re-enact her burned tail so she looked around, not realizing that those two competitive Foxes were looking at Aiko. "Curious." The Fire Fox said. "Indeed." For once the Ice Fox agreed. Aiko spotted a Yellow Fox, but whenever she would look at her. It felt... oppressive. She didn''t feel all that good staring at her and she felt like she would take damage any moment if she stared just a bit longer. There was another Fox which was even stranger than the yellow one. It was Purple Fox and whenever Aiko would look at her she would feel dizzy. So dizzy in fact that the Queen laughed at her attracting everyone''s attention. "That is an illusionist. She excels at fooling your senses." The Queen gently explained wrapping Aiko in her energy, using [Clean] and licking her. Aiko due to that energy could see the Fox clearly now. She was much smaller than what she previously saw, but still as beautiful. Aiko was curious about how she was able to enlarge herself since she didn''t know about illusions. 2 Humans already entered and watched the strange scene where a small cub was looking around curiously at other Foxes, being licked by a powerful Fox. Other Foxes were also staring at the cub in curiosity since its energy was much smaller, maybe because all of them were already at Magical Beast Rank and some already at Peak Magical Beast Rank. They couldn''t feel her energy, it might be because of that powerful Fox, but even so that tiny cub still didn''t feel intimidating in the slightest. ''Isn''t that?'' The girl with the Cat mask sends a telepathic message to her co-worker. ''It''s Beast Rank.'' The guy said, with a gentle smile behind his Fox-Demon mask. ''Should we kick her out?'' The girl asked, uncertain. ''Do you want to anger that?'' He laughed through telepathy. ''That Fox is already at Spirit Beast Rank.'' ''Huh!?'' The girl almost stumbled when she heard that. ''Someone that powerful is after someone so weak?'' She couldn''t believe that. ''That little one is intelligent and has slightly suppressive feelings towards that shadow Fox, so it shouldn''t be that simple.'' He answered her in his own way. ''Intelligent? I call bullshit on that one!'' She glared at him through her mask. ''With such a bad attitude you won''t find a mate.'' The guy teased her. ''As if I would want those bimbos.'' The girl snorted back and that snort alerted the Foxes on the grassy field. "You have all managed to get here, good job." He said gently, while a few Foxes immediately rushed at him trying to kill him for looking like a ''Human''. He disappeared from that place and reappeared in the middle of the grassy field. He was looking through all the Foxes, some more intelligent didn''t attack him. Only those with low intelligence were blinded by their pride. Aiko was looking at his strange ears and tail that were swaying behind him. It didn''t look as fluffy as the mean Fox''s tail, but it was still good material for sleeping. 7/10 Chapter 38 – Show-off and Run He dodged casually, not even kicking those who were attacking him. They would crash into each other or each other''s Abilities. He would always glance in the Queen''s direction trying to attract her attention. He was a complete show-off... Which didn''t work at all... The Queen continued licking the little ones fur, not paying any attention at all. ''Show-off.'' The girl clicked her tongue annoyed, but noticing that the powerful Fox didn''t pay any attention to him, she felt much better. "Even if you are her mate there won''t be any exceptions." The girl said slowly. "That is fine." The Queen answered her. ''It will be better if she goes through it and experiences a bit of the wider world.'' The Cat Mask liked this Fox, she was smart and beautiful. ''Maybe I have a chance with her?'' She thought, but she couldn''t approach her. ''If I mess my timing with her I will end up like him...'' She didn''t want that so she would take her time. She smiled towards the Queen, but only got a nod in response. "So, did you pick?" The Cat Mask asked the Fox-Demon Mask. "Yeah." The guy frowned seeing no reaction from the Fox. ''She probably doesn''t know about the suppressive nature of this form.'' He clicked his tongue. ''Damn it! I should''ve shown off once she knew, it would have better effect!'' "You, you, you-" He pointed at the Fire Fox, Ice Fox, Bag Fox and Queen. The others would have to take their challenges. "You are coming with me, the rest will have to take the normal way." ''Be careful and don''t trust anyone, okay?'' The Queen warned her through telepathy. Aiko nodded towards her, while the Fox was stinky she would help her and cook her a good meal, so she would listen to her at least a little bit. Aiko looked over the curious Foxes that were staring at her, but since nobody approached she didn''t move from her place. ''She is just dumb Beast, she wouldn''t make it.'' She sighed, but she couldn''t bend the rules, she would lose too many points if she did or maybe even get kicked out of the Village. "Follow me." She immediately ran into the swamp. The Foxes took a while to understand her words, but Aiko was already right behind her back. ''S-she is so quick?!'' The girl was stunned as she was running at quite a nice pace, yet this little one already caught up to her. ''W-wait is that [Lightness Technique]?! So early?!'' She was shocked but continued running. The other Foxes were now catching up to her, especially the Blood Fox. It was angry that that little worm stared at her, she wanted to kill every Fox in there. ''This is troublesome and we can''t even fail her because of her brother.'' The girl sighed glancing at the Blood Fox. ''This is no good, all the promising Foxes will get corrupted by her Aura...'' She shook her head, another asshole that was abusing his power, making others suffer. ''This won''t end well.'' She remembered Queen that beautiful Fox, while she was tempted to be the one to tell her about the death of her mate, at the same time she didn''t want to, she had her morals, unlike others. She picked up pace and other Foxes started to fight back. First to be targeted by the Blood Fox was the boom-boom Fox, but because there was no dust in this swamp she was almost eaten if it wasn''t for the shadow Fox saving her and running away from the Blood Fox. The Blood Fox was enraged and tried to attack the Yellow Fox, only to get blasted by light-beam. The Blood Fox staggered while the Yellow Fox proudly ran forward ignoring her. The Blood Fox was wary of this Yellow Fox so she picked another target. The purple Fox. The Blood Fox dashed towards the Purple Fox. The Purple Fox wasn''t startled it looked like she completely disregarded the Blood Fox, making her even more upset. The Purple Fox was running forward, while the Blood Fox ''sneaked'' behind her to attack her, only for the Blood Fox to crash into the tree! The Purple Fox was nowhere to be found! If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. She howled madly rushing towards the ground of Foxes that were trying to outrun her, but unfortunately, only those with powerful affinity were able to escape the Blood Fox. The girl sighed. ''What am I going to do.'' She was conflicted... if she didn''t help that little cub her chances of survival were close to nil. ''But if I intervene it would spell doom for me.'' She didn''t know what to do as she started to like this little cub herself, especially her fur, it looked so shiny and soft. ''And we are close to another stage...'' The girl sped up again. The Foxes were confused as the swamp was suddenly much more damp. Most of the Foxes here were heavy and their paws would burrow into the swamp slowing them down. If they were too heavy it would drown them. As for Aiko... she was too light to even be considered a burden. She simply ran like nothing happened. ''Right... I was too worried.'' The girl breathed a sigh of relief. ''But the next stage...'' She shook her head. ''I can only console that powerful Fox later...'' They continued to run. The least affected by this sudden change were the Shadow Fox and Yellow Fox. The Purple Fox wasn''t all that heavy but didn''t have any technique that would make her lighter, unlike the Yellow or Shadow Fox. The Blood Fox was using her explosive technique to bypass this change with brute force. The water splashed every time she stomped on it. She ignored her goal and hunted the other Foxes. Aiko noticed a new Fox appear. It looked like Ice Fox again but felt much weaker. The Ice Fox was freezing everything around her, but it was only about half a meter. That half meter was still enough to make the swamp viscous enough that would allow her to run upon it without any movement penalty. Aiko was amazed by the different Abilities and was curious about them. She didn''t pay much attention to the girl up front. She didn''t feel any warnings or anything and wished to observe the other Foxes. ''She should pay more attention...'' The girl thought. ''We are almost at another part...'' The girl sped up once again. This time it was difficult for even Aiko to follow, but that was only if she didn''t try hard enough. *Roar* Crocodiles, Crows, Owls and other beasts appeared before them. The silent and peaceful swamp soon turned into a battlefield. The girl was about to pick Aiko up to make it easier for her only to be taken aback. Aiko''s fur turned black and her presence almost completely vanished. She sped up and easily caught up with the girl. ''W-what?! S-so cute!'' The girl was obsessed with black coloured furs, so Aiko was the best target after that Shadow Fox, but now that she saw the new Aiko she switched targets. Aiko was using all her hiding Skills. She calculated the distance of each stage and her stamina. It would be enough only for part of this course if she ran with everything. Aiko dashed under the girl''s skirt startling her. The girl furiously blushed but didn''t try to do anything to Aiko. She didn''t want to upset the other Fox. Aiko disabled her stealth Abilities since it was safe here. She didn''t pay any attention to the blushing girl since she had to predict the terrain in front of her, but what was worse was that she only had about 20cm in front of her! She would need to predict with so little information, fortunately, her newly boosted stats were enough to compensate for her terrible predictions and she was able to somehow manage to go through this stage. ''There are still two more.'' The girl thought, speeding up again. Aiko was startled as instead of the swamp below her was sand. They were in a desert and it was a scorching one. ''Fuck! I need to be careful!'' Aiko sweated. If she lost the girl and the sun shined on her she would lose all of her Shadow-related buffs, she still had the Agility buff, but the Shadow one was still bigger and better as it boosted everything. Aiko was now much more careful and panicky, burning through more Stamina than was necessary. ''She is managing well.'' She observed Aiko with her weak Divine Sense. She then looked around and only the Ice Fox was doing poorly, but still good enough that she was able to dodge the onslaught of the Blood Fox. The Blood Fox pretty much killed every other Fox, but those with special properties. This greatly upset the girl as many of them had very pure Beast Cores and a bright future ahead. ''I swear if he wasn''t so much stronger I would have already chopped his head off.'' She cursed the Blood Fox''s brother. ''And he dares to even try to be my mate.'' She spat on the ground, but it actually stuck to her mask. ''Fuck! I''m so angry I''m becoming stupid!'' The Desert was rough on everyone, but the boom-boom Fox. She was Earth-Fire based Fox so she was fine, but her mate Shadow Fox wasn''t doing all that good and she had to be carried by the smaller boom-boom Fox. The Purple Fox was similar but didn''t have her mate to carry her so she was using her pure willpower to get through this. The Yellow Fox had it slightly better than the Purple Fox, but she was still quite miserable. Sweat dripped from her fur. She almost looked like a wet cat. The Desert ended after another incense stick of time and they arrived at the meadow. There was supposed to be another part, but one old fossil didn''t like the wait and cut it shorter. There are more challenges later, but at least it was cut short a bit. ''I want to pet that little one...'' The Old Fogey thought. ''But that will all depend if she can make it through the other parts.'' While he did want to pet her, he wasn''t obsessed and that was only because he didn''t see Aiko in person. "That little one is also apparently the mate of our new rising star..." The Old Fogey thought. "If I could charm the small one I would get one as a bonus." He laughed out loud disturbing the other Elder. "Shut up you goddamn pervert!" One of them yelled at him. "Keep your dirty thoughts to yourself!" They glared at him. The Old Fogey was stunned, he was sure that he only thought about it... "Stop reading my mind, you bastard." He shouted back. "Who are you calling bastard, you senile fool!" "Who are you calling a fool you-" This conversation was a daily occurrence and was ignored by most Elders. They had better things to do than bicker like children. "What do you think?" One of the Elders asked. "We should punish her for allowing the little one to take such a shortcut." One of them said. "That''s only jealousy speaking! Your fur is not as beautiful as those little ones so you are picking a fight!" "Who is picking a fight you bastard!" He shouted back. This was one of the reasons this wasn''t the main Village. They couldn''t make anything work as they would bicker 90% of the time and the rest would be spent on Cultivation... Chapter 39 – First Challenge "That little one is kinda cute." A girl watching a large projection said. "I know right? It makes you want to cuddle her, I wonder how she will look in her human form." Another girl also said. "A beauty, of course." A guy chimed in. "Go away! Nobody likes you!" The first girl glared at the handsome youth. "That''s right! Go and fight your harem you ugly cat!" The second joined. Nobody liked the males in this Village, since they would take all the pretty females and others wouldn''t be able to enjoy them. This caused quite the internal strife, slowing down the Cultivation progress of this Village. What''s more, the Elders also encouraged those pairings as they would birth powerful and beautiful fox cubs, but the fertility rate was too low to actually cause any impact. That was the reason why they relied on external factors, like foxes that just gained intelligence. The thought of joining a large Village of the same race appealed to them greatly since most of them didn''t really like other races as they were much uglier than the foxes. As such most males in this Village had around 10 mates, but only a few were cherished... "I will get her." The first girl said. "What about the yellow one? Isn''t that closer to your element?" The second girl asked, also eyeing the small cute furball. "Aren''t you closer to the purple one?" The girl asked instead of answering. "You should know we got the first pick." The youth smiled, licking his lips and both of the girls rolled their eyes. A pressure descended upon the youth. He grasped his heart and was sweating buckets, reverting back to Blazing Fox. The youth was wary as he looked towards the pressure, only for his heart to palpitate. He was mesmerised by the glaring beauty, but couldn''t speak as the pressure was not small. The girls were mesmerised too, but soon heard their peers speak. "Isn''t that the mate of the little one?" One not-so-handsome boy chuckled with glee. "That''s right." Another average girl giggled, also with glee. The girls stiffened, they almost went after someone else mate. While it was not against the rules to try to poach others'' mates, there was an unfortunate accident because of it. A girl was stolen from a somewhat promising youth, by a prodigy. That promising Youth worked hard to catch up and that he did. Not only did he torture that handsome prodigy, but he also tortured his mates. It was a bloody scene before the elders got there since they were too busy bickering. From that point on there was an unwritten rule about stealing others'' mates. Unless you seek death, don''t. That was especially true with this ravishing beauty which was already at Spirit Beast Rank. They couldn''t compare to her, both in energy and spirit. The beauty stopped the pursuit once she felt he was already half gone and returned to watch the screen. Surprisingly there were 2 other Foxes near her, but it was a strange sight... "Are you finally giving up snowgirl?" The handsome fire youth chuckled. "Are you perhaps joking, you should increase the fire, I''m freezing over here." The girl softly glared. They both were beautiful, but unfortunately, nobody could approach them, because their energies were currently fighting. Unless someone would be able to suppress both of them at the same time, one of them would be hurt and since they are part of the prodigies... they would get severely punished if something happened to them. The Queen ignored them, while they were strong their brains weren''t all that developed and didn''t know that they had the hots for each other. ... Aiko was lying in the shade with the other Foxes, although Aiko was still some ways away since the other Foxes were constantly glancing at her strangely. Aiko was disturbed by this fact at first, but now she just kept her ears perked for anyone approaching her. The Yellow Fox also laid in the shade even if it made her weaker, but that was only because she was overheated. She spent too much energy against the desert and now had very little. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The Purple was even more miserable as she looked like a wet cat, her illusions gone, her beauty gone, and all that was left was a pitiful wet cat. The Shadow Fox was doing better as she was in her element recovering, but nervously glancing at Aiko who was resting. Her mate the boom-boom Fox was the only one in the Sun as she was enjoying the scorching heat. The Blood Fox was still in the desert hunting for anything to eat, but since others needed rest they didn''t pressure the girl with the Cat Mask to do anything. Any kind of rest was good rest! ... The youth with the Fox-Demon mask appeared near Aiko. He was in stealth to try to appeal to the little one, but little did he know that Aiko had helpers... ''Quick. Quick. Jump left!'' ''Quickly before that bastard catches us!'' Aiko listened to the voices and used her [Quick Jump] to blast out of that place, colliding with the Cat Mask girl. The girl caught her and stared in the direction in which she came from. The Cat Mask finally noticed her colleague. She smiled with glee as the Fox-Demon mask was left there stunned. Aiko jumped down from the Cat Masks girl staring warily at the Fox-Demon mask. The Cat Mask was incredibly sad and cursed her colleague. She finally got to brush the little one''s fur and it was incredibly soft even after running so much. She really wanted to hug that little furball to sleep. ''Fuck you!'' The girl sent a spiteful telepathic message to the Fox-Demon youth. The Fox-Demon youth was left there completely baffled, and confused about what he had done. "Alright, since everyone rested enough, let me explain the next stage." The girl stood up, not leaving the Fox-Demon youth time to recover. "In the next stage, you are tasked to cross this grassy field, river and mountain. The first one to pass would get a special prize." The girl explained. This was the stage of her colleague, but she wouldn''t give him the chance to try to wow the little one. "Each stage has different obstacles that you have to cross. You can die so be careful at all times. That is all." Some Foxes that were hidden ran away immediately to not get caught by the Blood Fox. Others reluctantly stood up ready to leave only to pause for a moment. Aiko was already lying back down on the grassy field sleeping. It almost felt like she was not listening at all and ignoring everyone. The others stared at her completely speechless as they noticed her breathing and heartbeat were slightly slower and in rhythm. Aiko was seriously asleep! ...Incense stick of time... Aiko woke up yawning. She was already woken up once by that rude fellow so she didn''t get enough rest. She stretched and yawned again. The others were gone. Looking around they were in the field fighting something. Aiko was confused. ''Did another thing already start?'' She was unaware of the assignment. The Cat Mask girl was next to her trying to hold her laughter as observed the confused little furball. She wanted to explain but was beaten by her colleague. He tried to explain while petting Aiko, but Aiko wouldn''t be petted so easily. Her body bent, avoiding his hand and then she growled at him. They both were stunned as they were quite well-liked by all and this would be the first time someone intelligent would growl at her once they knew they weren''t humans. But what stunned them the most were Aiko''s eyes that instead of the nice light-blue colour had now two rubies. The girl''s heart skipped a beat and she was not the only one as the many other girls watching from the stadium also skipped a beat and some even fainted! The Fox-Demon was shocked by this sudden switch. ''Demonic Beast!'' He immediately associated it with that. ''Kekeke, you ugly untalented bastard.'' ''Kikiki, you cuckold.'' The shadows spoke to him, ridiculing him. Meanwhile, the girl was blushing. ''Hehehe, what a pretty girl.'' ''Hahaha, what cute ears.'' The girl was sensitive about her ears since they were a lot smaller than her peers and was often ridiculed by them. Aiko snorted. Patting the girl''s leg. The girl''s heart almost jumped out of her chest when she saw that cute action. She coughed several times trying to look serious, but she was constantly grinning like a pervert. "The next stage is about crossing the grassy fields, river and mountain. There are plenty of dangers around, not just animals so be careful." The girl spoke more than necessary as she was completely taken in by Aiko. Aiko nodded towards her and ran forward. None of the participants finished yet, but since she started so late, there was no point in telling her about the first prize. Aiko dashed into the field as soon as she finished. She was not as quick since she was out in the open without any shadows, but that didn''t mean she was weak. Her [Intention Perception] screamed at her danger. She was currently near the Yellow Fox and Blood Fox, but that danger came from the front and not from the side. She was confused but still used her [Prehensile tail] to slap the ground and change her trajectory out of the danger. -50HP She felt pain in her tail. It felt like something sliced her tail several times. Aiko landed and warily looked forward. The grass was bloodied by her tail. ''Is the grass sharp or am I too weak?'' Aiko thought, when her [Intention Perception] screamed again, this time from the side. The Blood Fox didn''t like this little shit, so she wanted to get rid of Aiko. Aiko jumped just enough to dodge her which startled both the Blood Fox and Yellow Fox. Neither of them was expecting Aiko to be so quick. The Blood Fox turned around aiming at Aiko who would be defenceless once she landed. The Blood Fox used her Blood Ability to speed up. She caught up to Aiko who was about to land. Aiko was smarter than her and even before landing she was already using [Burrow] and she sank into the ground where she couldn''t be attacked. The Blood Fox couldn''t stop with her speed and she was not even intelligent enough to do that. She crashed into the ground, burrowing part of her head in. She was stunned by the impact and dizzy from the aftermath. She was confused because instead of tasty blood she had a mouth full of dirt. Aiko''s head popped up near the Yellow Fox, startling her again. Aiko grinned at the Blood Fox before disappearing again. The Blood Fox roared in anger, but couldn''t find Aiko. ... "Don''t bite her you bitch!" One girl shouted. "I will castrate you!" Another girl yelled. "I will beat you on my bed!" The youth joined. The girls looked at the youth strangely. They knew he was partially sadistic, but this... On the wide projection, Aiko disappeared. The Blood Fox was looking around. Aiko''s head popped up again and those who were watching laughed out loud. Queen also had a hard time holding her laughter as Aiko was grinning towards the Blood Fox. ''This will be a messy stay...'' The Queen thought. ''I have really overdone it with that medicine bath...'' She sighed at her own perfection. Chapter 40 – Is that really a Fox? Isn’t that a Mole? Aiko was using her [Burrow] with [Intention Perception] to its fullest to find spots where there was no danger. She spend more time under the ground than above and because inside the ground she was technically in shadow she also had boosted stats, making her much faster. She bypassed the whole grassy field and arrived in front of rocky ground leading to a river. The Purple Fox and Boom-boom Fox with Shadow Fox were already there staring at the water. Aiko came near the water, it felt chilling. So much so that she didn''t want to approach it. The other stared in curiosity at the tiny cub and what it would do. They could talk already but found it too bothersome at first. Aiko lay down licking her paws. Many of those who were currently watching her either fainted or had nosebleeds as Aiko was playing cute. Aiko was recovering stamina since she spent most of it on that grassy field. Once she recovered... heh. ... The Elders were looking like dumb chickens at the projections. "Say... isn''t that against the rules?" One elder said. He spends so much time Cultivating that grassy field as one of the protections of the ''Fox Village''. He felt betrayed when that little furball just bypassed it altogether not giving him enough face. The other Elders didn''t say anything. That was not against the rules, but now they wouldn''t be able to gauge her survivability skills if she just straight-up took the shortcut door. "That''s not the right question gentlemen and ladies." Another Elder said. "What if she makes it as first?" He gestured towards the Aiko who was now bypassing another challenge by simply [Burrow]ing under it. The Elders had a pained expression as this challenge was supposed to demonstrate your thinking. "M-my river." The Elder almost coughed up blood. The Elders stopped to think. That prize was for someone exceptional, but they couldn''t really say that little one was. She completely bypassed everything... ... Aiko jumped out of the ground at the opposite side of the river. The traversal this time was much easier since she just had to avoid the place with the wettest surroundings. Like that, she was able to [Burrow] under the river and make it to the opposite side, with only little damage taken. Why did she take damage? That river had special Ice Qi in it which pierced much deeper than the water, so Aiko was a bit frozen during her burrowing, but nothing too serious, it would be recovered in a few days, like the grassy field damage. Aiko looked forward, the mountain looked unimposing, ordinary. Her [Intention Perception] also didn''t tell her anything. ''Forward, forward.'' ''The goal is near, run!'' Aiko listened to the Darkness and dashed forward with her [Sprint], sometimes even using her [Quick Jump] to bypass some of the obstacles. She felt some coldness in front of her and a strange sensation behind her. ''Don''t look back.'' ''Trust your instincts.'' Aiko was confused as her instincts were telling her that she should look back, but thinking about it again her [Intention Perception] was dormant. She would again listen to the voices, ignoring that strange sensation. She ran for a while and met with another Fox. It was the Ice Fox, she was much slower than Aiko and had many injuries, but it seemed like the river didn''t slow this Ice Fox by much as she looked like she was full of energy. Aiko was not full of energy but was much faster than this Ice Fox startling her as she passed by her. The Ice Fox didn''t cast any Abilities, since she realized her opponent was much faster and she would just waste her energy. That didn''t mean she didn''t feel upset about her loss, since she wouldn''t be able to arrive first. The Ice Fox made an internal memo and this furball to pay her back later. Soon the Ice Fox was passed by something zipping past her. It was Lightning Fox that was hiding around and because of his incredible speed, he was able to bypass most obstacles by simply jumping over them. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The river was also around 20m wide, but since his speed was too much he simply blasted over the river. Now he was catching up to the furball. He smirked. ''I will be able to gain first place~'' He hummed to himself already imagining the various beauties that would wait on him. Aiko was aware of him but didn''t do anything. While he was much faster than Aiko on paper, he couldn''t control his speed properly, while Aiko controlled her body very well and with her [Prehensile Tail] she was able to sometimes do the impossible, but she didn''t want to use her tail now since it was injured. A drop of blood landed on the Lightning Fox. He was startled. ''Is she injured?'' He wondered, but soon noticed that the tip of her tail was completely red and it was not natural red. ''If I heal her would she become my first spouse?'' He thought. ''Possible, but I must make a good impression.'' He nodded to himself and sped up. He arrived next to Aiko ready to speak, but he didn''t focus on where he was running and slammed his body into a tree. Aiko was looking at this ridiculous guy but continued running. It was not her work to help these Foxes, especially when they observed her so much. She felt like a lab rat sometimes. She was completely unaware that hundreds of Foxes were currently watching her, laughing or cursing. *Boom* The boom-boom Fox passed by the Lightning Fox and right behind her was the Shadow Fox. They couldn''t catch up to Aiko and they saw her in new light. They thought that she was too weak, but she surprised them again and again. The feeling of apprehension was also gone as they saw her passive nature. The boom-boom Fox liked Aiko a lot since she had a soft spot for Shadow Beasts. She would love to cuddle with that little furball, but couldn''t. Not to mention Queen, even her mate was very possessive of her. So she couldn''t just go and make more mates. ... On the projection, Aiko was running along when the Lightning Fox caught up again. "Damn bastard stay away from her!" "I WILL FUCKING BURN YOU!" "I''m going to drown you!" The audience was already livid each time someone got close to Aiko. There were currently 3 camps. 1st one was the Harem camp. Where everyone wanted Aiko as Mate. 2nd were worshippers, they wanted to worship her cuteness and softness. 3rd Neutral Camp. They wanted to worship her and be her mate at the same time as such they couldn''t pick one or the other. Hm? There were more camps? I suppose there were a few more who worshipped the Queen and the 2 strange Foxes, but nobody was all that vocal about it since they were next to them. Aiko on the other hand was unaware of their words so they could- "I will let you ram my ####" "Let me #### #### #### and #### #### ####" There was another strange camp, but those were soon beaten up by the 2nd camp for staining their pure furball... ... Elders: "..." One Elder shook his head. "And here I thought that the Lightning Fox would be able to take the lead, but that fool..." He sighed. Another Elder laughed. "Ah, those young ones are funny." They all looked at this pervert who liked the young meat but would frown if they had more than 1,000 years. "What do we do with her Elders?" The Sect Leader spoke gently. They were silent. They all wanted that beautiful Fox(Queen), for themselves, but were aware that that little furball was her mate, which meant she wouldn''t join as Direct Disciple. "We can''t bend the rules and allow her to join the other Inner Disciples." One of the Elders shook his head. "We also can''t make her Direct Disciple since she is not strong enough." Another Elder sighed, she really liked that ever-changing fur and wanted that furball for herself. "Do you think that she won''t join the Direct Disciples if that little one wouldn''t be there?" The Sect leader asked while glaring at certain elders. She was already aware that they tried to poach her(Queen) behind everyone else back. "Let''s observe for now, if she passes the Heart Array with at least 5 minutes we can bend the rules slightly." One Elder proposed, but others also thought it to be more than a good achievement, to admit her into Inner Disciple Ranks. "Is it settled then?" She asked the Elders. "Yes, Sect Leader." The Elders bowed with respect. The Sect Leader was a busy person who needed to soon leave for the mainland, in a few years they would arrive back with an envoy from the main Sect to gather all the talented Foxes and reward them for their work. The mainland was a very competitive place with an incredibly high mortality rate, which meant that they burned through talent faster than they could foster and that''s where their Sect came into play. They would gather all the talent from this continent and send them to the main Sect. The Sect Leader sighed. Each time she would leave some kind of catastrophe happened, she hoped that this time it would be different... ... "WOHOOOOOOO!" "GOGOGO" "YAAAAY" They were cheering for the little Furball that was near the finish line. "DON''T YOU DARE YOU BASTARD OR I WILL MAKE YOU BALD!" Or cursed those who tried to overtake her. They were surprisingly unified in this and only a few weren''t with the small furball, but those were beaten by the majority, so they chose to be quiet for the time being. ... Aiko crossed the finish line without much difficulty as the Lightning Fox crashed into another tree just before the finish line, ending up 4th. The Blood Fox was the last one as she was not very smart and had to brute force everything. Thus was supposed to be injured everywhere on her body. Surprisingly she was not injured at all. She had a lot of blood on her, but none of that blood was hers but of the other Foxes. Aiko was observing that Fox, there was a strange feeling towards that Fox and she couldn''t quite put her finger on it. The Darkness was telling Aiko about her, but she couldn''t understand a thing they were saying. Why was she supposed to beat this Fox senseless? The Darkness was always right, Aiko already got used to this, but she just couldn''t grasp the idea behind such an action. Sure that Blood Fox was a pain in the ass, but it''s not like she was powerful enough to cause problems for her. She didn''t care about the other Foxes that the Blood Fox slaughtered. She didn''t know them so why should she care? And how was she supposed to beat her senseless when her only real weapon was [Lacerate] and [Crushing Bite]... [#### #### ####] [New Mission!] [Beat the Blood Fox senseless] [Reward: - ] ''Great, now the system is acting up.'' Aiko was really bothered by this and couldn''t understand why that happened since the system was silent for now. Little did she know that it was not the system... Chapter 41 – Might = Right Aiko was resting in a nearby shade. The Shadow Fox with the boom-boom Fox was suspiciously close to her and would move bit by bit closer to Aiko. Aiko didn''t really mind that as her [Intention Perception] didn''t pick anything about them and the Darkness was also quiet. She was fine with them as long as they didn''t disturb her sleep. They were curious about this fragile little furball. Especially after they saw her fur changing. They also noticed that her eye colour would change depending on her mood. They all were resting because they were waiting for the last Foxes, those that hid and waited for the Blood Fox to finish before they started. The Fox-Demon didn''t mind as his main goal was to attract this little one, especially now that he was ordered by his master. All of them liked Aiko''s red eyes as they fired strange emotions inside them. They wanted to see them more often, but at the same time, those calm, light-blue eyes. They were too mesmerizing to pass up. They had quite a different charm compared to the ruby ones. The Cat Mask girl wanted to come close, but there were already quite a few Foxes that were near Aiko, so she was blocked. She had her own pride and image to maintain so she didn''t want to kick them out, but oh boy was she tempted to do so. ... Finally, the last stragglers arrived. Of course, the Blood Fox didn''t cause trouble, while she had a smooth brain, she still had some sense of preservation. Aiko woke up once he clapped his hands. She was annoyed at him multiple times since he tried to attract her attention. She was very upset about him throwing strange flowers around... ''Why isn''t she reacting to those expensive herbs...?'' He was confused. Aiko yawned, the Cat Masked girl wanted to say something, but couldn''t since she was interrupted by her colleague. "Congratulations, you have reached the finish line first." He praised Aiko suspiciously well. "As such you will be rewarded with this [Spatial Ring]." Spacial Ring was a higher Tier of Storage Ring. It had larger storage space and was harder to invade. The easiest way to steal this would have to be to kill that person and wait for their soul to enter the underworld or disperse their soul. Otherwise, the Spacial Ring would be still locked and you would have to tamper with the inscription to unlock it, but you would risk breaking the Spacial expansion, destroying all the items inside the ring. Aiko looked at him warily. They never said anything about prizes, so she was suspicious of him. He was ordered by his master to give her this ring. It would tempt her enough to join his faction. Aiko didn''t want this. She didn''t know anything about Spacial Ring and he was too suspicious for her to take anything. Aiko walked away from him hiding behind the Cat Masked girl. The girl was incredibly happy and upset at the same time. That ring was too precious to refuse, but at the same time, she was happy because this little furball sought her for protection. "You should receive this ring." The Fox-Demon masked youth said. Aiko shook her head. She didn''t like him enough to receive anything. His lips twitched, but because he had that mask everything was alright. He chanted his sutra to calm down and tried again, but noticed that the little Fox was already asleep near the Cat Masked girl. He asked her for assistance, but the poor girl was currently screaming her heart out as she really really REALLY wanted to pet this little cutie. Unfortunately for her, she couldn''t she already knew that this little cutie would become wary of anyone who woke her up. She struggled in her mind constantly, fighting between two camps. The first camp wanted to observe this cutie and protect her, while the other wanted to cuddle and pet Aiko to her heart''s content. The youth frowned, he would be punished by his master if she didn''t receive this ring. It would be enough if she contracted this ring... He narrowed his eyes and approached Aiko. Aiko immediately stood up and hissed at him, surprising everyone. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ''He wants to hurt you, run, run.'' ''Be careful he is not a good person.'' Aiko was on high alert. ''Just a drop of blood is enough.'' The Fox-Demon masked youth thought. He couldn''t use the blood on her tail since it was already too old, so he would have to take a fresh one. He used his illusion to conjure a small blade and attacked Aiko. Aiko felt goosebumps and used [Laceration] to parry it, but it was not enough. She spammed [Laceration] till half of her stamina was already gone, but she successfully managed to block that strike and shatter it. He was dangerous and she couldn''t stay here, were her thoughts. The youth was startled, as he never expected his strike to be blocked. This time window was enough for Aiko to dive under the earth and run away at full speed while concealing herself. Aiko ran away startling everyone present, but it was not as bad as it was in the stadium... ... The entire place was silent, nobody was able to curse because of the oppressive nature that the Queen radiated. Even the Elder in charge of the projection was sweating. He was on the same stage as she was, but he already felt he was vastly outclassed. "Please calm down Jade Fox." The elder tried to soothe her. "I think there is some misunderstanding." "Misunderstanding?" The Queen slowly repeated as the temperature dropped even lower. "If she doesn''t want to receive something from you will you force her." She wanted to ask that question, but it changed into an answer in the instant and the Elder frowned. ''Stupid bastard, why do you have to cause trouble when I''m working.'' He cursed that youth. That youth might be a prodigy, but he caused him the most trouble out of all the different prodigies. He sighed, the Jade Fox was still looking at him and he felt really bad he hoped it would be over already. "Ah!" One girl voiced something and the Queen looked at the projection, the oppressive nature lessened soon after. ... Aiko ran away quite far, but he was able to catch up to her easily. Aiko used all her Skill to get away only to crash into something soft when she was panicking. "My, my, a visitor." An old voice surprised Aiko. She was currently entangled in fluff and had a hard time moving. That person picked her up out of her tails. Aiko was restless, but neither her [Intention Perception] nor the Darkness warned her. They were quite welcoming. Aiko calmed down but wanted to see this person. As if that person knew what she was thinking she brought her close. Half of her face was scarred from burns. It wasn''t a pretty sight, but Aiko didn''t mind. ''11/10 tail sleeping material.'' Aiko praised her in her mind and that person chuckled. She looked old but was very pleasing. "What honour do I owe this small visitor?" She asked gently. Aiko paused for a moment. ''There is a bastard that wants to butcher me!'' She vexingly slapped with her paws. That person smiled and looked towards another visitor. It was a youth with a pellucid knife in his hand. She observed that person for a bit. "May I ask that you ret-ARGH" He was almost instantly kicked by her. *Crash**Crash**Boom**Crash**Boom**Crash* He stopped only after he demolished every single tree in his path. Naturally, he was sent flying back to the finish line and crashed near the Cat Masked girl, shocking her. She was the only person who knew how powerful he was and she was honestly scared of him, but that terrifying person just crashed like a broken doll that couldn''t even resist a single hit. She stared blankly at him and heard footsteps. She turned around only for her heart to almost stop. She immediately stood up cupped her hands and bowed deeply. "This insignificant Fox greets Grandmaster." She was as polite as ''humanly'' possible. She was aware that this Sect had a Grandmaster, but she never heard anything good of her. She was exceptionally strict and would punish anyone who would slight her or use improper etiquette. The Grandmaster nodded, petting the little cutie in her hands. She looked rough, her hands were rough and her face was stern, yet in her mind, she was greatly enjoying this little one''s fur. The youth vomited blood and Aiko felt happy. The Grandmaster was not immune to her little charm and almost laughed, but since half of her face was stiff, she was able to endure it, she would caress Aiko in such a way that would relax her. The Grandmaster stared at the overly stiff girl, sighing. The girl was terrified and wanted to run away, but couldn''t if she did her life would forfeit, was what she thought. "Explain." The Grandmaster simply asked and the girl immediately spilled everything. "I see..." The Grandmaster shook her head, she wanted to ask this little one''s opinion, but she was only Beast Rank and cub to boot and that meant only one thing. ''She is already asleep.'' She smiled gently and the Elder taking care of the projection froze, like he saw the devil from the underworld. She sat down. She was almost 9-tailed Fox, but 3 of her tails were ripped or burned, so she lost a lot of strength, but that didn''t mean she was weak. She could handle even Sect Leader when it came to it. She would wait until Aiko rested. The Cubs needed to rest. Especially when they already were in Beast Rank, as it would drain their mental capacity much more quickly. If they wouldn''t rest they wouldn''t be able to progress smoothly. It would also hinder their intelligence, but... ''This little one is already too smart, she needs care.'' The Grandmaster thought. The girl''s nerves were already overburdened. She wanted the Grandmaster to leave since she was too scared. "Relax, sit down, we will be here quite a while." The Grandmaster said and the girl collapsed almost sobbing out loud. ''Grandmaster is too scary baaaaaa.'' She cried in her mind but didn''t let it see on her face. The youth coughed blood again and woke up finally. He was already in his battle stance but found out his colleague was sitting in front of that person. He wanted to send a telepathic transmission but realized it was blocked. His blood ran cold as he knew only someone exceptionally powerful would be able to block telepathy. He stood up and wobbled. That he suffered a serious blow and that blow blocked the flow of his Beast Core. He stumbled back down and his colleague finally noticed him. ''Stupid bastard look at what you have done!'' She cursed him in her mind wanting to kill him when he was weakened, but didn''t dare to do anything in front of the Grandmaster. ''If you stopped fucking your harem every single fucking day and actually learned about the Sect you would know this person. Sob. I can''t even cry.'' The girl was distressed. The youth could feel the resentment coming from his colleague and couldn''t understand a thing. He still had that ring and mission from his master, he had to complete it but didn''t know how, as his opponent was too strong. Chapter 42 – Grandmaster is always right! And Test The Grandmaster was leisurely sitting on the rock, gently caressing Aiko. She was so gentle that Aiko wouldn''t even notice, less wake up. She was peacefully sleeping as the Darkness told her to rest since it was safe now. It took a few hours for Aiko to properly rest, but nobody complained. Who would dare to complain about their Grandmaster? Only those that had short lifespans, which was almost no one. ... "Elders." The Sect Leader said seriously. The Elders sweated, especially the one that sent that Spacial Ring. They didn''t say anything and were playing dead. The Sect Leader shook her head and glanced at the screen. It was quite a long time since she saw the Grandmaster. She was known as the most stoic and stern person, but that was only because she was able to read others'' thoughts to a certain extent as such she saw much more of the hideous world, especially her mate. The Sect Leader shook her head, she was almost at the end of her lifespan because she lost her tails. The Sect Leader was happy that she appeared before she completely vanished, but she didn''t expect to be this kind of appearance. ... "You don''t mind right, Sect Leader?" The Grandmaster spoke gently. They were good friends as such they were very polite to each other, unlike other proud Grandmasters. She asked the air, but the Grandmaster knew she was staring exactly where the Sect Leader was. She got a telepathic message in response. Approval. She was happy. It was such a long time since she was able to enjoy herself. Aiko woke up and yawned, feeling refreshed. She didn''t want to leave this cosy place but also didn''t want to trouble this nice person. She was happy enough that that bastard got kicked by her. She grinned happily and her tail swished. The Grandmaster smiled, she liked pure and happy people. Aiko was one of them as she didn''t feel repulsed by her condition. Aiko stared at the Grandmaster with some sadness. She was a great sleeping pillow and she wouldn''t be able to find such a nice one in a long time. The Grandmaster finally couldn''t endure it and laughed at Aiko. "This is the first time someone thought about me as a pillow." She laughed heartily. Aiko shyly looked away, her thoughts were read and she felt embarrassed. ''But it''s such a nice and cosy place!'' Aiko tried to defend herself. The Grandmaster chuckled. "Yes, yes, now we should move to another part of the test." The Grandmaster glanced at the girl with the mask. Every Fox was wary of this Grandmaster and they felt scared whenever they looked at her, so they wouldn''t go with her. The Cat Masked girl was much easier to get along with, so they were willing to follow her to another stage. ... The girl guided them to the Teleportation Array. "You will be teleported to a forest rich in resources. There you will be tasked to ruin as many humans as possible and bring as many resources as possible. The time limit is 10 days. Your main objective is to capture 100 Human Cultivators. Killing them is alright, but in that case, you have to kill 1,000 of them to pass." The girl explained slightly trembling. "As for resources... the more you bring the better the contribution points you will earn. Those can be used to earn different Martial Arts or buy time of esteemed Elders, so they can improve your techniques." The girl wasn''t as enthusiastic, since the Grandmaster was ''breathing'' at her back. "You will receive this Pouch. You can store living things inside." The girl pointed at the multiple pouches around her arm. She gave each Fox one and returned to her place. "Now please enter the Teleportation Array, in the pouch is a special Spirit Stone that if you break it, it will send you back here, so use it. Don''t lose your life meaninglessly." She said seriously. Aiko didn''t want to move away from those fluffy tails, but she had to, so she sat on the Teleportation Array with the other foxes. The Teleportation Array shined Teleporting them away. ... The Queen frowned, while she could see Aiko through her projection, Aiko''s body was out of her Divine Sense range as such wouldn''t be able to protect her or help her as she had done with that little bastard. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! The Elder was sweating again since the Jade Fox was staring daggers at him. He didn''t understand why but cursed that prodigy again. ... Aiko was in an unfamiliar Forest. There was no one around. She didn''t feel all that good about this place. It gave her the creeps. Sure the Qi was abundant, but there was this creepy feeling in the air. Her senses were also warning her of everything around her. That thing is poisoned. This one causes vomiting. That one causes blood loss. It was just too much information from the Darkness and [Intention Perception]. She activated her hiding abilities and most of those warnings disappeared. She was confused by this but moved away from this place. This place was too scary! She hid in nearby bushes, cancelling her stealth Abilities and observing. The Forest was very shiny and light-coloured. There were many fruit trees and bushes with tasty-looking fruits. Fortunately, she already tested those fruits once, and she wouldn''t do it again, but... She would take every single piece that looked really expensive and leave anything that didn''t! ... She sneaked around the forest with her Skills active. She already spotted a few humans, but they were accompanied by some powerful Cultivators, so she would not attack them just yet. Aiko tailed those Cultivators eavesdropping on their conversation, which was a mistake. "Have you seen Senior Martial Sister''s ass?" He licked his lips loudly. "I would slurp that stuff from morning to night!" He chuckled. "Nono, have you seen OUR Senior Martial Sister?" He chuckled at this ignorant bastard. "Those tits bounce so much when she practices her Martial Technique that it''s impossible to concentrate!" "Nononono, have you seen our Senior Martial Sister?" He laughed with glee. "Those long legs and thick thighs could crush watermelons!" He drooled. "She could crush my head any time~!" Aiko regretted eavesdropping so much, why was everyone so... ugh... this brought her bad memories from the dildo incident. She shook her head, she would definitely tie those bastards and shove them inside her new pouch. She waited till nighttime. They were gathering around a campfire, cooking food. Aiko was almost charmed to come outside the bush from the smell, but she resisted with all of her willpower. She would not be tempted! She sat and waited, waited until they assigned their sleeping duties, but then she realized something... ''How the fuck am I supposed to tie them and shove them inside my pouch?!'' She was frozen stiff, she ignored that gnawing question till now that she was too distracted to think about this important issue. Her mind was blank and she looked at the nearby rock. She then nodded. ''This will do.'' She would hammer their heads until they pass out and then shove them inside her pouch, problem fucking solved~! Aiko praised herself in her mind, feeling happy about her genius plan. ... The roles were finally set after they talked about the colour of their Senior Martial Sisters'' underwear. Aiko really wanted to bash their head in already but resisted. She can do that later, no, soon. She slowly made her way into the first tent. Those guys were already out and Aiko bashed their heads with the rock. It made quite a loud sound, but those Cultivators outside were talking about the best way to push female Cultivators down and weren''t paying attention to the insides of the tents. Aiko stored her first 2 Victims inside the pouch. 98 were left and beat one red fox. She moved to another tent, banking another 2 Victims, but this time those outside noticed her and she had to run, while behind her flew fireworks, but for some reason... her [Intention Perception] didn''t perceive any danger? She turned around and threw another rock with her tail. *Ding* ''... what?'' Aiko was left speechless as she was able to put that Cultivator to sleep without ambushing it. What she wasn''t aware of was that the rock reached sub-sonic speed and thus packed punch compared to a cannonball with the speed of ''throw''. Those Cultivators didn''t believe that such tiny creatures would be able to pack such heavy punch and didn''t protect themselves properly and as such on her first day, she was able to stockpile 10 Victims. 2 of which were foaming from their mouths. Aiko moved through the Forest to another camp. She saw faint light between the trees, so it was easy to find them. *Ding**Ding**Ding* The night guards were put to rest, she then waited as those from the tents rushed outside. *Ding**Ding* Yet another 5 Victims. 2 of which were once again foaming from the mouth. ''This... isn''t this too easy?'' Aiko thought. ... The people watching in the stadium were left conflicted. They still cheered for Aiko, but felt bittersweet inside, since they didn''t remember this part of the test being so easy. They were chased around the Forest by the Cultivators. They only tried to survive as such most of them didn''t get over 10 Live Human Cultivators. That little furball had already 15! On her first night that didn''t yet end! They were upset, but not upset enough to stop cheering! They would definitely demand an explanation from the Elders! The Elder on the stage sweated even more as he noticed that more and more disciples glared at him. ''Bastard! What did you do now?!'' The Elder operating projection could no longer see it as all his concentration was on the faint energy. Otherwise, he wouldn''t be able to display those images. He sighs in his mind. He will have to demand a raise in pay, this is so not worth it... ... The Sect Leader was also speechless. ''Something doesn''t add up.'' The Elders were frowning. They couldn''t assess their lethality as their enemies were too weak... "Sect Leader..." One Elder pleaded. "We will solve it later, be ready for battle, something is wrong." She wouldn''t interfere in the tests but would defend this Village if they came. "We are always ready." The Perverted old man said and everyone stared at him. ''You are the most unreliable fellow in here.'' All of them had this exact same thought, even the Sect Leader, but because that pervert was strong they didn''t say anything. ... Aiko found her den deep inside the ground. She used her [Burrow] to soften the dirt and haul it outside with her pouch. She realized she could use that to store that dirt as long as she made it into small dirt balls. That was slightly difficult, but it was easier than hauling all that dirt individually. She was able to clear quite a large area. She would be able to stay in here since the entrance was well hidden inside bushes. The only unfortunate thing would be rain... that could flood her den and she would have to make changes to it tomorrow, but for today she was too exhausted. She would sleep and take out some food that she still had in that special pouch. She didn''t take out all of them once Queen took them from her, but once she took them out she felt an inexplicit shiver down her spine. She didn''t understand why... Chapter 43 – Skills and Victims ''That little brat dared to hide more food from me!'' The Queen clicked her tongue. She was very displeased as she worked really hard on her Beast Core, but that little furball just threw her hard work out of the window! ''Just wait when you return. I will take all of that filthy food.'' She smiled. The audience was shivering from the Jade Fox''s smile, they wanted to run away from it. It was too scary! But they couldn''t! Not when that little one was eating so happily! They looked at the other projections, the other foxes also didn''t have any trouble, but they had a hard time keeping those humans alive. ''Seriously give us back our hard test!'' They screamed internally as they found it unfair. Aiko was sleeping soundly in the projection, while the other foxes gathered even more humans... corpses. They were seriously bad at keeping them alive. But the audience didn''t mind as they cared only about that little Foxie, most of them already lost too much blood and couldn''t get another nosebleed, but that didn''t stop them from fainting. ... Aiko woke up refreshed. She needed to hunt only 10 humans a day, which was simple, so she should use this situation to learn new skills or upgrade the old ones. She looked at [Burrow], she really liked this skill where she could just want under the ground, but its upgrade would cost her 50 Skill Points. On the other hand, it would become Ability for some reason, an [Earthen Walk]. She was really happy and confused. She thought that she needed more skills to reach Abilities and so on, but it seems that some skills were exceptionally close to Abilities and thus they could become one? She didn''t mind this strangeness as it meant she was much more powerful. [You have improved [Burrow] to [Earth Walk]!] Next up was [Crushing Bite], this one, unfortunately, didn''t change into an Ability, and as such Aiko was hesitating. ''Should I wait or upgrade it now?'' She had trouble fighting difficult opponents up close and this Ability wouldn''t be able to change that, she should probably purchase some Throwing Skill to make up for her lack of range arsenal. She searched the shop and found a multitude of ranged skills, from archery to rock throwing. She didn''t know if rock throwing would count with her tail, so she didn''t immediately buy it. She browsed the shop for something nice and found something extremely odd. [Nurture] Skill was for free! She didn''t understand what it meant, but free skills wouldn''t hurt her, right? [You have a new Skill [Nurture].] [####] It didn''t have a description like some other things, but maybe it was just a very complicated way to nurture her body? She Activated this new and free skill. [Beast Core(10%): 1,000 -> 999] Aiko was startled. It took her Beast Core energy, but only a single point? Does that mean it could only take a certain number? Most Beast Cores gave her between 1-10 Points, so this consumption was not all that bad. She would have to wait and see, it was also only Level 1 so once it increased its Level its effects should also increase. Elemental Spirit: [Seed of ####; Nurtured 1/100,000] ''Ah! It''s that seed!'' Aiko almost facepalmed. Only now she could remember her swallowing that Seed. She cursed the stinky Fox and returned to the Elemental Spirit. [Seed of ####; Nurtured 1/100,000] [User is required to nurture this seed in order to advance its stage. Each stage will make it stronger and add additional Effect.] [Seed of ####] [Effects: #### ] ''But 100,000... isn''t that a bit too much?'' Aiko thought it was unfair that it cost so much to nurture. ''And I can''t use nurture again! This will be a pain in the ass.'' Aiko shook her head. She returned to the throwing skills as no other strange skill was free or maybe she just couldn''t find them... [Throwing Mastery] cost the most at a whopping 25 points! but it seemed like it applied to ANY throwing weapon. It was pricy and it wasn''t even Ability, but if it helped improve her ranged combat prowess. ''I will throw rocks at them!'' Aiko giggled with a sinister ''voice''. Next up was [Sprint], but she really didn''t want to combine it just yet and upgrades to it were very lacklustre. [Tracking] She didn''t need to upgrade, since she did none of that, but [Quick Jump]~ she should definitely improve that since it''s such an amazing Skill. ''Passive skill is meh, I really like the active parts since they are much more powerful!'' Aiko thought, but unfortunately, she was once again wrong. While Skills did indeed have more powerful effects when in active form, once she got too many active Skills they would burn through her Stamina really quickly, as such it was better to use passive skills. [Quick Double Jump] [User can perform jump mid-air without any footholds.] [You have improved [Quick Jump] to [Quick Double Jump]!] Aiko''s eyes shined brightly. She really really liked these skills! And it cost her only 10 points~! ''Go, go!'' Aiko hummed. [Climb]... Aiko didn''t do any climbing, but she might do it here since it wasn''t flat and if she could throw rocks like squirrels throwing nuts~. Aiko giggled again, but she hesitated. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ''Do I want [Climb] to be active or stick with passive?'' She didn''t know the right answer for this question. She would climb sometimes, but not always, she didn''t want to waste her points on something she wouldn''t use in the long run... [Enhanced Climbing] [Passive Skill] [Improves your climbing prowess.] [You have improved [Climb] to [Enhanced Climbing]!] ''Maybe I should evolve into climbing Fox next~'' Aiko mused herself. She spent 5 points on that. [Enhanced Sight]... ''I''m not sure about this one, should I combine it into [Enhanced Basic Senses] or just upgrade it...'' Aiko looked at it. ''[Enhanced Basic Senses] is not that expensive and it would allow me to improve all of my basic senses...'' ''Yeeeeah, let''s just go for it, it might not be Ability, but it''s still passive, anything that helps me will be good.'' Aiko completely threw her reasoning out. She just wanted to see numbers go up. [You have combined: [Enhanced Sight: Mastered] + [Enhanced Smell: Mastered] into [Enhanced Basic Senses]!] This cost her 85 Skill points, but she didn''t mind that it would be useful later on. ''[Stamina Recovery], let''s just wait for [Health Recovery] and [Vitality Recovery] and combine them.'' ''[Prehensile Tail]... [Weaponized Tail]... inflicts a fatal wound upon the enemy. Depends on tail type...'' Aiko looked at her soft fluffy tail. ''Yeah right, no way that is gonna work.'' She threw that idea out of the window. ''[Temperature Regulation]- Geh! It costs 25 points! And I will only get [Thermal Regulation]...'' [You have improved [Temperature Regulation] to [Thermal Regulation]!] ''I''m so sorry, for I have sinned.'' Aiko prayed. [ Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 420 - 580 -> 300 - 700 Species: [Shadow Fennec Fox Cub(Female, Peak of Unique)] Species: [-] Age: 0.5/100 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Awakened)] Bloodline: [-] Beast Rank: Beast Level: 80 (2nd Evolution) Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], Elemental Spirit(NEW): [Seed of ####; Nurtured 1/100,000] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement) HP: 719|719 (1pH & 0.07%pH) ST: 800|1,197 (3pH & 0.1%pH) Vitality: 453|453 (1pH & 0.03%pH) Vigour: 931 Beast Core(10%): 1,000 -> 999 -> 998 (1,118) Toughness: 372 Strength: 773 Agility: 2,697*1.5 Dexterity: 286 Mind: 1,726 Insight: 30 Beauty: 5,726 Luck: 426 Stat Points: 342 Skill Points: 288 -> 238 -> 228 -> 223 -> 138 -> 113 Elemental Affinity: [Shadow - 3], [Earth - 9] Martial Arts: [Lightness Technique] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered], [Earthen Walk(NEW): Lv.1] Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.2], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Agility Mastery: Lv.1], [Intention Perception: Mastered] Skills: [Burrow(Removed): Mastered], [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Lacerate: Lv.3], [Sprint: Mastered], [Tracking: Mastered], [Quick Jump: Mastered -> Quick Double Jump: Lv.1], [Climb(Removed): Mastered], [Camouflage: Lv.3->5], [Meditation: Lv.1], [Nurture(NEW): Lv.1] Passive Skills: [Stealth: Lv.3->5], [Enhanced Sight(Removed): Mastered], [Health Recovery: Lv.7], [Stamina Recovery: Mastered], [Prehensile Tail: Mastered], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Enhanced Smell(Removed): Mastered], [Temperature Regulation: Mastered->Thermal Regulation: Lv.1], [Intimidation: Lv.1], [Weakness Detection: Lv.1], [Hunting Mastery: Lv.1], [Vitality Recovery: Lv.3], [Linguistics: Lv.1], [Swimming: Lv.1], [Throwing Mastery(NEW): Lv.1], [Enhanced Climbing(NEW): Lv.1], [Enhanced Basic Senses(NEW): Lv.1], Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x250], [Skill Coupon x4], [Skill Combination Coupon x2], [Cultivation Gift] ] ... Aiko tried using her [Nurture] again. [Beast Core(10%): 999 -> 998] [Seed of ####; Nurtured 2/100,000] This will take forever... She didn''t know how much time passed, but it was definitely more than an hour. She peeked outside. The coast was clear so she jumped out. Now that she had a new arsenal she wanted to test it out. She dashed through the Forest without stopping and arrived in front of a group of Human Cultivators. She already had rocks wrapped around her tail and threw them at them. *Pop**Pop**Pop* Aiko was shocked as those rocks deformed their heads, killing them. ''Well shit, now I''m too strong...'' She would have to adjust her strength accordingly otherwise this leisure test would turn into a nightmare. There are still plenty of targets so let''s practice. ... [Throwing Mastery: Lv.1->5] Number of corpses: 85 Number of Victims: ... 1 ''I did it~!'' Aiko happily hummed as she managed to obtain her first Victim after that "sudden" power-up. She happily hummed as she shoved that half-dead human inside the pouch. ... The Victim woke up in an unfamiliar space. They were suddenly attacked and now they were here. "Fuck." Cursed youth rubbing his head. Another body fell and he was startled, looking around there were many bodies. "What the fuck happened?" He didn''t understand at all. Another colleague of his woke up. "Shit, my head." He groaned, meeting the eye of his fellow sect member. "Shitty ''testing ground''." He groaned again. The youth nodded, agreeing. And yet another body fell. At first, they were scared the first time a corpse fell, but now they are used to it... "40 Corpses..." The youth shivered and sat obediently in the corner with the others, not approaching the corpse pile. Another corps- No, wait this one is barely alive! They dragged that unfortunate person to them and treated his injuries, if they have to be in this hellhole, everyone should! So whenever someone tried to take his life, others would take that weapon from him and beat him senselessly. They would let them leave if they can''t leave! ... The Audience shivered. 80 corpses... they slowly chanted. They couldn''t believe that that little furball would be so vicious. They looked towards the Jade Fox and pitied her. The Queen''s lips twitched, she didn''t like this attention, since she found what Aiko was doing completely fine and she didn''t mind. It was a bit strange when she was able to hurl so many rocks with her tail, but she got used to it after the 20th corpse. She stared at Aiko. ''Does she not have any ranged Abilities?'' Was her sudden thought and she pinched her nose bridge. ''That would mean that, that Fire Lizard was an unfortunate fight. She was used to everyone having at least 1 or 2 ranged Abilities, but she didn''t think this little resourceful fella wouldn''t have, ''that was my mistake.'' She sighed. ''I will have to teach her some ranged Abilities later.'' There was a slight issue with the element, but that would be fine, she still had a couple of Earthen Skills so she would teach Aiko those. Chapter 44 – 3rd Day and quota met? Aiko spends the second day practising her Skills and levelling them up. She didn''t get any Levels from those 80 dead Cultivators, so it seemed she would have to fight more powerful opponents. She suddenly missed that binge levelling through eating, right now eating gives her next to nothing and she has to rely on Beast Cores to fill her tank. ''There is also this annoying thing.'' Aiko frowned. Elemental Spirit: [Seed of ####; Nurtured 23/100,000] ''I can only give it one energy per hour, but fortunately, my [Nurture] increased to 2nd Level and I was able to spend 2 energy from my Beast Core to nurture it.'' Aiko was still not satisfied as that number was simply too big to be quickly filled. Aiko slept in her den. She wouldn''t be able to fill the Beast Core through the night, slowing the process. The next day she left her small Den and walked around. It was funny to see those Cultivators running from her just by the mere sight of her, because of this her [Intimidation] was levelling fast, she also used [Weakness Detection] on them. The red zone was getting smaller at each level, but it also depended on the person she was up against. There was a chubby guy that was running from her and when she used [Weakness Detection], she was able to spot his weakness, heart. It was nice to see that if the level increased enough she would be able to pinpoint their weak points, but some of them made no sense. She stumbled upon the Yellow Fox, she was currently killing the Cultivators. When Aiko used her [Weakness Detection] for some reason it highlighted their thighs, shoulder blades, above stomach, etc. She was confused since there were no important organs, like a heart and such. She tailed the Yellow Fox. The Yellow Fox knew about Aiko since Aiko didn''t hide, but didn''t attack her since she was very passive. ''She didn''t attack the Demonic Fox when she had the chance.'' The Yellow Fox thought. That didn''t mean she was not wary of her, if Aiko tried something funny she would use her Light Element to blast her to pieces. But Aiko only followed and observed, and soon she was upset at that. "Why are you following me?!" The Yellow Fox finally couldn''t endure it and asked Aiko. Aiko cutely sat down and tilted her head, looking at her like ''Are you stupid?'' "Ugh." The Yellow Fox had a headache since she never met such an intelligent beast that could not talk. "Forget it..." The Yellow Fox shook her head and let Aiko follow her. ''It''s nice that her tail can''t get dusty. That gets a bonus point.'' Aiko thought. ''Maybe I should get that strange Element myself so that I don''t have to rely on that stinky Fox''s [Clean].'' But that would not be easy since that element was completely opposite to what Aiko had, she didn''t know that so that small hope that bloomed in her heart stayed like that until someone told her that was impossible. [Intimidation: Mastered] [Weakness Detection: Mastered] ''Nice!'' Aiko realized that she could level up faster certain Skills if she was mentally focusing on them. Observing her targets longer and more thoroughly meant she found more weaknesses causing her Skill to level up faster. She soon waved at the Yellow Fox and left, while she was tempted to saddle that Fox''s tail for herself, it was still long before there would be night and following her the whole time without doing anything productive was against Aiko''s wishes. ''I''m a bit sleepy, but I will be able to last for some time still.'' Aiko checked her Stamina and it was okay. She dashed around the forest, using [Camouflage] and [Stealth] often. She would then rely on her [Hunting Mastery] to guide her towards other Human Cultivators. She was quick on her feet and would then tail those Cultivators until they got her Level in those skills and if it looked like the other Foxes were approaching she would hurl rocks and stuff them inside her pouch. She didn''t like those fat guys, since it was difficult to stuff them inside, but really liked the anorexic ones. They were so light and easy to bend. It was no problem stuffing them. As such Aiko avoided groups with fat humans since she didn''t want to help other Foxes with their hunt. She would pick and choose as she did with her food, which still granted her another 40 Humans, giving her a total of 56 Human Cultivators... plus a few corpses. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ''Some of them look strong, while being completely weak...'' Aiko shook her head. She returned to her Den after another successful day of hunting and resting. ... The audience wasn''t even concealing their displeasure at how this test was so easy, some prodigies even went towards the Elder to complain, but that Elder would ignore them as he had a hard time already maintaining the projection. Of course, he wouldn''t show that on his face and keep his stoic and dignified expression, but on the inside, he was cursing other Elders for slipping this job on him. He was not suited for this kind of job since his focus was too low. He would get easily distracted by some bouncy mountain peaks or deep valleys. ''It was a good idea to convince other Elders to change the dressing code.'' The Elder discreetly licked his lips. ''Especially that Perverted Elder, who would have thought he would have such a great idea as making the assassin wear body suits!'' He was delighted he almost died of blood loss when he saw those young ones wearing them. ''And his reasoning was also very sound as we were able to put more concealing inscriptions on them and since they were so close to their bodies their Innate Abilities also worked on them.'' He laughed in his mind, enjoying a particular group of young foxes. The Queen was watching the screen clicking her tongue. ''This isn''t a challenge for her, neither were the previous ones!'' She cursed these useless fools. ''Why didn''t you set up Restraining Earth Arrays so that they can''t just dive under the soil and Restraining Sky Arrays so that they can''t fly over them.'' The Queen was questioning her decisions as it seemed this ''Village'' had degraded greatly. ''What am I supposed to do if it turns out they can''t feed my little sweetie.'' She shivered remembering how she was able to consume all those Beast Cores in a few days, which would take her weeks. ''It''s honestly baffling she can consume so much... there must be some kind of secret on her body, which means I will have to protect her from these old fogeys too...'' She then paused. ''Wouldn''t that make me her master?'' She thought about that quite a bit smiling. ''That is not a bad idea, but too many Elders in the Upper Realm didn''t like the idea of Master, having mates as his disciples.'' She clicked her tongue, she would have to find a different way. She looked at the projection where Aiko stole all the feathers from one bird and a lot of dry grass, making herself a small nest inside the Den. ''I wonder if she misses my bod- No, wait that''s wrong.'' The Queen shook her head and recited her sutra, calming down. ... Aiko woke up on the third day and moved outside. She hunted some victims and stuffed them inside her pouch. ''It''s getting really boring...'' Aiko looked around for more groups, but she already had 80 Victims. She was so bored that she started to play games with the Human Cultivators. She would act all innocent to attract those Cultivators with her creamy fur and then change it to black one, letting the voices scare them shitless. In another instance, she would attract some with strange noises, only for her to then play catapult with what looked like big coconuts. Hours later her boredom got even worse. Now whenever she would hunt, she would hurl rocks at them and when they were falling she tried to stuff them in with their own natural inertia. This was fun until she became too proficient in it, not to mention her mischief also spread far and wide causing others to avoid her. Later she would play with the Human Cultivators another game. She would find a group of Cultivators and tail them, once they gathered in an open space she would slowly walk out with a mischievous smile. At first, they didn''t react much, but later once more people knew about her it would play like this: Aiko appeared near the cultivation group with a mischievous smile. "Oh, no it''s that Fox!" One Cultivator would scream. "Please don''t hurt us!" Another yelled. Aiko smiled like Demon, nodding ''You will get inside the bag'' and those Cultivators scattered while screaming for their dear lives. Aiko would follow them around scaring them even more with the mischievous smile and then would throw rocks at them while gaggling. The groups that were not yet captured by Aiko had nightmares about Fox with Devilish smiles and ruby eyes, slowly hunting them with pebbles that were faster than birds diving. They would hurt like crazy and make you unconscious. It was so bad that some groups banded together, but that wouldn''t help them against Aiko. At the end of the 3rd day she already had more than 140 Victims and about 100 corpses since some of them were lunatics and sliced their own throats. ... The Elders surrounding the projection with the Sect leader had strange smiles on their faces. "I really like this little one." One Elder said. "Likewise, I believe we can bend some rules for her. "Sect Leader?" They all looked towards their sect leader. They knew that it would depend on her decision. "Why are you thinking about that now?" She smiled. "Because she would fit quite well with the-" The Elder was cut off short. "The real reason." The Sect leader said sternly. "We will get a lot of rewards and treasures if she moves to the mainland." The Elder said politely, not hiding anything. He might''ve been a pervert, but an honest one. "I agree with Elder, we need more resources." Another Elder chimed in. The Sect Leader didn''t say anything and waited. ... "Poor girl..." The audience sympathized with Aiko as they were bored too, it was still nice to see her sleep or eat, but not fight, those fights were too boring and they just didn''t like them. ... Aiko finished eating her food and licked her mouth. This was the first time she would use [Earthen Walk] and she was completely overwhelmed. She was able to see the underground! There were so many strange things under the ground, but it drained her Stamina like crazy! She was especially curious about one place where it shined with strange rocks. Those looked valuable and would be able to fill the other quota. She was looking forward to exploring that strange cave, but first, she would sleep. She had done enough hunting since those humans were completely useless, not to mention she already had her human quota so she didn''t need to bother with Humans any more. Strangely she didn''t meet any females, she wondered if they were as pretty as that first female Cultivator or that Princess, but she couldn''t judge because there weren''t any! She was slightly upset, but those thoughts were washed away with good food and a chill down her spine. Chapter 45 – Explorer Aiko and #### Aiko woke up the next day refreshed once again. She stretched inside her Den and ate her food. She was already used to that chilling sensation when she did that. Her Stamina was full, so she readied herself to dive down. She moved through the soil avoiding the numerous shiny rocks along the way and made it to the strange cave. This cave was magical for Aiko. On the walls were shiny crystal-like rocks that illuminated the whole cave. The texture of the cave was also strange as there were no sharp corners. It wasn''t smooth per se, but you wouldn''t find anything to slit your hands or legs on. Aiko was at the starting point of this burried cave. It was well hidden from others. Aiko was curious about these shiny rocks. As they were also slightly warm. She liked these kinds of rocks as they were smooth and warm, the perfect material for her Den. She slowly walked through the illuminated cave and arrived at the first checkpoint. Along the way she tried to take those stones with her, but she wasn''t able to damage them in the slightest, so she gave up for now. The first checkpoint was an extremely large room, with many symbols. Those symbols looked old, almost withered, they weren''t from this age, but Aiko was startled... she thought she didn''t understand, but she could understand some of those strange and archaic symbols. ''Puzzle... solve... time... question...'' Aiko was puzzled as to why she knew those words, but soon she understood. [Linguistics: Lv.1->2] She understood a bit more of those words, but this thing was just a simple puzzle about levers and their order. Well, it was simple... but Aiko didn''t want to think about it too much since those puzzles got harder with each lever. She eventually gave up and flicked them at random, eventually getting the right combination. This took her almost half of the day, but she was satisfied because she didn''t like puzzles about history, not to mention she didn''t have much historical knowledge to begin with so it would be impossible for her to solve. Little did she know that brute forcing this one was the intended solution... ... "Hey, hey, isn''t that!?" The audience was in uproar. "S-spirit Stone Mine! She found Spirit Stone Mine!" Another shouted his eyes bulging to unimaginable size. The Queen sat there puzzled, it looked like Spirit Stone Mine, but those Spirit Stone Shards were in order and sequence... ''Inheritance ground.'' She clicked her tongue. Those were either extremely good or extremely dangerous. She hoped it was not the latter. The Elder who was sitting under the projection had ears like an elephant once he heard the words Spirit Stone Mine. He was doing his best to maintain this projection, but also peek inside so that he knew the location, he really wanted those Spirit Stones, there were never enough... ... "Sect Leader, this..." Those Elders were excited, they now had reason to wage a war. "Don''t be too happy yet." The Sect Leader scolded them. "We don''t know what that place is and don''t tell me you have not noticed the pattern, especially you Elder." She looked at that perverted Elder as he coughed. "Of course, I have noticed Sect Leader, it seems to be part of a large Inscription leading even into a bigger Array." He explained and his nose got longer from arrogance when he saw those ignorant Elders looking at him. "The first Inscription is to reinforce that place, unless you deplete all the energy or Forcibly rewrite that Inscription it can resist Cultivator at the Golden Core stage, BUT." He smiled even wider once everyone was looking at him. "That is only a single Spirit Stone with inscription. If we combine all of them and we have not even seen the whole thing, we could get the combined reinforcement power of Peak Mahayana." The Elder puffed his chest as others were surprised by this defence. "Is that true Elder?" The Sect Leader didn''t believe that. "I swear on Heaven and Earth that I have not told a single lie." He swore with his Cultivation on the line. The other Elders waited for the Heaven Lightning to strike him, but it didn''t. He was unharmed and they turned more serious. "This is bad Sect Leader, that means there is something precious hidden inside." One Elder said and his body shook, what if it was an inheritance of something he needed? He really wanted to head out and steal it from that furball! He was stuck in his Cultivation and couldn''t advance, his age was considerable and almost was approaching its end. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. "Nobody leaves. We will first assess this situation." The Sect Leader stopped them. It was too dangerous to leave and interfere with the testing grounds. Not to mention there was something wrong with those testing grounds. ... Somewhere far away a person sneezed. He looked at the chessboard that was changing constantly. "Surely she didn''t survive that fight, right?" The person was confused. It already thought that it was dead, but apparently, it wasn''t. "Is that why that bitch laughed at me?" It thought for a moment and shook her head. "Each faction sends hundreds of sons/daughters of ''Heaven'' down. If at least we can get half of them to this place we win..." It smiled and tried to readjust the chessboard, but it became even more messy. "That bald fucker is also interfering?!" It was furious at that baldy and left the room. Unaware that one chess piece was completely wrecking the other pieces on the chessboard. ... Aiko arrived at another checkpoint, unaware that she was observed by other factions. This checkpoint consisted of arrow/dart traps that were hurling constantly from side to side. Even if someone managed to get the rhythm, it would change over time, making it difficult to predict. Aiko didn''t like this room at all, her stamina was quite low, but [Meditation] could fix that! She found a nice and cosy place around nearby shiny rocks and settled there. ''This hardness is bad, but it will get bonus points for the warmth.'' Aiko thought almost dozing off. ''Right let''s activate [Meditation] first.'' She meditated her time away, waking up with a full tank of Stamina. ''Why make things difficult when-'' She dove inside the ground and slowly moved through it, she observed the meticulous traps and its mechanism, being mesmerized by it, but she didn''t have enough time to completely appreciate it as her Stamina was draining. She got to the other side of this place and frowned. ''If this place wasn''t so vast I would dove straight to that exceptionally shiny room...'' Aiko thought. She was unable to cross that distance as it was much further than from her Den, plus later on the crystals covered the entire cave system, which made it difficult for her to squeeze through. She walked to another checkpoint, this one was about swimming. Her senses warned her and she didn''t want to jump in, so she would bypass this place once again. ... There were approximately 3 rooms left. Aiko could no longer bypass those tests as now the cave was completely covered with shiny rocks that she couldn''t pass through. Aiko frowned cutely as she observed another trap checkpoint. Spike traps, rock traps, guillotine traps, you name it, we have it all~. Aiko could not use her [Earthen Walk] any more and was hesitant to continue, but she still needed some treasures to fill her quota and get rewards. Aiko thought about it and alternated between [Quick Double Jump], [Enhanced Climbing] and [Meditation]. She didn''t expect that she would be able to sink her little claws inside those shiny rocks. She scratched them and climbed them, making good progress, avoiding rocks and pitfalls. Using [Quick Double Jump] as it was much faster than her top speed with [Sprint]. She was able to come almost unscathed from this. She did have a few burns and scratches as some traps she didn''t expect and her [Intention Perception] only warned her once she got too close to them, but that was not enough time to react to them. Aiko moved to the 2nd last checkpoint. ''Another puzzle.'' Aiko groaned and didn''t want to do it, but she spent another day doing the puzzle as it was much bigger than the previous lever puzzle. And here she is. The last room. She managed to get all the way here and expected some grand reward, heaps of gold, ornate swords and crowns. ''N-nothing...'' She stared speechlessly almost sobbing. ''T-there is nothing, b-but old shitty sarcophagus..'' She cried silently. All that work and time spent just for her to encounter this shitty sarcophagus... ... Old soul was left in his room. He used his friend''s Inscription knowledge to build himself this place to give his legacy, his life''s work to the fated person who would find him... As if! He had waited for so long to possess a powerful body so he could Cultivate again, but only old bastards came! ''At least give me beauty so I can pass the time in here.'' He cried tears of blood. ''I have been waiting for so long that anybody would do... hm?'' He noticed a presence that entered his cave system. ''Fuck! Now even dumb Beast can find my cave!? What was that shitty bastard making this cave for when it''s this fucking useless!'' He cursed and cursed only for him to pause... ''What the... why is a dumb Beast clearing my tests so fast?!'' He couldn''t believe what he just saw. ''Blessing, this is a blessing the Blood Gods finally heard my prayers!'' He cried even more tears of blood and waited for this fated per-Beast to come. ... "Welcome to my inheritance grounds, little one!" A booming voice startled Aiko. She was wary of it. "No need to be so alarmed. I have treasure for you as the one who cleared all of my tests!" The voice said smiling in his mind. ''Now come!'' Aiko''s ears perked as she heard the words treasure. She needed those, she wanted those. She came closer and 2 books flew out of the sarcophagus. "Now choose!" The voice said, but Aiko looked at him like she was looking at some kind of idiot. ''I don''t want shitty spoiled books! Give me pretty swords, crowns or at least gold!'' Aiko protested. ''Highly intelligent Beast.'' His old soul shook. ''Unlimited potential.'' His soul almost ascended from such wonderful news and he ignored the protesting Aiko. "One Book is from my friend, a revered Moon Goddess!" He told the little Beast. Aiko stopped complaining and slapped her paws on the ground. ''I have Moon Stone... I wonder if I can combine it together...'' She was deep in thought. The old soul shook happily from having that little Beast''s attention. "The Second book is the real deal! The Blood Tyrant Cultivation Scripture. A one-of-a-kind-" He was explaining proudly as he was the one who created this book. "Oi, listen to me this book, no! This book is the real deal!" He yelled at Aiko, making his body projection in front of her. That old soul was almost completely nude but had an incredibly chiselled body that even Aiko in her Beast form was attracted to for a moment. He stopped Aiko from getting that Moon Goddess Scripture. "Listen well! This book is only strong during the Full Moon! While my book-" He gestured at the old bloodied Scripture. "My book is powerful at all times! You just need a little blood."''And let go of your sanity if you are not powerful enough.'' He smirked. Aiko didn''t like that book. ''Shitty bastard, I already have Moon Stone, I don''t need this shitty book, I want this one!'' Aiko protested. "Oi, no! Bad! Take this one!" There was a strange sight where old souls were hurling bloodied Scriptures at small insignificant Beast. And that small insignificant Beast was dodging every single one of the Scriptures, only trying to take the lightly coloured and somewhat well preserved Scripture. "THAT''S ENOUGH YOU STUPID IGNORANT BEAST." His aura flared, smashing Aiko into a nearby wall. -10,000HP v -700HP -93 Vitality Aiko immediately passed out. The old soul huffed. ''Shit I almost killed it, that would be really bad!'' He frowned. "I will just take over your body!" He yelled not wasting his time. His soul moved inside Aiko''s defenceless body... Chapter 46 – Titans "Sect Leader, she entered the deepest part, we can''t see her." One Elder said, concerned about the golden goose. "I can see that, tell me something that I don''t know." Sect Leader scoffed at him. "Well..." They didn''t have anything to say about that since only 2 Elders had the far-sight Martial Technique, so if they couldn''t see what was happening, nobody could. "That lazy bastard! If he actually operated the projection we would also know the exact coordinates!" One Elder Cursed. The hall was left bickering and the Sect Leader was observing the projection. ... ''This doesn''t seem right...'' The Queen frowned. ''but I can''t leave this place since they didn''t give me the disciple token. Lazy assholes that can''t create them immediately.'' She clicked her tongue, worried about the little furball. ''Fine, I will ignore that shitty food, just please return safely.'' She hoped Aiko would be fine as she didn''t know where that place was. The audience was also worried especially when the Elder was bleeding from his nose. That Elder tried to peek at the coordinates but suffered a backlash from the protective barrier made out of the Spirit Crystals. He didn''t dare to do that again and nursed his wounds. If the projection dropped Sect Leader might order him to go to the Enforcement Pavilion for his punishment. He didn''t want that as one of the people in charge was the extremely scary and ugly Grandmaster. He was terrified of that person and so he didn''t want to break the rules. ''Even King Yama is not as scary as Grandmaster.'' He thought about circulating his Cultivation Technique. ... The Old Soul invaded Aiko''s body. He has been flying for who knows how long and he was still unable to find her soul. Suddenly a bright light shined upon him. He had not experienced such pure and bright energy in a while and he yelled at it. "Who is the bastard who is trying to invade my body?!" He shouted, angered. "Amitabha fellow Taoist Cultivator." A soul with a Golden Body greeted him. The Old Soul immediately froze, terrified. ''W-what?! I-i-it can''t be! This isn''t right!'' He was going insane. ''T-t-t-that madman who travelled through 36 Heaven and ''blessed'' many people?! No way it''s him, right? Didn''t he die a painful death?!'' His Old Soul shook and wanted to escape, but that oppressive nature stopped him. "W-what can I do for you esteemed Buddha?" He stuttered a bit, his Soul was unstable from the shock. "It is alright fellow Taoist, I have come to bless you." Buddha smiled gently. The Old Soul shook and he burned part of his Soul to escape, but he was not a match for Buddha, as he had transcended everyone. "Amitabha." A bell appeared above this whole empty place and chimed 3 times. The Old Soul screamed as he was ''blessed''. A blessed visit to the underworld and cycle of reincarnation. The Old Soul ascended down where there was no light. He will be forgotten in time as Blood Tyrant of the Olden Age. "Amitabha. This world will be safe now." The Buddha chanted but noticed Aiko. "Hmmmm... curious, but you are not supposed to be here little one." The Buddha wanted to use his Reincarnation Bell on Aiko, but the mountain slammed into him. "You old bastard!" A Nine-Tailed Fox hissed at him. "Amitabha Sister." The Buddha smiled. "I''m only balancing the worlds as per the agreement." Buddha used his Golden Body which enlarged to unimaginable size. He suppressed the Fox as he was much stronger with his Reincarnation Law by his side. "You shitty baldy! You will pay for this!" The Nine-Tailed Fox growled at him. She had less time to solidify her body. She would destroy the Lower Realm from her Soul pressure if she manifested her might without preparation. The Reincarnation Bell enlarged and was about to chime. A Huge spear flew at astonishing speed shattering the Reincarnation Bell. Making the Buddha cough up his blood. It might''ve not been the true Reincarnation Bell, but even this shadow of a Reincarnation Bell can injure him if it''s broken. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. "There are more insolent children than I remember." A sweet and gentle voice drifted through this empty space. The Buddha bowed. "Amitabha Senior Sister." The gorgeous female with a serpent-like lower half smiled. "You still know how to joke, Junior." She had the perfect body coupled with the perfect voice. She was sought by many, but her looks were often deceiving. "I never joke Senior Sister." Buddha chanted his Sutra healing his Golden Body. "As per the agree-" Another serpent spear blasted past Buddha ripping off his arm. *BOOM* The Buddha groaned as this was not a simple spear, while she was slowly losing her strength as her Providence decreased, that was not the same for Relics and Artifacts. "Amitabha, I have come at the wrong time. I hope that Senior Sister can excuse this Monk." The Buddha kindly smiled. "Sure." She smiled. "But you don''t have to come back." She added with the same smile. Buddha bowed and left this place. The Nine-Tailed Fox was freed and tried to sneak away. "Where are you going, Junior?" She smiled. "T-that-" She stuttered. "N-nowhere, mmm." The Nine-Tailed Fox nodded tears slowly moistening her eyes. "That''s good." She smiled, but the ''little'' Nine-Tailed Fox shivered. "I-i''m sorr-" The Nine-Tailed Fox tried to apologize while shaking. "What are you sorry for, dear Junior?" She tilted her head scaring the ''little'' Fox even more. "I-i messed with your world." The ''little'' Fox was shaking like a rabbit. "That''s not right." She shook her head and the spear returned. "You have kidnapped a suffering soul, didn''t cleanse its misfortune or memories. Didn''t teach him about the world. Placing him inside my world." She paused. "No, is it she now? You even altered her thoughts." She was shaking her head listing almost all the bad things she had done. "What am I going to do with you..." She sighed again, scaring the ''little'' Fox out of her wits. The ''little'' Fox cried. "I''m sowwy." She cried for a while. Meanwhile, the spear-wielding serpent stared at Aiko. ''What a pitiful Soul. Let this mother help you a bit.'' She waved her spear and her soul was released from the suppression. She gently kissed that soul giving it her blessing. ''This is the least I can do for you...'' She was getting weaker by the year, she no longer was able to manage those worlds properly. Her fate was sealed. ''What an interesting game...'' She stared at the system. ''I can''t believe all my Juniors would forsake me and not let me play with them.'' She sighed and then noticed something. ''I-is that you Grandpa?'' Her body shook. A Translucent yet black body appeared before her, smiling. ''I... see, I hope you are alright...'' A tear rolled down her cheek and fell on Aiko''s Soul, nourishing it. ''I will see you soon Grandpa.'' She almost cried remembering her happy memories from when she was young. The grandpa disappeared and she calmed down. She will chastise this girl later. ... Aiko woke up exhausted. She was confused as that sarcophagus was missing. No, this whole place changed. She was in a large space full of Spirit Crystals and Spirit Stones. There weren''t any ornament swords or crowns, but Aiko didn''t mind. She stared at those mountains with shining eyes. She licked her paws and got to the looting, only for her to stop. ''M-my personal Pouch is not big enough.'' She almost cried. She wished she could use her Qi to open- ''Hm?'' A strange energy was flowing through Aiko''s body. She tapped upon the [Storage Ring] and her consciousness was sucked in. She was in a large empty space, about 50 cubic meters. Large enough to store most of the Spirit Crystals and Stones inside. But oh boy she was wrong. One [Storage Ring] could only hold 100,000 Spirit Stones and only 25,000 Spirit Crystals. There were many more Spirit Stones in here. Aiko liked the Spirit Crystals more as they were smoother and pellucid while retaining their warmth. Aiko took a bit from here and bit from there and also a bit from over there. She only stopped because she stepped on that Bloody Scripture, Aiko was so startled and horrified by how it merged with her body that she stepped backwards. She stepped on that nicer-looking gentle Scripture and like the Blood scripture it went inside her body. ''Whyyyyyy'' She wanted to cry, but stopped, because of her system. [Congratulations you have obtained [Blood Tyrant Scripture]!] [Congratulations you have obtained [Moon Goddess Scripture]!] ''Uh...'' Aiko blinked several times but soon picked up her looting spree. She looked here and there until the whole place was almost clean. Why didn''t she take all of them? ''I don''t have enough space, I will need to buy more Rings...'' She sighed. She was reluctant to leave this place when she still had so much to loot... ''Maybe I can try absorbing them like Beast Cores? ... The audience currently had a mourning ceremony. They saw Aiko in front of those HUGE piles of Spirit Stones and almost fainted. "LEAVE THOSE SHITTY CRYSTALS BEHIND AND GET THE SPIRIT STONES!" One girl screamed. The Elder hearing about Spirit Stones immediately perked up. He completely forgot the previous experience and backlash. He peeked inside and almost coughed up all of his blood. ''I-I can get only 1,000 Spirit Stones per month, but this...'' Unlike those ignorant disciples, he knew the true worth of those Spirit Crystals. ''I-i''m poor...'' The Elder almost passed out from envy. The Queen had a strange expression on her face. ''This... I was supposed to provide for her...'' She frowned. ''I need to keep her, but how am I supposed to do that when I''m...'' *Sigh* She was tired, she would have to make Arrays and Pills for that little rascal to keep her worth. ... "S-s-s-sect Leader." One Elder was shaking like a leaf on a tree. "I can see that!" The Sect Leader shouted back. ''We need those Spirit Stones.'' She clicked her tongue. They were in need of Spirit Stones to maintain their Great Illusion Defensive Array, without it Human Cultivators would invade this Village and enslave everyone. ''But we can''t force it.'' She was in thought. ''She is well-liked by the young ones and old ones, but not by the rest. They are jealous of her, that her tests were so easy and that she declined that [Spacial Ring].'' She clicked her tongue in annoyance. ''She won''t have a nice stay here and we won''t have an easy time as her Mate is simply too powerful and precious.'' She had to agree that if Jade Fox didn''t have Mate, she would try her luck. ''We need a way to extract those Spirit Stones, without incurring their displeasure... Maybe I can ask Jade Fox for some kind of trade?'' She thought that it was a plausible solution. ''But can we extract enough from them?'' The Great Illusion Defensive Array consumed a lot of Spirit Stones each year and it was difficult to maintain, but as long as they maintained it they would be safe... Chapter 47 – Let’s take this… and this… maybe a bit of this. Aiko was left completely speechless when she looked at her status. [ Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 300 - 700 -> 500 - 500 Species: [Shadow Fennec Fox Cub(Female, Peak of Unique)] Species: [-] Age: 0.51/100 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Awakened)] Bloodline: [-] Beast Rank: Beast Level: 80 -> 160 (2nd Evolution) Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], Cultivation Technique(NEW): [Blood Tyrant Scripture], [Moon Goddess Scripture] Elemental Spirit: [Seed of ####; Nurtured 1,066/100,000] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement) HP: 719|719 -> 1,311|1,311 (1pH & 0.07%pH) ST: 800|1,197 -> 2,269|2,269 (3pH & 0.1%pH) Vitality: 453|453 -> 829|829 (1pH & 0.05%pH) Vigour: 931 -> 1787 Beast Core(10%): 998 -> 1000 (1,120) Toughness: 372 -> 668 Strength: 773 -> 1469 Agility: 2,697*1.5 -> 5,313*1.6 Dexterity: 286 -> 502 Mind: 1,726 -> 3,382 Insight: 30 -> 130 Soul(NEW): 100 -> 1,120 Beauty: 5,726 -> 11,382 Luck: 426 -> 642 Stat Points: 342 -> 870 Skill Points: 113 -> 641 Elemental Affinity: [Shadow - 3], [Earth - 9], [Soul - ####] Martial Arts: [Lightness Technique] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####], [Soul Palace(NEW)] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered], [Earthen Walk: Lv.1->3] Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.2], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Agility Mastery: Lv.1->3], [Intention Perception: Mastered] Skills: [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Lacerate: Lv.3], [Sprint: Mastered], [Tracking: Mastered], [Quick Double Jump: Lv.1->3], [Camouflage: Lv.5], [Meditation: Lv.1], [Nurture: Lv.1->3] Passive Skills: [Stealth: Lv.5], [Health Recovery: Lv.7], [Stamina Recovery: Mastered], [Prehensile Tail: Mastered], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Thermal Regulation: Lv.1], [Intimidation: Lv.1->Mastered], [Weakness Detection: Lv.1->Mastered], [Hunting Mastery: Lv.1->Mastered], [Vitality Recovery: Lv.3->5], [Linguistics: Lv.1->2], [Swimming: Lv.1], [Throwing Mastery: Lv.1->5], [Enhanced Climbing: Lv.1->5], [Enhanced Basic Senses: Lv.1->5], Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], [Blessing of ####], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x250], [Skill Coupon x4], [Skill Combination Coupon x2], [Cultivation Gift], [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Crystal 25,000]x4, [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Stone 100,000]x12, [Level 120 Package], [Level 140 Package], [Level 150 Package], ] ''It''s even more ridiculous than before.'' Aiko thought. ''For some reason certain things skyrocketed...'' She was unaware that her soul was released from its suppression imposed by the system so that unsavoury Sages wouldn''t bother her. What''s more, she had an additional blessing that would now deter Sages. The one who has blessed her might be getting weaker, but it will still take a few thousand years for others to pick on her, so Aiko is safe. She also received additional Abilities among other things... She was elated, but she would need to clean this place up first. She prickled one spirit stone, but it didn''t leak any energy. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ''Strange...'' Then Aiko had an idea. She rummaged through her Pouch given by the Sect and pulled up the corpses. ''It has [Storage Pouch]!'' She was incredibly happy. ''Does that mean that others have pouches too?'' She smirked, her eyes turned into money. ... Unfortunately, not all corpses had [Storage Pouches], she only got 8 of them... ''Wait, there are still those alive.'' She grinned. She first went through those Pouches and checked their contents. ''Few pieces of Spirit Stone... Useless clothes... Useless weapons... Food... is this even food?'' She threw those aside and only kept those Spirit Stones. She did that with all the Pouches currently in front of her and then she turned around to fish the Human Cultivators that were still alive. *Hop* The Human fell to the ground with a strange noise and looked around. He then spotted Aiko. "Hmpf, just a stupid-huh?" For some reason, something cast shade over him. Aiko was upset with him and so was the Darkness. The Darkness made the optical illusion that Aiko grew in size and coupled with her black fur and temporary red eyes it struck fear in its Victims. The Darkness also added growls and howls all around him to seal the deal. The youth was so scared he soiled his pants both ways. "P-please spare my life!" The youth was terrified. Aiko pointed at the Pouch nearby and the youth immediately understood. He gave her the pouch and Aiko browsed through it. ''Just a couple of Spirit Stones and the rest is useless... the capacity is also too small.'' Aiko though, those pouches had only 1-2 cubic meters of space, not very desirable to be honest. She threw the Pouch back and the youth swallowed. ''That was my yearly allowance.'' He cried bitterly, but surprisingly to him the little Fox stored him back into the Pouch without hurting him. ... "W-w-why are the corpses disappearing?" One youth pointed at the pile of corpses that was getting smaller and smaller. "Y-you are right!" Another youth also noticed. "Hmpf, weak bastards that can''t keep their-" He disappeared on the spot. "W-w-w-why?! Why even living!?" Another youth broke down. They sat in despair with a small glimmer of hope. ''He looked arrogant, maybe he is strong...'' They all thought, but moments later someone reappeared with an awful smell. "M-m-m-m-monster! T-that thing is a complete monster with a cute appearance!" He cried, looking like someone who lost his mind. Their hearts sank and they made mental note to appear as insignificant as possible. ... Aiko pulled another one, but this one was very obedient. "Please spare my life!" He immediately prostrated himself in front of Aiko. She was startled as she didn''t know they could talk between themselves, while inside the Pouch. She once again pointed at the Pouch near her. He shook his head apologizing that he didn''t have Pouch. "I-I can gather all the Pouches for you!" The youth stuttered seeing the impatient little Fox in front of him. Aiko nodded and sent him back, she waited a few minutes and pulled him back out. He was hugging 14 Pouches and Aiko went through all of them, but most of them only had a couple of Spirit Stones. She clicked her tongue but sent the youth back. She still had a pile of Spirit Stones in front of her... ''Let''s just shove it into The Pouch with the Cultivators.'' She didn''t want to carry any more useless Pouches, so she just shoved the rest of the Spirit Stones inside and slowly left the place. ... The Elders were looking blankly. "Maybe we shouldn''t take her in?" One Elder asked. "Why?" The Sect Leader asked while trying to hold her laughter. She was aware that those Elders would try to scam the young ones of Spirit Stones, but they probably never found someone so grubby that the person would go through all of those Pouches just for a few Spirit Stones, while already being richer than the whole Sect. ''They are worried that she will scam them of off their Spirit Stones through missions.'' The Sect Leader giggled. The higher the position the more lucrative the missions were, it was supposed to stoke the competitive flames inside the youths, but now they regretted it. ''She is too intelligent, she will only pick the missions that are good for her and we can''t scam her...'' The Elder frowned. There was a system in place where if you failed the mission Sect Contribution Points would be deducted, those points were used for Pills, Martial Techniques, etc. So it was a lucrative business for the scamming Elders as Disciples could go into negatives... ... Aiko managed to leave that place. It was the sixth day, meaning she only had 4 days left. She walked for a while and met with the Blood Fox. The Blood Fox was ecstatic as she finally found the prey she oh so desired. She immediately dashed towards Aiko, but Aiko was puzzled. ''Isn''t she too slow?'' Aiko thought looking at the rushing Fox. It was only natural as the Blood Fox was in the Low Stage of Demonic Beast. She was more compared to the Peak-stage Magical Beasts Rank, as she did not have enough blood to properly refine her body to Reach the Demonic Stage. Her Beasts Core was also clogged at only 50% Purity. That meant she could only use 27% of the Energy inside her Core and thus her Agility was around 3,500 without any Boosts. She was a lot slower than Aiko. Aiko dodged the incoming charge with ease startling that Blood Fox. She growled at Aiko and Aiko suddenly remembered her mission. Aiko smirked towards the Blood Fox and for some reason Blood Fox was restless. Aiko disappeared. She used her unimaginable speed to appear above the Blood Fox and used [Quick Double Jump] to smash into the Blood Fox. The Blood Fox roared in pain and anger. Immediately wrapping the spine with her blood. But Aiko was already gone, the small furball was quick on her feet smashing her left and right. The pitiful Blood Fox was using her reserves of blood to create Blood Armour to protect her. Aiko stopped attacking as there were a lot of pointy spikes on the Blood Armour. The Blood Beast was confused but regained some sense of self. She was wary of Aiko and used her Divine Ability [Blood Sprint] to increase her speed. Her speed rose to an incredible 17,500 due to that Divine Ability. Easily surpassing Aiko''s speed. Aiko was wary as the Fox was not as slow. Even with her passive buffs she only squeezed 17,001 speed. Fortunately, she still had her Sprint, which pushed her above the speed of the Blood Fox. The Blood Fox was terrified, she regained a lot of sense and knew how powerful her Divine Ability was. Yet this little Fox was still able to surpass her. She was quickly caught and beaten again as she couldn''t maintain the Blood Armour and [Blood Sprint] at the same time. She ditched the idea of beating her in speed and armoured herself yet again. She was panicking as she was slowly returning to her former self before she became Blood Fox. Aiko stopped attacking. She didn''t like pain and learned that Cultivators could blast her if she got too close. She stared at the Blood Fox and smirked. She picked up a rock. *Boom* The rock slammed into the Blood Fox cracking her Blood Armour. The Blood Fox''s mind was stunned. She couldn''t believe that ordinary rock could damage her armour. She ran away in panic, but Aiko had too much fun. *Boom**Boom**Boom* She kept throwing rocks as they made a really nice sound when they collided with her armour. The Blood Fox was almost completely her previous self and wanted to cry. ''This little Fox is too mean.'' She completely forgot she tried to bully her several times. ... The audience was left speechless. They wanted to feel happy like Aiko but felt pitiful towards the Blood Fox. While they didn''t like her, as she was ruthless, but seeing such a small Fox throw rocks at such an overly large Fox was... too pitiful. "Can we even call her a bully...?" One girl asked no one, but everyone shared her sentiment. Except the older generation. "She is just a spoiled brat." One girl clicked her tongue. She was criticizing Aiko non-stop, but because of the roars of other Foxes, her voice was buried. ''I can''t lose the attention I''m getting just because a shitty newcomer is somewhat pretty.'' She was trying to deny reality and fan the flames of envy. "She can only throw rocks and doesn''t use any Abilities, she is completely useless and without a future." The girl could speak haughtily as the little Fox''s Mate wasn''t currently here. She would fan the flames properly and regain her limelight! ... Aiko stared at the Blood Fox that was lying in a pool of blood. ''I overdid it...'' Aiko thought, but can you blame her? At later parts of the fight she even used the armour to make music and she liked it so much that she was too engrossed with it to realize the Armour was crumbling... Chapter 48 – Fox goes poof and Moar Power Aiko stared at the poor Fox, the Fox was whimpering. ''Now I feel really bad.'' Aiko didn''t have any bad feelings towards the Fox, sure, she tried to attack her multiple times, but in Aiko''s eyes, it felt just cute. Her attacks never really endangered her. Aiko felt like the Blood Fox was attacking because she had to, not because she wanted to. The Blood Fox whimpered one last time and something cracked. The Blood Fox felt free yet restrained by the pain. She remembered everything, especially her brother. She remembered her kind brother and remembered what her brother gave her for protection. She cracked the protective ring around her teeth *Boom* Aiko was startled as her mind pushed her away and the Blood Fox disappeared completely. ''What in the world...'' Aiko sniffed that place, but couldn''t find any traces of the Blood Fox and her [Hunting Mastery] also didn''t react. Aiko scratched her ear, but soon lost interest and returned to her Den. She ate some more food, but this time there was no chilling sensation running down her back, she was confused... She placed one Spirit Crystal under her nest and laid down. Her nest now had a heating function and she had a much nicer sleep... ... 6th Day Aiko woke up, completely refreshed. The heating function worked a bit too well and she overslept. Normally this wouldn''t have happened as that Mean Fox would wake her up when the time came, but... ''This isn''t all that bad...'' She thought. She stared at her system panel and went through the changes. [ Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 500 - 500 Species: [Shadow Fennec Fox Cub(Female, Peak of Unique)] Species: [-] Age: 0.51/100 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Awakened)] Bloodline: [-] Beast Rank: Beast Level: 160 (2nd Evolution) Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], Cultivation Technique: [Blood Tyrant Scripture], [Moon Goddess Scripture] Elemental Spirit: [Seed of ####; Nurtured 1,066/100,000] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement) HP: 1,311|1,311 (1pH & 0.07%pH) ST: 2,269|2,269 (3pH & 0.1%pH) Vitality: 829|829 (1pH & 0.05%pH) Vigour: 1,787 Beast Core(10%): 1,000 (1,120) Toughness: 668 Strength: 1,469 Agility: 5,313*1.6 Dexterity: 502 Mind: 3,382 Insight: 130 Soul: 1,120 Beauty: 11,382 Luck: 642 Stat Points: 870 Skill Points: 641 Elemental Affinity: [Shadow - 3], [Earth - 9], [Soul - ####] Martial Arts: [Lightness Technique] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####], [Soul Palace] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered], [Earthen Walk: Lv.3] Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.2], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Agility Mastery: Lv.3], [Intention Perception: Mastered] Skills: [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Lacerate: Lv.3], [Sprint: Mastered], [Tracking: Mastered], [Quick Double Jump: Lv.3], [Camouflage: Lv.5], [Meditation: Lv.1], [Nurture: Lv.3] Passive Skills: [Stealth: Lv.5], [Health Recovery: Lv.7], [Stamina Recovery: Mastered], [Prehensile Tail: Mastered], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Thermal Regulation: Lv.1], [Intimidation: Mastered], [Weakness Detection: Mastered], [Hunting Mastery: Mastered], [Vitality Recovery: Lv.5], [Linguistics: Lv.2], [Swimming: Lv.1], [Throwing Mastery: Lv.5], [Enhanced Climbing: Lv.5], [Enhanced Basic Senses: Lv.5], Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], [Blessing of ####], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x250], [Skill Coupon x4], [Skill Combination Coupon x2], [Cultivation Gift], [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Crystal 25,000]x4, [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Stone 100,000]x12, [Level 120 Package], [Level 140 Package], [Level 150 Package], ] The first thing was the [Cultivation Technique]. [Blood Tyrant Scripture] [Contains breathing technique, Cultivation Technique and Core Martial Arts/Abilities] [Blood Tyrant rules over blood and has deep ties with Demonic beings. If not handled carefully the User will lose their sense of self and descend in to a bloodthirsty being.] [Moon Goddess Scripture] [Contains breathing technique, Cultivation Technique and Core Martial Arts/Abilities] [Moon Goddess ruled over the Moon, Moon cycles and night. If not handled carefully the User will turn into an emotionless observer.] ''Neither of them sounds good...'' Aiko thought, but was curious. She opened the [Cultivation Shop] and tried to search their Scriptures. [Moon Goddess Scripture] [Cost: 10,000,000,000] ''What! That''s so expensive!'' Aiko was ecstatic and her tail worked like a broom dusting her Den. [Blood Tyrant Scripture] [Cost: 9,999,999,999] ''... now that''s just rubbing salt into his wounds.'' Aiko smirked at the number. ''It''s still good, but I don''t really like that part where one descends into madness...'' [Soul: 1,120] [This represents the strength of the User''s Soul, the stronger the User''s Soul the harder it is to affect it with Soul Techniques. You will be protected against Soul Manipulation and it will be more difficult to ''erase'' the User''s Soul.] ''That''s good, what is the baseline for Soul strength?'' Aiko asked, but unfortunately, nobody answered her. [Elemental Affinity: [Shadow - 3], [Earth - 9], [Soul - ####]] If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. [Soul] [Allow User to learn Soul-related Techniques and Abilities.] ''This is too simple... does it even have any benefits directly? Or I can''t know the benefits since I don''t know how big is my affinity?'' Aiko pondered on it only for a bit. [Soul Palace] [This Divine Ability shrouds the User''s Soul in Palace. Making it difficult for any kind of means to affect the User''s Soul. User will have a harder time descending into madness or losing User''s mind. This does not offer protection against Inner Demons! This does protect from Soul Probing, but only up to a certain point!] [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox] [####] [1st Effect: You can''t be forced into obedience or slavery contract under #### Cultivation unless you decide otherwise. 2nd Effect: Affinity with Illusions increases greatly.] [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix] [####] [1st Effect: You will burn anyone who forces you into a contract. Damage depends on the User''s strength and the opponent''s Cultivation. 2nd Effect: Affinity with Fire increases greatly.] [Blessing of ####] [####] [1st Effect: ####] ''I got secondary effects, wonderful~.'' Aiko hummed but felt a bit less happy than she should have been. ''I have no affinity with Illusions or Fire...'' She frowned. ''Not to mention I can''t see the effect of the last Blessing...'' She pondered what she needed to do and thought of something. ''Is there some kind of appraisal?'' She looked through the different shops. [Appraisal] [Cost: Unable to Purchase] ''... shitty system.'' Aiko spat on it, but it just flew through the system window and landed on the floor in her Den. ''Well great, now I soiled my Den.'' Aiko groaned in displeasure. [Receive a reward for reaching Level 120?] [You have received a Skill Combination Coupon x2.] [Receive a reward for reaching Level 140?] [You have received a Sub-Profession Coupon.] [Sub-Profession Coupon] [User can choose Sub-Profession of User''s liking.] [Receive a reward for reaching Level 150?] [You have received a Divine Ability Gift.] [Divine Ability Gift] [Chooses suitable Divine Ability for the User''s needs.] ''Holy cow!'' Aiko''s eyes widened and almost popped out of her eyes sockets. Aiko''s hands were suddenly itchy she really wanted to use that [Divine Ability Gift] right now! But at the same time, she was worried. ''Will I get another Ability Gift later?'' She was hesitant. ''I will need another Bloodline to balance or suppress my current Bloodline, that means I could possibly get a better Ability, right?'' Aiko stared at the system, slowly inspecting it. ''I also have many Stat Points, I should place a few in Luck since I don''t feel like I''m lucky enough. Maybe I could get some kind of Lucky Halo that could prevent me from dying?'' She tapped her claw on her Den. ''That''s not a bad idea, but what if I need those stats to Evolve?'' Aiko frowned. ''Too many variables.'' Then she heard a strange click. [You have been awarded...] [You have been awarded...] [You have been awarded...] [You have been awarded...] That''s... a lot of notifications... [You have been awarded the Title: [Plushie Princess]!] [Plushie Princess] [Raises your likeability with females and older members.] [Your Beauty is increased by 100, and Beauty per Level by 5, with Luck by 1!] ''Must be because of the Princess...'' Aiko thought. [You have been awarded the Title: [Shadow Thief]!] [Shadow Thief] [You have a higher chance to steal things you want if you are in shadows.] [Your Dexterity is increased by 100, and Dexterity per Level by 5, with Luck by 1!] ''... I have no idea why I got this...'' Aiko denied reality and looked somewhere else, but that annoying system followed her gaze and always blocked the space right in front of her. ''Alright! I did steal a few things, but that doesn-'' [You have been awarded the Title: [Master of Sex Toys]!] ''Oh for fucks sake! Not that one!'' Aiko cried and cursed the system in her mind. [Master of Sex Toys] [You are more effective when wielding Sex Toys, especially Dildos, they will always deal critical damage whenever you wish it! Increases penetrative effectiveness!] [Your Beauty is increased by 500, and Beauty per Level by 5, with Luck by 2!] [Your Dexterity is increased by 1,000, and Dexterity per Level by 10!] ''...'' Aiko didn''t know if she wanted to cry or laugh at this absurd Title. [You have been awarded the Title: [Gourmand]!] [Gourmand] [Decrease the Impurities in food you taste or prepare!] [You are more picky when it comes to food and hygiene!] [Your Vitality recovers faster if you are sated! (1 point per hour)] ''I was already a picky eater, does that mean I will starve to death if I don''t have good food?'' Aiko stared at it blankly, not really liking this one. [You have been awarded the Title: [Explorer]!] [Explorer] [Increase your Perception when in ''Unknown'' or ''Unexplored'' land!] [Your Luck is increased by 100, and Luck per Level by 10!] [Your Vigour is increased by 100, and Vigour per Level by 10!] ''This is really good, especially that Luck, give me all that Luck~!'' Aiko was pleasantly surprised after ''that'' disaster. [You have been awarded the Title: [Trickster]!] [Trickster] [You like to play with things and use them to create various Tricks, you also have an easier time deceiving people.] [Increase the chance of success when doing Tricks!] [Your Dexterity is increased by 100, and Dexterity per Level by 2!] ''I did that.'' For some reason, she was proud of this... [You have been awarded the Title: [Mischievous Cub]!] [Mischievous Cub] [You have talent in teasing people and/or making other people suffer through your mischief.] [Increase the chance of success when doing Mischievous things!] [Possibility to raise affection or sharply decline affection, use with care!] ''You are not talking about me, right? I never did anything mischievous... I didn''t steal any meat from the Fox, because she upset me, nuh uh!'' Aiko once again denied reality. [You have been awarded the Title: [Filthy RICH Den Master]!] [Filthy RICH Den Master] [FUCK RICH PEOPLE!] [You won''t sleep well if you don''t have ''expensive'' bedding.] ''Fuck you system, seriously.'' Aiko was upset at this blatant discrimination when she almost died, but for some reason, she felt a shiver down her spine. ''No, I don''t want to fuck the system, you are imagining things.'' She blurted this in her mind, but for some reason that sensation only intensified... ''I''m going to cry, this is injustice against Cubs!'' Aiko protested and glanced at her system panel. [ Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 500 - 500 Species: [Shadow Fennec Fox Cub(Female, Peak of Unique)] Species: [-] Age: 0.51/100 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Awakened)] Bloodline: [-] Beast Rank: Beast Level: 160 (2nd Evolution) Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], [Plushie Princess], [Shadow Thief], [Master of Sex Toys], [Gourmand], [Explorer], [Trickster], [Mischievous Cub], [Filthy RICH Den Master], Cultivation Technique: [Blood Tyrant Scripture], [Moon Goddess Scripture] Elemental Spirit: [Seed of ####; Nurtured 1,066/100,000] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement) HP: 1,311|1,311 (1pH & 0.07%pH) ST: 2,269|2,269 -> 2,269|3,969 (3pH & 0.1%pH) Vitality: 829|829 (1pH & 0.05%pH)(1pH - Gourmand) Vigour: 1,787 -> 3,487 Beast Core(10%): 1,000 (1,120) Toughness: 668 Strength: 1,469 Agility: 5,313*1.6 Dexterity: 502 -> 4,422 Mind: 3,382 Insight: 130 Soul: 1,120 Beauty: 11,382 -> 14,382 Luck: 642 -> 2,982 Stat Points: 870 Skill Points: 641 Elemental Affinity: [Shadow - 3], [Earth - 9], [Soul - ####] Martial Arts: [Lightness Technique] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####], [Soul Palace] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered], [Earthen Walk: Lv.3] Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.2], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Agility Mastery: Lv.3], [Intention Perception: Mastered] Skills: [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Lacerate: Lv.3], [Sprint: Mastered], [Tracking: Mastered], [Quick Double Jump: Lv.3], [Camouflage: Lv.5], [Meditation: Lv.1], [Nurture: Lv.3] Passive Skills: [Stealth: Lv.5], [Health Recovery: Lv.7], [Stamina Recovery: Mastered], [Prehensile Tail: Mastered], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Thermal Regulation: Lv.1], [Intimidation: Mastered], [Weakness Detection: Mastered], [Hunting Mastery: Mastered], [Vitality Recovery: Lv.5], [Linguistics: Lv.2], [Swimming: Lv.1], [Throwing Mastery: Lv.5], [Enhanced Climbing: Lv.5], [Enhanced Basic Senses: Lv.5], Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], [Blessing of ####], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x250], [Skill Coupon x4], [Skill Combination Coupon x2->x4], [Cultivation Gift], [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Crystal 25,000]x4, [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Stone 100,000]x12, [Sub-Profession Coupon], [Divine Ability Gift], ] Aiko paused, she tried to fiddle with her pouch and noticed an incredible improvement in the motor functions of her paw. She was much more precise than before and was able to fiddle with the string attached to her pouch. ''I won''t become a cat with a rapier, right...?'' Aiko paused, this was a good thing to happen to her, but she was very sceptical about some effects. ''I hope they won''t affect me too much. She was too mentally tired from the system so she went to sleep prematurely. ... She woke up the next day and there was a large commotion outside... Chapter 49 – Smol Sneaky Assassin and Mischievous Babi ''Why can''t I sleep peacefully?'' Aiko was fed up, she couldn''t sleep well because her heated nest wasn''t counted as expensive enough. She was bothered and angry. [Good/Evil: 500 - 500 -> 400 - 600] Aiko frowned. ''Let''s find out what''s happening.'' She climbed outside, only for the system to slap her in the face. [You have entered The Ying Soul Restraining Formation!] [Your Soul has been Restrained!] [Your affinity with Soul is deep! Soul restraining is weakened!] [[Soul Palace] shrouds your Soul! The Formation is unable to restrain you!] Aiko climbed up again as she was too surprised by the system and fell. ''Stupid system, can''t you tell me that in the corner of my eyes.'' She was angry that the system would always slap her face with it. She explored the surroundings, it was eerily quiet. She explored some more around only to find corpses of Humans that looked like old mummies. Aiko poked them, but they didn''t move. She could still feel their breathing. ''What in the world?'' Aiko tilted her head. ''Since when there were mummies in this place.'' She was unaware that it was the work of the Formation. She walked around, not finding anything. It was quite creepy. "Finally the formation activated." She heard a voice. "I was worried that the Foxes would escape, but that doesn''t seem to be the case." Another voice spoke. "Right? We had to plan so many years and ''help'' so many kingdoms just to obtain enough ''disciples'' for this." The first voice sighed. "What about the other Sect, won''t they go after us for this?" The second voice asked. "That is unlikely as this place is under our territory, if they did something like that we could accuse them of spying." An Old voice spoke. ""Greeting Elder"" They greeted him. "How many did we capture?" The Elder asked. "There are about 12 Foxes, but there are quite a few Unique ones, even a Demonic Fox." The first voice spoke with respect. "Hohohohoh~," The Elder laughed. "I will be taking the Blood Fox." He licked his lips. ""Naturally Elder."" Those voices were respectful, but Aiko could feel their curses emanating from their bodies. "Let''s go!" The Elder couldn''t wait, but to get his hands on beautiful a Demonic Kitsune. He was gentle on the outside, but a complete degenerate inside. He already prepared the necessary ingredients and Villages to sacrifice to make her into a full-fledged Kitsune. Of course, other Elders were unaware of this as they were also looking into the ''Fox Village'' to strike some kind of deal that would allow them to get beautiful Dao Companions. Aiko tailed them from afar, using all of her Skills and Abilities to stay hidden. She would stay in the Shadows and observe. ... The Sect Leader''s face hardened as they saw what happened. Aiko was still asleep and under the actual formation so it didn''t affect her. The Queen looked at the Sect Leader with a frown. ''They dare to strike a deal with me while not being able to properly manage the tests.'' She clicked her tongue. "Everything will be alright Jade Fox." The Sect Leader spoke politely. She wasn''t able to ascertain the age of her Soul, it was completely shrouded which struck fear in her heart. "As long as she doesn''t climb up we will-" The Sect Leader wanted to say that they would rescue her to strike a better deal, but Aiko had different thoughts. She woke up due to the commotion and stretched. The Sect Leader and Elders hardened as she started to climb outside with an annoyed expression. "Fuck! Stupid! Go back!" The Elders cursed that little cub for her curiosity, completely ignoring the Fox. "Phew." They breathed a sigh of relief as she fell back down, it was comical, but they wouldn''t say anything about it as it helped them. "No! Bad Cub! Go back down!" The Elders resumed their cursing once Aiko was climbing back up. The Sect Leader was pinching her nose bridge when she noticed the Jade Fox''s irritated, no, angry expression. "We will be still able to save her-" If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "No need." The Queen coldly said. She would bring Aiko back herself, their leader might be in Soul Formation, but that was still within her Power. She then paused. Aiko walked around inside the formation still annoyed. Like she was not even affected. ''What in the 9 Heavens...'' She was stunned and left speechless. Her brain couldn''t process what she was seeing and the Elders were the same. The Sect Leader''s face stiffened, once she realized that Aiko was completely fine. "You didn''t make her into Yang Fox, while she is Demonic Fox, right?" The Sect Leader asked bluntly regretting her loose tongue. "It would be better if you didn''t say anything, Sect Leader. The deal would have to be altered even further than what I''m now thinking." The Queen coldly brushed her off. ''I didn''t turn her into Yang Beast... right?'' The Queen thought in panic. ''It is impossible for the medicine bath to change that.'' The Queen shook her head. ''Then how can she walk under-'' She tilted her head. ''Powerful Soul? Or is it Divine Ability? Maybe the treasures she got?'' The Queen was calculating at high speed, unsure of herself. ''But that would mean we would have to adjust the deal further.'' She was completely fine with that as she didn''t care about how much resources they had to spend to keep them here. She smiled evilly and the Sect Leader shivered. ... Aiko tailed them to where the Foxes were held captive. They lay motionlessly only their eyes moving. The Elder was satisfied as their bodies wouldn''t work as long as the Formation worked. He was satisfied but had to hurry. He didn''t have the proper materials to sustain this formation as for some reason these Foxes were too vicious and killed too many ''disciples''. The Elder frowned again. "Their will is too strong." He wanted to contract them right now, but if he did that the Formation would be undone. He licked his lips. ''I can''t believe she was ruined so much... or maybe she is into that?'' He thought looking at the Blood Fox. He plucked an expensive pill and forcibly used it on her. A miracle happened and her wounds healed. "I-isn''t that a Heavenly Grade Healing Pill?!" The First Cultivator''s body shivered. "We only have 3 in our Sect!" He said in disbelief. "So what?" The Elder growled, he was able to steal one when the Sect Leader went to negotiate with the Fox Village. They were one of the largest Sects on this Continent, as such they had quite the vast riches, but even they had only a couple of Heavenly Graded Pills. Aiko smelled that pill and her ears perked. ''Does that mean that some of them have tasty marbl- *Cough* Pills?'' Aiko''s eyes shined. She went back into the Forest to hunt a few Cultivators. She dashed through the Forest to find anyone and she did. She picked up rocks and hurled them at top speed, but they just shattered upon impact, causing little to no damage. "Agh!" "BECH" "GRHMF" "Who is there?!" "Show yourself, you bastard!" "I will fucking kill you!" Aiko was shocked as those rocks had much higher speed now and because of her improved dexterity she hit them squarely into the head! Aiko moved a few meters away so that they wouldn''t spot her, but deep inside she was shocked. ''D-does that mean I can''t rob them?!'' Her head hurt, she really wanted to taste those Pills. An insane thought flashed through her mind. ''Surely this would work...'' She picked a glowing rock with her tail, it was warm to the touch and slightly shiny... [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Stone 100,000 -> 99,999] Aiko aimed carefully as this was one hell of an expensive rock and hurled it while sprinting at top speed. The Spirit Stone easily broke the sound barrier, flying like a bullet through the air. "Huh?" The guy noticed something shiny flying at him but didn''t have time to dodge, so he raised his weapon. *Clank* The Spirit Stone flew at him with too much force staggering him. He looked speechlessly at the Spirit Stone between his feet and his mind blanked. *POP* His head that was sitting on his neck was now gone. Another Spirit Stone took it cleanly and continued flying through several trees, until... *BOOOM* It obliterated nearby hard rock. The other Cultivators sweated at this sight, but moments later they also had their heads taken off cleanly! *BOOOM**BOOOM* But she caused too much commotion with her throwing Skills that it attracted the attention of the Elder. He found a small Fox trying to loot the dead bodies and used his Martial Ability. Aiko''s [Intention Perception] warned her of the incoming danger and she dove into the ground. The ground caved in and Qi spread out throughout the soil. -1,000HP! Aiko cursed silently at that bastard as she felt her body was heavy and painful. ... The Elder stared at Aiko who was using Spirit Stone as rocks and cried inside their hearts. Most of them would polish Spirit Stones, or sleep with them. So that they could absorb at least a little bit of the Energy inside. Yet this little... *sigh* The Queen giggled with a gentle expression, freezing the Elders. She was too mesmerizing when she didn''t have a cold expression and their hearts stopped. The Sect Leader had to chant her sutra to calm her heart so that she wouldn''t shout. ''Let me become your concubine!'' ... "S-she is throwing Spirit Stones..." One girl on the seat spoke, while her Soul was leaving her body. She was not the only one, the Elder maintaining the Projection was already crying. ''Using Spirit Stones as rocks.'' He cried so much that some Foxes believed he had reached epiphany and would enter another stage... The girl who was previously scolding Aiko for being a bully, now was completely stunned. ''Why won''t they pay attention to me!? Just because I don''t throw rocks around like some kind of barbarian?!'' She frowned. She didn''t have enough Spirit Stones to throw around like that little Fox. ''Curse you!'' She was biting her nice nails. ... Aiko popped her head from the soil when the Elder wasn''t paying attention. Aiko readied another Spirit stone for throwing and slammed it against the Elders Head, but it only bounced off. "Bastard!? Where are you?!" He was not interested in this little thing as even if she grew up she would be small and not very well endowed, meanwhile that large Blood Fox, being Demonic Beast would have a ravishing body and he was looking forward- *Ding* Another Spirit Stone hit his head. It didn''t deal any damage, but oh boy was he pissed off. He used his Martial Ability in a frenzy, gouging the Earth under him. Aiko was constantly cursing him for his thick skin. ''Why he won''t pop like the others?!'' Aiko cursed, she was unaware that he was Elder as she missed that greeting and even if she didn''t miss it, she wouldn''t know how great that was. ''I will have to check that book later to know what is wrong.'' She was talking about the [Introduction to the Mortal Realm] as she encountered something she didn''t understand. However now it was not the time, she was frustrated and annoyed when- ''This way, come, come.'' ''He won''t be as arrogant once you mess up his Formation, go!'' The Darkness guided her towards one of the Formation flags and Aiko saw the guards. They looked a bit intimidating, but who said she had to fight them! She dove under the ground and moved below the flag, listening to the voices. ''Just tilt it, tilt it.'' ''Any movement of the flags will bring about backlash!'' Aiko smirked and nudged the flag. [[Mischievous Cub] Activated!] [Your Luck is great! The outcome will be more favourable!] The flag completely tilted and Aiko was startled. Chapter 50 – When you pick on the wrong person The Foxes were moved inside cages that suppressed their Bloodlines. Now they were just normal Foxes with somewhat superhuman strength, but those cages were made out of expensive materials so they wouldn''t budge. The Elder nodded, he would slowly torture the Foxes to reshape them to his liking and then sell them to the other Elders, of course, he would rip the others off. "Good, now we just nee-BLERGH" He vomited a few mouthfuls of blood. He instantly lost his temper. "You bastards you were supposed to prote-BLERGH" He rushed towards one of the Formation flags, while he didn''t need the Formation any more, he made it so that the Formation kept working even if he lost consciousness. That was why he set his men around the Formations, since if someone tampered with them it would result in a bigger backlash. ... Aiko moved through the soil to another flag. She liked the squeaking sounds the flags made when they were displaced. ''Nudge it! Nudge it! Nudge it!'' The Darkness encouraged her. *Nudge* [[Mischievous Cub] Activated!] The flag tilted less than when her Luck also activated, but it was enough to make that squeaking sound. Aiko grinned moving to another flag. ... "..." The Audience was completely silent, they were sympathizing with Formation Cultivators, who were shivering at Aiko''s mischievous appearance and liked to play with things. "Please remind me, to never create any Formation before her." One Formation Apprentice asked. "Oh please, even if it''s already set up, she will just do that." Another Formation Adept, who had to change pants, said to him coldly. "I will definitely create Formation in front of her." Another youth Formation Apprentice said. ""Are you insane?!"" They both spoke in sync. "We all like her, right?" That youth asked. They nodded. "Isn''t she interested in Array?" The youth smiled from ear to ear. Both of them shook their heads. "While your plan to get close to her is praiseworthy, you are really stupid. Do you know what happens when you experience backlash?" Formation Adept asked and both of them shook their heads. "Have you ever visited the ''Muscle Peak''?" He asked and both of them shivered. "Now imagine that pain, but turn up to 11!" He scolded them. "So..." the youth Apprentice gulped. "We can''t use Arrays to attract her?" "If you don''t mind the pain." Formation Adept narrowed his eyes. This shut him up. The ''Muscle Peak'' was a cursed Peak where you could only hear screaming. They would scream from morning to night and throughout the night. It was a bone-chilling experience and they never wanted to experience that again, that was why almost nobody touched the missions from the ''Muscle Peak'' since you had to go there in person to get more details about the mission. ... The Sect Leader gulped. "Please explain to your Mate to not touch our Formation Masters." The Sect Leader said in a pleading voice. The Queen licked her lips and the Elders gulped, not because they were scared, but because they really wanted to experience those #### and ####. The Queen sent her a slip of jade, with her herb demands and rates. "If we agree on this deal you will keep her away from our Formation Peak?" The Sect Leader asked. "If she isn''t interested enough, yes." The Queen readily nodded since that jade slip was a complete rip-off for this Sect, they would bleed their resources onto the Queen''s lap and she would make Pills and more Medicine Baths for Aiko. ''Although those Medicine Baths would be postponed.'' She was already aware of the attraction Aiko was creating. There would be a lot of annoying people and she had to refine a lot of Pills to get more Contribution Points. The Sect Leader narrowed her eyes as if thinking about it. "We can''t give you the 7 Coloured Peach." The Sect Leader shook her head. "It was stolen from us from our Traitors, we would have to retrieve it first." The Sect Leader tried to smooth the situation. "That is fine, but I want collateral." The Queen continued negotiations as she giggled at Aiko who was still messing with the flags. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ... "YOU FUCKING BASTARD CAN''T YOU JUST DEFEND THO-BLERGH" The Elder vomited blood so many times that he was dizzy. He was completely livid as his incompetent Guards let that intruder do whatever it wanted. The Formation was still functioning as he had to first readjust all the flags before he would be able to take them down. That was another limitation he had to impose in order to strengthen the Formation, but now it was backfiring. ... Aiko returned to the caged Foxes. The Foxes immediately noticed her as her head popped in front of them. "Stupid, go away! You will get caught." The Yellow Fox scolded Aiko. Aiko stuck out her tongue and moved under the soil. She readied more of her Spirit Stones. *POP**POP**POP**POP* She was able to easily assassinate those as they were much weaker than the Elder. The Foxes were left speechless, especially the Blood Fox. ''S-she went easy on me.'' The Blood Fox cried in her mind, she might develop Inner Demons because of this. Her body might be healed, but her Blood Reservoir was completely empty. They had hope that Aiko would free them, but... ''''''She is looting in this situation?!'''''' They were all left speechless. Aiko rummaged around the corpses, but soon gave up and just stuffed them inside the ''Fox Village'' Pouch. She then dived into the soil and waited. The noises attracted the Elder and he returned. "WHERE ARE THOSE BASTARDS THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO GUARD THOSE-" *Ding* A Spirit Stone bounced on his head. He turned around and gouged the ground. Seeing his destruction the Foxes cursed that little one that she didn''t escape, but... *Ding**Ding**Ding* 3 Spirit Stones bounced again. Making the Elder furious. *Ding* "THAT''S IT YOU SHITTY WHORE! I WILL FUCKING SKIN YOU ALIVE AND FEED YOU TO THE RATS!" His aura roared as he got angry and Aiko just hid far away from him. He was using a large amount of his Qi and would run out eventually, so Aiko just needed to infuriate him more. He blew the ground under him and pebbles flew in all directions. -300HP One grazed Aiko and she cursed that lunatic. ''Oi! You are supposed to run out of Energy not fight me!'' She was sweating as her body was incredibly heavy and painful. She didn''t like that, she wanted her warm Den and not this shiny bald nightmare! Aiko moved even further and waited until his energy weakened. She moved back cautiously listening to the Darkness. She threw another spirit stone. *Splat* Blood dripped from the Elders''s head. He was not dead yet, but her skills finally worked. She was shooting one Spirit Stone after another as the Elder tried to catch her with his hands. He ran out of Qi, so he couldn''t move as fast as before. Aiko adjusted her mind to the heavy body and was able to move somewhat fast, but she would use [Earthen Walk], whenever there was danger of being caught. The Spirit Stones started to pile on the ground as Aiko threw her thousandth Spirit Stone. "Fuck." He vomited more blood as he plopped on his face. "I can''t believe a shitty lowly fox-" *Splat* [Gained Level!] [Level: 160 -> 162] [Congratulations! You have been awarded the Title: [Babi-barian]!] [Babi-barian] [You have proven to be ruthless Hurler!] [Your ''weapons'' can be imbued with Qi! (Can be automatic)] [Your Strength is increased by 100, and Strength per Level by 5!] ''Finally'' Aiko panted and plopped on the ground. Her Stamina was rock bottom. She used [Meditate] to recover her Stamina. She was happy that she finally took him down, as it was quite a painful battle with her injuries. ''Fortunately, it''s not cut injury or I would''ve bled out.'' Aiko snorted as her Stamina was completely covered. She went to the cages and slashed the locks. The cages opened and the Foxes cautiously went outside. They saw the little heavily breathing Fox looting the corpse of that powerful, but hateful, Cultivator. They really wanted to chew him apart but waited till Aiko was finished. Aiko glanced at them. The Blood Fox was collecting and refining blood. Aiko couldn''t collect any more of the loot since her pouches and rings were full. She replenished all the Spirit Stones and would take her time to find the rest, but it would be pointless if she couldn''t store them. She came in front of the Blood Fox. The Blood Fox was cautious and wanted to run away, but seeing other Foxes eyeing her up and down she couldn''t. ''I can''t shame my brother any more...'' She thought, but she was internally crying as she still vividly remembered that beating. Aiko stopped in front of her. The Blood Fox was sweating as she expected another beating, but instead of that she was almost buried by corpses and it was 80 of them! Their Pouches were taken away somewhere and they didn''t know where so they couldn''t retrieve them. That was another reason why she couldn''t recover her strength, but with so many corpses, she definitely could! The Blood Fox hesitated to take them, but Aiko didn''t even glance at her and went somewhere. They observed her but almost vomited blood once they saw what she was doing. She was collecting every single Spirit Stone! The Foxes blinked in disbelief and most of them were resting, but still speechless at her antics. Meanwhile, Aiko was collecting the stones happily. She would collect as many as possible until her Pouch couldn''t hold it! ... The Sect Leader. "I''m sorry friend, but can you retrieve them?" The Grandmaster didn''t say anything, but she made a subtle grabbing motion with her hands. "I don''t mind." She replied positively, she really missed that fur. She already heard that the little one had a partner, but she could feel strange energy from her. ''Everyone dubbed her as Demonic Beast, but I don''t think that''s it...'' The Grandmaster thought, thinking about the possibilities. The Teleportation Array was lit up and she disappeared with a few others. ... Aiko was trying to dig up a few last Spirit Stones when she was caught. "What do you think you are doing? Shouldn''t you be healing yourself?" A somewhat soft voice rang in her ears. Aiko was wary of this person since the Darkness didn''t say anything. The Queen sighed. She could feel the wariness from Aiko and pouted. "You can''t even tell that''s me?" She turned back into Fox and Aiko was startled. She knew that there existed Fox-Humans, but she didn''t think that Foxes could become Humans so soon! Aiko was eyeing the Queen up and down and circling her. ''Two fluffy tails check.'' Aiko nodded and happily jumped up, only to get caught by another person. "That is bad manners little one." The Grandmaster smiled. "Jade Fox." She gave the Queen a brief nod. "Grandmaster." The Queen turned back, with clothes back on again. "Impressive." The Grandmaster praised. "Thank you." She stole Aiko back from Grandmaster and Grandmaster pouted. "It was quite messy." The Queen said. "But your little one earned a lot." The Grandmaster narrowed her eyes, she didn''t believe they were Mates, but she wouldn''t say anything, it was not her place to say anything. "That is true, but we have exchanged a lot of it." The Queen nodded with a smile. "You mean that you ripped off my friend." The Grandmaster laughed and Aiko was startled. "I suppose." The Queen laughed too and added. "There will be a lot of Medicine baths and Food. I have prepared a good deal." She kissed Aiko''s forehead, but Aiko had already thoughts about something else. ''Bath, Food!'' Aiko''s eyes lit up and she wagged her tail. "Pfft." The Grandmaster laughed but soon coughed returning to her stern self. "I will gather the others and we will return soon." The Grandmaster walked away and Queen nodded. They would have a long day ahead. Chapter 51 – Heart Afire The Queen followed the Grandmaster as Aiko was curiously looking at what she would do. The Grandmaster was surprised when she saw the Foxes cooperating on tearing apart one particular body. She clapped and the Foxes snapped out of it. "You have all passed this test, there is only one test left." The Grandmaster said. Those Foxes looked at each other. "We have not collected enough Humans." The Grandmaster nodded in agreement. "You have good fighting prowess, but you lack the control necessary to utilize your Abilities to the fullest. We have recorded everything that happened here and we will show you your weaknesses, you will have a year to correct most of them or we will kick you out of the Fox Village." The Grandmaster recited the Sect Leader''s words. Aiko who was happily snoozing while being held by the Queen stiffened. ''R-recorded?'' She sent a burning glare towards the Grandmaster. The Queen giggled and the Grandmaster stiffened her face with Qi on purpose so that she wouldn''t smile. "Of course, we have all seen your fighting style." Aiko almost fainted and glared at the Grandmaster. "Is there a problem?" The Grandmaster asked the Foxes and Aiko jumped down, slapping her paw on her feet. [Title [Courageous] Activated!] [Title [Plushie Princess] Activated!] [Title [Mischievous Cub] Activated!] ''Delete it, delete it.'' Aiko was embarrassed. ''Those are my treasures.'' The Foxes froze in fear and the Queen laughed out loud. The Grandmaster also stiffened as she didn''t expect this little one to be so courageous. "What is it? You know we have already seen your grubby little paws robbing everyone." Aiko protested as she was picked up. ''Sniff, delete it, sniff.'' Aiko had teary eyes and the Title [Mischievous Cub] was so effective the Grandmaster almost caved in. "You will learn from those scenes." The Grandmaster returned Aiko to the Jade Fox, she was bothered by her stare. The Queen was still laughing, but the Grandmaster didn''t mind. ''I might even believe they are Mates right now.'' She thought. It was very strange to see so well-synchronized and caring Foxes. ''It''s like I''m looking at those two.'' She glanced towards the boom-boom Fox and Shadow Fox. Then she shook her head. "We will be leaving soon, the pouches are almost retrieved by the others, we will still count your wealth and assign Contribution points when you pass the next test. The next test was the heart/loyalty test. They would be giving them the access tokens so they needed to know if they would betray them and how likely would they stay loyal. ... They returned to another ground. Probably because they didn''t expect such a great turn over there were only 4 Arrays prepared for this. "The next is the Heart Test." The Grandmaster said. "It is a very simple test, where your heart will be tested. They arrived at the destination and there were Foxes all around peeking curiously. Once Aiko appeared in the Queen''s arms, damage was inflicted on their hearths and uproar began. "Little one please go out with me!" One girl screamed. "I will let you #### and ####, I also don''t mind #### and ####!" Another girl screamed. "I will treasure you as a mate!" A guy screamed and the place went silent. The female Foxes turned at him already with their weapons in their hands. "Would you repeat that again, bimbo trash?" The first girl smiled, she was a prodigy when it came to swords, so not many would offend her. "W-well..." The guy was pressured by 67 sharp pointy blades aimed towards him. "N-no." He shook his head. They smiled and then stiffened, The Grandmaster was looking at them with narrowed eyes. "I didn''t think there were so many traitors..." She sighed touching her burn wound. The colour was drained from their faces, they remembered the rules. ''Never date an outsider.'' They gulped, sweating buckets, but Grandmaster ignored them. Aiko had burrowed her head in the Queen''s arms as she was bothered by this attention. The Queen ignored them. ''Mmmmm, it''s so, so nice to pet her fur...'' Then she thought. ''I wonder how many Spirit Stones we could get from a single pet...'' But then she shook her head. ''This fur is mine! The Medicine bath helped her greatly and that was because of me!'' She nodded happily. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. The Grandmaster made a line of the Foxes. The attribute-less Foxes were the first ones as they were less likely to succeed. Aiko was waiting in line. "You need to activate the Array for at least 1 minute to pass.'' The Grandmaster said. How this Array worked is that it would test your emotions against your heart and experiences. At first, the effect would not be noticeable, but soon your heart would slowly burn, causing you pain. The more you try to shield your heart or endure the worse it will become. That was why there were still traitors, some of them had extremely high pain thresholds and endured the pain until 1 minute passed. The attribute-less Foxes failed after a few seconds and only one passed. Now it was time for Yellow Fox, Purple Fox, boom-boom Fox and Shadow Fox. They surprisingly passed. The Yellow Fox had 2 minutes and 13 seconds. The purple Fox had 1 minute and 46 seconds. The boom-boom Fox with Shadow Fox had exactly 3 minutes. ... The Elders who were looking from afar, with few harem kings, stared at them and evaluated them. "It''s not bad, shadow is also close to demonic lineage so she would be really beautiful, it would be worth teaching..." The Female Elder said. "I really like the shadow one." One of the harem kings said. "What? You would go for something so mediocre? Why not the Fire/Earth Fox(Boom-boom Fox)? She would bounce nicely." Another king ridiculed his friend and licked his lips. The Elder shook her head and watched others entering the circle. ... Now it was time for the Blood Fox, which everyone thought would fail immediately, but everyone wished she didn''t as they already saw Demonic Foxes and without any exceptions, they were all ravishing beauties! Another was the Ice Fox, which was the black horse, they didn''t expect she would survive so far. Then there was Aiko, who... looked angry? To use this Array you would be in an asleep state, but there was a problem. [Filthy RICH Den Master] This ''half asleep'' state was counted as sleeping, so the Title [Filthy RICH Den Master], was being triggered constantly. Aiko couldn''t ''sleep''... The Queen giggled and adjusted the Array. At first, the Elder wanted to stop her but then noticed that the addition was an Exclusion Array and the Jade Fox activated it for herself. The Elder tilted his head not understanding. The Jade Fox sat in place of Aiko and patted her thighs. The other Foxes almost went feral over this and were extremely tempted to jump at those delicious thighs and squeeze them. Fortunately, the Grandmaster''s cold aura was bone-chilling so they didn''t act on their impure thoughts. Aiko sat down since she was ''kicked'' out of the Array and stared at Queen not moving. The Queen''s lips twitched. ''Do you even know what others would do if I did the same?! They would conquer the Upper Realm for me!'' She moved her tails on her lap and Aiko was quick as lightning already settled on them. The Queen sighed and shook her head as the Array activated almost immediately. Grandmaster suddenly asked. "There won''t be a problem, right?" The Elder shook his head. "That small Array is better than what I created..." He sighed, normally he wouldn''t say this, but Grandmaster would be able to read his thoughts so there was no point in lying. Grandmaster nodded and they observed. ... The Ice Fox lasted 1 minute and 50 seconds. "Another good seedling." Another Elder spoke, but the Harem Kings were not as interested. "The Blood Fox was also holding on quite well. It was already 5 minutes." Another Elder spoke in astonishment. The Harem Kings were really interested in her. "The little one was also not bad." They stared at Aiko, who was... sleeping? "Wait is she asleep?" One Harem King laughed. That little one would fail immediately. The Elder spoke coldly knowing his thoughts. "It''s been 7 minutes already." The Harem King stiffened and looked at the hourglass in front of him. "What the fuck?" He didn''t last even 5 minutes since he fell asleep and the difficulty increased. At the 20-minute mark, the Blood Fox quit. The Elders nodded, they would try to get her as their Mates but paused as an extremely handsome prodigy approached her. ... "I''m glad you made it Sister." The youth smiled gently. "If you didn''t..." He narrowed his eyes. "I would have to beat up quite a few Elders." He laughed. The Grandmaster sighed. This pure youth loved his Sister more than anything and wished only the best for her. "I will also solve that little bully for you." Her brother smiled gently. "No." The Blood Fox rejected him and the youth was completely stunned. "Y-y-you..." Tears rolled down his cheeks and he smiled widely. Most female Foxes temporarily forget about Aiko and their cheeks flush. He could''ve been another Harem King, but he chose to be alone to have more sway over Elders so that his Sister would have an easier time. He hugged his Sister gently. His time was 22 minutes at that time. "If you need anything just tell me." He spoke gently, but his voice was still slightly cracked. The Blood Fox nodded and sat nearby staring at Aiko... ... Aiko was still asleep in white space. She had a pleasant sleep until something hit her. "Let me sleep, you shitty bastards!" The Aiko roared but was soon startled. "What the fuck?" She tilted her head, she couldn''t see her body. "Please calm down little one." A gentle voice drifted. "You are being tested currently, but your Soul was too powerful blocking everything, so I invited you here. "And who the fuck are you?" Aiko stared into the empty space. "Spirit of this Array." The gentle voice spoke again. "?" Aiko was confused. "Just know that I mean no harm and am here only to test you." She soothed Aiko. "Fine." Aiko ''sat'' down and stared at the completely white space. ... "D-do you feel uncomfortable?" The Spirit asked startled. "What do you think jerk?" Aiko snorted at her. ''I want to enjoy those fluffy tails but you!'' "Uh..." The Spirit was confused as it was already 25 minutes and this little one didn''t feel a thing. That never happened to her... ... "Grandmaster...?" The Elder asked looking at his nearby hourglass. "She doesn''t feel any pain." The Grandmaster spoke. The Elder wiped his sweat. ''What the fuck is going on?! She is just Beast!'' ... The Elders who were observing were likewise speechless. "Could it be that Array not working since she was Beast?" One Elder hypothesized, but was cut short. "Once you learn Arrays you can speak." Another Elder snorted at him. He was the creator of those Arrays and they were tested even on Animals and other Elders, they were flawless. One of the Harem Kings said. "I''m reserving that little one." The other Harem Kings cursed as they were too slow, from being stunned, but that didn''t stop them from cursing him. "Fuck you, bastard, don''t you have enough petite Foxes on your side?!" "No." The Harem King maintained his dignity and expressionless face. "You bastard! Did you really cut off your emotions so you can appear cool!?" They were left speechless. "I have no idea what you are talking about." He feigned ignorance while keeping his emotions constantly severed. They cursed and Elders shook their heads. "Who would like the little one?" One Elder asked, but none of the Elders spoke. They weren''t into small petite females. There was consensus that they would only tempt her so that they could obtain Jade Fox... Chapter 52 – Passed!…? Can we enter now? 25 minutes... "Grandmaster..." The Elders who now arrived asked, frowning. "She is not feeling any pain or discomfort." The Grandmaster said simply, staring at Aiko curiously. The audience also increased incomparably as the words spread about someone who reached above 20 minutes and was a Demonic Beast, but now there was another Beast who reached 25 minutes and was sleeping soundly on those fluffy tails. The Harem Kings narrowed their eyes. They were glared at from every side and they couldn''t really move forward. The consensus of the audience was simple. ''Even if we break the rules we won''t let you approach them'' The Harem Kings had the right to choose first... One person in the audience was already sharpening her blade, glancing at them. Another person in the audience was counting some strange paper-no, those were talismans and oh boy were there many of them. Another one was a counting flask full of viciously green pills. All of them had different poison effects and he smiled kindly at the Harem Kings, ready to use them at a moment''s notice if those Kings moved. They suddenly felt... threatened. Some less talented Harem Kings already stood back, they would fight the whole peanut gallery. ... 29 minutes and 49 seconds, that was the time that Aiko lasted. Aiko furrowed her brows and jumped away from the lap, glaring at the Array. ''Can''t you let me sleep more, you shitty bastard!'' Aiko protested, ready to tear that Array. The Grandmaster chuckled. "You could''ve waited for a few more seconds before jumping away." The Grandmaster was aware that Aiko didn''t feel any pain yet, but only felt discomfort. ''It''s hard to sleep with that sensation!'' Aiko protested towards Grandmaster and everyone stiffened. "But it was just sensation..." The Grandmaster put her hand on her cheek. "You could''ve beaten the record you know. ''I don''t care about some shitty record! Give me back my sleep time!'' Aiko spat. The Grandmaster laughed. "You can sleep later, your Mate can join the Elites, but you only passed the normal way, what do you want to do?" The Elders frowned and wanted to stop her, but she was quicker than they were. Aiko stared at the Queen. ''Now do you have any plan mean Fox?'' "Pfft." The Grandmaster almost laughed out loud, but she immediately coughed concealing it. That didn''t stop the Elders from staring at her with astonishment and fear. ''G-Grandmaster just laughed!'' One Elder trembled. ''Grandmaster laughed! She will go on a killing spree run!'' Another Elder shook, but couldn''t move otherwise he would lose his face. Grandmaster spoke gently. "Are you interested in Pills?" Aiko thought about it, was she interested? Aiko pulled out small marble out of her pouch. "That is a Pill." The Grandmaster said. Aiko nodded. "How about Arrays or Formations?" Before Grandmaster finished Aiko already shook her head. She didn''t like Arrays, especially these stinky Arrays. Grandmaster suppressed her laugh as she saw Aiko glare at the Array. "How about Inscriptions?" Grandmaster asked once again. "By the way, that pouch is made through Inscriptions." Aiko''s eyes shined. ''Can I create bigger and more Storage Pouches?!'' The Grandmaster chuckled. "Yes." "How about hunting?" The Grandmaster saw Aiko''s complicated gaze. If she were to say if she liked hunting... the answer would be no, after meeting that Fire Lizard she was not very interested in those things. "How about hunting within shadows." The Grandmaster smiled. Now that was tempting, as Aiko fought mostly from shadows and she could possibly keep doing that. Aiko nodded. "There you have it Elders." The Grandmaster smiled sinisterly. The Elders looked at her with complicated expressions. Did they like Jade Fox? Fuck yeah! They would sell their wealth just for a one-night stand. Did they like Aiko? No. She would rip them off if they were to teach her. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. "In that case, anything important would be handled by me." The Grandmaster smiled and those old fogeys were left speechless. "Wait a moment Grandmaster." One Elder spoke back. "What is it, Array Elder?" The Grandmaster didn''t remember this Elder''s name so she called him through his occupation. He frowned but didn''t comment on that Array part. "Only Elders can take-" "That is alright." The Sect Leader appeared here, already aware of this commotion. If that little Fox wasn''t so small and young the Sect Leader would definitely propose to her... "Grandmaster will take care of the little one and the little one can live with either the Jade Fox or at Grandmaster''s place." The Sect Leader concluded nodding at Grandmaster who, until now, had a dangerous smile on her lips. "Sect Leader is wise." The Grandmaster said and other Elders had to follow suit unless someone would question their loyalty. ... The Queen smiled. ''I can''t teach her close-quarter combat as I was Energy Cultivator, but she will need that if she picks up any assassination missions.'' She concluded. "With this let''s go to the Memorial Stone." The Grandmaster said and all the reluctant Foxes dispersed and only those that passed stayed. Aiko was picked up by the Queen and they moved along. While it was against the rules to follow them, the Grandmaster ignored that rule for this occasion. The Sect Leader popped up midway once they were alone. "Jade Fox." The Sect Leader nodded towards her. "Do you have the herbs?" The Queen smiled. "Almost, but there are also the collaterals." The Sect Leader said. ''Sweetie, can I take 10 Rings filled with Spirit Stones?'' the Queen asked telepathically. ''Those are the herbs for baths and more tasty food.'' Aiko wagged her tail. She really enjoyed that bath and wanted to experience it again. 10 rings filled with Spirit Stones appeared in the Air and the Queen took them. The Sect Leader gave her the rings filled with herbs and the Queen checked them. Confirming the contents of the Storage Rings she handed over the 1,000,000 Spirit Stones. The Sect Leader nodded and left. Aiko stared at the mean Fox in expectation. "First we need to prepare it you silly." She gently touched Aiko''s nose and Aiko sneezed. Grandmaster smiled and guided them to the Memorial Stone. "Here we will record your Qi print. If your name turns into a shade colour that means you have died. Black when your Soul was extinguished and red when you have betrayed this Village." The Grandmaster explained. The girl in front of the Memorial Stone was startled. "Grandmaster." She cupped her fist. The Grandmaster nodded. "We are here to record their Qi." "J-Jade Fox?!" The Girl was startled. "She is just accompanying her Mate." The Grandmaster said. "I-i see..." Yet another Girl with a broken heart... There were a lot of greyed-out names, not many black, but also quite a few red ones. Aiko stared at them curiously and the girl spoke. "They don''t need to be traitors to appear red, if they are contracted they would also appear red." The girl explained while gathering picking up a small Stone and letting the Foxes touch it. They would also say their names so that wasn''t a blank space with a white aura. Aiko touched the stone curiously and a blank space appeared on the Memorial Stone. The girl waited for Aiko to tell her name. The Grandmaster coughed awkwardly. "She can''t speak." "Oh." The girl blushed from embarrassment and let Aiko go. "Now you will receive your additional Bloodline that can help you Evolve." The Grandmaster said and the other Foxes widened their eyes. "That is one of the benefits of joining our Village." The Grandmaster smiled. It has to be known that getting an additional Bloodline was very difficult. You can get your first Bloodline through Evolution, but then you would be stuck with that Evolution tree. There was very little chance of getting other Bloodlines as it was difficult to achieve all the conditions necessary to Evolve into them. There were very rare instances in which you would be able to obtain additional Bloodlines and one of those instances would be this ''Fox Village'' Shrine. It was an extremely sacred place where one had a chance to obtain Bloodline. They walked towards a larger cave, in front of it there were many Shrine Gates, they were densely inscribed and appeared majestic in the sight of the beholder. Aiko was intimidated, but also curious. "You will enter one at a time. You will know what to do once you arrive inside and you will also know when to leave." The Grandmaster briefly explained. "Elder." The Grandmaster nodded towards the Elder sitting nearby. "So many?" The Elder widened his eyes and narrowed them at Jade Fox. "Have you changed your mind, Jade Fox?" The Queen smiled. "No, I don''t need another one." The Elder snorted but didn''t say anything. He levitated small tokens in front of them. Each Fox got one. "Use them before you leave, unless you are like Jade Fox or Demonic Beast, I do not wish to rot my eyes with your unsightly bodies." The Elder spat and didn''t say more. The First Fox entered, it took a while, but Aiko fell asleep in the meantime. ... The Queen pushed Aiko. Aiko was frowning. ''Why won''t they let me sleep!'' Aiko entered the Shrine slowly and disappeared from their sight. "Will she be alright?" A gentle angelic voice asked in concern. "I hope so." A slightly rough, but energetic voice shared similar emotions. "She won''t become scarier, right?" A shy voice asked. "I hope she won''t destroy that place." The Queen sighed. They all looked at her flabbergasted. "What? She already devoured an Earthen Shard." The Queen snorted at their disbelieving expressions. The Queen shrugged and the Grandmaster understood why she was like that. ... Aiko entered the Shrine. She walked for a while and her paws were making wet sounds. Wet? She was walking on a lake under a starry sky. [What a troublesome User...] The system sighed. Aiko frowned but didn''t say anything, she continued walking. [What am I going to do with you...] The system played with something. [I should just ignor-AU AU AU AU, Senior!] The System cried and Aiko smirked. No, she relished in this misfortune of this system as it didn''t reward her for beating up the Blood Fox. She was greatly upset at the system, but couldn''t get revenge on it, so it was refreshing that someone else got revenge on her behalf. [W-w-wait Senior Sister-Ah~] ''...'' Aiko ignored everything. She was a Monk. Monk? A Nun. Aiko walked forward when something wrapped around her. The whole world turned upside down. She didn''t understand what was happening and felt dizzy. [Poor little Fox] Something or someone kissed Aiko''s forehead and that feeling disappeared. [Congratulations! You have obtained a new Bloodline! [Dream Beast Kitsune]!] ''Uh...'' Aiko stared at the notifications, for quite some time. [W-wait! This-] [Shush] [Ah~] ''I''m a Nun.'' Aiko chanted. She didn''t notice that her body was slowly transforming. [Congratulations! You have obtained a new Divine Ability! [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)]!] [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)] [It allows the User to obtain a temporary Human form.] [You can''t Cultivate Human Cultivation Techniques!] [As this is a prototype the consumption and penalties are more severe!] [100 Stamina per minute and 1/10 of Stats] Aiko stared at this new Divine Ability and frowned. ''This shit is completely useless.'' She narrowed her eyes, but noticed that she was bigger? She looked down and saw a Human body, but it was strange, she didn''t have any nipples or other parts. She looked like a doll. ''Is that because it''s a prototype?'' Aiko narrowed her eyes, but that wouldn''t make sense. ''They wouldn''t talk about sex if you couldn''t have it in the first place.'' Aiko was unaware that because she was still cub the technique was even more nerfed when it came to the transformation as her body was still undeveloped. Aiko noticed the shining Token and touched it. Clothes wrapped around her. They were simple, but comfortable clothes. ''I quite like them.'' She still couldn''t speak, but she was somewhat used to it. She slowly walked towards the exit with her small petite form. Chapter 53 – Picky Aiko A small flawless doll walked in front of them. Everyone was startled and mesmerized by the doll''s cuteness. Some of the Foxes couldn''t endure it and rushed towards her, wanting to stroke the doll''s hair to their heart''s content. ... The Queen was momentarily stunned. ''Was it a really good idea to give her that Medicine Bath?'' She doubted her decision. She stared at the small child at around 60-65cm. She was small and incredibly cute, her hair was of Creamy colour that reached her middle back and her eyes which were now Azure in colour instilled a soothing feeling onto others. Her nose was small, tiny even, with a likewise small mouth. Her clothes were baggy and hid her child''s body well. The Queen almost giggled as Aiko had comically large ears on her head. They had a Pinkish texture inside. Her tail was also comically large, almost larger than Aiko''s body and had a Creamy colour with a Black tip. The others rushed towards her and Aiko was startled. The Queen could feel her hesitation and slight fear at the charging mob. Soon her Creamy-coloured hair darkened and lengthened until it was completely Black. Her small soothing eyes turned into a bewitching Scarlet colour. Her tail reversed in colour, having a Creamy tip. Her aura changed with a slightly sinister feeling. Aiko dashed left and jumped dodging most of the ''mob'', but some predicted that and wanted to catch her mid-air, but Aiko used her [Quick Double Jump] to dodge the rest and hid behind the Queen. ... Aiko walked out of the cave, it was still dark because of the shrine gates so Aiko didn''t feel all that bad. The world looked much more colourful than before, she was taken aback by the colourful outside world and strained her eyes to look at the waiting Foxes. The first one was her Chef-*Cough* mean Fox. She was around 168cm in height. Her body had well-defined curves, and an almost hourglass figure, but her chest ruined it all. Her chest was smaller but still around 75-80cm. Her legs were quite longer than the other Foxes, but still within acceptable margin that it didn''t look out of place. She had nice huggable thighs and well well-shaped fit bottom. Her face was picturesque, arousing feelings in both genders. It was hard to look away from her once you saw that mesmerizing face. She had eyes coloured in French Blue, with the edges of her irises being Caramel Brown. It was an odd feeling staring into them, but still mesmerizing. Her nose was small but slightly pointy, it didn''t ruin her charm but added sharpness to it, but her lips were small and slightly Red. It made the observers want to kiss them or bite them. She had a slender neck that aroused the protective senses of some, while sadistic in others. Her hair colour was Caramel Brown down to her hips but had streaks of French Blue here and there, it gave her a mystical feeling. She had average-sized fox ears. The outside part was a Caramel Brown, while the inside was mostly white, with a hint of very Light Blue. Those colours were a strange combination, but that was only because this was not her human form. In this pseudo form, everyone would have the colour of their dominant element. Aiko was able to retain her creamy colour because of her Soul affinity. She had seductive clothes, but she was still well-covered. --- The next one was a strangely looking gothic girl. She looked at Aiko warily, but Aiko still could see she was a nicely endowed girl, with a likewise nice body. She looked shy and hesitant which even more stroked the desires of others to bully her. Her eyes were dark in colour and her hair was Pitch Black, reaching below her waist, only her inside ears had a slight White-Pinkish colour. Her Fox tail was small and cute, while her ears were tiny and adorable. She had a shy, but gentle face that could do no wrong. It was hard to say how high she was as she was hiding behind someone cute and small. She had black clothes with some white parts --- The next one was a fiery Red/Orange girl. She stood in front of the gothic girl, not protecting her, but mostly letting her hide. She looked very cheerful and energetic. She was small at only around 155cm. She had a non-existent chest and likewise bottom. Her figure was still close to tomboy feeling. She was sharp, yet cheerful. Her iris colours were Orange, slowly transferring into Red and ending with Walnut Brown on the edges. She had likewise cute features, a small nose and lips. Her ears were prominent, much larger than other Foxes, but not as comically big as Aiko''s were. Her hair colour was Blazing Red and Orange with streaks of Walnut Brown, but it only reached her shoulder length. Her ears were of similar colour, but her insides were of the Pinkish-White she was used to seeing. Her tail was quite wide and flat. It was Blazing in Orange and Red colours while the tip was Walnut Brown. She had tomboy clothes that were short, revealing her legs and arms. --- The next one was a Purple-haired blushing girl. She stood slightly on the sidelines, glancing at Aiko, the desire to smother her with her breast was apparent. She was around the same height as the Queen, but she had a buxom body. Wide hips large breasts-hm? The girl was slowly getting smaller and smaller as her concentration broke up. Now she was only around 160cm, with cute features. She still had that hourglass body as every Fox with humanoid form had, but much smaller breasts, closet to that of a Queen instead of them being balloons that could float away. She shyly glanced away trying to suppress the feeling of the need to smother Aiko. She had quite a large bottom, but short legs. Her hair was Pinkish-Purple in colour and reached her lower back. Her eyes were likewise charming, with out-of-this-world feeling, but that was probably because of her Illusion affinity. She had cute features, making it so others want to cuddle her. Her ears were larger than average, with pinkish-purple outside and pink inside. Her tail was similarly coloured and extremely fluffy. It was difficult to see her clothes as they blurred from her concentration. --- The next one was Ice Girl, she had a stoic expression, but couldn''t conceal her blushing cheeks. She had similar features to the Queen, but was inferior in size, she was also slightly smaller. She had Soft Cyan-coloured eyes. Her hair was likewise Soft Cyan in colour and was short, but the inside of her ears was still Pinkish and not White as Aiko expected. She had a stoic expression with matching features, her lips were small and slightly in colour to her hair. It brought about a cold feeling that would freeze your soul, yet you still wondered what those lips could do. Her tail was thinner than normal with a White tip, probably demonstrating snow. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. She had short, but tight clothes, her thighs were exposed to the naked eye. --- The next one was a completely ordinary coloured girl. She had the Fox colours for hair and tail, but other than her slightly more mature body there was not much to say about her. She just stood there looking into the distance. She had clothes that covered her body well. --- The next one Blood red coloured girl. She kept glancing at Aiko when Aiko was looking elsewhere, but once she looked at that girl she would look away. She had what you would call the buxom body. Her body had the perfect hourglass ratio, her chest was sizeable and her ass was smackable. She had a bewitching body, with a bewitching face, there was nothing about her that was not bewitching. She had Vibrant Red eyes that drew others into them. They would forget all their thoughts and only think about either pushing her down or serving her with their Souls. Her nose was gently curved and Red lips were Blood in colour. It instilled fear in others, yet there was hidden excitement when one looked at them. Her hips with thighs could make anyone go feral as she had the same proportion as the Queen''s thighs. Her ears were average in size, but Blood in colour. Her insides were dark in colour, inducing strange feelings in observers. Her hair was waist length with the same colour as her ears. Her tail was likewise coloured but with a Black tip. Her outfit was very revealing, very suiting to her image. --- The Grandmaster was next. She was quite tall at 175cm, surprisingly she had a similar body to the Blood Fox. She had many burns on her body that were mostly concealed by her outfit which covered most of her body, but the outfit was still tight. The most prominent burn was on her face and neck. It ran down her right side all the way down where it hid in her clothes. It was difficult to say how much was burned as part of the face was covered with her grey/white hair. Her face still looked youthful, but she had a stern expression. It was hard to say what she was thinking. Her eyes were dull in colour, but there were still a few streaks of Violet. She had sharp features worthy of the sword she wielded. Her hair was Grey-White. It was nicely done with hairpins, but her hair was still waist-length. Her ears were longer than average, but likewise dull in colour and her inside was no longer Pinkish. It still did not conceal her beauty. --- Aiko was startled as some of the Foxes... most of the Foxes rushed towards her. She felt fear from being suddenly startled and her thoughts clouded. Her hair slowly turned black and she felt much lighter, while her stats were still nerfed by this form, she was still somewhat faster than them and was able to bypass them and hide behind the Queen. She was bothered by the gaze that the Grandmaster was giving her, so she would rather hide behind this mean Fox-human. Aiko stared at the startled Queen and smiled. It felt like the world was losing colour to give it all for Aiko, the Queen blushed and gently pinched her cheek. "Now you know you should come to me, huh?" She teasingly asked and Aiko pouted. The Queen had a hard time not pinching both cheeks as Aiko inflated them with a pout. The nearby Elder was also stunned as he currently questioned his preferences... ''Now way in hell that I''m into small petite Foxes!'' He denied the reality and chanted his sutra until everyone left. ... Aiko soon turned into Fox as she was too exhausted from using it... [ Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 500 - 500 -> 350 - 650 Species: [Shadow Fennec Fox Cub(Female, Peak of Unique)] Species: [-] Age: 0.51/100 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Awakened)], [Dream Beast Kitsune(Dormant)] Bloodline: [-] Beast Rank: Beast Level: 160 -> 162 (2nd Evolution) Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], [Plushie Princess], [Shadow Thief], [Master of Sex Toys], [Gourmand], [Explorer], [Trickster], [Mischievous Cub], [Filthy RICH Den Master], [Babi-barian], Cultivation Technique: [Blood Tyrant Scripture], [Moon Goddess Scripture] Elemental Spirit: [Seed of ####; Nurtured 1,066/100,000] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement) HP: 1,311|1,311 -> 1,312|1,533 (1pH & 0.07%pH) ST: 3,969|3,969 -> 3,973|4,223 (3pH & 0.1%pH) Vitality: 829|829 -> 831|942 (1pH & 0.05%pH)(1pH - Gourmand) Vigour: 3,487 -> 3,632 Beast Core(10%): 1,000 (1,120) Toughness: 668 -> 779 Strength: 1,469 -> 2,500 Agility: 5,313*1.6 -> 5,482*1.65 Dexterity: 4,422 -> 4,565 Mind: 3,382 -> 3,527 Insight: 130 -> 230 Soul: 1,120 -> 1,220 Beauty: 14,382 -> 14,657 Luck: 2,982 -> 3,119 Stat Points: 870 -> 874 Skill Points: 641 -> 645 Elemental Affinity: [Shadow - 3], [Earth - 9], [Soul - ####] Martial Arts: [Lightness Technique] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####], [Soul Palace], [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered], [Earthen Walk: Lv.3->5] Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.2], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Agility Mastery: Lv.3->4], [Intention Perception: Mastered] Skills: [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Lacerate: Lv.3], [Sprint: Mastered], [Tracking: Mastered], [Quick Double Jump: Lv.3->5], [Camouflage: Lv.5->7], [Meditation: Lv.1->2], [Nurture: Lv.3] Passive Skills: [Stealth: Lv.5->7], [Health Recovery: Lv.7], [Stamina Recovery: Mastered], [Prehensile Tail: Mastered], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Thermal Regulation: Lv.1], [Intimidation: Mastered], [Weakness Detection: Mastered], [Hunting Mastery: Mastered], [Vitality Recovery: Lv.5], [Linguistics: Lv.2], [Swimming: Lv.1], [Throwing Mastery: Lv.5->Mastered], [Enhanced Climbing: Lv.5->6], [Enhanced Basic Senses: Lv.5->7], Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], [Blessing of ####], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x250], [Skill Coupon x4], [Skill Combination Coupon x4], [Cultivation Gift], [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Crystal 25,000]x4, [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Stone 100,000]x12->x2, [Sub-Profession Coupon], [Divine Ability Gift], ] [ Pseudo Human Form Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 350 - 650 Species: [Shadow Fennec Fox Cub(Female, Peak of Unique, Pseudo Human Form)] Species: [-] Age: 0.51/100 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Awakened)], [Dream Beast Kitsune(Dormant)] Bloodline: [-] Beast Rank: Beast Level: 162 (2nd Evolution) Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], [Plushie Princess], [Shadow Thief], [Master of Sex Toys], [Gourmand], [Explorer], [Trickster], [Mischievous Cub], [Filthy RICH Den Master], Cultivation Technique: [Blood Tyrant Scripture], [Moon Goddess Scripture] Elemental Spirit: [Seed of ####; Nurtured 1,066/100,000] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement) HP: 1,312|1,533 (1pH & 0.07%pH) ST: 3,973|4,223 -> 3,973|954 (3pH & 0.1%pH) Vitality: 831|942 (1pH & 0.05%pH)(1pH - Gourmand) Vigour: 3,632 -> 363 Beast Core(10%): 1,000 (1,120) Toughness: 779 -> 78 Strength: 2,500 -> 250 Agility: 5,482*1.65 -> 548*1.65 Dexterity: 4,565 -> 457 Mind: 3,527 Insight: 230 Soul: 1,220 Beauty: 14,657 -> 43,971 Luck: 3,119 -> 9,357 Stat Points: 874 Skill Points: 645 Elemental Affinity: [Shadow - 3], [Earth - 9], [Soul - ####] Martial Arts: [Lightness Technique] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####], [Soul Palace], [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered], [Earthen Walk: Lv.5] Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.2], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Agility Mastery: Lv.4], [Intention Perception: Mastered] Skills: [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Lacerate: Lv.3], [Sprint: Mastered], [Tracking: Mastered], [Quick Double Jump: Lv.5], [Camouflage: Lv.7], [Meditation: Lv.2], [Nurture: Lv.3] Passive Skills: [Stealth: Lv.7], [Health Recovery: Lv.7], [Stamina Recovery: Mastered], [Prehensile Tail: Mastered], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Thermal Regulation: Lv.1], [Intimidation: Mastered], [Weakness Detection: Mastered], [Hunting Mastery: Mastered], [Vitality Recovery: Lv.5], [Linguistics: Lv.2], [Swimming: Lv.1], [Throwing Mastery: Mastered], [Enhanced Climbing: Lv.6], [Enhanced Basic Senses: Lv.7], Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], [Blessing of ####], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x250], [Skill Coupon x4], [Skill Combination Coupon x4], [Cultivation Gift], [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Crystal 25,000]x4, [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Stone 100,000]x2, [Sub-Profession Coupon], [Divine Ability Gift], ] Chapter 54 – New Den Aiko rested in Queen''s arms and let her carry her. The Grandmaster was guiding them towards their new homes and afterwards, they would be meeting Harem Kings and their possible Masters. They left the cave following Grandmaster, now that everyone had their Sect Tokens they would be able to come and leave from this ''Fox Village''. Meaning they had the freedom to come and go without encountering those traps and illusions surrounding the ''Fox Village'' and wouldn''t be stopped by the Defensive Array. Not every Defensive Array as some parts of this ''Village'' were off limits even to Elders. The road was well paved and smooth, maybe a bit too smooth considering that Foxes built it and not Humans. This ''Fox Village'' was on plains thus there were no mountains and you could see all the residences from afar, as they were mounds of earth. There was also a large circular building that looked a bit like the Colosseum. "That building is where you will live for now as a newcomer. When you raise your Rank in this Village and progress from Outer Disciple to Inner Disciple. You will obtain more resources and gain greater access to Beast Cultivations." She walked further. "After the Inner Disciple is the Core Disciple, those are the most important disciples as they are very powerful and can be used in wars as commanders. You will get almost all the resources from the Sect and the Cultivation Pavilion will be almost completely open to you." "The last position you should be aiming for would be True Disciple. Those are directly under the Sect Leader and have a possibility to run the Sect once the current Sect Leader withdraws, they have the greatest power when the Sect Leader is not here to take care of affairs, but Elders can intercept decisions that they see are wrong as long as they get the majority of votes." "You will have the entire Cultivation Pavilion open and resources will be pouring all around you, your only worry is to strengthen yourself as soon as possible so that we have greater weight in our World." They walked on the well-paved and well-decorated pavement and arrived at the Colosseum. It was a truly huge building and there were thousands of doors next to each other to conserve space. "This place can hold around a million newcomers." The Grandmaster said seeing their curiosity. The Grandmaster left those Foxes there and moved with Jade Fox and Aiko somewhere else. Aiko was still half asleep blinking. "Cubs need a lot of sleep, unless she advances in her life stage you should not pressure her too much." The Grandmaster said gently. "I will listen to Grandmaster." It was rare that the Queen would listen to someone, but she had to agree that she had no experience with cubs, most Foxes would not be able to make it here in their first life stage. They would mostly arrive as either Juvenile or Adult Foxes and that''s why it was so shocking to see such a small ''Doll'' when Aiko returned from that cave. "Good, give her plenty of food so she can grow well, once she advances to the juvenile stage she will be allowed to leave this place, it is too dangerous to go anywhere in this stage." The Grandmaster explained, but her lips twitched soon after. "I understand you want to get her some combat experience, but you can''t rush it, Jade Fox." The Grandmaster smiled at the wary Jade Fox. "Let''s leave the troublesome things behind and discuss the resources for this little one." The Grandmaster sighed. "Her Beast Core is bad so I will have to prepare some Medicine Baths for her." The Queen said. "How bad are we talking?" The Grandmaster asked since she would be teaching this little one it was important to know that, probing would be too painful. "I estimated around 10%." The Queen said. "10% impurities is not that bad, you can feed her something delicious." The Grandmaster laughed but soon froze. "T-ten percent purity?!" She was greatly shocked and the Queen gently smiled. The Grandmaster pinched her nose. "Can you solve that and get it to at least 50%?" "Is it that important?" The Queen didn''t understand this rush. "At the end of this year, we are holding purity contests, if they reach below 40% purity they would be forcibly purified to 50%, but we are thinking about changing that to 50%..." Grandmaster explained. "I see." The Queen clicked her tongue. "I have plenty of Purifications Pill with different Grades, but..." The Grandmaster didn''t continue as she knew that this Jade Fox was incredibly knowledgeable. "She can only use 1 for the best effect in each category and tier." The Queen clicked her tongue again. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The Grandmaster nodded. "I can''t postpone it as it''s a rule left by the Founder, so we can''t change it." "I understand." The Queen nodded. "Do you have any Heavenly Graded Pills?" The Grandmaster frowned. "I have only 1 in the 1st Grade." "That is enough." The Jade Fox nodded, she would have to boost the Medicine Bath efficacy and if she used the pill with the Blessing from Heaven and Earth she would be able to increase it substantially. The Grandmaster narrowed her eyes. "Will you keep her in your Den?" "It would be too cumbersome so we will take over your place." The Queen stuck out her tongue towards the Grandmaster. The Grandmaster laughed. "No." Immediate rejection. The Queen narrowed her eyes. "I will let you pet Aiko whenever it relapses." The Queen licked her lips. The Grandmaster stopped and bloodlust oozed out of her. The Queen chuckled and used her Soul power to defend against it. "I will also include some painkillers." The Queen didn''t budge and the Grandmaster was secretly surprised. "Deal, but if either one of those things doesn''t work I will be kicking you out." The Grandmaster snorted. "Sure." The Queen knew her skills and while she wasn''t exceptional in pills, Arrays were a completely different subject. She would create pain lessening Array and give her a very simple painkiller Pill to reduce the effects of her relapses, Aiko''s fur would be the final nail in the coffin as it would boost the efficacy of the painkilling Pill and allow her mind to stay at ease boosting the efficiency of the Array. "It''s a pleasure doing business with you." The Queen spoke gently and the Grandmaster snorted feeling cheated. But soon she asked. "Do you need anything else?" "You wouldn''t happen to have infused chalk?" The Queen asked as she would need this to construct the rough outlines of the Array, she could then create her precious chalk and fill in the rest. "I don''t have as much as I''m not Array Cultivator." The Grandmaster said gently. "That is alright, I don''t need that much to fulfil our end of the deal." The Queen smiled, she realized her thoughts were read and she was very interested in her. "I''m not interested in younglings." The Grandmaster said. "I''m not interested in weaklings." The Queen stuck out her tongue when the Grandmaster glared at her. "You have a sharp tongue for being below me in power." The Grandmaster smirked. "That is only a matter of time." The Queen Fox jabbed back knowing that the Grandmaster didn''t have all that much time left. "Auch." The Grandmaster pretended to be hurt, but the Queen ignored her. "When is the next relapse?" She asked gently. "About a month from now on." The Grandmaster said with a barely audible voice. "That is enough time, I will be prepared. You are strong." The Queen praised her mental strength. They no longer talked and the Grandmaster guided them. Towards her abode. As Grandmaster, she had the second largest home and the Founder had the largest place. It was a lush small hill with a meadow, brimming with life. "Beautiful." The Queen praised as there were not many places that were so full of soothing energy. "My friend gave it to me after the war." The Grandmaster smiled gently. The Queen nodded and heard a snore. They both were startled, but Aiko was finally out cold no longer blinking around. "Let her sleep till tomorrow, there will be the Harem Kings and she will need enough strength to confront them." The Grandmaster didn''t have all that nice voice when saying that. "They won''t be able to sway her... it''s just..." The Queen hesitated as her little furball can be very... destructive. "You are worried that something will happen to the Harem Kings?" The Grandmaster couldn''t endure it and laughed out loud. "I can''t believe that someone is worried about those bimbos." "Eh? I''m not worried about them, I don''t want my little one to be penalized for messing them up." The Queen corrected the Grandmaster''s misunderstanding immediately as the Harem Kings were giving her creeps. She had to smash a few of them into the pavement, but even then they were completely insane. "Please, Queen hurt me more! Hurt this insignificant worm!" The Harem King had an ecstatic expression. The Queen shivered remembering that, she should''ve ripped his head off directly. The Grandmaster froze. "My apologies." The Queen nodded and they settled Aiko in a nest, unfortunately, she would kick around so the Queen had to carry her. The Grandmaster didn''t say anything and only shook her head. ... The next morning Aiko woke up in an unfamiliar place on a familiar fluff. ''Fluffy bed.'' She sank back into the fluffy tails. "How about waking up, we need to leave soon." A human hand gently petted her only inducing more sleep. The Queen sighed when she saw this lazy little furball. ''Cubs need enough rest.'' She sighed and moved Aiko into her arms. "You can let her sleep more, we only need her human form in public spaces. She needs to learn about human nature so she can blend better once she obtains proper human form." The Grandmaster beckoned. "So that they won''t try to Contract her?" The Queen giggled. Remembering those at the Auction House. "Oho... how curious." The Grandmaster nodded towards Jade Fox. They moved through the place. It was quite far away and they were not in a hurry some Foxes were already there and some were coming in. This place was used to pick your Mates, naturally, the Harem Kings would have the first picks as they were the Core Disciples and Elders wanted to cater to them. There was also Blood Fox''s brother, but he didn''t allow anyone to approach him. "We need her Human form now, so there are no hiccups." The Grandmaster said gently. The Queen nodded waking Aiko up. ... Aiko opened her eyes she was in front of a large space. "We need you to transform, then you are free to do whatever you want to." The Queen spoke gently. Aiko didn''t like the Human form since it attracted too much attention and it would make her weak, but seeing the mean Fox urging her she changed. "Use that Token too, you can''t go in undressed." It was strange to see this Doll. "She is still cub so protections were placed until she matures, that way she won''t have a rough time with the Harem Kings if they become a bit too lustful." The Grandmaster spat towards the Harem Kings. Aiko touched the Token and clothes wrapped around her. She was so used to the Fox form that she didn''t like the clothes but still had some sense of decency to keep them on. They moved together onto that large gathering. The Queen moved with Aiko as she was her ''Mate'', thus there was no need to question her actions. She would just play overprotective if Aiko did something... unusual. ... The Elder smiled seeing others come here. He almost salivated when he saw the Blood Fox, but a bit of murderous intent froze this place when her Brother stared at him and nobody dared to imagine anything indecent towards his Sister. A Doll came in with the Queen and the Grandmaster, immediately eyes strained on her and there was a desire to cuddle with this little cutie. Aiko didn''t like that... Chapter 55 – How to Penetrate 101 Harem King 1 frowned: "They are taking their sweet time..." Harem King 2 teased: "I heard she already has Mate, so you know..." Harem King 3 sternly said: "This is ritual so they can''t be late." Harem King 1 scoffed: "Oh shut up! You are just tired of your Harem and you are trying to get your hands on new Foxes!" Harem King 2 snorted: "As if you are any different." Harem King 1 was speechless: "Why are you after me?!" The Audience "... I wish they would just go ahead and die." There were currently 7 Core Disciples, thus 7 Harem Kings, but not every one of them had Harem, the Blood Fox''s brother didn''t have one. As well one more who didn''t look all that appealing to other Foxes. That didn''t mean there weren''t any harems in the lower tiers like Inner and Outer Disciples. It just meant that they had the first pick and biggest sway as they were under the Elders''s direct teachings. ... A ''Doll'' with a group approached. They would already jump at them if they didn''t have a scary person called Grandmaster walking right behind them. They straightened their backs. One harem king put away his shirt, another unbuttoned it, next one frowned at those two and equipped all his Storage Rings on his fingers... and so on. Aiko was not very interested in them, but since she was a ''Mate'' of this mean Fox they would definitely appeal to her first. Attention was burdensome, she didn''t like it. They arrived next to the other Foxes, there was an exchange of glances. It felt uncomfortable as it felt like they were in some kind of auction. Aiko''s nerves were strained from their stares. She fidgeted and hid behind the Queen, there was no reason not to, since they weren''t ordered to keep in line, just to arrive here. The Queen''s lips twitched, but she was quite happy. ''The more attached she is the less likely she will leave me, I got the perfect Servant.'' She still lived in her small world where Aiko served her, completely suppressing the fact that she cooked and groomed Aiko day and night. At first, the Harem King''s eyes were strained on the Blood Fox, but once they received a hit from her brother they didn''t dare to look again... they would peak and salivate, but conceal it with their Illusions. "The Harem Kings may try to attract Mates. They are not allowed to force them or touch them, you will be punished if you use Charms or Illusions on their Mind or Souls." The Elder explained in detail. He had never done that previously since it was bother, but Grandmaster was staring straight at him, he had to do it. Aiko''s ear twitched. Those large ears were extremely cute compared to her size and the first few got a nosebleed. The Harem Kings moved, their first target would be Aiko since they like 1+1 kind of deals. They didn''t care about the Fire/Earth Fox with the Shadow Fox since... there wasn''t much on the Fire/Earth Fox. However, that was not the case for this little one and Jade Fox. This little one was so cute and lovable, what if she grows up? They smirked in their minds. --- The Harem King 1 who had a bare chest approached Aiko first as he was much faster than the others. He had Flaming Hair and a very large stature at around 189cm. He was towering like a titan above Aiko, flexing his muscles. He had a well-chiselled chest, it looked like a work of art found rarely in the museum as she could see almost each individual muscle group. They were extremely well-defined, yet he was no Hulk. His body was a bit bulky, his shoulders were wide and his back muscles were large, but he was still quite thin. Aiko was slightly intimidated by the moving muscles... ''Did he skip leg days?'' Aiko noticed that his legs were incredibly thin. --- The Harem King 2 approached with an unbuttoned shirt. He had likewise well chiselled chest, but smaller in height at 180cm. He was still towering above Aiko, but Aiko didn''t mind as much as he didn''t wiggle his muscles. He had Lightly Blue hair and the air was making his posture look more mythical. He had more of a romantic air about him. His face was well shaped, it wasn''t sharp or intimidating, but that kind you would like to caress all day. Aiko didn''t mind this one- ¡°Do you believe in love at first sight¡ªor should I walk by again?¡± The Harem King 2 said seductively. Aiko didn''t like this one, at all. --- If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The Harem King 3 approached last as he was much slower. His numerous rings on each finger clanked. It was a grating sound for Aiko who was much, much more sensitive than her peers. --- They approached her. One with muscles, another with sex appeal and the last one with wealth. Aiko saw them as obnoxious little shits, but since she couldn''t voice her opinion, they didn''t know it. Aiko''s hair slowly turned black and her eyes turned Scarlet, giving a similar air to Blood Fox''s eyes, but much more sinister. Seeing this change they redoubled their performance to attract this little one. The Blood Fox shivered. She remembered this kind of reaction. Aiko moved much faster than they expected, her first target was the clanking guy. He was close to her and considering her height difference she had the perfect line of attack. Her fist sped up faster as she used [Quick Double Jump] to add another layer of speed. He was unguarded, he didn''t expect to be attacked here so he didn''t put any Qi barrier or didn''t try to defend. She jumped meeting something soft against her small fist, she could see his eyes enlarge like lightbulbs. *Crack* [[Trickster] has triggered! Damage has been reduced!] [[Mischievous Cub] has triggered! Damage inflicted upon the enemy increased!] -200HP An incredibly painful whine spread into the surroundings. Male Foxes naturally recoiled and Blood Fox''s brother was no different. Female Foxes placed their hands in front of their mouths, they were incredibly happy as many of them were once part of their harem but thrown away. The Harem King 3 fell like a broken puppet. The Other 2 Harem Kings were shocked and wanted to either attack her or run away. The Queen would have none of that. She held them in place with her Divine Sense, allowing Aiko to beat them up to her heart''s content. Aiko didn''t care about beating them up, but since she had the perfect height. She would get rid of the bothersome individuals. The Queen crushed their barrier. She already noticed that Aiko''s hand was red, possibly from meeting something harder than what she was used to and while their balls were soft, they still had the body of almost Spirit Beasts Rank Foxes. Aiko punished the muscled guy next, he did want to defend, but Divine Sense held him in place, not allowing him to guard. *Crack* [[Trickster] has triggered! Damage has been reduced!] [[Mischievous Cub] has triggered! Damage inflicted upon the enemy increased!] -500HP Aiko felt brief pain in her hand but ignored it as he needed to take down the cheesy guy too, while he was not as obnoxious as the others... ''I don''t like those pickup lines.'' Aiko snorted. The last Harem King was crying while being stuck in that ''seductive'' position, but that just made it easier for Aiko to aim... *Crack* [[Trickster] has triggered! Damage has been reduced!] [[Mischievous Cub] has triggered! Damage inflicted upon the enemy increased!] -100HP Aiko was seriously angry at them, since they approached her safe space, nobody was allowed to approach her safe space! She looked around with her Scarlet eyes, startling the audience. She spotted a girl who was cheering for her with strange flags. Aiko''s eyes shined and a mischievous smile appeared on her lips. It had a devastating effect on the audience as they started howling and some taking seductive poses, but Aiko ignored them. She came to the girl with those large flags innocently. [[Plushie Princess] triggered!] The girl was stunned. ''D-d-d-d-d-does she l-l-l-like me?!'' Her brain was short-circuiting. Aiko stared with her somewhat large innocent eyes and stretched her hand towards that girl''s flags. The girl got a nosebleed from this cute display. ''B-but I need them for my Formations if they try something.'' The girl hesitated and moved her hands slightly upwards. Aiko was now out of reach and her ears dropped. [[Plushie Princess] triggered!] [[Plushie Princess] triggered!] The girl bled even more from her nosebleed. ''Nope! Don''t need them, take it!'' "T-take them." The girl stammered still bleeding from her nose. Aiko cutely received the larger flag than her arms, making it an even more adorable display. [[Plushie Princess] triggered!] The girl fainted and the rest of the flags fell. Aiko gathered a few, others were also bleeding from their noses but were curious about what she would do with them. The Queen was shaking her head. ''You don''t even know how to use them... should I help her?'' She suddenly thought. The Grandmaster looked away awkwardly. She already read that little one''s mind and... she doesn''t need to see everything. Aiko moved her hand throbbing, but she ignored it for now. She placed the flags down and picked up one. Others were curious if she knew any Formations, but soon froze. Aiko positioned herself behind the Harem King 3. His ass was up in the air unguarded. Aiko tried to stab it but didn''t succeed. She frowned cutely. The Audience breathed a sigh of relief, as well as the Elder, while they wanted to take revenge on them, this seemed a bit too... excessive. Aiko failed so she had another idea. She positioned her ''borrowed'' flag on his backdoor and jumped. She used [Quick Double Jump] in mid-air to gain more momentum and stomped that flag. *Critical hit* [[Trickster] has triggered! Damage has been reduced!] [[Mischievous Cub] has triggered! Damage inflicted upon the enemy increased!] -10HP Another shrill spread from the ''podium'' and people shivered. They couldn''t look forward. The Wealthy Harem King was foaming from the mouth. Aiko moved to another it was the muscled one, for some reason he was already positioned with his ass high up. Aiko tilted her head as she didn''t remember him being like this, but she used the same technique on this one. *Critical hit* [[Trickster] has triggered! Damage has been reduced!] [[Mischievous Cub] has triggered! Damage inflicted upon the enemy increased!] [[Master of Sex Toys] has triggered! Penetration force increased!] -10HP She expected shrill, but only a loud moan spread. Aiko felt a shiver down her spine and recoiled as everyone else. She stared at him cautiously, but he was salivating and twitching. Aiko was intimidated by that display and ran behind the Queen. She was cautiously looking at them. ... The Queen''s lips twitched when she saw Aiko position that flag. "Surely you wouldn''t do that...?'' The Elder. ''T-this... should I stop her?'' He looked at Grandmaster who was looking away and misunderstood. ''R-right, if I don''t see it there is no harm. Aiko failed. The Queen sighed in relief, but she was too quick... ''W-what are you doing now?!'' The Queen was left speechless. The Elder looked back when he didn''t hear anything, but that was a bad idea. A scream spread towards him as he saw that little one impale that flag into his backdoor. The Elder instinctively clenched his muscles. Aiko moved to another target. ''Y-y-you.'' The Queen was left speechless. She did it again, but this time it was an incredibly loud moan. The Queen stiffened and saw her little one recoil. The Grandmaster looked back as she didn''t expect this and frowned. The Elder vowed to himself to create an artefact to protect his backdoor. Aiko ran behind the Queen shivering. She was intimidated. The Queen patted her head and the small hands clutching her clothes eased up. It took some time for the audience... everyone to recover from this shocking development. They stared towards Aiko with fear and admiration and for some reason, some even had stars in their eyes. Chapter 56 – Aiko crying and soothing Queen The audience eventually recovered from their shock and admiration, only to get hit by another thing. *Sniff* *Sniff* The Queen was startled and noticed that her little furball was crying. She stared at her hand which now inflated like a balloon. ''Oh no, I completely forgot about this after her little...'' She shook her head and picked up Aiko. Aiko had tears running down her cheeks. Any slight movement of her hand hurt like a bitch. "Here." The Queen gave her the Perfect 3rd Grade Healing Pill. ''Candy?'' Aiko thought and took the candy with her mouth. Soon it melted inside her mouth and a very nice and gentle feeling spread through her body, alleviating her pain. The Queen touched her little hand and used her Qi on it to rearrange her broken bones so that they heal properly and don''t affect her future. Aiko stared at the light blue wisp of energy that was ''invading'' her body and thought it was funny since it spread an itchy sensation in her hand. She giggled lightly startling the Queen, but she continued her work until it was completely rearranged and ready to finish healing. That Pill was powerful for her current Rank so it healed her quite quickly. Her droopy ears regained her vigour and twitched. ''Gimme more.'' Aiko made puppy eyes. "I don''t have more." The Queen said, but in her hand was already another precious Pill. Aiko immediately stole it with her lips and happily munched as the last tears washed away from her face. The Queen''s lips twitched. ''Gah! I did it again! I can''t do this, I don''t have enough Pills to feed her willy-nilly.'' She did have enough Pills, but those were with impurities which was counterproductive to what she was trying to accomplish. She sighed and Aiko''s ears twitched happily, but soon she felt drowsy. *Poof* She turned back into a little Fox and fell asleep on her arm, her Stamina was depleted and it was mentally exhausting, getting so much attention. The Queen sighed. "I believe that solves this ''event'' for us." Before the Elder could say anything as he was still recovering from the horror he had just seen, the Grandmaster spoke. "If others want to find the Mate you are free to do so, otherwise you can return to your Dens, tomorrow we will be meeting here again and you will be guided to your public teachers, afterwards you can choose which path you want to pursue." The Grandmaster spoke plainly her brow twitching whenever she saw those Harem Kings. She turned around leaving and right behind her was the Queen. ... "What do we do now?" One girl asked. "I don''t know, those assholes ruined everything..." Another girl spoke in despair. "We can still woo her over during classes." A youth spoke. "Will she even listen to those things?" The first girl asked. "..." They were silent, rumours already spread that, that little one was only Beast Rank. She couldn''t speak so the probability of being interested in classes was... They sighed and shook their heads. Their second target was Blood Fox, but... They stared in a certain direction where the youthful prodigy was smiling, but that smile was like vipers, ready to strike if anyone made a move. They shook their heads again leaving. They saw through the Purple Fox''s Illusions and they weren''t really interested, while the Ice and Yellow Foxes were too stoic to approach. ... The Foxes that were supposed to be introduced to Mates looked at each other. "This went better than expected." The Yellow one spoke first. "It was still bone-chilling." The Blood Fox spoke in a gentle yet mesmerizing voice. They stared at her and pitied her. "Do you think she hates you?" The Ice Fox suddenly spoke. The Blood Fox couldn''t answer as she had no idea. "I hope not..." She murmured. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. They left for their Dens, this event was less painful than they expected. "At least they didn''t force us." The Purple one spoke. "I think that''s because of that ''Grandmaster'' person." The Fiery small one spoke haughtily but was immediately scolded by her Mate. ... Aiko woke up sometime later in a Den. It was pretty simple Den, but under her were her favourite pillows, Sheepy and Dreamy. She cuddled with those 2 tails slowly melting back to sleep. The Grandmaster almost spilled her tea, when she read Aiko''s thoughts. The Queen shook her head as she was preparing Medicine Baths for her. She could only use this once per month, but she still had 4 months left till that Purity Test. It was barely enough time, but with the Pill from Grandmaster, she would be able to achieve it sooner. Aiko finally woke up and yawned. She stared at the mean Fox who still hadn''t changed into her Fox form and tilted her head. "I have much greater Stamina than you, so you should grow up." She bobbed Aiko''s nose. ''And I already have experience in being in Human form so it''s much easier for me than it is for you.'' She smiled. Aiko looked over at the various herbs that were neatly arranged and prepared and sniffed them. A pain assaulted her nose as if something was burning inside. Aiko clutched her nose and whined. The Queen laughed. "That''s what you get for being curious and sniffing around." But placed another herb in front of Aiko. At first, she didn''t want to sniff another one, but the pain was getting worse so she took an unintentional whiff. The pain lessened and Aiko was startled. She sniffed it again and the pain completely disappeared, but she felt... a bit cold. "The burning rose and the frozen bell." The Queen said gently. "They are great Pill herbs that represent different extremes. One can burn a person given enough time and the other one freezes. They naturally repulse each other so it''s hard to use them in beginner Pills, but once you get enough experience it''s all about mixing different Extremes and watching their reactions." She picked another herb. This one looked like intestines and it smelled horribly. Aiko covered her nose. "This is corpse flower, it will drive away any insects that might surround you." She explained slowly. She continued explaining until Aiko fell asleep again. "She really doesn''t have much energy." The Queen spoke gently. "She is still just a cub. Give her time." The Grandmaster drank tea slowly observing the duo. "Is it fun reading my mind?" The Queen spoke gently, but there were daggers on her tongue. "Oh, it is." The Grandmaster smiled. The Queen scoffed but returned to her work. She didn''t care if her mind was read. When it came to battles she would always do them by instinct so there was no danger, but the more important thing was that she could talk to her little furball and understand her. She could teach her over time and listen to her thoughts so she could give her fluff-ball some guidance. ... Aiko woke up again and yawned. "Let''s go for a walk." The Grandmaster said gently. She guided Aiko around the meadow letting her explore. It was similar to her starting Forest, but at the same time it wasn''t. She felt much lighter in here which meant that the ambient Qi was much higher. This could also mean she would be able to Evolve easier, but there was a catch. [Level: 162] [You can Evolve into [Epic] Beast] [Levelling further will allow you to Evolve into [Unique] Beast.] She reached only Epic rarity. [Shadow Beast Fox] [Night Fiend Fox] [Shadowy Fox] Her eyes were dull staring at those Evolutions. They were not enough for her after experiencing the drastic change from Unique rarity, but there was another problem. ''I need a second bloodline that can help me with my alignment.'' She could perceive that she was slightly more cold, it wasn''t that bad since she was able to punish those annoying bastards, but she didn''t want to stay that way. ''What if I lose my mind like that Blood Fox? Attacking anyone in my sight isn''t really the best strategy to live long...'' Aiko thought. "You are right, but you shouldn''t hurry up your Evolution." The Grandmaster gently said behind her. ''So you can read my mind?'' Aiko tilted her head, for some reason she didn''t feel threatened by this person. "Yes." The Grandmaster chuckled. ''But I need it for my alignment.'' Aiko protested. "It is a natural thing that your path was already chosen, you are Neutral Beast, which is a rarity, but your Bloodline is Demonic in nature, you can''t avoid that and that is your path." The Grandmaster spoke slowly. ''Bullshit! I just need a bit more time and I will obtain balance!'' Aiko protested. To hell with all that "That is your path" bullshit! She would persevere and not be affected by some alignment system! The Grandmaster shook her head. ''She is still young and doesn''t understand how the world works. Aiko and Grandmaster walked back to the Den, Aiko was too angry to continue with her walk. ... The Queen already prepared tasty meat for Aiko and Aiko was delighted as her negative thoughts were washed away with good meat. And good meat it was! [EXP gained.][EXP gained.][EXP gained.][Level gained.][EXP gained.] [Level: 162 -> 165] Aiko was very happy she really loved this kind of meat, she could eat it all day. The Queen was pleased by the appetite of the little one. Aiko finished eating and burped, she lay next to the Queen and breathed gently. The Queen petted her and Aiko relaxed, it was really nice to be petted so gently. Soon she drifted to sleep. ... Aiko woke up again the Queen was still sorting her herbs. Aiko blinked a few times. She was hungry. She came to the Fox wagging her tail. The Queen already knew what she wanted. "I can''t give you more meat." The Queen said gently. "You have eaten almost everything we had stored so you will have to wait for later." The Queen kissed Aiko''s frowning forehead. Aiko sighed, she was bored and hungry, so she looked at her system. Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x250], [Skill Coupon x4], [Skill Combination Coupon x4], [Cultivation Gift], [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Crystal 25,000]x4, [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Stone 100,000]x2, [Sub-Profession Coupon], [Divine Ability Gift], Items: [Meat x250] [Meat x250] Aiko''s eyes shined like a lighthouse. She completely forgot this thing. She would be able to eat some meat, but she should move elsewhere, just in case this stinky Fox took her meat. Aiko walked away the Grandmaster was somewhere else and the Queen was too busy to follow her so Aiko was able to hide well. [Meat x250] -> [Meat x249] Aiko stared at the absolutely mouth-watering meat. Her stomach growled and she took a bite. [Level gained.] [Level: 165 -> 166] Aiko was startled as she ate the meat. ''Surely not...'' [Meat x249] -> [Meat x248] [Level gained.] [Level: 166 -> 167] Aiko''s eyes widened. ''I will be able to get quite the high level for this.'' Aiko licked her mouth. She spent the next hour consuming all that meat, all of it melted inside her mouth and granted her level. [Level: 200] [You can Evolve into [Unique] Beast] [Levelling further will allow you to Evolve into [####] Beast.] Aiko stared at her Evolution Tree but was disappointed. [Nightmare Beast Fox] [Demonic Affinity] She didn''t read more than that as she didn''t need those things. Something else attracted her attention... [Levelling further will allow you to Evolve into [####] Beast.] Should she do it or should she not... Chapter 57 – Aiko begs and the Queen yields Aiko licked her mouth. ''Here goes nothing...'' ... [Meat x215 -> x15] [Level: 200 -> 400] *Burp* Aiko was inflated like a balloon after eating so much, but there was also good news. [Level: 400] [You can Evolve into [Demonic/Holy] Beast] [User can choose between Demonic Evolution Tree and Holy Evolution Tree.] Aiko''s eyes shined. She clicked Holy since it would balance her current situation [Sun Fox] [Moon Fox] [Lightning Fox] [Gale Fox] [Dew Fox] Aiko stared at them, she was very interested in them since they were opposite to what she was supposed to normally get. [Sun Fox] [#### Rarity] [Fox that embodies the Sun. She doesn''t fear Darkness and is worshipped by many. She doesn''t have any purification Abilities, but is unrivalled in destruction and creation.] [Requirements: Bath in the purest Sun for 30,000 consecutive days Nurture Sun Stone Core Purity of at least 100% During Evolution User needs to reach the peak of the Day (Noon) ] [Hidden Requirements: #### ] [Stats Requirements: Vitality 5,000+ Vigour 5,000+ Strength 5,000+ Beauty: 50,000+ Luck 10,000+ ] [Title Requirements: Something that means cheerful or embodies the warmth of the Sun ] [Moon Fox] [#### Rarity] [Fox that embodies the Moon. She is the quiet observer of the night. Darkness doesn''t fear her, but would never oppose her. She is unrivalled when it comes to the Tranquillity of Mind and observations.] [Requirements: Bath in the rays of the Moon for 30,000 consecutive days Nurture Moon Stone Core Purity of at least 50% During Evolution User needs to be bathed in the rays of the Full Moon ] [Hidden Requirements: #### ] [Stats Requirements: Mind: 10,000+ Soul: 1,000+ Beauty: 50,000+ Luck 10,000+ ] [Title Requirements: Something/Someone that means being loved ] [Lightning Fox] [Unique Rarity] [Fox that embodies the Lightning. She is quick, yet destructive. Her ability to shine in the Darkness is great but short-lived. She had great destructive powers, but ran out of energy very quickly.] [Requirements: Bath in Lightning for 3,000 consecutive days Core Purity of at least 80% During Evolution User needs to survive strikes from Heavenly Lightning ] [Stats Requirements: Agility: 5,000+ Dexterity: 5,000+ Luck 10,000+ ] [Title Requirements: Something about Lightning ] [Gale Fox] [Epic Rarity] [Fox that embodies the Wind/Gale. She is quick, yet soothing. Her Ability to mend with anything is commendable, but she is not very liked by others as she doesn''t have form and takes the form of the others.] [Requirements: Bath in Ravine Gales for 300 consecutive days During Evolution User needs to seek Cyclones and survive them ] [Stats Requirements: Agility: 5,000+ Dexterity: 5,000+ ] [Title Requirements: Something about Wind ] [Dew Fox] [#### Rarity] [Fox that embodies the Morning Dew. She is wet and sweet, soothing to anyone who plays with her. Her Ability to produce sweet warm nectar is unrivalled, but she is easily corrupted by others.] [Requirements: Bath in Morning Dew for 30,000 consecutive days Needs to seek nectar from #### During Evolution User needs to bath with #### and survive its temptation ] [Hidden Requirements: #### ] [Stats Requirements: Beauty 500,000+ ] [Title Requirements: Something that means being Pure of Heart ] Aiko looked at those Evolutions, she was left speechless. ''Those higher Rarities are completely insane...'' Aiko thought. She looked at her own stats... [ Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 350 - 650 Species: [Shadow Fennec Fox Cub(Female, Peak of Unique)] Species: [-] Age: 0.52/100 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Awakened)], [Dream Beast Kitsune(Dormant)] Bloodline: [-] Beast Rank: Beast Level: 162 -> 400 (2nd Evolution) Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], [Plushie Princess], [Shadow Thief], [Master of Sex Toys], [Gourmand], [Explorer], [Trickster], [Mischievous Cub], [Filthy RICH Den Master], Cultivation Technique: [Blood Tyrant Scripture], [Moon Goddess Scripture] Elemental Spirit: [Seed of ####; Nurtured 1,066/100,000] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement) HP: 1,312|1,533 -> 1,313|2,961 (1pH & 0.07%pH) ST: 3,973|4,223 -> 3,975|9,459 (3pH & 0.1%pH) Vitality: 831|942 -> 833|1,894 (1pH & 0.05%pH)(1pH - Gourmand) Vigour: 3,632 -> 8,392 Beast Core(10%): 1,000 (1,120) Toughness: 779 -> 1,493 Strength: 2,500 -> 5,594 Agility: 5,482*1.65 -> 13,098*1.65 Dexterity: 4,565 -> 9,087 Mind: 3,527 -> 8,287 Insight: 230 Soul: 1,220 Beauty: 14,657 -> 34,887 Luck: 3,119 -> 6,927 Stat Points: 874 -> 5,228 Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.Skill Points: 645 -> 4,999 Elemental Affinity: [Shadow - 3], [Earth - 9], [Soul - ####] Martial Arts: [Lightness Technique] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####], [Soul Palace], [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered], [Earthen Walk: Lv.5] Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.2], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Agility Mastery: Lv.4], [Intention Perception: Mastered] Skills: [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Lacerate: Lv.3], [Sprint: Mastered], [Tracking: Mastered], [Quick Double Jump: Lv.5], [Camouflage: Lv.7], [Meditation: Lv.2], [Nurture: Lv.3] Passive Skills: [Stealth: Lv.7], [Health Recovery: Lv.7], [Stamina Recovery: Mastered], [Prehensile Tail: Mastered], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Thermal Regulation: Lv.1], [Intimidation: Mastered], [Weakness Detection: Mastered], [Hunting Mastery: Mastered], [Vitality Recovery: Lv.5], [Linguistics: Lv.2], [Swimming: Lv.1], [Throwing Mastery: Mastered], [Enhanced Climbing: Lv.6], [Enhanced Basic Senses: Lv.7], Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], [Blessing of ####], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x250 -> x15], [Skill Coupon x4], [Skill Combination Coupon x4], [Cultivation Gift], [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Crystal 25,000]x4, [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Stone 100,000]x2, [Sub-Profession Coupon], [Divine Ability Gift], ] She was far away from everything... ''Did I just waste all that meat for nothing...?'' Aiko clutched her head. ''No, no. I now know what I have to do to achieve those Evolutions... but 30,000 days is a bit too much...'' Aiko sighed. ''Fortunately, I have the Moon Stone already with me.'' She rummaged through her little Pouch, pulling out the Moon Stone. It was a shockingly large stone that emitted warm kind energy. [Moon Fox] [#### Rarity] [Requirements: Bath in the rays of the Moon for 30,000 -> 30 consecutive days ] ''...'' Aiko was left completely dumbfounded. She knew that that rock must''ve been important, but this important!? ''I just need 30 days... but that doesn''t solve my other issues.'' Aiko''s Mind, Beauty and Luck were too low for her to obtain that. ''I''m not sure if I have a Title that means being loved...'' Aiko shook her head. She then stared at something else. Stat Points: 5,228 Skill Points: 4,999 ''I don''t have enough Stat Points to raise it, but I have plenty of Skill Points... My shadow augmentation works only in shadows, since I''m tasked to be bathed in the rays of the Full Moon I will be probably penalized for being in the light...'' Aiko sighed. ''I can meet those requirements if I stay in the shadow, but I need to be bathed...'' ''Maybe that stinky Fox would know something...'' That Fox has been protecting her so far. It was one of the other reasons why she didn''t mind the Grandmaster. She couldn''t imagine that Mean Fox being beaten by another Fox. Aiko decided to return... Unfortunately for her, her body was too inflated and she could barely walk. ''Whatever tomorrow is a day too...'' Aiko slept while being inflated... unfortunately-[Filthy RICH Den Master]-she couldn''t sleep at all. ''Tomorrow will be a rough day.'' Aiko sighed in her mind. "Here you are." The Queen said gently, but Aiko felt a shiver down her spine. "I was wondering where you were." The Queen was smiling, but not so smiling. She picked up the shivering teary Aiko and used her special Divine Sense to peek at her Core. ''... What? It didn''t get worse?'' The Queen caught Aiko eating the last pieces of meat, but since she was too angry at Aiko she didn''t check that meat herself. "You shouldn''t eat so much, you won''t be able to sleep." The Queen soothed the quivering Aiko. Aiko sniffed. "You have not stolen anything right?" The Queen asked gently while returning to their Den. Aiko shook her head. "Was it tasty?" The Queen smiled. Aiko didn''t know what kind of question was that or if it had any hidden meaning, but- Aiko nodded. The Queen sighed. "Let''s return to the Grandmaster I made additional demands so we are safe from outsiders while she is around, she also won''t leak our secrets to others. I made her swear to Heaven and Earth so it''s absolutely safe." The Queen caressed Aiko''s fur. ... They returned to their Den. The Grandmaster was already sitting back and drinking her tea. "Let''s have a discussion." The Queen said to the Grandmaster. "You are talking way too familiar with me." The Grandmaster sighed, but didn''t mind all that much, those two were ''Pure'' by her standards so she didn''t mind. Aiko sat on Queen''s lap wrapped in her Tails, happily snoozing, but not yet sleeping. "Why did you eat so much meat?" The Queen continued to caress Aiko. ''I need to Evolve.'' Aiko said. "It''s no good to rush your-" The Queen cut the Grandmaster short. "Please only translate Grandmaster, it would be a problem if you decide things by yourself." The Queen was sharp and Grandmaster was startled. "She said she needs to Evolve." The Grandmaster spoke flatly disagreeing. "Hmmm... it''s too early for you to Evolve." The Queen agreed. Aiko growled at them. ''I will Evolve with your help or without your help.'' The Grandmaster frowned, but still translated. The Queen was slightly taken aback. Aiko would usually concede if she explained it to her, but this time she didn''t. "Is there something important that you need to Evolve for?" She realized that Aiko had more secrets than she expected, which could mean that it could be dangerous for this little fluffball to not Evolve. Aiko nodded. ''I need to reach balance, I don''t want to be Evil.'' Grandmaster translated but was displeased. "You are already a Demonic Beast, it is impossible to ignore that, your Evolutions will revolve around Demonic Origins." "Do you need something from me?" The Queen ignored Grandmaster and asked her little cutie. ''I need to raise my Core to 50% and strengthen my existing Bloodlines.'' She noticed that her Bloodline power can be Equal to her Beast Core, but not higher. The Queen nodded. "I have already prepared medicine baths, but you can take only 1 a month, so 4 months to reach 50%" The Queen explained and Aiko nodded. ''What else do I need for the Bloodlines?'' Aiko asked the Queen. "You need to consume large quantities of the Element that your Bloodline excels at and then collect that Energy in the place where your Bloodline is." The Queen was deep in thought. "What is your secondary Bloodline?" ''Dream Beast Kitsune'' Aiko answered happily. *PFFFFT* The Grandmaster choked on her tea, coughing violently. "What the- *Cough**Cough*" The Queen waited and the Grandmaster translated. "How incredible that she was able to get that kind of Bloodline, but..." "What''s wrong?" The Queen asked. "If others know about this they will try to force her to have as much sex as possible to create more realistic ''Dreams''." The Grandmaster spat. The Queen''s energy changed to a vicious one. "They can try, I would wipe them out if that happened." For some unknown reason, the Grandmaster shivered at that voice. "Anyway! That Bloodline needs a lot of time to nurture so you should focus on her innate Bloodline." The Queen nodded, she already knew this, but it was nice that the Grandmaster agreed with her. "Is there a place to buy Beast Cores?" The Queen hoped it was possible otherwise it would take quite a long time. "They are costly-" The Grandmaster paused. "I will guide you there once we finish tomorrow''s classes." "Thank you." The Queen was happy about this. ''I don''t have time... I need more Pills for my body, but now I also need to draw quite a few Arrays. She will definitely need to convert some Spirit Stones to pure energy.'' The Queen clicked her tongue. It was better to feed this little one than Evolve. "It will take a few months to prepare everything. Are you alright with that?" The Queen asked cautiously, seeing Aiko so adamant about her Evolution it meant it was very important to her. Aiko was deep in thought. ''I have used so much meat, so it''s a bit of waste to wait that long, but I also don''t have any other way to raise my Beast Core Purity.'' Aiko sighed but nodded. It shouldn''t be that bad since she could use the Moon Stone to reset her alignment once in a while. Chapter 58 – Rules = Sleep and Tour around the Sect Aiko woke up with a pillow made out of Sheepy and Dreamy. They were very fluffy and nice to sleep in. Aiko yawned against her will and snorted, not satisfied with her sleep. The Queen woke up looking over this little rascal, she smiled stealing her tails under Aiko. Aiko rolled around unhappily. She wobbled up and stared at the hateful Fox. She yawned again but knew that she wouldn''t be able to sleep unless it was on a fluffy tail. Aiko stared around and then in a particular direction. "Don''t even think about it." The Grandmaster smiled mischievously. Aiko''s ears dropped and she plopped back on the ground, she couldn''t sleep, but she would be able to pass the time by browsing the store. She was looking at Skills that would allow her to raise her stats. She stared at it for quite a while and Queen picked her up. ''I have found something for luck...'' [Four Leaf Clover] [Passive Skill] [Allows the User to increase their luck by 1% per Level.] [Cost: 1,000 Skill Points] It was not much, but enough for Aiko for the time being. ''I should find something for my mind too...'' Aiko was looking through her stuff and found a few notable ones, but only one was %, which should be the most important for now. [Charming] [Passive Skill] [Allows the User to increase their beauty by 1% per Level.] [Cost: 10 Skill Points] ''It''s almost nothing...'' Aiko thought that the price for the effect was much more reasonable. Aiko ignored their walk and they already arrived at the first gathering. It was outside, most Foxes were in their Human forms, but Aiko wasn''t. They all stared at Aiko curiously as they were also new guys. but from different parts of the continent. They were under the impression that everyone had to be in their Human form, but apparently, someone got the preferential treatment. Some pouted and some felt angry since it was difficult to stay in this Human form. ... The ''teacher'' arrived. He glanced at everyone in the class and spotted the infamous duo. ''Jade Fox and Vicious Cub.'' He recited their nicknames. ''I never expected Jade Fox to be such a masochist...'' He shook his head. "Today we will be going through rules and at the end of the Class we will walk around the Sect and show you all the places you will need. Later it will be up to you to find the rest as not everyone will be interested in Alchemy, Arrays and so on." He explained. "Martial Senior are we all supposed to be in Human form?" One upset youth asked. "That is correct." The ''Martial Senior'' said. "Then what about them?" Another upset girl pointed at Jade Fox who was in Human form, but on her lap wrapped in tails was Aiko, in her Fox form. The ''Martial Senior'' pinched his nose bridge. He pointed at the girl first. "Are you a cub?" "Well, no-" The girl tried to defend herself but was cut short. "Are you a cub?" He asked the youth who was asking first. "No, Martial Senior." He said with respect. "Is there anyone who is a cub?" The ''Martial Senior'' asked. The room fell quiet and it took them quite a while to understand. The ''Martial Senior'' nodded as it was not that slow. "She is a cub and cubs need sleep to grow well, while I would normally reprimand anyone who didn''t come in their normal forms, cubs have a lot less Stamina and she wouldn''t be able to maintain her form throughout my explanation." He pointed at the board and written on it with his Qi. The Rules were explained... ... But not for Aiko as she was currently half asleep browsing the shop. [Enhanced Mind] [Passive Skill] [User''s Mind is boosted by 5% per Level.] [Cost: 1,000 Skill Points] ''They are getting more expensive, but their effects are better...'' Aiko thought, she had plenty of Skill Points so she could afford a few. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it [Enhanced Mind] for 1,000 [Enhanced Beauty] for 100 [Four Leaf Clover] for 1,000 She needed those to Evolve and since it would take a while to train she should buy them now, so she has enough time. This left her with 2,899 Skill points. She also bought: [Assassin Mastery] [Tracking: Mastered] + [Weakness Detection: Mastered] + [Hunting Mastery: Mastered] + [Throwing Mastery: Mastered] = [Assassin Mastery] [Costs: 155 Skill Points] ''I will keep the rest of 2,744 in case I need something.'' Aiko nodded to herself. ''I will keep the Stat Points and only spend them once I level up those Skills. I should be quite closer to my goal with those or maybe even achieve them.'' Aiko nodded to herself And the Class ended. Aiko looked around, Foxes were staring at her somewhat resentfully for not paying attention, but the ''Martial Senior'' didn''t mind or rather he couldn''t mind. ''Jade Fox would wipe the floor with me if I would raise any issue with her Mate.'' He sweated. ... Leaving the gathering the ''Martial Senior'' was guiding them around. "It''s hard to get lost here as each ''peak'' represents a different occupation, but we are not here for those as they are easy to find. We will be heading to the Hunting Hall soon." He spoke slowly guiding them. He already realized that the only intelligent Foxes were gathered around Jade Fox and that little one, so he didn''t need to pay attention to them they would find their way around much easier than those other Foxes. He walked on the well-paved road. It seemed like roads were everywhere, but the actual classroom or combat zones. They walked for about an hour and arrived in front of Hunting Hall. The Hall was very large and wide. They were butchering and processing carcasses inside so the smell of Blood spread. It was the best place for Demonic/Blood Foxes as they would be able to enjoy the smell of Blood and learn how to keep their urges in check. "This Hall presented all the Hunting/Butchering missions to everyone and you would be able to find Beast Cores, Beast Pelts, Meat, Bones and other things in here." He explained to them. Aiko smelled meat and if it wasn''t for the mean Fox she would already be running around stealing meat. Not even wriggling helped Aiko escape. She soon gave up and made puppy eyes towards the mean Fox. The mean Fox looked elsewhere, she wouldn''t be tempted this time as Aiko was still a little bloated. She should eat in moderation. Then he guided them to the Mission Hall. This building looked strange as it was very high with thousands upon thousands of small parchments pinned against the walls. There were countless missions posted and the place was filled to the brim. It was difficult to move in there and everyone had to wait their turn. "This Hall gathers missions from every Hall in this Sect, but even if you want to take that mission you need to first reserve it and then move to the Hall that posted that mission. This place is only for reservation or if you are looking for a specific mission. This place is not for returning loot or anything like that." The ''Martial Senior'' warned. They nodded slowly and he moved to another building. The Reinforcement Building. This building was menacing as it was built like a Fortress Prison. There were moans and screams drifting from inside. It was a bone-chilling experience for them, even for those who were Demonic. Everyone hated pain (Except the Muscle Peak), so everyone recoiled or flinched with each scream. "Let''s hope you won''t get familiar with this building unless you become Enforcer. Everyone in here gives out punishments for breaking sect rules. This place is autonomous from other peaks and is directly under Sect Leader to avoid any mishaps." The ''Martial Senior'' explained warning them as the punishments weren''t light. They moved for 2 more hours before arriving in front of the Cafeteria. This was built as multiple buildings and from each building drifted a different aroma. Each building also looked different. One looked more like a seafood restaurant with blue tiles and everything. Another was very light green, which Aiko didn''t like. Another one was normal wood/grey tiles. The meat smell drifted from that one. And there were more, but not as interesting as the seafood and meat restaurants. "Here you can spend your Spirit Stones or Contribution Points to buy yourself something to eat, but keep in mind that Sect is not responsible for your Beast Core. If you make it filthy you have to clean it yourself." The ''Martial Senior'' warned in a stern voice as he was one of the idiots who didn''t heed the warning and he almost was kicked out for his low purity Beast Core. Aiko''s mouth drooled and she tried to escape the mean Fox''s clutches, but to no success. The Queen shook her head. It seemed like she raised a glutton, which was not good since she needed to raise her Beast Core purity. "Speaking of Best Core purity, you have around 4-5 months to raise your Beast Core purity to the limit so you can obtain plenty of rewards, but beware if your purity is too low they may kick you out of this Sect!" He walked forward. "The rest will be left to you to explore. This week we won''t have normal classes so you can pick your specialization. We will be talking about the different specializations each day and you will be allowed to pick one of your liking. While it is not forbidden to pick up more, most of you are not intelligent/Used to this body yet, so you would struggle. Of course, you are free to pick whatever you want." He nodded towards the Jade Fox''s group. They walked slowly back to the class. "Other than that we will have plenty of classes about Human behaviour and coordination of your fingers as none of you have ever experienced such long fingers. We are all used to digging with our paws, but fingers work differently! They are much weaker and more delicate!" He proclaimed in pride. "It will be important for you to properly learn handwriting. After you get a bit more accustomed to that we will move to Inscriptions/Talisman Making. There will be your real first challenge as any hesitation or poor control will result in burning through resources at best and cracking your Beast Core at worst." He sighed, his friend was crippled because he bragged too much, but wasn''t able to accomplish what he said and had Qi deviation. He shook his head. "This will be all from me today, tomorrow we will start writing and learning about letters and if everything goes well maybe about some kind of sub-profession" He let them go their way. Aiko was looking around curiously and they met Grandmaster halfway there. "There is Treasure Pavilion where you can find the more exotic Best Cores." The Grandmaster spoke gently and guided them there. "There are different scales, which determine the price. Purity, amount of energy inside, size and element." The Grandmaster explained to Jade Fox as Aiko was completely engrossed by the smell of the restaurants. She would have to check her book later. They walked towards the large Treasure Pavilion that was half buried into the ground, but it should be called Vault more as the Arrays started way before they noticed the Treasure Pavilion. It was an incredibly large building that had each piece Inscribed by dense runes and Arrays on top of those runes. This is one of the most secure places in this Sect and even Soul Transformation Cultivators would have a hard time breaking it down. Aiko looked curiously. She liked this place a lot~ Chapter 59 – Rude Pavilion and New Prey Aiko stared around, this place felt filthy rich. She was wondering how many Beast Cores they have, but unfortunately for her, she wouldn''t be able to know that since all the Beast Cores are kept in their respective rings and once one buys them they would be transferred inside this building. There were quite a few that would try to steal those things and that''s why they arranged Arrays that were wider than this place multiple times. It was also independently powered by the ambient Qi, but once someone attacked it harder it would switch and burn Spirit Stones to power it. Aiko was curious about the writings on the walls and tiles. The Queen smiled quietly watching Aiko be interested in something. "Grandmaster." A Guard of this place spoke gently towards us holding his position. "How are you doing?" The Grandmaster made a small talk and they waited. Aiko was very curious about everything so she didn''t mind and the Queen was patient only because it would allow her to get the Beast Cores that her little one might need. She chuckled seeing the flustered employees of this place. "Grandmaster." They cupped their fists towards us and guided us inside. The place was humongous, it felt like they were in a historic site, digging for treasures. But those employees weren''t grave plunderers, but polite Elders that watched over us. "We would like to see your Beast Cores." The Grandmaster spoke gently and gestured towards Aiko and the Queen. They understood and one quietly left for the jade slip with their inventory. Soon he returned and placed it on the well-decorated table. The room was decorated in a similar fashion, but still, everything was densely Inscribed with countless Inscriptions. [Linguistics: Lv.2->3] Aiko tilted her head, not understanding what was happening, but the mean Fox spoke almost immediately clicking her tongue. "They are too low grade, their purity is awful too." The Grandmaster browsed the jade slip. "I didn''t know this place degraded so much." The Grandmaster shook her head, leaving the others embarrassed. "That''s not all we have!" One employee defended their Pavilion. "Well, we will be leaving, it seems like we will have to hunt ourselves." The Queen said she was furious for what they did. ''How dare they show us only lowest grade stock.'' Aiko didn''t know about this mental gymnastics and nodded with the stinky Fox. While she didn''t want to fight, she didn''t mind hunting. As long as she was allowed to choose her prey, that was a very important part. The Grandmaster smiled apologetically towards the Jade Fox. The Jade Fox shook her head. "It''s not your fault Grandmaster, you are not running this place." They stood up leaving. The Grandmaster sighed. "I never expected them to do something like that in front of me." She was one of the richest people in this Sect so bringing only the lowest goods felt like they were trying to slap her face. "It will take time to hunt the needed Beast Cores." The Queen clicked her tongue, but she didn''t even think about returning. She was always like that, once a shop or group tried to embarrass or insult her there would be no mercy from her. She would stop associating with them and if given enough time, slowly ruin them from bad reputation. She licked her lips, and while she didn''t have time to ruin them she had enough fanatics that she could act around with and that would allow her to spread the words that the Treasure Pavilion was rude and arrogant in front of her. She giggled about that and was delighted, as she already saw some fanatics trailing her. She would make a show in front of them. ... Aiko was still looking through the shop, she still had some time left and there were a few more mastered Skills that she could upgrade, but yet again they were underwhelming. She suddenly noticed that she could have duplicates. She already had [Enhanced Basic Senses], but she could still buy [Enhanced taste], [Enhanced hearing], etc... ''Would it be possible to use the stealth abilities to upgrade some other Skills and then buy them again and repeat?'' Aiko thought, some combined Skills/Abilities were really good, but it would be too bad if she couldn''t get even more powerful combinations because she spent those Skills on something more mediocre, but now she knew she could purchase them so she was only limited by how fast she could level them up. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ''I could get [Basic Presence Concealment] if I combine a few that I didn''t want to lose, then I just have to buy them again and repeat with different Skills.'' Aiko thought. ''I will also have to test if those effects stack.'' For example if her [Agility Mastery] would stack with [Enhanced Agility]. ''It would be nice~'' Aiko hummed. ... They arrived at their Den, of course, the Grandmaster didn''t mind what the Jade Fox was doing as it would recover some of her face. "I do have a few Beast Cores around so we can trade it for something later." The Grandmaster said. "That would be highly appreciated as I won''t have enough time to hunt and this little cutie doesn''t know how to distinguish prey with high-quality Beast Core over low-quality." The Queen sighed. "It would be nice if you could teach her that when I''m preparing those Pills for you, I will also have to draw quite a few Arrays now that she wants to advance, so I will bother you with the Array Chalk." The Queen stared at the Grandmaster. "No problem I still have quite a bit of Chalk from when I borrowed it from the Array Peak." She readily nodded. "Good, while it might not be the highest it should be good enough until I create my own Chalk." The Queen nodded and then asked. "Any good place for violent advancements?" She asked the Grandmaster with a wide smile, startling her. "So you will let her Evolve?" The Grandmaster sighed. "There are plenty of places where you can Evolve." "Violent advancements." The Queen smiled, emphasising that part. "Hmmmm." The Grandmaster thought. "Maybe the wasteland?" "That is a no." The Queen immediately rejected it. "It would be difficult to keep her Beast Core clean when she would just suck up all the filth." The Grandmaster nodded understanding only some, but the Queen spoke again. "While it doesn''t need to be a rich place in Qi, you need to keep in mind that her dormant Bloodline that she just earned might awaken and cause a ruckus. That''s why I rejected the wasteland since it would turn into a complete desert." The Grandmaster was deep in thought. "I will ask around my friends if they can''t spare some space. For a price of course." "Naturally." The Queen readily nodded, she wouldn''t want to get attached to someone''s karma just like that as it might affect her future. She would rather find that place by herself if they didn''t want anything in exchange. She would not be tied that easily. She looked at Aiko and sighed. ... They walked towards the gathering. Aiko was in her Humanoid form, she now could last around 94 minutes, which was not enough for the whole class, but enough to participate through most of it. They sat down at their usual place and murmurs spread through the gathering. Which was only natural as Aiko was in human form with inhuman 104,661 Beauty! They couldn''t look away once they caught a glimpse of Aiko and she was embarrassed because she didn''t like so much attention. Fortunately soon ''Martial Senior'' entered the gathering and everyone went quiet. Nobody wanted to be punished after experiencing that dreadful place, but that didn''t mean they wouldn''t steal glances at Aiko. Aiko didn''t want to be here, but she really wanted to learn Inscriptions as for some reason they levelled up her [Linguistics]. While today wouldn''t be about Inscriptions, they would still handle pens made out of feathers. They were the cheapest and most readily available so that even if someone broke it, nothing much would happen as they simply had plenty of feathers lying around. The ''Martial Senior'' distributed the feather with his Divine Sense. A gasps of admiration drifted from here and there, but Jade Fox''s group and even that little one were uninterested. The Martial Senior''s lips twitched, he didn''t believe they weren''t interested, just playing coy. "Today we will learn about fingers and how to use-" He stared dumbfounded at the Jade Fox who casually copied the parchment in front of her. Likewise, Aiko was able to somewhat write, but she didn''t stay in her Fox form long enough to remember the pain of her wrists whenever she had to write essays. She didn''t understand what kind of essay, but she understood that she should do it at the last moment. They were happily writing and while the others struggled, in the Jade Fox''s group they were much much better than anyone in this gathering. The ''Martial Senior'' was left speechless for a good while, he could only hear the snapping of feathers from the front row, while the back row was more or less self-sufficient. [You have earned [Calligraphy]!] [Calligraphy] [Passive Skill] [Improves your writing skills.] Aiko had her own little cheat that allowed her to write more carelessly without breaking the feather, so while others struggled she watched her skill slowly advancing. [Calligraphy: Lv.1->5] Aiko smiled happily, but she felt tired. *Poof* She exhausted her Stamina and turned back into Fox. The Queen was currently away giving the teacher her and her Mate''s parchment. Aiko was tired, but couldn''t find her favourite pillow Dreamy. Her senses tingled, nudging her into a certain distance. She sneaked around as everyone was occupied with their assignment. "Kya!" A surprised yelp spread throughout the gathering and they looked towards that direction. The Blood Fox was embarrassed as she was surprised by someone touching her tail, but when she turned around she stiffened. ''W-w-w-what is she d-doing here?!'' She was scared witless from seeing Aiko wrapped around her tail happily snoozing. [Congratulations! You have earned a new Title: [Tail Hunter]] [Tail Hunter] [You are more likely to find a tail of your liking! Decreases the chances of the prey shaking you off!] Aiko was happily snoozing, while the Blood Fox was furiously blushing. The Queen''s lips twitched. ''That little rascal found another prey.'' The Queen already knew that Aiko was looking towards the Grandmaster''s tails, but since the Grandmaster would always dodge, she was unable to get them. ''This was the perfect place for her mischief.'' The Queen shook her head, feeling pity towards that scared Fox. She handed those papers and walked towards the Blood Fox. The Blood Fox was screaming in her mind that she would be killed by the Jade Fox. The Queen arrived near her tail. ''S-she won''t rip my t-tail off, right?'' She was quivering. The Queen placed her tail near her fluffball, the fluffball''s ears twitched, but she didn''t move. The Queen''s brows twitched. She placed another tail near that little rascal and in the blink of an eye Aiko was already sleeping on her tails. The Queen sighed, moving back to her place, with Aiko sleeping on her. She was concerned that she would molest other Foxes, but it seemed that she was only interested in the high-quality ones. The Queen then clicked her tongue. ''I will have to groom my tails or she might run away from me once she finds a better tail.'' She sighed shaking her head. This will be a lot more troublesome keeping her little servant with her than she expected. Chapter 60 – Alchemy and Pill Refining It''s been a week already. The gatherings ended up quite boring as most Foxes weren''t able to follow the Jade Fox''s group pace and had to slow down and break a few thousand feathers before they made any progress. The feathers piled up like there was no tomorrow and the ''Martial Senior'' sighed. ''Those were all paid from my pockets.'' He was disheartened, but couldn''t protest as this was his punishment from the Enforcement guys. He stole the clothes of his Senior Sister. Aiko was again sleeping on those fluffy tails, everyone had already gotten used to it except for the Blood Fox who was assaulted a few times by Aiko when the Jade Fox wasn''t looking. Of course, the Blood Fox didn''t raise any issue as it didn''t hurt her, she was just always startled. ''It''s better than being beaten by her.'' The Blood Fox thought. They gave them the Recording Jades which recorded their prowess and weaknesses. At first, she was incredibly embarrassed as she noticed she just attacked everyone and she was incredibly happy that, that little cutie didn''t kill her, so the issue about her sleeping on the Blood Fox''s tail was suppressed. "Today I will tell you about the Alchemy or Pill concoction sub-profession. They are very similar and might be the same in the eyes of many so most Alchemist/Pill Master don''t mind either name, but it will become an issue if you say it regarding their crafts." He explained to the class. "When someone concocts Pills he is a Pill Refiner, while if he is refining herbs for smithing he is an Alchemist, it is obvious that those who make the actual weapons are Blacksmith or better yet if you call them Forgers." "Back to the Alchemy, there are hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of herbs. Alchemists gather herbs and make Pills out of them or prepare them for Forgers to use in their crafts. If you are an Alchemist you need to remember how the herbs look like and how to harvest them." "That is the first part and one of the many processes you need to master to get the Title [Alchemist Apprentice], but there is an even more revered title and that is [Pill Apprentice]. This one involves a lot more steps than the previous one as you have to remember each individual effect of each herb and how they react to each other." "Some repulse others, while merging with some. It is a very difficult craft, but revered by many as it can speed your Cultivation, ease your Breakthrough or even save your life." "I believe most of you saw how Cultivators used small marbles on their wound and they stopped bleeding right?" The gathering nodded. "Those Pills are essential to Cultivators in the wild as some Pill can give you temporary immunity to poisons or even some Elements. This makes Cultivators tricky opponents to fight as most of them will be in groups." "Are there any that are interested in alchemy or Pill Refining?" The ''Martial Senior'' asked, he hoped there wouldn''t be any as he didn''t want to explain it. After all his crush who he stole clothes from was in the Alchemy Peak. Unfortunately for him, that little furball with her masochistic Mate raised their hands. Encouraged by this many more raised their hands. He frowned but didn''t say anything negative. "I will describe Alchemy in detail and then we will move on to Pill Refining and what you might need, if you still wish you continue after this you should seek the Alchemy Peak, you are all welcome there." He sighed. "Alchemy starts with finding Herbs, the harder it is to get to that Herb the rarer that Herb is. The Herb starts very inconspicuous as any weed on the side of the road, if you give it a few months it will become a mortal Herb. These are mostly gathered by mortals and we do not interact with them as they are too weak to give us anything, but their Souls." He licked his lips. He had a fair share of maidens he plucked and enjoyed their warmth before abandoning them once they loosened up. "Give a few years they will become Cultivation Herb, also known as Immortal Herbs.-" ''That is false, Immortal Herbs, can be found only in the upper worlds, it''s simply Herb for lower worlds.'' The Queen telepathically sent it to Aiko so she would understand. Aiko nodded as thanks. "After a few more years the Herb starts to alter the world around itself. For example, Fire Herb would slowly drain the moisture in its surroundings and slowly turn it into dry land. Ice Herb would freeze anything, and so on." "The more years the Herb has the greater the power to its surroundings and the harder it is to harvest. You will be burned, frozen, poisoned, trapped in illusions or possibly drained of your Souls." "Be careful when you encounter strange unnatural phenomenons, like desert inside a lush forest. There is a high likelihood that rare Herb is there and it might cost you your life if you don''t know what kind of Herb can cause those phenomenons." "Now you know your place and you have found what kind of Herb it is. What is next?" He came back to the board and drew with his Qi. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. "First you need to scout this place, if the phenomenon is large there might be Cultivators or vicious beasts guarding it, so it''s better to stay hidden and scout first." "You find that nobody is guarding it and in that case, you should harvest that Herb. First, you will need a simple shear or a small sickle, but shears are preferable as they allow more precise cutting. Then you need to either: Extract that Herb slowly and carefully so you can replant it if it''s not ripe yet or you can use your shears on it, but each Herb requires a different approach with different dangers so I can''t tell you the best way." "Now you have extracted or cut the Herb, what now? You will need to store it or replant it. Storing needs to be done fast and is usually used with the help of Ice Element Boxes, but some Herbs require special containers so don''t count on it. The cut Herb needs to be stored as soon as possible as its efficacy is decreasing each second." "Meanwhile the Herb that has been extracted can last a long time before you need to urgently plant her again, BUT there are instances you should be careful about. Most Herbs are very sensitive about ambient Qi, so you can''t go into places with less or more ambient Qi or the Herb might soon wither or degrade." "As long as you stay in the same ambient zone, the herb can last anywhere between a few days to even years, but the faster to transplant it the better, as the Herb won''t grow if it''s not in proper soil absorbing nutrients from both the Heaven and Earth." "Congratulations you are now [Alchemist Apprentice]... or not." He chuckled. "You need to be tested to become Alchemist Apprentices, so you better seek the guidance of the Alchemy Peak for that matter." "I don''t have enough money." The ''Martial Senior'' said with a smirk. "You can become [Pill Apprentice] and you can earn money from Refining Pills all day, you don''t need to risk your life going outside and you don''t need to fight over resources as you will be the one creating them." "Of course, it doesn''t pay as well as being both [Alchemist Apprentice] AND [Pill Apprentice], but you won''t be in danger unless you are a complete moron and blow your Cauldron up." He shook his head. "Now I want to be a Pill Refiner, what do I need? You will need a Pill or Refining Caldron. They come in different shapes and sizes, but for the starters, you need to choose smaller ones that are very round." "Why? Because you dumbasses won''t be able to be successful with your first batches, it''s important that the Caldron can take the beating. If it blows up shrapnel will fly everywhere injuring you or at the worst killing you, so it''s important that the damage is more evenly distributed." "Why small? Because they are cheaper, you wouldn''t want to blow up something you spend years saving up for, right?" He chuckled, he was that dumbass... "I got the Pill Caldron, what now? You will need other tools, you will need a special Tray that won''t degrade the herbs. This Tray is important as it will slow/stop the degradation of the herbs and it will be much easier to handle when you don''t have to constantly calculate their energy." "Next up is a knife, or should I say knives. Not every herb will take it kindly if you use an improper knife on it, the most basic knives are Yin and Yang knife. One hot and one cold. There is also elemental knife as Wood and Metal, but you don''t need to worry about those as it will come into play only at Pill Master Rank." "You got the knife, but you need a place where you can cut, the Cutting Board is made out of the same material as the Tray, but with the difference that it was Inscribed. The Inscription is very simple as it allows you to retain the juices inside the herb instead of them spilling everywhere." "Those are the most basic and most important tools for your Refining endeavour." He draws them on the board with his Qi. "You got the tools and you want to make money, how do you do that? By making Pills. First, you need a recipe, this recipe will decide what kind of herbs you need to find/buy/prepare. You put those herbs on the tray and go over the recipe several times!" He was also the dumbass who wasted precious ingredients because of pride and ''I know what I''m doing''. "The recipe should be close to you so you can revise it whenever you need or are uncertain about something, remember unless you put those herbs inside the Caldron there is still time to repair your mistakes." "The next step is cutting herbs, you cut them as the recipe tells you as most of the time it''s the best way to use them, but if you are wealthy enough and knowledgeable enough you should definitely experiment, but you should only experiment on Pills that are Grade lower than you are." "You have cut your herbs, now you need to heat your Caldron, now this is where things will greatly differ as you have ways of heating. Personal and assisted." "Personal is by using your own Fire Qi to heat the Caldron, I do not recommend this when you are starting as you need to carefully adjust the flames with each herb, but once you are proficient enough you should give it a try as it will cut down your costs." "Assisted branches off to several others, but we will only talk about Array and Flame one." "Array Formation, which is part permanent Array and part temporary Formation. Allows you to create flames at the cost of either your Qi or Spirit Stones. It is advised to use Spirit Stones since their energy output doesn''t change and it will make it easier for you to create those wonderful Pills much faster." "You can adjust the heat and intensity of the flames, giving you full control with basic Array Formation knowledge. It is not cheap and it will be eating into your profits, but it''s the safest way to do it." "Flames or Spirit Flames are the most wonderful and amazing things you can get your hands on, especially if they are ranked in the Top 100 in the Spirit Flame list." "These little guys allow you to control the flames much easier than you would be able to if you were to do it alone, you could see them as small helpers that don''t eat as much Qi, but what is more important is that they can give special additional effects to the Pills. It can range from something as simple as increased efficacy to something as absurd as increasing in Grade!" "There were also rumours that some flame might be able to attract Heavenly Blessing, but those flames are in the Top 10 list and let''s be honest, most of you if not all, won''t be able to encounter them so soon..." He sighed, he gave his flame to Senior Sister, but she still didn''t like him... "You have heated your Caldron and now is where all the magic happens. It is best to use Divine sense in this stage, no matter how weak as it won''t pollute the herbs as much and it''s quicker." "You place those herbs into the Caldron in sequence written on the recipe, count breaths and wrap it in your Qi, the calmer your Qi is the easier it is for this step to advance! You increase or decrease the flames to melt all the Herbs, but be careful about burning them!" "Once all the Herbs are melted you will then compress them together and slowly dissipate the excess moisture to form small pills. Efficacy and number of pills are dependent on the Herb quality and your Skills. Poor Skills will never attract Heavenly Blessing so keep that in mind!" "Now you just need to pull them out by either slapping the Caldron or pulling them out with your Divine Sense, but you will be doing the slapping first as you might accidentally crush those Pills with your weary mind." "Refining Pills takes anywhere between 2 hours to 10 hours, few recipes are exceeding that, but most will be around 2-3 hours." He sighed, he explained this sub-profession so many times that he was tired of it. "That will be all from me, now go away." He was tired and sad that his Senior Sister didn''t like him. Chapter 61 – Inscriptions and Peak Elder Another week passed. The Foxes adjusted to their fingers and only broke a few hundred feathers. Naturally, Aiko was asleep, seeking tails for her blissful sleep. The Blood Fox was already used to these ambushes and could even predict them. She would always shift her tail so it wouldn''t be uncomfortable for her. The Queen was working hard on her Pills. She was able to extort-borrow Pill Caldron for her needs. She didn''t need knives since she used her Divine Sense slightly infused by the needed elements to do the cutting. As such her wealth was slowly building, but she hadn''t joined any Peak yet and the Elders were quite restless. Unfortunately for the Elders, the Sect Leader protected her, because she brought in too many high-quality Pills and as such she was too precious to lose because of internal conflict. And today was the day Aiko was looking forward to the most as she was interested and confused about Inscriptions. "Today we will talk about Inscriptions, some basic techniques and some Ancient ones." The ''Martial Senior'' huffed with annoyance seeing the Jade Fox''s ground once again raise their hands. They were the only ones interested in it since they had almost Human-like hand precision. He sweated several times as even he was defeated by that little hateful sadistic cub! "Inscriptions is the art of Inscribing things, giving them power through runes." He gestured on the board. "We have countless runes, each giving different effects and different combinations." "For Inscribing you need to prepare the Inscription Pen if it''s soft material, with Inscription Ink or Inscription Carving Pen if it''s hard materials." "For example, the soft materials would be the pouch you have been lent during the tests, it was created by our Founder and had many great uses. Like gathering live Humans for Soul extraction, as it was too dangerous to do that on the site of conflict. You just needed to steal a few humans and slowly devour them." "For hard materials, it would be Storage Rings or any buildings like the Housing Pavilion that most of you reside in. Those are Inscribed with reinforcements, space expansion and Qi Gathering Arrays, but those Arrays are weak so you won''t probably notice it." "Inscription Pen is created by Inscribing. It is difficult to create without another Inscription Carving Pen. As you would have to Inscribe with your Divine Sense, you would need an exceptionally powerful Divine Sense to be able to carve. "Keep in mind that it''s not enough if you can crush things with your Divine Sense as that is still easy, but you have to crush very narrow lines to create those runes." The ''Martial Senior'' pointed at the Board. "These are the runes and sequence you need to carve into the Inscription Pen. It is longer for the Inscription Carving Pen as it doesn''t use Ink. You only use Inscription Ink once you carve those grooves. You usually fill it either with powerful Divine Sense or Inscription Pen as it''s easier." "When it comes to the art of Inscription you need to remember runes and their sequence. Not every rune will act as you wish, they have some order in which you need to carve in." The ''Martial Senior'' wrote on the Board more Runes and Aiko tilted her head. #### #### Strength #### #### #### For some reason, Aiko was able to read one of the Runes on the Board. The ''Martial Senior'' explained the runes, but Aiko was too engrossed in figuring out why she could understand that rune that she ignored him. "Inscription Pens come in many shapes and sizes. The cheapest ones are Feathers, but they don''t have good durability so I wouldn''t recommend it. Next would be a Wooden Inscription Pen. Which is a lot better in terms of durability, but if you are not careful you could pierce the fabric or Skin." "Lastly there are Metal Inscription Pens. They are ridiculously expensive, but their craftsmanship is that good. You don''t have to worry about durability unless you use it as Defensive Artefacts." "You don''t have to worry about piercing the cloth or skin that much as the Metal Inscription Pen has a small round top, so unless you use too much pressure it would never pierce the soft fabric." "You also have something called Inscription Brushes, but since they have low accuracy and high Skill ceiling, most of the Inscription Masters don''t use them." "Inscription Carving Pens are only made out of metal, but that doesn''t mean there is a single type of metal as you will need to change them depending on the material. You will need the Yin Inscription Carving Pen, Yang Inscription Carving Pen and Normal Inscription Carving Pen." "Materials need care, not as much as herbs which might explode you in the face if you tickle them the wrong way, but it is possible to degrade the materials or grooves if you don''t use the right Carving Pens." Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. "Degradation material doesn''t mean that the material will lose quality, but that it will crumble or break. You would have to reforge the whole thing again." "Meanwhile improper grooves will give you headache and scorn of the forgers, but are much cheaper to repair." "The Inscription Carving Pen unlike the Inscription Pen only makes grooves, so you will need to fill it later with Inscription Ink, but you can''t spill it! Especially no dipping into the Inscription Ink as that would degrade both the Ink and Inscribed thing you are trying to make." "The Inscription Ink is created from Normal Ink and Neutral Beast Cores. That is the most basic as such it doesn''t have many uses, but it is good for starting Inscribers." "Meanwhile higher quality Inscription Ink use Beast Ink, Beast Core and either liquid Minerals or special Herbs. Those are expensive and very specialized. There isn''t single Ink, but multiple types." "For example if you want to create space expansion Inscription, like those on Storage Ring. You can''t use basic or elemental Inscription Inks, but special mixed Space imbued Inscription Inks." "Those inks were imbued with Space element, it is impossible to create advanced Elemental Inscription Inks, so do not believe or buy them from your Seniors, those are Fake. They can only be Imbued by other Energy Cultivators." "That is pretty much it for Inscriptions, it might seem like it''s cheaper than alchemy, but that is not the case. If you are not careful and break too many Inscription Pens it might cost you more than what you would get paid for." "As we Beast are not very used to these delicate fingers we struggle with more complex Inscriptions, as someone said, haste makes waste, slowly progress and get the feel of your fingers and as you improve your coordination you will be able to Inscribe more runes." "A few warnings, you should never underestimate Inscribing as it also depletes your Qi reserves in your Beast Cores, you will need to replenish that or you might lose your Rank and revert to the Animal Rank. Another thing is that not every type of rune likes to be interrupted." "What I mean by that is that you should finish the Inscription once you started it as it will be difficult to stop mid-way. There are too many runes that don''t like to be left alone and might degrade your material if you leave them like that." "If you are interested in Inscriptions you should join the Inscription Peak. That will be all." The ''Martial Senior'' dismissed the class. He was always so unimposing and nerdy that Aiko wanted to giggle, he even had glasses to go with his dull and bleak look. Aiko stared at the Queen wagging her tail. The Queen sighed. "You really want to join that Peak? What about hunting?" Aiko was startled, she liked to hunt, but she had to choose her enemies. "Let''s do it like this." The Queen seemed to be able to read that expression. ''No way will I allow you to pick my opponents.'' "We will go and look at the Intel Gathering Peak, Hunting Peak and Inscription Peak. How about it?" She smiled. Aiko frowned, she was not interested in those Peaks, but on the other hand, she would enjoy riding this mean Fox. Aiko nodded unaware of the trap set by the Queen. "Good." She smiled mischievously. The Intel Gathering Peak had two faces. One was Intel Gathering where you would request herb locations/people/ores/etc. while the other would be about Assassinations. What the Queen set up was that she wanted Aiko to find the other face as it would be very important for her later. Aiko rode on the stinky Fox and they soon arrived at the Intel Gathering Peak. "Welcome~" a nice sensual Fox greeted them, but she was also very professional. "What can I do for you~ fufu~" She smiled seeing the duo as they were already pretty famous/infamous. "We would like to ''explore'' the Intel Gathering Peak." The Queen gave a gentle signal. "Would you like to or your little sweetie~?" She gestured. "This little sweetie~" The Queen said in the same sensual voice making the girl blush. "*Cough* well there are few Seniors and Juniors outside so if she is able to track them and follow them back she would be allowed to ''Explore''." She dropped the sensual act or she might need to stick something inside from the arousal that the Queen might built inside her. "You heard her." She caressed Aiko. Aiko snorted. ''You cheated me!'' She protested but still jumped down. She went some ways away and blended into the surroundings startling the reception girl. "Amazing." She was also Shadow Beast, but she wasn''t able to do that, her understanding was too shallow and that''s why she was only a receptionist, even though she had the goods to extract information from Cultivators. ... Aiko waited in the bushes, there should be Foxes returning so she would just tail them later, but for now. [Camouflage: Lv.7] + [Stealth: Lv.7] = [Basic Presence Concealment] Cost: 440 Skill Points [Camouflage] for 10 [Stealth] for 10 Skill Points: 2,744 -> 2,284 Now she was prepared, she also had the [Assassin Mastery], which would guide her through this test. A youth was spotted, he was in Human form and much more charming than those Harem Kings. He was cautious. "Heya gorgeous, finished that mission, how about it?" He winked at the receptionist girl. "Nope, but good work, you can return to the headquarters. She winked back and the youth was taken aback but smiled. ''Seems I will be followed, so my next mission is to lose this tester.'' He licked his lips. Aiko used her Skills and Abilities to their fullest and was tailing the youth. The Youth was confused. ''Did I lose her already? I don''t feel any presence.'' But even if he didn''t feel any presence he still took many detours upsetting Aiko as it was taking longer than she would like to. ... The Queen arrived in front of a strange gate, the ''guards'' were startled. "Jade Fox?" They were both surprised. "Don''t mind me, just waiting for my Mate." She sat down nearby. Those guards'' minds were in turmoil. ''How did she find us? How was she able to find us without a ''guide''? Did we screw the concealment Array? Did anyone leak our location?'' They brainstormed but didn''t understand this situation as they would be the first ones to get notified by this, but they still reported this to the Peak Elder. "Jade Fox." A ravishing female Fox in an alluring dress greeted her while puffing her pipe. "Peak Elder." The Queen cupped her fists, she was slightly impressed by her prowess. "Mind if I wait with you?" This was the perfect situation for her to seduce the Jade Fox, she didn''t mind that the Jade Fox would have other Mates, but she really wanted a taste of this gorgeous Fox. "Sure, but keep your thoughts to yourself, my Mate can be... a little vengeful." The Queen licked her lips, charming the Peak Elder. The Peak Elder giggled. "Fine, but only this time." She lost the initiative, but that was only this time, if she would be able to attract the Jade Fox''s mate it would be like getting the Jade Fox. They waited together while the Peak Elder smoked. Chapter 62 – The Assassination Peak Aiko trailed that clueless bastard towards that strange gate, there were already people surrounding it and she even spotted the mean Fox. Aiko glared at the Queen and she could see her ears twitch. "P-peak Elder?!" The youth was shocked but cupped his fists. "You have failed." The Peak Elder puffed smoke. The Peak Elder was in similar height as the mean Fox, she had seductive hips, but a rack that was barely contained by the fabric. She didn''t care about how she wore it as her pale shoulders were exposed to the elements stroking the desires of bystanders, of course, this did not affect Aiko as she stared at the Peak Elder. She had a kimono with a cut where her tails could go through, but... ''She is threatening.'' Aiko stared at the significant bulges. Her red loose dress wasn''t giving her any favour as it slid, revealing her long jade legs. Aiko stared blankly. ''I only like longer tails.'' The Peak Elders tails were a ''head'' shorter than her favourite tails, so even if she had 3 tails she didn''t feel all that tempted to nestle there. "I-i failed?!" He was shocked as he didn''t feel any presence tailing him and even then he took many difficult detours, unfortunately for him Aiko had [Quick Double Jump], so she was able to bypass all of them. "What? Are you saying I''m wrong?" The Peak Elder snorted. The youth recovered some energy. "I do not understand Peak Elder, what have I done wrong?" He respectfully cupped his fists. "You were tailed." But even when the Peak Leader said that she could only feel an additional presence around here, but couldn''t pinpoint where that presence was. The youth was too shocked, but the Peak Elder dismissed him away. The Queen''s lips twitched. "If you can find my Mate I might strike a deal with you." The Peak Elder narrowed her eyes. "You would join our Peak?" "As a Pill Refiner." She had no intention of being an assassin, but by joining as Pill Refiner she would have greater sway if her little fluffball did something bad. The Peak Elder snorted. "Hmpf and if I find her you will spend the night with me." The Queen laughed. "You know how to joke Peak Elder, first try to find her and then we should talk seriously." The Peak Elder snorted, unwrapping her Divine Sense to cover this whole area. The Queen didn''t do a thing and let her lightly probe her body, she was interested in her reaction. The Peak Elder blushed but still concentrated on her Divine Sense, it was now covering 1000 meters around them, yet she was still unable to pinpoint her Mate. ''What the...'' While she didn''t pride herself in Assassination Skills, she did pride herself in Observation/Seduction Skills. She was able to gather a lot more information because of her alluring nature. The Peak Elder frowned. "Are you playing games with me?" She was upset about being played like a child. "Do you like me, Peak Elder?" The Queen licked her lips. The Peak Elder coughed. "W-well, you are not that bad." She looked away as she was unable to meet the Jade Fox''s gaze. "What about my tails? Do you like them?" The Queen giggled. The Peak Elder was taken aback, there was nuance in those words. She looked at the Jade Fox and then at her 2 very fluffy tails. Rumours spread that she was grooming her tails for someone. Those tails were a bit too fluffy? They even had partially black colour? *Gasp* "Y-you!" The Peak Elder pouted. "That''s just mean." Aiko was already nestled on the Queen''s tails, resting. She didn''t undo her Skills just yet, as the conversation piquet her interest. "I can''t believe I was played by a Junior..." The Peak Elder pinched her nose. "So you want to have more power over my Assassination Peak to protect her right?" She was a sharp Peak Elder as she dealt with a lot of information on a daily basis. "That is correct." The Queen smiled, charming the Peak Elder again. *Cough* "Well fine, if she picks our hidden Peak, I will allow it." She nodded. She didn''t know how good of a Refiner she was, but she also knew that she wouldn''t lie to her since it would be disadvantageous later on. Aiko yawned, slapping her tails. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ''Let''s go, carry me.'' Aiko gestured towards the mean Fox. The Peak Elder laughed but didn''t say anything. The Jade Fox shook her head but still picked up Aiko. "We will have to go for Hunting Peak now, Peak Elder." The Queen stood up. The Peak Elder clicked her tongue. "How boring, but do come again, you are welcome here since both of you are exceptional." ... The Hunting Peak had many corpses gutted all around, they were explaining the anatomy of other Beast so the Junior Disciples would be able to defeat them. They were also those who boasted about being able to pierce certain skins, but when they were offered the chance they weren''t able to do that, it was even worse as they weren''t able to even scratch them! Aiko stared around, the moment she saw the gigantic Beast carcases she lost all intentions of joining. ''As if I would let you bully me!'' Aiko snorted and burrowed her head in the mean Fox''s arms. The Queen''s lips twitched, but she didn''t say anything, she was happy that this little pipsqueak had at least some interest in Beast. It might be just Beast Cores, but it was interest, nonetheless. ... Inscription Peak mesmerized Aiko as even the floor was Inscribed by runes. They might not be as densely packed as in the Treasure Pavilion, but they still mesmerized her. [Linguistics: Lv.3->4] Aiko narrowed her eyes, she liked to see this as she didn''t have many opportunities to read or level it up, but now she got free experience just looking around. There was also that strange time when she was able to read the strange runes as if they were words. The Queen noticed her fervent interest and smiled. ''Assassin with Inscribed ''tools'' sounds quite terrifying.'' She licked her lips, she wouldn''t be bored if her fluffball let loose. She stared at the Inscription Peak Pavilion. It was a huge and densely Inscribed building rivalling that of the Treasure Pavilion. Each single tile, brick or piece of wood was Inscribed. Some had dense Inscriptions while others had very little, but everything was Inscribed. "Welcome." The Peak Elder greeted them startling all nearby Disciples. Murmurs spread the moment they noticed this situation. "Do you know them? "No idea, but Peak Elder wouldn''t come just to greet them." "Do you think they are here from other Peaks?" "It would be nicer if they joined, she has nice tails." "You and your tail fetish." They all shook their heads at that hopeless individual but went quiet soon after to observe the situation. "What can I do for you?" The Peak Elder who didn''t have a single bit of hair and a single tail spoke gently. His stress caused him to lose hair as there were no good seedlings for over 10 years, but the sect gets new blood almost every month. "My Mate would like to join your Peak." The Queen spoke gently and Aiko nodded. ''Damn it! Why can''t I get any useful seedling!'' The Elder cursed in his mind, but his expression was nice and gentle. ''I can''t even get upset or I will end up like those useless bimbos!'' "Very well, there are few tests before she can join. I hope you don''t mind?" The Elder was very scared of this duo as he treasured his backdoors. He even made a treasure that would block a hit at the pleading of his colleague. At first he scoffed at him, but as more rumours met his ears he very diligently created 2 of them. One for himself and one for the colleague that warned him. "That is fine. I will also oversee this if you don''t mind." It wasn''t a question, she would oversee it even if he didn''t like that. "As you wish." He sighed. ... Aiko changed into her human form and sat down on the mat. Fortunately, even if she was small she was still tall enough to reach the table and write on it. The Elder beckoned the other judges to take their seats. ''Can''t we admit her immediately?'' One of the judges asked. ''I agree, she is adorable and it would boost our Peaks prestige, we have too many bald guys here.'' Another judge voiced the same opinion. ''I disagree, we will only get perverts if she joins.'' The third judge voiced his disapproval. The judges stared at him. ''What?'' The Third judge frowned. ''''You are into them.'''' They voice the same sentiment. The third judge was flustered but coughed gently. ''No matter, let''s just test her.'' They all shook their heads. The Queen looked at them as if looking at cute Animals. She was naturally eavesdropping on them and found them cute, except for the third judge. ''Should I cripple him?'' She narrowed her eyes. She didn''t want her fluffball to experience any unsavoury things while she was a cub. What if it rubbed on her and she became a pervert? The Queen narrowed her eyes but waited. ... The first test that they bought was Calligraphy. Aiko has already mastered that Skill but was startled since the upgrade of that Skill cost 1,000 Skill Points. She didn''t even want the [Talisman Drawing] Skill, but the system was adamant about it. [New Mission!] Aiko glanced at the always silent system and narrowed her cute eyes. [Shock the judges.] [Reward: Passive Skill - [Calligraphy Mastery]!] Aiko shook her cute head. The system was always silent, she didn''t understand why it gave her mission now. She liked this much more than the [Talisman Drawing] so she would do her best. Aiko took the parchment and slowly copied it. Her strokes were gentle, yet firm and precise. She was naturally gifted in controlling her fingers. It felt like she had fingers her whole life. The judges paused and used telepathy between themselves again. ''This is quite good.'' One said. ''She is still a cub, you bastard!'' Another snorted. ''So what?'' The third one tilted his head and the second one sighed. ''You ignorant fools, don''t you know that she doesn''t get the full benefit from her Humanoid Body? If she is this good while still being restricted can you imagine what she might do once she isn''t?!'' The second scolded both of them. ''''Oh...'''' Both of them had blank expressions as if saying ''I definitely knew that''. The second judge clicked his tongue and waited for her to finish. The Peak Elder was staring at the neat handwriting. ''She might reach Inscription Apprentice with this neat writing...'' He was also unaware that there was a restriction on the little one. The Queen nodded her head. ''Neat and slow writing with very little to no error.'' She acknowledged her little ones'' beginner Skills. The judges nodded to each other. "We have seen enough, you are welcome to Inscription Peak." The middle judge''s voice told her gently. Aiko was startled as this was way too easy! Her hands were still stiff since she wasn''t in this form long enough to get used to the stiffness, yet she passed. ''Is the level so low in here?'' She tilted her head and thinking if that was the case, it would mean she might regret this decision. "You can still join the Assassination Peak." The Queen smiled at her fluffball that looked at her. The room fell silent. ''W-what do you mean Assassination Peak?! Those thirsty lunatics want her too?!'' The first judge asked them in a feeble voice. ''No way will we allow them to have her! Oi third, bring you best Inscription tools and woo her over!'' The second one pressured the third judge. ''Oi! You bastard, those are my last tools! Ask the Vice-Peak Elder!'' He stared at the first judge. The first one hardened. ''Why is it always me?!'' ''''Because you have the best Inscriptions.'''' They both voiced their opinion, but soon they felt like they chewed shit. He caressed his non-existent hair. ''At least you know who is the best.'' They cursed in their mind for their loose mouths as his ego grew larger each and every time and he would become even more unbearable. ''Just bring it!'' They snorted at him. Chapter 63 – Aiko writes, Elders writhes The judge hurried for the pen with a bit of Ink as a congratulatory gift. Aiko was still sitting down, looking around, since her Stamina improved greatly she was able to last in this form for 94 minutes. ''I''m really looking forward to Inscriptions, maybe I will be able to uncover why I can read some of them...'' Aiko was deep in thought. The judge soon returned with an Inscription Pen and a small bottle of Inscription Ink. Aiko touched the Pen, it was a Metal Pen that felt familiar, yet she couldn''t remember from where. The judge told her how she could use this Pen. You either dip it in the Ink or place the Ink into the opposite side of the Pen and it will slowly trickle down from the inside. Aiko was mesmerized by the ink slowly moving down as part of that Pen was made out of something that looked like glass. Aiko curiously touched the Pen and tried to write on the table. She wondered if it would make an even line, but she also remembered that the Inscription Ink was precious, so she might as well use it while trying the rune that she remembered. Aiko carefully used the tip to write. At first, she was startled as it produced sparks, but she liked the sound of it and she also soon started to like the effects. ''It feels like I''m making tiny fireworks...'' Aiko smiled sweetly and continued to slowly draw the rune. The sparks intensified each moment, but nobody stopped her. They all stared at the Rune she was writing. The Peak Elder even pulled out 5th Grade Protection Talisman and was ready to slap it on the little girl. Aiko finished drawing the rune, wiping the sweat. The Rune called "Strength" gently glowed. Aiko was happy about the Rune but soon wanted to cry. The table turned to ashes in front of her, shocking her. The room was quiet, nobody said anything. [Mission Completed!] [Shock the judges.] [Reward: Passive Skill - [Calligraphy Mastery]!] She stared around with moist eyes. ''I didn''t do it! It just happened!'' She was scared that they would punish her for ruining the table. "Amazing!" The Peak Elder said close to Aiko startling her. *Poof* She disappeared behind the stinky Fox, cautiously looking at them. The Queen finally recovered. ''... I didn''t expect her to know Runic Language.'' The Queen was completely taken aback when she thought about it again. ''Maybe if I teach her a bit of what I remember she could improve even more.'' The Queen stared at the table that just vanished and her lips twitched. ''How much knowledge does she have about that Rune? Didn''t she burn through her whole Beast Core?'' The Queen stared at her little servant. ''Half of it...'' She quivered. ''She burned half of the Beast Core energy with just a single Rune...'' This was both good and bad. Her fluffball would become unrivalled in Inscriptions, but envy can do too much. She didn''t want her little fluffball to become a prodigy while she was still a Cub. ''But I can''t really stop it now.'' While she did have some sway over Elders, she didn''t have as much over Peak Elders. She could nudge them in the directions she wanted, but if they refused she would have to beat them up. That would cause the other Peak Elders to retaliate against her or make things more difficult for them. She didn''t want to make things more complicated than they already were. ''It''s enough that she has the Dream Bloodline...'' The Queen sighed, hugging her little furball. The room recovered. They looked towards that little Cub with some apprehension. ''I have spent decades to master the Runes, but I was overtaken within a few minutes...'' Quite a few lamented like that. ''This is a Blessing for my Peak! I need to recruit this seedling!'' Meanwhile, Peak Elder had the time of his life. He knew that he wouldn''t be able to advance without reaching the mainland, but if he taught this little one well, he would get a golden ticket to the mainland and progress his Inscriptions. "Little one, how about becoming my disciple?" The Peak Elder asked, shocking everyone. Aiko looked at him suspiciously, but the other intercepted. "Peak Elder, I believe we also have the right to teach her." The judges were upset. "Then that''s simple." The Queen clapped her hands, attracting everyone''s attention. "Demonstrate your prowess and let my little Mate decide." The room went quiet for a moment, they looked at each other and nodded. One judge demonstrated his Skill in imbuing and carving metal sticks. He made it glow with faint light. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Aiko didn''t understand, so the Queen explained. "That stick uses the ambient Qi to produce light, as such it will never stop or degrade as long as there is enough ambient Qi." The Queen gently caressed her. Another Elder demonstrated a stick that vibrated and made weird motions. "You bastard!" The other judges howled, dragging him away. Aiko stared at the Queen. ''Explain, Explain.'' Aiko had a mischievous smile. The Queen blushed furiously, pinching her Mate''s cheeks. Aiko protested, but the Queen was adamant when it came to this. ''I can''t tell her about this, she is too young. That bastard...'' She already planned to cripple his little brother. The judges returned and the last judge demonstrated his craft. "Here." The last judge placed a piece of cloth in front of the little one. Aiko tilted her head. She changed into Human form and picked up the piece of cloth. She didn''t understand what she was supposed to do, but the piece of cloth was quite nice. "May I?" The kind judge asked and Aiko gave it back. The judge demonstrated her Skills and placed the cloth before Aiko again. Aiko tilted her head but picked it up. "!" "Warm, isn''t it?" The judge smiled. ''It''s really warm and a bit softer.'' Aiko was staring at it for quite some time as her brain did the mental gymnastics for her. Aiko stared at the last judge. She didn''t really care about their appearance as long as they could give/teach her something she would like/need. She was quite young now that she was looking at her. She had lightly Purple hair, with ocean blue eyes, they were slightly similar to Aiko''s, but not at the same time. She didn''t have almost any bosom and her body was thin, she looked a bit sick but sickly beautiful. She was a head shorter than the others and less intimidating. Aiko didn''t mind this one. ''Why is she looking at her for so long.'' Meanwhile, the Queen had an existential crisis. ''Surely she doesn''t like this old hag, right?'' She was unsure and confused. She protectively hugged her Mate. Getting a giggle out of that judge. Aiko was pouting her lips as she couldn''t move. *Poof* She reverted again and jumped on the table, still staring at the judge. "Would you like me to teach you?" The judge was slightly taken aback as her art was not as well received. Aiko nodded. ''I have tons of Spirit Crystals that are warm, maybe I can adjust their heat and make them into bedding?'' Aiko thought. The judge was startled but smiled. "Elder Shu." She readily gave the little one her name. Aiko nodded again. The Queen was upset. ''The Peak Elder would be much better when it comes to teaching, or the first one that has mastered the art of Ambient Qi Inscriptions...'' "Do you really want to be taught by her?" The Queen couldn''t conceal her disapproval. Aiko tilted her head. The Queen and the Mate stared at each other. "Do you want to be taught by everyone?" The Queen''s voice quivered. Aiko nodded. ''I can use the first one as lights for my Den, the Second one for massage and the third one for bedding. It''s perfect!'' She then tilted her head towards the Peak Elder. ''But I don''t know anything about this guy.'' She frowned. "I have knowledge about many, many Runes." The Peak Elder suddenly blurted and everyone looked at him strangely. ''No way will I allow her to monopolize her, hmpf!'' The Peak Elder pouted. The others gave him a knowing look. The Queen sighed. ''I will have to prepare some nice baths and Pills or I might fall out of favour.'' She desired her little fluffball. ''I could get high-grade Caldrons if she learns well.'' She already made mental plans. Aiko turned back into Human form again and circled the ''bedding'' teacher. Elder Shu giggled at the curious little Cub and gently petted her head. Aiko let her, while she kept observing her. She had 5 tails, but most of them lost colour. The last 2 were also slowly losing colour. "Would you like to start tomorrow?" The Elder Shu took the initiative, she really liked the smoothness of Aiko''s ''hair'' and found her ears very cute. Aiko nodded. ... They returned home and the Queen was still frowning, but Aiko ignored that, she had her own troubles. [Beast Core(10%): 1,000 -> 500 (620)] ''It cost me half of my Beast Core energy to create that one Rune.'' Aiko frowned. On the other side, she was able to get the [Calligraphy Mastery] [Receive a reward for reaching Level 170?] [You have received a Sub-Profession Coupon(Servant).] [You can choose the Sub-Profession for your ''Servant''. They will receive bonuses in that Sub-Profession, but only if they have an affinity for it! (Doesn''t get used, you have to have an intimate bond with the receiver. Can''t be used multiple times on the same ''Servant'')] ''I don''t have any Servants...'' Aiko thought. She then stared at the mean Fox. [You don''t have enough affinity with this individual.] ''Thought so...'' Aiko sighed. [Receive a reward for reaching Level 190?] [You have received a Sub-Profession Coupon.] ''Another? Does that mean I can have multiple Sub-Professions?'' Aiko tilted her head, she would postpone this for later. She wondered if she could get an Inscription Sub-Profession without actually needing to use this. [Receive a reward for reaching Level 200?] [You have received a Cultivation Gift(Servant).] [Cultivation Gift(Servant)] [Gives your ''Servant'' the best Cultivation Technique. (Doesn''t get used, you have to have an intimate bond with the receiver. Can''t be used multiple times on the same ''Servant'')] ''Another one...'' Aiko snorted. ''Like the system is telling me I won''t make it.'' [Receive a reward for reaching Level 230?] [You have received an Ability Coupon.] [Ability Coupon] [Allows you to get 1 Ability for free.] ''Fina-fucking-ly! Something I can use! I should go through the shop later and have a look if I can find anything of value~'' Aiko hummed. [Receive a reward for reaching Level 250?] [You have received a Bloodline Gift.] [Bloodline Gift] [Chooses suitable Bloodline for the User''s needs.] ''Can I get Bloodline that would allow me to counter the negative effects of my Demonic Bloodline? They were always talking about me being Demonic Beast...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. ''But soon I will have the Moon Fox Race, which should counter it...'' [Receive a reward for reaching Level 280?] [You have received an Ability Coupon.] ''Nice~'' [Receive a reward for reaching Level 300?] [You have received a Bloodline Gift(Servant).] [Bloodline Gift(Servant)] [Gives your ''Servant'' the best Bloodline. (Doesn''t get used! You have to have an intimate bond with the receiver. Can''t be used multiple times on the same ''Servant'')] ''Seriously? Can''t you give me something I can use?!'' Aiko was angry. [Receive a reward for reaching Level 340?] [You have received an Ability Combination Coupon.] [Ability Combination Coupon] [Allows you to make 1 combination for free.] ''Now this is really good. I can get Divine Ability if I choose the right Combination~'' Aiko smiled from ear to ear. [Receive a reward for reaching Level 350?] [You have received a Profession Coupon.] [Profession Coupon] [You can choose your main Profession.] ''Profession... I don''t have any tabs about Professions, so I will have to look at it later. What if I could get 2 Professions?'' Aiko tilted her head. [Receive a reward for reaching Level 390?] [You have received an Ability Combination Coupon.] ''More! Give me more!'' Aiko demanded. [Receive a reward for reaching Level 400?] [You have received a Karma Bound.] [Karma Bound] [You can select a living being that is close to you and bind their Karma with yours!] ''This feels oddly ominous...'' Aiko didn''t understand the implications of Karma, so she would use this cautiously. [Special Hidden Mission!] [?Seduce Immortal!?] [Reward: Bloodline Evolution - Dream Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)] ''Oh fuck off! I''m still tiny and a Cub!'' Aiko roared at the system. Chapter 64 – Elders and Jealous Queen Aiko arrived at Elder''s Shu residence. It was a small courtyard, but a human-like small courtyard. Aiko looked around curiously. Most of the things were made out of wood, it didn''t feel like there was any metal involved whatsoever. The energy around was smooth and pleasant. "You have come." Elder Shu greeted the Vicious Cub, which was a funny nickname for someone who wasn''t running around, constantly harassing people. Elder Shu giggled when she saw little Cub''s curiosity. "Once you reach a certain stage you will be tasked to deprive Humans of their Souls. The more the better." Aiko noticed that Elder Shu had Runes on her clothes. "Depriving Souls is difficult at the start, but we are not here for that." She guided Little Cub around and brought her to her study. "I will teach you all the Runes and effects I know, I will also correct your Calligraphy, so it''s more beautiful and accurate." Elder Shu didn''t know many Runes, most of them were around Quality of life. Elder Shu smiled towards her and let the little one take a Seat. Elder Shu then went on to explain various Runes and effects, while correcting her bad habits. It was nice to spend time with the Cub as she had very soft tails. Elder Shu liked her and would sit either next to her or behind her. Aiko didn''t mind as the Elder was nice to her and had extensive knowledge that was interesting. Aiko spent a week with Elder Shu. [Calligraphy Mastery: Lv.1->7] ... Next up was Elder Shining Stick. He didn''t have a name and since most lights in the Sect were made by him, people started to call him like that and it stuck with him. He was elderly with little hair, but shining eyes. It was difficult to say what element he was as his tails were grey. His clothes had an Inscription that made him glow. The Elder wanted to appear mystical, but he only appeared like an oversized Lightbulb... His residence was made mostly out of metal. It was a strange sight as her feet were cold from it. Unlike Elder Shu''s residence which was warm and welcoming. This one was cold and gloomy. It didn''t help the Elder having metals that were darker in colour making this more of a Demon Castle than Elders. "I don''t like that name, so just call me Elder." Elder Shining Stick frowned. He got this nickname a few hundred years back and everyone just stuck with it. Naturally, the Elder didn''t like it, but since even the Sect Leader called him like that... he couldn''t change it. He stared at the little Cub who''s Calligraphy improved greatly. He was upset as the last time he saw the little one was just a week. ''Curse that Elder, why did she let her improve so much?! Now I need to teach her enough Runes for her to stay interested.'' Every Elder had a vested interest when it came to Aiko. She was the Golden Ticket, the Golden Goose and the ''Pure'' Cub. They could teach her and shape her, unlike those other older Foxes, with pride bigger than their brains. The Elder Shining stick sighed and explained his speciality and Runes. He made her write those Runes again and again so she would get the hang of it and not forget them. ''Maybe I could make her make the lights so I can get rid of that nickname...'' Elder thought for a few moments. ''Not a bad idea.'' He would delegate missions about lights to her, changing her name from Vicious Cub to Shining Cub, while he would be ''The Excellent Amazing Elder'' there is. Aiko spent a week with Elder Lightbulb. [Calligraphy Mastery: Lv.7->8] ... The next one was Elder Open Pervert. Aiko wondered if there was also Elder Closet Pervert, but quickly shook her head. This was another Elder who told her to not call him by his name. ''So many weird nicknames, but I understand why.'' She stared at the Elder who was sitting on a vibrating chair. The Elder had no hair at all and his clothes were vibrating in places... The table which Aiko used was also vibrating, but in such a way that it countered the vibration of the chair. Aiko didn''t like this place. She wanted to leave. It didn''t help that this place was moist and smelly. Aiko spent 2 days here, quickly learning all the Runes she could before running away. [Calligraphy Mastery: Lv.8->Mastered] At least her [Calligraphy Master] levelled well... ... The last one was Peak Elder... Inky Head. The Peak Elder like many others told her to not use that nickname or he would punish her. He had no hair with few black spots. Aiko thought that it was fitting to call him that. Aiko smiled gently as this place was much nicer. While this Den felt strange outside, it was decorated well and had many carpets, which Aiko''s bare small feet appreciated. ''It''s much better than the previous Elders.'' She hoped that this Elder wouldn''t have strange quirks like the previous ones. The Peak Elder smiled at her. Tasking her of copying the parchment. He checked Aiko''s Calligraphy and made additional adjustments. At first, Aiko had an easy time following, but soon it got more and more difficult. "That should be enough for today, now I will tell you about the vast array of Runes." The Inky Head spoke. "While other Elders specialize in one type of Runes, I did not. I''m a jack of all trades, but master of none. I can explain them well, but I have to experiment with their effects on my own, unlike the previous Elders who know their effects left and right." The Peak Elder explained slowly as Aiko was soon overwhelmed by the sheer volume of Runes the Inky Head was able to demonstrate. Aiko spent 2 weeks here. ... The Queen interrupted their ''small'' learning session. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. "I will be taking her with me for the time being." She wasn''t very polite as she missed her little fluffball hanging out around her. "There is still much to teach." The Peak Elder rejected her. "That is too bad since you won''t be able to teach her if she doesn''t pass the assessment in 3 months." The Queen smugly told him. The Peak Elder stopped. "Is her Beast Core that bad?" "Worse than what you might expect." The Queen told him. She needed to convince him as he was quite well-liked Peak Elder. "Any Pills?" the Inky Head asked. "It''s been taken care of. I just need to bathe her." The Queen smiled as Aiko''s large ears perked up. ''Bath~'' Aiko couldn''t forget that wonderful bath she had taken while travelling. The Peak Elder''s lips twitched seeing his little disciple running towards Jade Fox. The Queen took Aiko away, leaving the Peak Elder alone. ... The pond was made for Aiko as she lay on the Queen''s tails. The Queen was finally happy about her little servant laying on her. She slowly prepared the Medicine Bath, as she wanted to enjoy her company. Aiko was snoozing away as it got too long and the Queen really wanted to pause, but couldn''t. The Efficacy of the Medicine Bath might drop which would cause her to lose those Herbs. The Queen finished preparing the Medicine Bath and picked up Aiko. "It would be better to change into Human form when you bathe." The Queen studied this Village''s Pseudo-Human Form and it seemed like it had some beneficial effects. Human pores, this form had much more Human pores than even normal Humans. This was beneficial and detrimental at the same time. When you would use Cleansing Pills they would be more effective, but when you would Cultivate you would also attract more impurities. Aiko nodded transforming herself into Human form, rubbing her eyes. She didn''t use the token and floated on the artificial pond. Aiko felt drowsy from the soothing feeling that caressed her skin. It was a much more powerful feeling than what she felt previously on that Natural Qi Pond. She soon drifted asleep and the Queen shook her head. ''It''s always like this, I wonder when she will grow up.'' She touched her cheeks. ''Her natural life stage is a mess because she formed her Beast Core too soon...'' The Queen knew that Aiko''s lifespan increased, but that also delayed her growth. She didn''t have the exact number, but it seemed like she would have to pick up other side professions before she could take on the Assassination Peak. She had already talked about this with that Peak Elder and they both agreed that they should let Aiko grow up since she would be at a disadvantage when it came to her height. From old records, they also realized that Aiko would have explosive growth in each life stage. ... The Medicine Bath slowly turned darker and darker colour, like someone dripping Ink into the Pond. The Queen was slightly startled as this was much more than previously and she didn''t even use the Pill from the Grandmaster. Aiko didn''t turn into her Fox form as she was supplied energy from the Pond. ''It was a good idea to include Revitalizing Pills into the Medicine Bath.'' She nodded to herself. Aiko blinked a few times. The nice feeling from the Pond disappeared and now she was cold. *Poof* She turned into her fox form and used a double jump to get out of there. The Queen smiled at her and gently caressed Aiko''s new fur. ''Now we can fulfil the Grandmaster''s side of the deal.'' She nodded. Meanwhile, Aiko was looking at her stats, startled. [ Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 350 - 650 Species: [Shadow Fennec Fox Cub(Female, Peak of Unique)] Species: [-] Age: 0.60/100 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Awakened)], [Dream Beast Kitsune(Dormant)] Bloodline: [-] Beast Rank: Beast Level: 400 (2nd Evolution) Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], [Plushie Princess], [Shadow Thief], [Master of Sex Toys], [Gourmand], [Explorer], [Trickster], [Mischievous Cub], [Filthy RICH Den Master], [Tail Hunter], [Bath Enjoyer], Cultivation Technique: [Blood Tyrant Scripture], [Moon Goddess Scripture] Elemental Spirit: [Seed of ####; Nurtured 3,546/100,000 -> 4,546/100,000] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement) HP: 1,333|2,961 -> 4,083|4,083 (1->2pH & 0.1%pH) ST: 9,459|9,459 -> 10,581|10,581 (3pH & 0.1%pH) Vitality: 873|1,894 -> 1,920|2,880 (1pH & 0.07%pH)(1pH - Gourmand) Vigour: 8,392 -> 9,378 Beast Core(10%->30%): 1,000 -> 500 -> 1,000 (1,220) Toughness: 1,493 -> 1,629 Strength: 5,594 -> 5,730 Agility: 13,098*1.65 -> 13,234*1.65 Dexterity: 9,087 -> 9,223 Mind: 8,287 -> 8,287*1.05 -> 8,423*1.05 Insight: 230 Soul: 1,220 Beauty: 34,887 -> 34,887*1.05 -> 79,523*1.05 Luck: 6,927 -> 6,927*1.01 -> 7,063*1.01 Stat Points: 5,228 Skill Points: 4,999 -> 2,899 -> 2,744 -> 2,284 Elemental Affinity: [Shadow - 3], [Earth - 9], [Soul - ####] Martial Arts: [Lightness Technique] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####], [Soul Palace], [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered], [Earthen Walk: Lv.5] Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.2], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Agility Mastery: Lv.4], [Intention Perception: Mastered], [(NEW)Basic Presence Concealment: Lv.1->3] Skills: [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Lacerate: Lv.3], [Sprint: Mastered], [(Removed)Tracking: Mastered], [Quick Double Jump: Lv.5], [Camouflage: Lv.7->1], [Meditation: Lv.2], [Nurture: Mastered] Passive Skills: [Stealth: Lv.7->1], [Health Recovery: Lv.7->Mastered], [Stamina Recovery: Mastered], [Prehensile Tail: Mastered], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Thermal Regulation: Lv.1], [Intimidation: Mastered], [(Removed)Weakness Detection: Mastered], [(Removed)Hunting Mastery: Mastered], [Vitality Recovery: Lv.5->7], [Linguistics: Lv.2->4], [Swimming: Lv.1], [(Removed)Throwing Mastery: Mastered], [Enhanced Climbing: Lv.6], [Enhanced Basic Senses: Lv.7->Mastered], [(NEW)Enhanced Mind: Lv.1], [(NEW)Enhanced Beauty: Lv.1], [(NEW)Four Leaf Clover: Lv.1], [(NEW)Assassin Mastery: Lv.1], [(NEW)(Removed)Calligraphy: Lv.1->Mastered -> Calligraphy Mastery: Lv.1->Mastered], Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], [Blessing of ####], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x15], [Skill Coupon x4], [Skill Combination Coupon x4], [Cultivation Gift], [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Crystal 25,000]x4, [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Stone 100,000]x2, [Sub-Profession Coupon x1->x2], [Divine Ability Gift], [Sub-Profession Coupon(Servant)], [Cultivation Gift(Servant)], [Ability Coupon x2], [Bloodline Gift], [Bloodline Gift(Servant)], [Ability Combination Coupon x2], [Profession Coupon], [Karma Bound] ] [Medicine Bath 2] [Beast Core Purified!] [Beauty per Level increased by 100!] [Bath Enjoyer] [You are an enjoyer of baths! All hail baths!] [Effects of Bathing increases.] [Your Vitality and Vigour is increased by 50, Vitality and Vigour per Level by 2!] [Your Beauty is increased by 500, and Beauty per Level by 10!] ''This is some good stuff.'' Aiko stared at the improved stats and ''purred''. She would have to go on a shopping spree soon. Chapter 65 – First Inscribing and Queen’s Headache Aiko rested on Queen''s tails and browsed through the shop. ''I will need something to improve my Dexterity...'' Aiko stared at her stats, sure she had 9,223 Dexterity, but that''s only 922 when in the Human form. [Dexterous Fingers] [Passive Skill] [Increases Dexterity by 5% per Level] [Cost: 100] ''The others are too weak, or have flat effects that are not good since everything gets reduced in my human form.'' Aiko sighed, it would be much easier if the Human form didn''t decrease almost all her stats. [Skill Points: 2,284 -> 2,184] [Inscription Mastery] [Passive Skill] [Cost: Unable to be purchased] Aiko stared at it, she didn''t understand why they would place it in the shop if it couldn''t be bought. [You can''t buy it, but you can obtain it through hard work.] ''As if I care about ''hard work'' kind of bullshit! Let me buy this!'' Aiko angrily slapped her paws and they slipped on her inventory [Obtained [Inscription Mastery]!] Aiko blinked few times flabbergasted. ''What the fuck?!'' She looked through her inventory. [Skill Coupon x4->x3] Aiko''s eyes shined brightly. ''See you dumb fuck!?'' Aiko smiled from ear to ear. She then remembered something important. ''Appraisal...'' ''She used her little grubby fingers on the [Skill Coupon]. [Unable to be purchased] [Do you wish to use Ability Coupon to purchase [Appraisal]?] ''... I only have 2 coupons...'' Aiko didn''t want to use them just yet, what if she needed them later? [Obtained [Appraisal]!] ''Gah! Now I have done it.'' Aiko silently cried, but she had now [Appraisal]! [Appraisal used!] [Tail] Aiko blinked a few times, she already knew that, that thing was a tail, but how about telling her what kind or something? [Rock] [Tree] [Dirty Pond] [Grass] [Human?] ''God fucking dammit! Why did I purchase something so fucking useless!'' Aiko now really cried, her special Coupons were spent on useless trash Ability... There was also another problem... ''It uses 1,000 Stamina?!'' Aiko almost fainted, she could only use Appraisal 10 times before she had to meditate. ''Isn''t this a bit too much?'' Aiko listlessly laid down on the fluffy tails thinking. Aiko had an empty mind. She was upset that she wasted something precious and at the same time, she wanted to continue to buy more things... ''Right... I wanted those round candies called Pills.'' [Skill Coupon x3->x2] [Obtained [Alchemy Mastery]!] [Skill Points: 2,184 -> 1,184] [The Ever Shaping Cauldron] ''I also need knives and stuff, but I don''t intend to do that right now. I will first learn Inscriptions, then buy knives and Inscribe them myself.'' Aiko nodded. [Martial Ability: [The Ever Shaping Cauldron: - ; -/-]] [The Ever Shaping Cauldron] [Please Choose starting Material] ''I don''t have anything right now so let''s postpone it. I also don''t have a description for those Masteries, but if they are like the [Calligraphy Mastery] then I''m set for the time being.'' Aiko could now sleep peacefully. ... Aiko returned to Elder Shu. She was now allowed to create basic Runes, but she was also tasked to adjust the strength of the Runes. ''I already know all these basic Rune names, so it''s easy.'' Aiko immediately got to work and slowly Inscribed them on the cloth. Beast Core(30%): 1,000 -> 900 (1,120) ''That... costs too much.'' Aiko frowned and the cloth in front of her disintegrated. "You need to adjust its strength more, make it as weak as possible, without making mistakes in creating the runes." Elder Shu explained gently. Aiko gave her the stare of ''What the fuck do you want from me...'' and Elder Shu smiled gently. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Like this." Elder Shu demonstrated her Skills, creating the same Rune Aiko did, but within a few breaths. Aiko had to take around a minute or two to get it right, but Elder Inscribed it so fast. "The faster you are, the weaker the Rune is. Of course that does not mean the slower you are the more power the Rune has. Each Rune has its ''limit'', you can imagine that as a bucket, there is little difference when you fill it up with lake water and ocean water. The volume inside the bucket is the same." Aiko nodded. She understood her assignment and would do her best to recreate it. She Inscribed the Rune quickly but failed. Beast Core(30%): 900 -> 850 (1,070) She tried again but failed again. She was trying too hard and her fingers were stiff. "Here." The Elder Shu placed the parchment in front of her. "Practice writing the Rune on this parchment, but stop each time you make a mistake, once you can create that rune within 10 breaths." Aiko nodded. Elder Shu really liked this little Cub. She was obedient and listened well, unlike her direct disciples who would rather stare at her body and tails than do what they were supposed to do. ''It''s all because they get corrupted by the other Elders and that stupid mandatory training.'' Elder Shu clicked her tongue. She was already devising tactics to exclude her little Disciple from those nasty tests, but she would need most Elders to acknowledge it. ''They won''t agree with me, since that test is beneficial to prodigies.'' She rolled her eyes, remembering those ''Harem Kings''. ''But she will end up like them if I don''t do something... should I discuss it with the Peak Elder?'' She sat near her little Disciple taking out her comb. It was great stress relief if she could comb her tails. ''... Did her tails get fluffier?'' Elder Shu tilted her head. ''What is her Mate doing...'' She remembered that her Mate took her little Disciple for about a day from the grasp of the Peak Elder. She just didn''t expect that it would make such a significant difference. ''I really need to devise a plan as soon as possible. If she grows up like this those Elders will definitely try to take her under their ''teachings''.'' She wasn''t pleased about that. ... Aiko was trying her best to Inscribe those Runes, but it didn''t seem quick scribbling would help her. ''I need to improve [Dexterous Hands] if I want to Inscribe that Rune within 20 seconds...'' Aiko frowned, she only managed to create that Rune around the 50-second mark. ''It''s not even difficult Rune...'' Aiko sighed. ... 2 weeks later Aiko finally succeeded... almost. [Inscription Mastery: Lv.1->2] [Dexterous Fingers: Lv.1->4] ''25 seconds.'' That''s how long Aiko took to create that Rune without any Inscription Ink. It would be longer if she had the Ink since she would have to pay attention to consistency, but for now, that was good enough. "Good, now try to write that first Rune with Ink." Elder Shu gently smiled. Aiko nodded and picked up the Metal Pen. She made sure to write consistently so that she wouldn''t deplete her Beast Core with failures. Her fingers were less stiff and her posture was good. Her attention was on the cloth that she was Inscribing with precision. No sparks were flying from the Rune like they would previously. The Rune was calm like an undisturbed lake. She succeeded. It took her around 32 seconds or 16 breaths, but she was able to create that Rune without it immediately burning that cloth. [Beast Core(30%): 990 -> 980 (1,200)] ''10 Beast Core Energy... that''s really good.'' Aiko nodded happily. She could recover 10 Beast Core Energy per day through her Fox. "Nice." Elder Shu praised her little Disciple. "We will still practice this more, but you have a good foundation for future Inscriptions. I hope you won''t forget practising the Runes before actually Inscribing them, as many could accidentally kill your future." The Elder warned Aiko and then smiled. Elder Shu already convinced Peak Elder about her little student''s prospects. At first, he was hesitant, but remembering her growth he was more inclined to help. ''I will test her knowledge first and if she can pass the [Inscription Apprentice Test] then I will fully support your plan.'' Remembering his works Elder Shu giggled and petted her little Disciples head. "Now you will be going to the Peak Elder. You will have to learn many Runes from him, as there is a test in one and a half of months. Called [Inscription Apprentice Test], you can become an official Inscription Apprentice." Elder Shu hesitated. "It will be hosted by Humans, but you will get the protection of Sect Leader so there shouldn''t be any mishaps..." Elder Shu said calmly. Aiko tilted her head. ''Why are Humans hosting this...'' She didn''t understand but also didn''t dwell on it too much. ''If I can increase my [Dexterous Fingers] further I will be able to Inscribe that Rune faster.'' ... Aiko left Elder Shu''s abode and arrived at Inky Head''s Den. "I will be teaching you all the Runes necessary for [Inscription Apprentice Test]. While Humans do host it, they are impartial, only if you show good enough Skill in Inscribing. If you show excellent Skill you might even be protected by the Inscription Association, but don''t count on that." Inky Head sighed. He Inscribed all the Runes needed for the [Inscription Apprentice Test]. There were around 1,000 Runes in total and Aiko''s brain was already overheating slightly as she couldn''t understand most Runes and had to remember them by remembering their shapes. There were many different shapes, from animals to hieroglyphs. It was difficult to remember all of them so soon. Fortunately Inky Head was patient as he realized that this little one could remember some immediately. At first, he was puzzled and tried to figure out how she managed that, but soon gave up as he couldn''t find anything common between those Runes. ... [Inscription Mastery: Lv.2->5] [Dexterous Fingers: Lv.4->5] "Now remember your strokes need to be firm yet smooth." Inky Head was not very good at explaining the Inscribing style but was very good with Runic knowledge. That was also one of the reasons why he became Peak Elder. He learned over 5,000 Runes! That was more than enough to earn him Inscription Emperor Rank, but unfortunately out of those 5,000 Runes he was only able to write around 3,200... as such he was stuck at Inscription Master Rank. Aiko almost frothed from her mouth trying to follow his awful instruction, but fortunately, her saviour arrived! "Peak Elder, it has been a month and I will be taking my Mate back." The Queen had a very awful expression and The Peak Elder recoiled from seeing it. "Feel free to take her. In a month there is [Inscription Apprentice Test] and I intend to take her to try it." He was wondering about her position on this test. "I don''t mind, but before she leaves she will take a bath, her Beast Core is not in good shape, so she won''t be able to stay in this Sect if she doesn''t improve it." The Queen didn''t protest as having the Inscription Apprentice Rank would allow her little sweetie to earn a lot of money, which can be used to post-mission and obtain valuable Beast Cores. "That is fine." The Peak Elder nodded readily. The Queen grabbed her little servant and left the Den. ... [Medicine Bath 3] [Beast Core Purified by 5%!] [Beauty per Level increased by 25!] [[Bath Enjoyer] Triggered!] [Medicine Bath 3] [Beast Core Purified by 5%->10%!] [Beauty per Level increased by 25->50!] ''That Title is just straight up cheating...'' Aiko thought looking at her Core which was now 40% Pure. Meanwhile, the Queen was frowning. ''This doesn''t make any sense! This bath was supposed to give her only around 5%! Why is it 10%?! Why is she even fluffier!?'' The Queen had a bad headache from Aiko and swore to herself that she would get to the bottom of this! Chapter 66 – Aiko’s Dark Past and Queen’s Embarrassment The Queen stared at Aiko for some time. She was confused about the effects of the bath. ''I have not even used that Pill yet and this is what happened?'' The Queen once again probed her little ones Beast Core. ''I still don''t understand...'' She shook her head. Aiko munched on the meat that the Queen made her, she was replenishing her Beast Core Energy. Aiko stared at the dumbfounded mean Fox and snorted. The Queen''s lips twitched, but she didn''t say anything, she would interrogate her little servant once she learned how to talk. ''She wants to Evolve, which means she will be able to talk.'' The Queen abruptly paused her thoughts. ''Does she want to talk with me so soon that she would rush it?'' Her heart was quite sweet. Meanwhile, Aiko was thinking about what to do with the Evolution. ''The system says it won''t advance my Beast Rank... Does that mean that the Level requirements stay the same or will they still advance?'' Aiko pondered on it. The system didn''t want to tell her about that and there was another problem. ''Give me a refund you goddamn scammer!'' Aiko roared at the system. [[Appraisal] Activated!] [Grass] [Rock] [Tail] [Dirt] [Ring] [Pouch] [Human?] Not only the appraisal was complete shit, but it even cost her so much Stamina! ''At least give me some useful information about things!'' [Grass: Plant] ''@%#$#@%$'' Aiko slurred her curses at the system for this useless thing that didn''t want to level up. ''I will get you for this system!'' Aiko made a vow in her heart to properly punish the system for this scamming. ''I will remember everything!'' The very cool [The Ever Shaping Cauldron] was another problem that cost her 1,000 points. ''How the fuck am I supposed to eat metal!? And what kind of metal?!'' Aiko was upset, she thought that she would just have to make this thing outside and then pair with it like she would have to with those fancy [Storage Rings]. That was not the case. The User had to swallow metal, melt it inside her stomach, transfer it around her Beast Core and then shape it by the manual that came with it! ''I don''t even have Divine Sense thingy! How am I supposed to do that!'' ... Aiko was crumbling, she was currently with Elder Shu who was once again grooming her tail. It seemed like Elder Shu fell in love with her tails as she didn''t do anything else, but pick up combs and comb her tail. [Enhanced Beauty: Lv.1->4] Aiko was currently practising advanced Rune that would make things softer. It''s only usable on cloth or anything that can be used in clothing, the exceptions are metals. She was already somewhat familiar with most Runes from Elder Shu and how to write them, but it was a different thing when she actually tried Inscribing it. She wasn''t clumsy, but each Rune had strange endings that she had to pay attention to. If she didn''t properly end it those endings would leak Qi out of the material causing it to crumble like it happened with that table. She was not very good at this as it required much higher precision than what she currently could achieve and her fox form was too clumsy to make up for it when it came to Inscribing. Aiko spent another week with Elder Shu when Elder Open Pervert came to them. "I will be taking our Disciple, there are more Runes to teach her." The Perverted Elder said. Elder Shu didn''t have a nice expression. "You are overdoing it." "But she learns well, the more Runes she learns the better for her." The Pervert calmly proclaimed. ''He has no shame.'' Elder Shu shook her head, while it''s true more Runes means easier advancing, that doesn''t mean that her little disciple would like to demonstrate such strange Runes. ... The Perverted Elder ''kidnapped'' his little disciple and taught her his Runes for a week straight. Aiko was crumbling the whole time as she didn''t like him nor his Den, she was really embarrassed being here, but... [Linguistics: Lv.4->5] ''Why did it have to level up now!'' Aiko cried in her mind as she watched her Linguistics Level when that pervert talked about the usage of the Runes. What was even worse... the system also mocked her. [Earned new Title: [Closet Pervert]] [Closet Pervert] [Perverted people are more attracted to you and will try to tempt you more.] Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ''Just what did I do to deserve this!'' Aiko cried in her mind again, but this time she also cursed the system to the nine Hells. ... Fortunately, the Elder lightbulb arrived to the rescue and moved Aiko to his place where he explained his own Runes and usages. Fortunately, Aiko didn''t obtain any more embarrassing Titles, but she also didn''t level up anything. It seems that either these Runes are too easy or not well described for them to count towards her Level. ... Lastly, the Inky Head moved her to his place and taught her about most of his Runes, while they still had about another week before they had to leave for the [Inscription Apprentice Test]. [Linguistics: Lv.5->6] The journey by itself would take around a month as that conference is quite far from here. ... "Again." The Peak Elder frowned seeing Jade Fox. "Again and I will be coming too." The Queen picked Aiko who had steam rising from her head from all the Runes the Peak Elder hammered into her mind. Inky Head narrowed his eyes. "You are not an Inscription Cultivator." "I can hold my ground well." The Queen snorted at him. "We will see about that." The Peak Elder glared at Jade Fox, challenging her to an Inscription Duel. They both readied their wooden plates and Inscribed on them. Naturally, the Peak Elder was completely left in the dust when the Queen Inscribed 34 Runes on the plate without disintegrating it and within a minute. The Peak Elder only managed 15 in 2 minutes. ''What the...'' The Peak Elder''s eyes shook as he couldn''t believe what happened to the wooden plate in front of him. It was perfectly maintaining its Qi and didn''t leak anything, not to mention the Runes were stable even when Inscribing at that kind of speed. "Very well, do you wish to challenge the [Inscription Apprentice Test] too?" The Peak Elder asked with some hope. "What will I get in return?" The Queen knew that they wanted to use her to obliterate Human Inscription Cultivators, but she wouldn''t do that for free. "What do you want?" Inky Head didn''t know much about Jade Fox, just that she was extremely beautiful and wealthy because of her Mate. The Queen placed Jade slip in front of the Peak Elder and he read it. He frowned several times, but ultimately... "As you wish, but you need to get the first spot." The Peak Elder negotiated. "Half, the other half for first spot." The Queen would not be outdone by the old fossil, after all, she was a much older fossil. "Fine." The Peak Elder conceded. The Queen caressed Aiko who was now sleeping in her arms. "How long before the departure and can we make a bath along the way?" The Queen asked. "Still about the Beast Core." Inky Head sighed. "I will arrange it with the Sect Leader. The departure is in 5 days." "Very well." The Queen nodded and left, leaving the Peak Elder alone with 20 fewer years of lifespan from the stress. ... The Queen was preparing the bath. ''If it happens like previously and the Bath is better it would be best to save the Pill for the next bath, after 50% Beast Core Purity the progress slows, but the benefit from the Beast Core doesn''t increase.'' The Queen clicked her tongue. She was a bit upset that she let her little servant Beast Core get so bad. ''Let''s hope that strange phenomenon can offset the demerits, but for now, let''s allow her to bath in Human form so that the next time she doesn''t need to bath in the open for all eyes to see.'' The Queen also made a few blinding powders. The Queen let her fluffball drift on the newly prepared lake, the last one was still unusable and dirty. She didn''t have time to clean it and it would probably stay like that for a long time. The Queen went through her possessions and those that she took from her sweetie just in case she would lose them. She had a Storage Ring in front of her and an additional pouch. That pouch was always around her little sweetie''s neck. The Queen opened the pouch. There were a lot of herbs and Pills, but most of them were low quality. ''We can sell those with low quality so she doesn''t accidentally eat them and then dirty her Beast Core.'' The Queen transferred all the low-tier Pills and left the high-quality inside. ''I still can''t believe she found such Pure Moon Stone...'' The Queen paused. ''She won''t be able to use it, but we can keep it for the time being.'' The Queen had no intention of selling it as it could strengthen their future enemies and she didn''t want that. She stopped over a vial with liquid inside. ''WHAT!? WHAT IS THIS ESSENCE DOING HERE?!'' She was completely stunned. ''I need to hide this thing...'' She then glanced at the Storage Ring. She took it in her hand and browsed it. She stiffened and her face completely flushed red. ''T-t-t-that little rascal!'' The Queen glared at Aiko. The Storage Ring was filled to the brim with all kinds of sex toys or erotic things. ''I... can''t believe she is keeping this ring.'' The Queen was completely red from embarrassment. Her little pure servant was not so pure. ''... Is this her preference...?'' The Queen paused, her face stiff. ''Don''t tell me she is into girls...'' This would complicate things since each Fox Village had their own little test that would make you into full-fledged adults. The Queen was stunned for some time, but then she recovered. ''Don''t tell me she is after me?!'' She glanced towards that floating little rascal. ''I-i-is that why she kept sleeping on my tails?!'' The Queen was completely flustered and didn''t know what to think. ''S-she is just a Cub, calm down, she can''t be attracted yet-Wait what am I saying!???'' The Queen''s mind was in turmoil. ''Do I even want her to be attracted to me? She is just a servant... right?'' She couldn''t answer her own questions. ... [Medicine Bath 4] [Beast Core Purified by 10%!] [Beauty per Level increased by 50!] [[Bath Enjoyer] Triggered!] [Medicine Bath 3] [Beast Core Purified by 10%->15%!] [Beauty per Level increased by 50->100!] Aiko woke up with a pleasing notification from the system. She jumped out of the lake with her Quick jump transforming into Fox midway. She landed near the still flustered mean Fox and stared at her. ''W-why are you staring at me?!'' The Queen was even more embarrassed. ''And why are you prettier?! It happened again! What is wrong with your body?!'' The Queen was embarrassed AND had a headache again. ''I''m glad you get a better effect, but it''s dangerous to be so pretty.'' Even the Queen had some attraction to her little fluffball now. ''While it can''t compare to the upper realms, considering she is still in the beginning...'' The Queen frowned. ''Good thing I''m going with her, otherwise I can''t imagine what might happen to her...'' Aiko laid down on her tails, making the Queen''s tails wet. A chill went up the Queen''s spine and she burned red again. ''Y-y-you rascal!'' She was scolding her Mate in her mind. ''Dry me! Dry me!'' Aiko demanded while rolling on the Queen''s tails. "F-fine! Stop!" She used [Clean] on her and on herself to dry her tails. Aiko noticed the Queen''s red face and snickered. "Y-you!" The Queen was even more self-conscious. "Tell me about this then, hmpf!" The Queen snorted and she levitated the Storage ring in front of her fluffball. Aiko turned into her Human form, she liked to play with her fingers now that she had quite good coordination. She played with the ring happily in front of the Queen and she was even more speechless. ''Y-y-you are doing this on purpose!'' The Queen wanted to scold her right this moment but paused. Aiko finally looked into the Storage Ring and stiffened. ''W-what?! Why is this filled with sex toys?!'' Aiko''s mind blanked and that goofy smile was wiped out of her face. Her mind blanked, but one particular memory resurfaced. She was inside a Vault with different-shaped dildos, she then found a Storage Ring and a strange Vial and kept them. Aiko stood up and got in position. She then threw the Ring with all her strength into the middle of the pond and left her dark past behind. ... Meanwhile, the Queen''s mind was blank, so blank that she fished that Storage Ring out of the Lake and kept it... Chapter 67 – Flying Ship The Queen eventually recovered and found the listless Cub. The Queen moved her on her tails and let her sleep there, focusing on what was more important. ''I need to get a bit more Inscription Ink and Chalk for Arrays.'' They still didn''t fulfil the Grandmaster''s side as she was currently away somewhere. This meant that they had this abode just for themselves and nobody would disturb them as everyone feared the might of the Grandmaster. She packed a few things, this bath took quite longer as her Core was now purer and as such it would take longer to extract the impurities. ''The next bath will take around 3 days.'' The Queen clicked her tongue. ''I didn''t expect that there would be such a difference when it comes to her body...'' The Queen shook her head, she was concerned that the Peak Elder would leave after a day, but that was also fine as she could rob the Human Cultivators of their treasures before arriving at the Inscription place. ''I will also need to pack a few things.'' She glanced at the ''special'' Storage Ring and moved it to her small Pouch. She gathered the rest of the ingredients and placed them inside her Storage Ring, which she placed on her finger. ... Aiko woke up again, and the Peak Elder called her and mean Fox. They arrived at his Den. "The departure is tomorrow, do you have everything you need?" The Inky Head asked giving the Jade Fox Storage Ring with the things she wanted. "We are ready, but the next stop might take a few days." The Queen gestured. "That is fine, I have already notified the Sect Leader and she was fine with better preparations. This little one will also be stronger which is important since she is only a Beast Rank." The Elder nodded. The Queen nodded back in appreciation, while this whole Village was almost useless, at least some of them had a conscience. ... The Queen and Aiko returned back to the abode, Aiko was playing with her testing Pen and wrote down a couple of Runes. She really hated the fact that out of all the useful runes, she learned only a couple and one of them was Rune of ''Vibration''. She really didn''t want to use that Rune but at the same time... ''It would be good for a massage chair, but I will need some other moving parts and I don''t know how to make those...'' Aiko frowned cutely. Her Beauty was so high that even if she glared she would look cute. "What is it?" The Queen gently caressed her hair. She then noticed something... she didn''t really want to notice. ''W-why is she drawing the vibration Rune?!'' The Queen was stunned and completely speechless. She pinched her rascal''s cheeks and Aiko protested back by slapping the Queen. Unfortunately, because Aiko was so small she couldn''t really slap the Queen''s face for pinching her. *Squish**Slap* It took them a while to understand what happened. "Y-y-you shamelesss cub!" The Queen was completely red. Never ever in her life was someone as daring as this little rascal. ''It''s squishy...'' Aiko made a grabbing motion with her fingers. Seeing that motion the Queen couldn''t bear it and stormed away, "I will remember that!" were her last words. Aiko tilted her head. ''Is it that big of a deal? You touched my cheeks.'' She rubbed her slightly painful cheek. ... "Grandmaster should stay and defend this Village." The Sect Leader said solemnly. "Sect Leader is wise." The Elders agreed with her. "We will have to make a stop during our journey." The Sect Leader told them like it was already concrete. "Because of Jade Fox?" They heard some rumours about her deal with Peak Elder from the Inscription Peak. "That is correct." The Sect Leader said smoothly. "We need her vast knowledge so it''s only natural to give way here and there." The Elders pondered on it. "Is it truly wise? Won''t she just take advantage of us?" The Elder from the Pill Refining Peak frowned. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "You are just bitter since she didn''t choose your Peak." The Inky Head spoke haughtily. "What did you say you bald bastard?! Just because you have more Disciples doesn''t mean you are any better!" The Stomach Elder snapped at the Inky Elder. The Inky Elder laughed at him. "Who doesn''t agree with this arrangement?" The Sect Leader suddenly spoke. Only 3 Elders lifted their hands, that was not enough to cancel this arrangement. Those 3 Elders frowned and put their hands down. They were upset that they would be giving preferential treatment to the Jade Fox, without tempting her to join their position. ... Aiko spent the rest of the time playing with Runes, she wanted to level up her [Dexterous Fingers] and [Inscription Mastery] as much as possible. It was not because she wanted to shine during that [Inscription Apprentice Test], but because she was curious about the Runes and their applications. She also wanted to improve her speed so that she could experiment without completely exhausting her Beast Core. Aiko fiddled with her Pen when her mean Fox came back. "We will be leaving soon." The Queen said towards her servant. Aiko nodded cutely and picked up her stuff. The Queen sighed if she didn''t see that Ring she would think this little one was pure, but alas not any more. Aiko turned into Fox and jumped at her mean Fox. The Queen unconsciously dodged, but Aiko used [Quick Double Jump] to crash into that Fox. The Queen was startled as her little servant didn''t use any Qi but still was able to jump midair. To be fair she really didn''t want to carry this little rascal as the image completely changed. Unfortunately for the Queen Aiko would jump on her until she would succeed. It was a strange sight of Fox jumping at ''Human'' and ''Human'' trying to dodge the Fox. Aiko was getting faster and the Queen panicked as this form was not good for her. Aiko crashed into her bosom, which was not sizeable, but still nicely perked. Aiko smirked towards the Fox and nuzzled into her bosom. The Queen stiffened and wanted to shake her off, but also didn''t want to repeat that fight. "Ugh... Fine! I will carry you! Just stop it!" The Queen which never conceded to anyone conceded to a small Cub. Aiko was happily carried away. ... They arrived at the meeting point, there were many Inscription Disciples considering their very modest clothes stained with Inky colours. Aiko... didn''t like those clothes. She was happy that she didn''t need to wear them. ''Now that I think about it... I stopped liking clothes, does this beast form rub me the wrong way?'' She would never walk around nude, but also having clothes was a bit burdensome. ''I really like it when wind brushes on my fur or skin. It feels like I''m not being held down. Clothes on the other hand... yeah...'' Aiko laid on Queen''s arms and rested. The group were glancing towards their direction, but neither of them really cared all that much about it. Soon another group of Disciples arrived. Ignoring everyone and heading towards the Jade Fox and her Mate. "Fancy meeting you here, Jade Fox." He was a Muscle Cultivator and had bulging muscles, but not enough that he could be considered hulking. The Queen ignored him and his brows twitched. He was never before ignored since his body was highly desirable and his status spoke to all. He was a Core Disciple of the Muscle Peak. He was a prodigy beyond prodigy. He was hailed and worshipped by all. Yet this ignorant Fox... "We are responsible for your safety." He gestured towards her with the look ''Now bow, otherwise, I won''t protect you.'', he was haughty and he had good reason for that... except he met the wrong opponent. The Queen clicked her tongue and kicked his shin. He defended with his Qi expecting it to be enough, but that was a mistake. *Crack* "AGH!" He stifled a scream in his throat, glaring at the Jade Fox. The Queen nodded. "At least you will serve as a good meat shield." Aiko didn''t pay any attention as she was asleep. The Muscle Head twitched. "I''m Wei and this is not over!" He yelled at the Jade Fox. "Sure, sure. Now get lost or you might wake up my Mate and if that happens." The Jade Fox glared at Wei and he shivered. He moved out of the way not saying anything. The place was soon filled with murmurs, most of them were of admiration, but some of them were of fear, they couldn''t imagine someone as fragile as her to be able to injure the Core Disciple of the Muscle Peak. They had newfound admiration towards the Jade Fox and fear that they might lose their shins if they upset her. ... They waited till a huge flying ship arrived in front of the plaza. It was the first time seeing this majestic ship for most of them. Admiring sighs and whispers filled the plaza. Aiko was also shocked by the flying ship. ''Weren''t ships supposed to sail? Why does it fly?!'' Aiko was more shocked than others as she had some knowledge about ships. Meanwhile, the Queen frowned. ''It''s shabby.'' She was currently questioning if this was the best that this Village could do, she might have to leave for a better Village at this rate. The Sect Leader stood at the bow of the ship all dignified, but her face twitched from the piercing gaze of a certain individual. The Queen questioned the Sect Leader with her eyes and the Sect Leader blushed. ''Don''t stare at me like that.'' She pleaded with her eyes, but the Jade Fox still stared at her. ''Ugh.'' Hua silently grumbled. They announced the names who would be boarding the ship. Naturally, Queen and Aiko were one of them. The Sect Leader nudged their accommodations so they were closer to hers. Hua was planning to visit them often and built a positive rapport with the Jade Fox. They boarded the ship, it was much wider than they expected, but still visually the same as a normal sailing ship, just without the sails. "We should go to our rooms first." The Queen gently petted her fluffball. Aiko nodded agreeing, they were getting quite a lot of stares as they were newcomers, while most of them were already in this Village for a year, two or more. They went towards the Captain''s Cabin as there were stairs leading down to their Quarters. The stairs were quite narrow comparing the huge size of the ship itself, but when you arrived down in the hallways they were very spacious. "This space is expanded by Arrays and Inscriptions." The Queen commented when she saw her curious fluffball looking around. Aiko was mesmerized by the different Runes and wanted to know more as she was able to read some of them, but unfortunately, those runes were on all sides and she could only see them on one side. There were also no nails on the walls or on the floor. It felt like those things were just glued together. The Queen chuckled looking at her sweetie straining her head to look everywhere where she could. Others passed them so they could get to their rooms, but a lot of them stopped to stare at the curious Cub. They didn''t have as much apprehension and disdain as previously now that they saw her up close. "We will be hosting night games if you would like to join us, Jade Fox?" One girl stopped next to her, gently saying. She looked a bit intimidated by the Jade Fox but braved forward to invite her. "If my Mate is interested we will definitely visit." The Queen smiled, making the girl almost faint. "I-i''m Hai." Hai bowed and stormed away. The Queen sighed. This girl would be disappointed if she knew that Aiko didn''t even look at her, thus it was unlikely that they would visit. Chapter 68 – Queen’s teaching… wait that’s torture! Their room was as big as the Grandmaster''s place. Aiko was left dumbstruck as other''s rooms were incomparably small. "I''m glad you like your room." The Sect Leader sneaked behind them startling Aiko, but Queen already knew about her. "It''s appreciated." The Queen nodded and guided Jade Fox and her Mate around. "It''s a complete replica of Grandmaster''s abode." The Queen murmured. "That is correct~, since you are already used to that place I just replicated it here so you can feel at home." She smiled mischievously. The Queen narrowed her eyes. "And the real reason?" "We really need you to ''win'' this Apprentice tournament." Hua said with a firm voice. "As long as you fulfil your part of the deal I will fulfil mine, but I might lose to my Mate~." The Queen licked her lips as her little fluffball was exploring and she didn''t need to mind her image that much. The Sect Leader shivered, she really wanted to be that Mate, but couldn''t. "That is alright, as long as the Foxes win and not the Humans." "Any other races?" The Queen asked. There were a couple of races that might cause her issues if she were to fight them head-on. "This is only between Humans and Foxes as all other races don''t have pseudo-human forms." The Sect Leader assured. "That''s fine then and since you already accepted my demand for the stop for bathing I don''t believe there should be further issues." The Queen nodded. The Sect Leader was shooed away by the Jade Fox. Aiko was running around the place and jumping around. She could not discern what was an illusion and what was reality. The soil, trees, grass, everything felt so real that it was unreal. ''I like this place, but it''s made from Inscriptions and Arrays. I wonder if it would be possible to create places like this with only Inscriptions or what''s the reason for incorporating Arrays.'' Aiko jumped around but crashed into her mean Fox. "Here you are, do you like this place?" The Queen gently asked her sweetie. Aiko paused but nodded. She did like this place, but it felt so out of place since there was even an open sky! The Queen chuckled. "The Sky and some of the soil are the product of the Array, so far nobody was able to make those illusions only with Inscriptions." Aiko frowned. She wanted this kind of illusion in her home, but now she was told that it was impossible! Aiko''s ears dropped and the mean Fox tried to console her. "We can test Runes later, alright? I have a lot of knowledge about Arrays and Inscriptions so we can experiment." The now doting Queen soothed her sweetie. Aiko nodded gently and jumped down transforming into her Human form. She wanted to practice some of the Runes and they would spend a lot of time on the ship, so she might as well create some pseudo-massaging nests. Aiko ran around towards the Grandmaster''s main abode and seated herself around the low table. She immediately pulled her tools for learning and practising Runes. She scribbled a few Runes, completely forgetting her time. The Queen was watching her patiently. Her sweetie didn''t know how to connect Runes just yet and she was struggling. At first, she wanted to scold her when she saw the ''vibration'' Rune but paused once she noticed other Runes. ''Why does she make them softer, but bumpy?'' The Queen tilted her head. ''I might be able to figure it out if she learns how to connect Runes.'' The Queen sat down and moved her sweetie on her lap. She picked up her own Pen. Inscribed a few Runes and made connections between them. Aiko stared at those Runes, they ran well and those strange endings were used as the tunnels between the Runes, powering them up in sequence. ''But how am I supposed to know which ending is the right?'' Aiko tilted her head and Queen spoke gently. "You can use any ending on the Runes, but those connections can''t go over each other, so when you connect more Runes you have to be careful about the placement, usually you want the connection to be as short as possible, since even those connections take Energy out of the given item." The Queen explained slowly Inscribing several Runes and pointing at their differences. Aiko was very happy with this. [Inscription Mastery: Lv.5->6] [Linguistics: Lv.6->7] Aiko''s eyes shined and she stared at the mean Fox. It was a burning gaze that made the Fox blush. *Cough* "I will teach you more, but you need to focus." The Queen rubbed her nose. Aiko nodded sitting back down on her lap and preparing her Pen. ... 2 weeks passed in the blink of an eye. Aiko was now bored with Runes as they went through so many of them that her head hurt, but it was not wasted time. [Linguistics: Lv.7->9] [Dexterous Fingers: Lv.5->Mastered] [Inscription Mastery: Lv.6->9] She was incredibly happy about this turn of events, but at the same time she was slightly fed up about the Runes, she needed some time to relax. "Enough?" The Queen asked her sweetie who was walking away after cleaning up her stuff. Aiko nodded. "Let''s go on the stern and rest under the stars." The Queen said gently. Aiko walked forward, she wanted to enjoy this form a little longer since she was very used to this after spending so much time in it. The unfortunate thing was that this form didn''t last long and she had to recharge her stamina quite often, so often, in fact, that her [Meditation] went all the way to the Mastered Level. For some reason even when it reached mastered, it didn''t improve the speed or the fact that she had to have a blank mind while meditating. She didn''t like it, but it was the fastest way to recharge her stamina. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ... They left their room attracting attention since they were the only ones not walking around the deck and socializing with others. Some even thought that they died inside. Aiko was a bit too conscious about those gazes so she hid behind her mean Fox. *Crash* Aiko heard a loud crash and looked around. One female disciple was on the floor blood flowing from her nose. Aiko blinked a few times but shook her head soon. She didn''t want to spend time in the same room with other weirdos. The Queen sighed, but guided her on the deck and stern. The stars were incredibly nice as Aiko liked to stare at them while fulfilling the Conditions for her Evolution. She almost fulfilled all the conditions, she was just missing the Mind and Luck part, but now she had enough Stat Points to just sink them into those Stats. For some reason, she was unable to raise her level in [Enhanced Mind] and [Four Leaf Clover] Skills. She was upset at first, but soon once she noticed that because of her Beast Core, she was able to reach those requirements by just spending her Stat Points. [Moon Fox] [#### Rarity] [Requirements: Bath in the rays of the Moon for 30,000 consecutive days - 62 days Nurture Moon Stone - Obtained Core Purity of at least 50% - Obtained During Evolution User needs to be bathed in the rays of the Full Moon - Pending ] [Hidden Requirements: #### ] [Stats Requirements: Mind: 10,000+ - Missing 910 Soul: 1,000+ - Obtained Beauty: 50,000+ - Crushed Luck 10,000+ - Missing 2,696 ] [Title Requirements: Something/Someone that means being loved - Obtained ] She still didn''t know how she was able to fulfil the Title requirements, but since they were already fulfilled she wouldn''t dwell on it. "There is still about 3 weeks till Full Moon..." The Queen murmured and Aiko snapped her head at the Fox. The Queen smiled gently and caressed Aiko''s head. "How about learning how to write?" She smiled mischievously. Aiko thought that that was a good idea. She would be able to talk with this mean Fox and wouldn''t need to rely on her interpretation or Grandmaster. Aiko nodded readily. The Queen pulled the Bible in front of her and it crashed onto the floor. Aiko jumped staring warily at the ridiculously thick unnatural Book and the odd smile coming from the mean Fox. ... It was a nightmare. ... 2 weeks of unbearable torture abruptly stopped as the Queen proclaimed bathing time. Aiko was freaking overjoyed that the stinky mean Fox finally let her go. She even teared up a bit. The ship moved to stand still and landed on nearby plains. The other Foxes were startled and confused as to why they abruptly stopped. Murmurs spread throughout the ship, but the Queen ignored all of them as she debarked from the ship with a few Elders in tow. ''Nice place, nice~'' ''This is a good place.'' Aiko was startled as the Darkness didn''t speak to her all that often, but whenever it did it was important. ''Exploration~!'' ''You should explore, thoroughly.'' Aiko paused. ''This place must be special and the time of the Full Moon is approaching, if I stall and then breakthrough?'' Aiko smiled. The Queen found a nearby pristine lake and started to prepare the Herbs. As always Aiko was watching her with interest as those Herbs were also used to create those tasty Pill Candies. ''I wonder if I should become a candy maker.'' Aiko had such strange thoughts and even felt that it might be possible. ''Candies for days~'' Aiko hummed. The Queen was burdened by her humming sweetie, if she messed up that would mean great embarrassment. The Queen carefully prepared everything and even used that Heavenly Graded Pill. The Elders stood on guard nearby protecting this place. The Queen and her Mate were of great importance if they wanted resources from the mainland and since even the Sect Leader favoured them they couldn''t say anything bad... The Medicine Bath was prepared and Aiko dived inside. She stayed in her Fox form as otherwise she would be scolded by the mean Fox. ... [Medicine Bath 5] [Beast Core Purified by 5%!] [Beauty per Level increased by 50!] [[Bath Enjoyer] Triggered!] [Medicine Bath 3] [Beast Core Purified by 10%!] [Beauty per Level increased by 100!] [Enhanced Beauty: Lv.4->Mastered] ''That''s... not bad.'' Aiko thought. ''It''s good that I got another Mastered Passive Skill.'' She was unaware that each time she took the bath the efficacy halved, but because her Fox form and Human form were counted separately she didn''t feel that change. Now that her Beast Core reached above 50% every cleansing effect halved, so it would be harder to cleanse her Core from here on out. [ Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 350 - 650 Species: [Shadow Fennec Fox Cub(Female, Peak of Unique)] Species: [-] Age: 0.77/100 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Awakened)], [Dream Beast Kitsune(Dormant)] Bloodline: [-] Beast Rank: Beast Level: 400 (2nd Evolution) Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], [Plushie Princess], [Shadow Thief], [Master of Sex Toys], [Gourmand], [Explorer], [Trickster], [Mischievous Cub], [Filthy RICH Den Master], [Tail Hunter], [Bath Enjoyer], [Closet Pervert], Cultivation Technique: [Blood Tyrant Scripture], [Moon Goddess Scripture] Elemental Spirit: [Seed of ####; Nurtured 4,546/100,000] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement) HP: 4,083|4,083 -> 4,557|4,557 (2pH & 0.1%pH) ST: 10,581|10,581 -> 11,055|11,055 (3pH & 0.1%pH) Vitality: 1,920|2,880 -> 3,117|3,117 (2pH & 0.1%pH)(1pH - Gourmand) Vigour: 9,378 -> 9,615 Beast Core(30%->65%): 1,000 (1,220) Toughness: 1,629 -> 1,866 Strength: 5,730 -> 5,967 Agility: 13,234*1.65 -> 13,471*1.65 Dexterity: 9,223 -> 9,460*1.5 Mind: 8,423*1.05 -> 8,660*1.05 Insight: 230 Soul: 1,220 Beauty: 79,523*1.05->*1.20 -> 179,760*1.5 Luck: 7,063*1.01 -> 7,300*1.01 Stat Points: 5,228 Skill Points: 2,284 Elemental Affinity: [Shadow - 3], [Earth - 9], [Soul - ####] Martial Arts: [Lightness Technique] Martial Ability(New): [The Ever Shaping Cauldron: - ; -/-] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####], [Soul Palace], [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered], [Earthen Walk: Lv.5], [Appraisal: Lv.1] Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.2], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Agility Mastery: Lv.4], [Intention Perception: Mastered], [Basic Presence Concealment: Lv.3] Skills: [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Lacerate: Lv.3], [Sprint: Mastered], [Quick Double Jump: Lv.5], [Camouflage: Lv.1], [Meditation: Lv.2->Mastered], [Nurture: Mastered] Passive Skills: [Stealth: Lv.1], [Health Recovery: Mastered], [Stamina Recovery: Mastered], [Prehensile Tail: Mastered], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Thermal Regulation: Lv.1], [Intimidation: Mastered], [Vitality Recovery: Lv.7->Mastered], [Linguistics: Lv.4->9], [Swimming: Lv.1], [Enhanced Climbing: Lv.6], [Enhanced Basic Senses: Mastered], [Enhanced Mind: Lv.1], [Enhanced Beauty: Lv.1->Mastered], [Four Leaf Clover: Lv.1], [Assassin Mastery: Lv.1], [Calligraphy Mastery: Mastered], [Dexterous Fingers: Lv.1->Mastered], [Inscription Mastery: Lv.1->9], [Alchemy Mastery: Lv.1] Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], [Blessing of ####], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x15], [Skill Coupon x4 ->x2], [Skill Combination Coupon x4], [Cultivation Gift], [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Crystal 25,000]x4, [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Stone 100,000]x2, [Sub-Profession Coupon x2], [Divine Ability Gift], [Sub-Profession Coupon(Servant)], [Cultivation Gift(Servant)], [Ability Coupon x2->x1], [Bloodline Gift], [Bloodline Gift(Servant)], [Ability Combination Coupon x2], [Profession Coupon], [Karma Bound] ] Chapter 69 – Babi’s plea Aiko was cleaned by the mean Fox. She changed into her Human form and walked with her towards the ship. It was already night, a night with Full Moon. ''Wait!'' Aiko''s eyes widened like lightbulbs. ''No exploration...'' ''You should have explored!'' As she finally realized what time it was, she was also reprimanded by the Darkness. ''It''s not my fault! I was taking a bath...'' Aiko tried to defend herself and heard a click of a tongue. ''If you want to Evolve you need to do that over the lake.'' ''Why there?'' Aiko asked, but the Darkness didn''t tell more. She immediately looked at the mean Fox and tugged her clothes. "Hm? What is it?" The Queen stared at her fluffball which was pleading with her eyes. "Do you want something?" Aiko nodded several times. The Queen paused. "Then write what you want." She smiled mischievously and Aiko shivered. She still remembered that thick book and she didn''t want to repeat that torture. Aiko nodded while quivering. ''Oh my~, she looks like a scared rabbit~.'' The Queen was enjoying herself, a small payback for her insatiable Mate. Aiko gave the Queen the paper with writing. It was crooked as she was quivering, but it was still readable. ''... You must be joking.'' The Queen read it in her mind, but her thoughts almost spilt over. "You want to Evolve? Today? Now?!" The Queen had a headache. ''This is what I get for teasing her.'' "We can''t do it here, it''s not safe." The Queen said, but Aiko didn''t move from her place. Aiko was pouting angrily. ''I need to Evolve here and now!'' The Queen sighed. "You can''t really Evolve here. How about I cook you something nice and you can Evolve once we return?" The Queen asked gently. Aiko plopped on the ground, not leaving. The Queen was startled. "You..." She sighed. "Do you really need to Evolve here?" She asked again. Aiko shook her head and the Queen felt relieved only to pause because her little Mate was pointing at the dirty lake. The Queen''s face hardened and she pinched her little rascal''s cheeks. Aiko didn''t cave in and hugged the mean Fox with moist eyes. The Queen recoiled like she had taken damage from something. She resisted for a while, but... "Ugh... Fine... can you wait a bit?" The Queen had to give up as the combination of those most eyes and the quivering cub was too much for her. Aiko nodded happily, she was humming to herself. The Queen sighed again and left to seek the Sect Leader. ... "I need a favour, you will get this in return." The Queen told the Sect Leader. Hua was confused as to why the Jade Fox needed a favour but took the Jade slip. She almost spilt the tea she was drinking when she read the slip. ''T-t-this is too much?! Does she want to go to war!?'' Hua stared at the Jade Fox speechless. "J-Jade Fox... you don''t want us to go to war right?" The Sect Leader rattled. "War? No, why would we do something so pointless?" The Queen tilted her head not understanding the worry of the Sect Leader. "They might be just basic Pills, but I really need that favour." The Queen sighed. "What do you need?" The Sect Leader had never seen Jade Fox look so troubled, unless... "It''s about your Mate?" The Queen smiled wryly. "Yeah..." She sighed again. "She wants to Evolve." The Sect Leader nodded. "That is fine, once we return-" "Now." The Queen looked away and the Sect Leader twitched. "Pardon?" Hua thought that her hearing might be bad. "My Mate wants to Evolve here and now." The Queen stared into the horizon. The Sect Leader''s face hardened. "You want us to protect her..." Hua finally understood her assignment. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "That is fine." The Sect Leader knew that the Jade Fox''s Mate was only Beast Rank and would not cause any phenomena. The Queen smiled bitterly at this naive fool. "She also has a dormant Bloodline." Hua''s body stiffened and her brows twitched. "Why don''t you just tell us to go to war?" She smiled not so kindly. "I wish it was that easy." The Queen chuckled. The Sect Leader sighed. "Double." "Deal." The Queen readily agreed and Hua felt agitated. "I will see you around the Lake again." The Queen waved and left, not letting the Sect Leader adjust the deal. The Sect Leader was left alone, feeling bad premonition, but now that she accepted the deal she couldn''t go back... especially since they would be awarded 10 Pills with Heaven Quality. She called for the Elders and moved. ... The Queen arrived in front of the small Aiko and pinched her cheeks. "You better remember this favour." Aiko smiled happily hugging her. The Queen still had a headache, but felt a little better after being hugged by her little sweetie. ''Ugh... I will have to create so many Pills.'' She felt pain in her Beast Core. ''You better make the Evolution worth it!'' ... The Elders gathered and some even set up Concealing Formations and Arrays. The Sect Leader commanded them skilfully and things settled down. Aiko looked through what she was missing... [Moon Fox] [#### Rarity] [Requirements: Bath in the rays of the Moon for 30,000 consecutive days - 62 days Nurture Moon Stone - Obtained Core Purity of at least 50% - Obtained During Evolution User needs to be bathed in the rays of the Full Moon - Obtained ] [Hidden Requirements: #### ] [Stats Requirements: Mind: 10,000+ - Missing 910 Soul: 1,000+ - Obtained Beauty: 50,000+ - Crushed Luck 10,000+ - Missing 2,696 ] [Title Requirements: Something/Someone that means being loved - Obtained ] ''Let''s put 1,000 in Mind, and 2,860 into Luck that means the Luck from Stat Points is now 3,000 which is more than enough for this Evolution. And it''s a nice and round number.'' Aiko nodded to herself. ''It''s unfortunate. I can''t use my [Shadow Enhancement] during the Evolution, but that can''t be helped.'' ''That leaves me with 1,368 Stat Points... that consumed quite a bit.'' Aiko frowned, she would have to stockpile more Stat Points just in case for her next Evolution. She then placed the Moon Stone near her and the eyes of the Elders twitched. They really wanted that Stone, but seeing their Sect Leader being adamant about helping, they couldn''t move... [Do you wish to Evolve?] ''Yes! Let''s goooooo!'' Aiko roared. The Full Moon was at its brightest and Aiko started to Evolve, unaware of the things happening outside of her body. [Requirements: Bath in the rays of the Moon for 30 consecutive days - 62 days Nurture Moon Stone - Obtained Core Purity of at least 50% - Obtained During Evolution User needs to be bathed in the rays of the Full Moon - Obtained ] [Hidden Requirements: Beauty: 250,000+ - Obtained Peak of the Full Moon, covering the sky. - Obtained #### ] [Stats Requirements: Mind: 10,000+ - Obtained Soul: 1,000+ - Obtained Beauty: 50,000+ - Crushed Luck 10,000+ - Obtained ] [Title Requirements: Something/Someone that means being loved - Obtained ] [Evolution shall now proceed.] The Full Moon brightened further but cast its rays, especially in one place. That Place was where Aiko was. It almost felt like it was midday from the amount of light that was displayed. [Balancing Species acknowledged.] [Species: [-] -> [Moon Fennec Fox Cub(Female)]] [User can now adjust his alignment Good/Evil between 500-500 to 0-1,000!] [Adjusting User''s body to receive the Moon''s Grace] The Full Moon dimmed everywhere else but brightened where Aiko was. [Elemental Affinity: [Moon - 3]] [Hidden Requirements fulfilled, raising affinity further. [Moon - 3] [Moon - 2] [Moon - 1] [Acquiring Divine Ability: [Moon''s Eyes]!] [The Moon is resonating with [Moon Goddess Scripture]! Acquiring Divine Ability: [Moon''s Crust]!] [Acquiring Bloodline] [Moon Goddess Bloodline] [Let''s reject that one... here.] A gentle female voice drifted into Aiko''s Soul. [Moon Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)] The ground around Aiko lost its lustre and slowly turned into sand, there was barely enough energy in the surroundings to fulfil this Evolution. [Phew, that went well.] She praised herself. [Resetting Alignment] [... what?] She was confused. [Conditions fulfilled, Advancing Beast Rank.] [W-wait! This is not supposed to happen!] She was flustered. [I told you not to play around.] A tender female voice reprimanded the gentle voice. [B-but! Senior!] The gentle voice cried. [Advancing the Beast Rank.] The Moon returned to normal. The Elders were sweating and the Sect Leader was the same. ''That was supposed to be an Evolution for someone in Beast Rank?! Bullshit!'' They cursed the Sect Leader and Jade Fox. The Queen laughed bitterly. ''Little rascal you need to finish it now!'' They already attracted a lot of attention from the pillar of Moonlight. They felt the ambient Qi drop sharply. They felt goosebumps on their bodies and instincts warned them. They stared at the Cub who was eagerly sucking all the Qi she could find. ''She will die at this rate.'' The Sect Leader looked concerned but didn''t interfere, it was good enough to be close to Jade Fox so she could be the first one to console her. The Queen was frowning, this amount of suction was beyond her imagination for someone at the Beast Rank. ''Don''t tell me she is also advancing in Rank?!'' She shivered. ''This is bad, I don''t have enough Pills and Beast Core Energy to fend off all the Human Cultivators that might come!'' She clutched her head as another headache came her way. ... [Beast Core instability detected.] [[Duality of Cultivation] Intervened!] [Setting up Secondary Beast Core] [Linking the Secondary Beast Core] [Not enough Qi] [Initiating [Meditation]!] A whirlwind was created around Aiko as she was sucking all the Vitality out of her surroundings. The Queen frowned. She stared at the Priceless Moon Stone as it slowly crumbled. She could even feel the force that was trying to pluck her own energy, but it was weak enough that it could be suppressed. The Queen was now scared about her rascal''s survival. She took one of the Rings filled with Spirit Crystals and threw them towards Aiko. In the blink of an eye, those Spirit Crystals vanished. It was not enough. ''Y-you!'' The Queen had tears in her eyes. Their wealth was eagerly sucked dry by her servant! She threw another batch of Spirit Crystals. [Secondary Beast Core Established successfully!] [Perfect Link was created!] [Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox] reached the top!] [Bloodline: [Dream Beast Kitsune(Dormant)] is nudging. It seeks more energy!] The Ground under Aiko caved shocking Queen that was guarding nearby her. She rushed towards her sweetie only to pause. Under the ground was a large deposit of Spirit Stones and Crystals. The eyes of the Elders shook in greed but were restrained by the Sect Leader. The Sect Leader also had greed in her eyes, but those Pills couldn''t be bought with normal means and that restrained her. She looked towards the Jade Fox who was anxiously looking at her Mate. She did sympathize with her, but wouldn''t move. If her Mate lived or died either way she would earn a lot, there was no need to move. A Human battleship appeared. The Elders cursed, but they were already in battle formation. "Haha! Someone is breaking through! I bet it''s breaking through Holy Spirit Beast Rank!" One Human Elder laughed. The Fox Elders frown deepened, but before the Human Elder could do anything. "What are you doing to our guests?" A bellowing voice made that Elder spit blood. "P-patriarch!" The Elder bowed. A Handsome-looking youth stepped outside of his Battleship. Staring at the whirlpool with interest. Chapter 70 – Evolution and Destruction He stared at the whirlwind for a while, his eyes briefly sparkled. "Secure the perimeter, drive away any Cultivators or Beasts." He ordered gently and stepped down. "Rune Master." Hua gently nodded towards him. He nodded back smiling. The Elders were left speechless. He wasn''t an Inscription Cultivator, but a Rune Cultivator and Master at that! Who was Rune Cultivator? It was a person who handled Inscriptions, Arrays and Formation at the same time! A person who was able to draw Runes into a space! An exceptionally rare existence as each profession requires a different attitude and approach. He lifted his finger and the Queen was on guard. She was ready to take his head if she didn''t like the Rune that he intended to create. He laid the first Rune, ''gather''. He then added ''strength'' all around. The space momentarily distorted as it couldn''t bear the pressure without the necessary ambient Qi. The youth smiled, looking towards the Evolving Fox. ''Not only does she have Runes around her body, they even help her to gather more Qi.'' His eyes twinkled. ''And if that wasn''t enough those Runes are continuously Evolving, Changing, Shaping.'' He cancelled his Rune, but it was already too late. The Runes around Aiko changed again, they mimicked the Runes the youth created and the vortex quadrupled in suction power. The ambient Qi dropped sharply, not only affecting them. *Crash* The youth was startled as he didn''t pay enough attention to his surroundings. Simply because he found something interesting. He turned around and his face distorted. "Ugh... I did it again." The was pain and sorrow in his voice as he looked at his priceless battleship that crashed. It wasn''t damaged, but cleaning it would take ages as it could affect the numerous Arrays and Inscriptions. He pinched his nose bridge, last time he caused a landslide almost burying his priceless possessions, this time he crashed his ship. He groaned again, but soon he forgot about that as he turned around. A huge whirlwind was created, the space was distorted from the lack of Qi, and the Spirit Mine was being sucked dry, yet the Fox was gently levitating in the midst of this, not being affected. [Bloodline: [Dream Beast Kitsune(Dormant)] broke through! It seeks Energy to stabilize!] The whirlwind didn''t lessen, it almost became liquid Qi, the fox Elders frowned. ''It will be simple Beast Evolution she said. We will get rich she said...'' They mocked their Sect Leader, but they didn''t dare to voice it aloud. [Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox] can be advanced during the next Evolution!] The trees were uprooted and as they approached the whirlwind, drained of their Vitality and turning into dust. The phenomenon got only worse over time. The Human Cultivators didn''t understand why their Patriarch was helping them. Sure they were supposed to welcome the Foxes and let them take the Inscriptions tests, but why should they go out of their way? Of course, they couldn''t rebel against the Patriarch as he was the only Rune Cultivator on this continent. He was revered by all guilds, associations and Sects. [Beast Cores are peacefully orbiting and their Energy restrains can be released!] *BOOOM* Suddenly area of 2km all around was instantly turned into a desert. Those on the ships were safe from the sudden decline of Qi, but all of the Elders suffered from slight Qi deviation as something was able to pluck part of their Qi. The Patriarch''s smile widened. ''I wonder what kind of Holy Beast this is...'' He couldn''t feel any Demonic presence from there and the presence was soothing and not oppressive. ''It must''ve been her Bloodline that caused this.'' He clicked his tongue. [Bloodline: [Dream Beast Kitsune(Awakened) Reached Peak.] More ships arrived from nearby sects, but those were stopped by the Inscription Human Elders. "Patriarch." They cupped their fists politely but cursed inwardly. It seems like these humans will obtain unparalleled Beast. "Please Fellow Cultivators." He beckoned them to land, but the other forces frowned. "Why would we-" Before he could finish the ship started to lose altitude. *Crash**Crash**Crash* All the ships that arrived crashed into the desert. They looked speechlessly around and they were unable to fly. The whirlwind didn''t seem to want to stop. They will be stranded here for a while. ... Aiko opened her eyes slowly as she was in a large pit. She didn''t remember being in the desert, but she shook away her drowsiness and stood up. She felt that she grew a bit, but the biggest change was- [ Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 350 - 650 -> 500 - 500 (Adjustable 500 - 500 -> 0 - 1,000) Species: [Shadow Fennec Fox Cub(Female, Peak of Unique, Single-Tail)] Species: [-] -> [Moon Fennec Fox Cub(Female, Single-Tail)] Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.Age: 0.85/100 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Awakened->Peak)], [Dream Beast Kitsune(Dormant->Awakened)] Bloodline: [-] -> [Moon Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)] Beast Rank: Beast -> Magical Beast Level: 400 -> 1 (3rd Evolution) Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], [Plushie Princess], [Shadow Thief], [Master of Sex Toys], [Gourmand], [Explorer], [Trickster], [Mischievous Cub], [Filthy RICH Den Master], [Tail Hunter], [Bath Enjoyer], [Closet Pervert], [Devourer of Vitality], [Bane of Immortal], Cultivation Technique: [Blood Tyrant Scripture], [Moon Goddess Scripture] Elemental Spirit: [Seed of ####; Nurtured 4,546/100,000->24,546/100,000] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement)(*0.5-2.5 Lunar Enhancement) HP: 4,557|4,557 -> 83,011|83,011 (2pH & 0.1%pH) ST: 11,055|11,055 -> 83,127|83,127 (3pH & 0.1%pH) Vitality: 3,117|3,117 -> 34,117|41,556 (2pH & 0.1%pH)(1pH - Gourmand) Vigour: 9,615 -> 41,672 Beast Cores(65%->50%): 1,000 -> 2,000 (34,030) Moonlight Qi(New): 1,000 Toughness: 1,866 -> 41,502 Strength: 5,967 -> 41,601 Agility: 13,471*1.65 -> 41,528*1.65 Dexterity: 9,460*1.5 -> 42,702*1.5 Mind: 8,660*1.05 -> 42,605*1.05 Insight: 230 -> 32,040 Soul: 1,220 -> 33,030 Beauty: 179,760*1.5 -> 45,530*1.5 Luck: 7,300*1.01 -> 44,699*1.01 Stat Points: 5,228 -> 1,368 -> 1,371 Skill Points: 2,284 -> 2,287 Elemental Affinity: [Moon - 1], [Shadow - 3], [Earth - 9], [Soul - ####] Martial Arts: [Lightness Technique] Martial Ability: [The Ever Shaping Cauldron: - ; -/-] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####], [Soul Palace], [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)], [(New)Moon''s Eyes], [(New)Moon''s Crust] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered], [(New)Lunar Bath: Lv.1], [Earthen Walk: Lv.5], [Appraisal: Lv.1] Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.2], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [(New)Lunar Enhancement: Lv.1], [Agility Mastery: Lv.4], [Intention Perception: Mastered], [Basic Presence Concealment: Lv.3] Skills: [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Lacerate: Lv.3], [Sprint: Mastered], [Quick Double Jump: Lv.5], [Camouflage: Lv.1], [Meditation: Mastered], [Nurture: Mastered] Passive Skills: [Stealth: Lv.1], [Health Recovery: Mastered], [Stamina Recovery: Mastered], [Prehensile Tail: Mastered], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Thermal Regulation: Lv.1], [Intimidation: Mastered], [Vitality Recovery: Mastered], [Linguistics: Lv.9], [Swimming: Lv.1], [Enhanced Climbing: Lv.6], [Enhanced Basic Senses: Mastered], [Enhanced Mind: Lv.1], [Enhanced Beauty: Mastered], [Four Leaf Clover: Lv.1], [Assassin Mastery: Lv.1], [Calligraphy Mastery: Mastered], [Dexterous Fingers: Mastered], [Inscription Mastery: Lv.9], [Alchemy Mastery: Lv.1] Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], [Blessing of ####], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x15], [Skill Coupon x2], [Skill Combination Coupon x4], [Cultivation Gift], [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Crystal 25,000]x4->x2, [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Stone 100,000]x2, [Sub-Profession Coupon x2], [Divine Ability Gift], [Sub-Profession Coupon(Servant)], [Cultivation Gift(Servant)], [Ability Coupon], [Bloodline Gift], [Bloodline Gift(Servant)], [Ability Combination Coupon x2], [Profession Coupon], [Karma Bound] ] [[Shadow Fiend Fox(Peak)] - Bonus Stats: 20,000] [[Dream Beast Kitsune(Awakened)] - Bonus Stats: 10,000] [[Moon Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)] - Bonus Stats: 2,000] [Beast Core Bonus: 9,452] [Devourer of Vitality] [You have an easier time taking someone''s Vitality away!] [Bane of Immortal] [Immortals will subconsciously fear you.] [Moonlight Qi] [Special Qi that is used for Moon-based Abilities] [Moon''s Eyes] [Eyes that can observe things in greater detail and slow it down.] [Strength depends on Insight, Mind and Beast Core Purity] [Moon''s Crust] [Creates a defensive barrier around User.] [Strength depends on Beast Rank, Moonlight Qi and Beast Core Purity] [Lunar Bath: Lv.1] [You can naturally recover your Beast Cores just by being bathed in the Moonlight] [Strength depends on the Lunar cycle.] [Lunar Enhancement: Lv.1] [You can strengthen your Stats while under the Moon.] [Strength depends on the Lunar cycle.] Aiko felt her fingers were beyond normal at this point as they felt like little snakes that she could control, not to mention her whole body felt healthier, she was incredibly happy at that as her stats were more even and looked less like that of a pushover! Aiko clicked her Sect Token. The clothes felt slightly smaller, but that was only natural as she grew up. Little did she know that was just only 5cm... ... After a painful month, they could feel the vortex subside. They stared towards the heavenly beauty that would cling out of the pit. They didn''t dare to use their Divine Sense to probe lest they would anger the Patriarch or the heavenly beauty. Their eyes strained, they would engrave her in their minds for eternity. ... ...... ''A child?'' Their mind blanked completely, even the Patriarch was left there stunned. It was an incredibly cute child that cute cheeks. She was around 65-70cm. Her tail was incredibly long and fluffy. Both her hair and tail were colour that of a Moonlight, but tips were yet Black. Her complexion was that of a cold beauty. The cold beauty noticed them and shied away from their gazes as her cheeks were slowly dyed pinkish. She hid behind the incredibly beautiful Fox and peeked at them. "What are you staring at bastards." The small cute(?) girl spat at them. Everyone blinked for a moment but then they roared. "GIVE ME BACK MY DREAM!" "GIVE ME BACK MY WIFE!" "GIVE ME BACK MY DOLL!" They screamed at them as their dreams of meeting a beautiful Humanoid slut were ruined by a young twerp with milk rolling down her lips. Aiko frowned. "Oh shut up you useless bastards, you are so fucking irritating." The Queen''s lips twitched, she now wondered where her little cutie learned such words... The Patriarch stared at Aiko. He was confused. This kind of phenomenon can''t be caused by advancing from Beast Rank to Magical Beast Rank. Even if she would have several Bloodlines that shouldn''t have happened... He was confused and rightfully so, as he would never imagine that the Fox in front of him had 2 Cores instead of one. This allowed her to push Bloodlines past her limit, normally in this Rank you would have at most 10,000 Stat points from Peaked Bloodline, but Aiko could get 20,000 because she had 2 Beast Cores. This was extremely rare to have two Beast Cores as most of the time it was a defect when someone advanced into Beast Rank. They wouldn''t have balanced Cores as such one Beast Core would consume the other without mercy, leaving them back with only one Beast Core. In rare instances, the Secondary Beast Core might gather all the impurities, but then you have to clean that Beast Core before it can merge and that can cause unimaginable pain. "Since everyone is safe now we will guide you to our Association." The Patriarch said, he wanted to observe that little Fox a bit longer, but seeing the overprotective beauty... ''This will be more difficult.'' Chapter 71 – Warm lap and Tasty snack The Queen took Aiko''s hand and guided her onto the ship. The other curious Cultivators were finally able to restart their ship and when they saw the Patriarch''s ship guiding them, they were crestfallen. They really wanted to get a few Foxes, but unfortunately for them, the Patriarch was protecting them, they could only disperse. Aiko was on the ship and could feel multiple gazes on her, she was confused and shy as she didn''t like attention. She looked around, but no one met her eyes. She was even more confused and when she trotted towards nearby Foxes they ran away. ''This is awkward...'' Aiko thought. The Queen narrowed her eyes and smiled. ''She has gotten much stronger.'' She hoped that her Mate, her sweetie would not lag behind, but with such phenomenons... she might be the one to lag behind. ''Fortunately, I''m still ahead, but I will have to pick up the pace.'' The Queen thought and stared at her sweetie chasing Foxes around. Aiko pouted as nobody wanted to be within 5 meters of her. This upset her greatly. She used her [Basic Presence Concealment: Lv.3] and [Assassin Mastery: Lv.1], sneaking around. She had her target, a fluffy red tail. "Eep!" The Blood Fox yelped when her tail was grabbed. She turned around in anger ready to slap the lowlife who dared to do that. She was completely stunned when she saw the assailant as she didn''t produce any noticeable presence for her. This little assailant went only after her tail. She looked around and spotted the Jade Fox. She made pleading eyes and nudged her head towards her tail. The Queen giggled at that cute display, but before she arrived Aiko had her fill and left. Both the Queen and Blood Fox sighed. "My apologies, Passion Fox." The Queen felt apologetic. The Blood Fox sighed. "It can''t be helped, Jade Fox." She shook her head, knowing that little one was hard to control. "You had endured a lot." The Queen sighed. "I will try to explain what her actions do later on." "It is alright... she is still a cub." The Blood Fox sighed. If that little one at least didn''t conceal her presence each time she hugged her tail she wouldn''t mind it as much. The Queen narrowed her eyes when she looked at the Passion Fox, but didn''t say anything. ... Aiko found herself a new target. For some reason whenever she had [500 - 500] alignment she felt a bit cold. "How is that?" The very familiar Fire Fox was blasting his aura into the surroundings. "Hmpf, as if that candle fire can move me." Similarly, the Ice Fox was also blasting her aura repelling his. Aiko felt slightly warm even when she was so far away. She smirked and didn''t lessen her Skills, now that she had ridiculous Stamina she would be able to keep them with no problem. She moved towards them, they had closed eyes focusing on their energy discharge. Aiko patted his lap. "AGH!" The Fire Fox was so startled that he almost choked on his own Qi. His eyes shot up wanting to murder the idiot who would disturb him, but he was too taken aback to move. In front of him was someone he knew very well as he was part of the Jade Fox''s faction. The Jade Fox always warned them to not hurt her and he hesitated. The Vicious Cub was patting his lap, but for some reason, she was not burnt. Aiko met his eyes. She could see confusion and distress. "What''s wrong, can''t endur-" The Ice Fox stopped noticing the little girl patting his lap. *Pfft* She laughed loudly. "I can''t believe that even small girls admire you." The Fire Fox wanted to strangle her but endured it. He knew that she hated to learn and would only contest with him all day every day. He didn''t mind that as his flames were refined. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "This is Jade Fox''s Mate." The Fire Fox said expressionlessly. The Ice Fox stiffened. "Huh?" She stared at the little girl, but couldn''t remember her. The Fire Fox rolled his eyes and wanted to correct her only for him to completely freeze. Aiko turned into her Fox form and found her place on his lap. She slowly rolled herself into a furball that was slightly and slowly breathing. The Fire Fox looked at the little one in disbelief and Ice Fox was likewise stunned. She just recovered from the shock that this little cutie was that Monster''s Mate, she shivered just thinking about it, but now that little one was on his lap sleeping! "This..." The Fire Fox somewhat recovered and didn''t know what to do. They would take walks each hour to recover some energy and then continue so their legs wouldn''t go numb, but now he couldn''t. "What do I do?" He earnestly asked Ice Fox stunning her. She never heard him ask in such a voice as he always tried to look and sound cool or mighty. She frowned. "How am I supposed to know?!" She was irritated that his previous actions were just acting and not his real personality. "Um..." The Fire Fox frown deepened. "Could you reduce your cold?" He asked with a pleading voice. The Ice Fox recoiled. "Who are you and what did you do to him?" "I''m not joking, please retract your aura now, my legs are freezing over." He said seriously. She unwillingly retracted her aura and stared at him. She could see a layer of frost on his pants and was taken aback. "What happened to you? Did you run out of Beast Core Energy?" She asked in a worried voice. "No." He said seriously. "I have been suppressed." "WHAT?!" She yelled attracting attention. They noticed a fluffy ball on his lap but soon lost interest as they thought it was just a silly gift from the Ice Fox for the Fire Fox. His face hardened and tried to use his flame. It worked, but he just couldn''t stroke it completely. He tilted his head and then paused. ''Could it be... did she suppress the flame when she was touching my legs and that''s why she was not burned?'' The Ice Fox looked at his complexion worried. "Are you alright?" She didn''t want to lose her personal heater. He nodded."I think so, she is not that cold, but I can''t use my flames to challenge you, so let''s postpone our training." She pouted but didn''t reject it. ... The Queen couldn''t find her fluffball when she disappeared, so she thought about using the useless Blazing Fox and Glacial Fox help to find her. The Queen arrived in front of them and there was strange air around them. "Get up, my Mate is somewhere and I don''t know where." The Queen commanded. The Blazing Fox wanted to cry, but he couldn''t stand up, he already couldn''t feel his legs. The Queen glared and noticed something fluffy on his lap. "What is that?" She tilted her head and looked towards the Glacial Fox. The Glacial Fox turned away, that was not hers and she did not give him that. The Queen had a bad premonition. She picked up a nice-smelling Pill out of her Storage Ring. She used these pills to placate her sweetie to continue learning written words. The fluffball twitched when she got close enough. *Chomp* Aiko drowsily followed the smell and munched it. This meat was very tender so she didn''t want to bite it, so she just playfully bites it to release some juices. The Queen''s body stiffened and a faint blush crept on her neck. Aiko finally munched the Pill and rolled back satisfied while the Queen was red and glaring at her. The Glacial Fox had to put a lot of strength into her stomach to not laugh. If she laughed now she would definitely get slapped to death. The Queen stared at the Glacial Fox that had a red face and misunderstood. "Nothing happened! Alright?" She glared at the Glacial Fox and the Glacial Fox shivered, nodding like a broken doll. The Queen hmpfed away but turned around. "Once she wakes up just lead her to our abode." She then turned around and left. The Foxes nearby murmured, they found an interesting love triangle and wondered how it would turn out. The Blazing Fox wanted to cry as he didn''t intend to get any Mates, but now he was in the limelight of rumours and love triangle... ... The Queen returned to her abode frowning. Nobody ever dared to chew on her fingers, but not only that servant dared to do that, she even dared to do that in public! The Queen was embarrassed on a multitude of levels and didn''t know what to do with her little servant. "Pills... let''s make Pills." She thought and turned around walking into the Pill Refining room. Little did she realize that she was making the same Pills that Aiko just munched on. ... The whole ship was in turmoil about the love triangle and the Patriarch''s face twitched. He needed some useful information so he could rope in that little one, but all he got was about this great love triangle nonsense and he couldn''t find any point of attack. This upset him greatly, but he knew he couldn''t force the issue and could only wait till those rumours died down. "Don''t report me this nonsense next time!" He bellowed at his subordinate. His subordinate was very excited until his boss poured cold water over his excitement. He was spying on those Foxes but didn''t have any Recording Stones. He already had a hard time keeping his focus and really wanted one Recording Stones for... personal purposes. That was also why he took upon this mission since his boss offered Recording Stone to those who brought the most information! Unfortunately, his boss was ruthless and didn''t give him anything, not only that, but he also told him he was useless... ''Being the servant of powerhouses is difficult...'' He lamented at his misfortune and blazing loins. ... Aiko slept for a long time when she finally woke up and yawned. The Blazing Fox was about to give up his entire life when he felt that movement and felt reinvigorated. "The Jade Fox is looking for you." He spoke gently, his voice dripping with honey. The Glacial Fox that was next to him wanted to vomit but endured it. She stared at this shameless guy hatefully. When they first met it was like this, but as soon as he found other new Foxes he would always act like this. She pinched his thigh which was already numb and he jumped. Aiko rolled around still half asleep. She was infuriated that her lap moved and bit in a random direction. "AH!" The Glacial Fox yelped as Aiko bit her right breast. Aiko fell on her lap and shivered. ''So cold.'' She jumped away from the coldness still drowsily looking around. She noticed those two Foxes, one looking like he was wronged, while the other glaring at her, while being red in the face. "Jade Fox is looking for you." The Blazing Fox said gently, massaging his legs so that he could use them again. Aiko tilted her head but nodded. She had a nice dream sucking on something delicious and thought about the Pills her mean Fox made her. She turned around walking towards their abode and the 2 Foxes exchanged glances. The Glacial Fox glared at him hatefully, while the Blazing Fox felt like he was constantly being wronged. Chapter 72 – Queen wants Refund Aiko arrived at their abode and changed into human form. She could sustain this form for more than half of a day. This meant that she didn''t need to meditate so much. Aiko arrived behind her mean Fox, she was making Pills so Aiko didn''t disturb her and watched from the side. The Queen was smoothly operating the Pill Cauldron and it made a nice humming sound. Aiko was very sensitive to sounds and felt very nice whenever she was listening to the mean Fox''s Pill Refining. Soon she fell asleep on the mean Fox''s tails. The Queen knew about her halfway through and was happy that she knew the basic etiquette when it came to not disturbing alchemists when they were Refining Pills. The Queen finished another batch and sighed. She made more of those Pill Candies, they were cheap when it came to the materials, but so difficult when it came to Refining. At first, she didn''t want to create those Pills, but the more practised she realized that her roots lost their touch. Instead of making 4-5th Grade Pills, she returned to 1-2nd Grade and realized it was much harder. ''I have become rusty...'' She thought. She mostly refined Pills above Grade 6 when she was up there, but now that she realized how much she still had to learn her head hurt a little bit. In this way, she was grateful towards her little sweetie. She needed to polish her basic Refining Skills and had a good excuse for it. She caressed her sweetie''s hair and smiled and her lips curved into a small smile. Aiko woke up due to the gentle strokes. She blinked, "Stinky Fox." and yawned. The Queen stiffened and she pinched her cheeks. "What do you mean by stinky? I will have you know that I bathe ever so often." The Queen was displeased. "Mean Fox." Aiko felt wronged so she spat another thing. "How am I mean?! Don''t I give you plenty of yummy things?" Now the Queen felt wronged. Aiko paused and opened her mouth. The Queen''s brows twitched, but she still gave her Pill Candy. "Yummy." Aiko smiled hugging the Queen. The Queen sighed. "Call me Mei when we are alone alright?" "Mei... Mei... okay." Aiko repeated Mei''s name a few times and nodded. The Queen felt strange, very strange. A tear rolled down her cheek and she hugged her little sweetie. "Aiko." Aiko said faintly since she was burrowed in Mei''s bosom. "Aiko..." The Queen smiled cuddling Aiko. "Haha." Aiko laughed since it tickled. She hugged Aiko for a few dozen minutes before letting her go. "I want to create a massage chair!" Aiko said while staring at Mei. "Again with the chair." Mei pinched her cheeks. "It''s nice!" Aiko protested. "Okay, Okay, but we only have a few days before we arrive there so let''s create blueprints first. Aiko nodded, she didn''t know how to process things or what materials to use, so she was fine with just blueprints. She would be able to create it later from those blueprints or have someone create it and she would just do the finishing touches. Mei glanced at Aiko''s tail. "Your tail is stiff." Mei smoothed her tail but was startled. ''No way, surely not...'' She gently used a paralysing Pill on Aiko''s tail and they separated. The Queen''s eyes shook. ''T-two tails?!'' One had to know that to achieve additional tails they had to sacrifice part of their Souls. Sure their Souls were boosted by their Bloodlines, but those parts couldn''t be sacrificed since it would remove their Bloodline. She also felt that Aiko had not consumed any Souls as it would leave an imprint on her Soul. The Queen frowned. "Let''s postpone the blueprints." She needed to fix this problem as soon as possible. ''10-Tailed Fox...'' She glanced at Aiko and her Souls quivered. Only 1 in 100,000,000 Foxes that reached the stage of Kitsune were allowed to gain additional tail, but her little sweetie already had one now. She didn''t know the effects or anything, but she knew that it was not good if others found out about it. ''They would try to contract her even if it killed them.'' Mei frowned and stared at the cute Aiko who was now frowning. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. "I will teach you suppression technique so that you can hide your additional tail." Mei said seriously and Aiko narrowed her eyes. "Why?" Aiko asked. "Because you will be hunted with 2 tails." Mei answered. "But other Foxes have 3 and more?" Aiko tilted her head. "Because they sacrificed Soul to acquire them," Mei said seriously. "However you have not consumed any Souls and even if you did sacrifice your Soul for it at this stage it would cripple you." The Queen said seriously. Aiko glanced at her status, those tails weren''t special and the system wouldn''t tell her anything. She just had 2 tails because she had 2 different species. "I will teach you the suppression technique. This one is different to others since it allows you to travel from upper worlds to lower worlds without being restricted by the Heavenly Dao." The Queen spoke. Aiko nodded, she didn''t want to tell her too many things just yet or at least until their Karma was tied or something like that. "Is that the only benefit?" Aiko asked placing her hands on Mei''s lap. *Cough* Mei was startled by the sudden interest. "Yes, even if you suppress your tails it will not affect your Cultivation. If you manage to get high attainment you will be able to even make conditions to it." "For example, you can make a condition that whenever your life is threatened part of the suppression loosens and lets you use more power." Mei narrated it with enthusiasm. Aiko was now very interested, while the system wouldn''t talk to her as much she would be able to search that. Mei bestowed the technique into Aiko''s mind and waited patiently. Aiko processed that information, now that her mind was more powerful everything was much easier for her. [Enhanced Mind: Lv.1->2] Aiko was startled, but happy at the same time, it seemed like she would have to ask people to send information into her mind for her to level up [Enhanced Mind]. Aiko searched the shop for information about this technique and frowned. [Heavenly Suppression Technique(Prototype, Incomplete)] [When someone is suppressed, because of Heaven they receive this technique to counter it, but it''s incomplete and consumes a vast amount of Energy to sustain.] "It''s another shitty prototype..." Aiko murmured, but suddenly her body froze. "How do you know it''s a prototype?" Mei was glaring at Aiko. Her heart was beating fast. ''No way that they would send someone down to finish me off, right? But how does she know this is a prototype? I''m the only one that I know of that has this technique.'' Aiko had now quite a powerful Soul and as such the coercion didn''t work on her completely. Aiko glared back. "I won''t tell you!" The glare startled Mei and she eased her pressure on Aiko, but her eyes were still trained on Aiko. Aiko huffed, she felt a bit dizzy from the sudden hit of pressure and it took her some time to recover. Mei felt pain and confusion in her heart, but she needed to get to the bottom of this. "Why won''t you tell me?" Mei observed Aiko. "I don''t trust you completely!" Aiko said. Sure her cooking was delicious, but she still held a grudge over the pain when her Beast Core shook. Mei frowned, it''s true they have not spent enough time with each other to fully trust... Aiko was looking through the things to find anything remotely useful that could help her. [Karma Bound] [Karma] [Invisible force that dictates things.] [Two people bound together will share fortune and misfortune.] ''Does that mean she won''t harm me?'' Aiko thought. [That is only half correct.] The system replied. [It is possible for them to hurt you, but it would be unwise as they would share that misfortune.] ''So what if we share the same misfortune.'' Aiko frowned. [... It is safe.] The system said gently. For some reason, Aiko was familiar with this voice, but she just couldn''t put her finger on it. It was a very soothing feeling, especially for her Soul, it swayed happily from that voice. ''Can I tell her about this if I bound her Karma?'' Aiko asked. [You can, as you will share fortune and misfortune. If she tries to tell your secret to others, it would be the same as telling her own secrets.] ''I still don''t understand.'' Aiko said, but for some reason she felt safe. [You are my ''child'', I would never hurt you.] There was some sadness in her voice and it affected Aiko''s Soul. [Blessing of ####] V [Blessing of N¨¹wa] [Sage''s Blessing] [1st Effect: Child of this World] [2nd Effect: Karma Companion will never betray you] [Take care, little one, we will be watching...] Aiko felt the system''s tired voice and snapped out of it. Mei was staring at her strangely. "If you bind Karma with me I will tell you!" Aiko said firmly. Mei was shocked that this little rascal knew about karma and felt threatened. "####, ####, ####?" Mei asked in a strange language. Aiko tilted her head. "What kind of rubbish is that? It hurts my ears." She clutched her ears, those words were grating her sensitive ears. "Golden Palace?" Mei asked one more thing. "Never mind." Aiko shook her head. "I don''t want to be with a gold digger that wants to build Golden Palace." Mei narrowed her eyes at the first words but almost slapped Aiko for the rest. "W-what do you mean gold digger?!" Mei''s body shook. "Don''t think I have not noticed that I''m missing 2 Rings!" Aiko said righteously. Mei stared at her blankly, she now knew that she had no relationship with them, but still felt annoyed that she would associate her with gold diggers. Mei pinched her nose bridge. "You have consumed them during your Evolution." Aiko was shocked and her mouth formed a triangle. "And before you say anything that includes that fancy Moon Stone." Mei smirked staring at the wobbly rascal. Aiko almost fainted at those news and glared at Mei, trying to find a lie in her words. ''N-no way." She collapsed weakly. ''No way I have burned so many resources...'' Mei liked this kind of victory, but she still pushed forward. "Just so you know below you was also a Spirit Mine, you have also consume-W-wait your Soul! Your Soul is leaving your body!" Mei panicked and tried to soothe Aiko. "It''s over I can see the light!" Aiko said weakly staring forward. Mei panicked but then had an idea. She pinched Aiko''s cheeks. "I still have a special Pill Candie that you have not tasted yet." *Slurp* The leaving Soul immediately returned and Aiko beamed at her. Mei felt powerless and sighed. ''No way that she is from their faction, she would eat all of their treasures. It''s not bad if she binds my Karma, I could use some improvement...'' Mei thought staring at Aiko who was salivating. Mei fed Aiko the Pill Candy and said. "Fine, but you have to tell me everything!" Aiko nodded and made a sweeping motion. [Karma Bound] [Opponent agreed to bind her Karma, do you wish to use this?] ''Yes.'' Aiko nodded and Mei tilted her head. Soon in between them appeared parchment that was glowing with faint light, but Mei''s Soul shook. ''D-D-Divine Dao Scroll?!'' Mei almost fainted. Two Soul imprints appeared on the Scroll and she snapped back. "W-wait! This is-" She felt something restrict her Soul. ''D-divine Dao Chains...'' She was in complete and utter shock. ''I thought it would be some simple Karma Binding Divine Ability, but this...'' Her body shook looking at Aiko as if she was looking at a monster. One has to know that the Divine Dao Scroll is the highest possible Parchment one could obtain. It was blessed by the Dao itself and thus anything written on it was the Law. This was not a simple Karma binding spell that would fade over time, but an extremely powerful Law that bound their Souls with Divine Dao Chains. These Chains were the only ones that would survive the destruction of Dao, which meant that they were now bound for all eternity even if they didn''t like it. Aiko smiled happily as now she was protected, but Mei was staring at a Monster with a cute appearance. She couldn''t fathom where she found something like the Divine Dao Scroll. "I-I need some rest." Mei was too shaken and Aiko stared at her in worry. Chapter 73 – Queen’s Headache The Queen rested and naturally Aiko nestled on her tails. Mei woke up the next day, the shock was too great and took her a long time to recover. She stared at Aiko who was peacefully sleeping and caressed her head. Aiko chomped on her fingers, mumbling. "5 more minutes." Mei''s lips twitched, it seemed like she picked quite the lazy servant and now Companion. Aiko woke up after the relentless assault from Mei. "What do you want, mean Fox?" Aiko yawned stretching. "Am I mean?! After I give you so many yummy things??" Mei was again speechless. "This is this and that is that." Aiko pouted. Mei resigned and asked. "Where did you get that Divine Dao Scroll?" Aiko tilted her head. "The what?" Mei''s brow twitched. "Don''t tell me you don''t even know how precious that thing is?" Aiko blinked. "Isn''t it just Karma binding paper?" She tilted her head. "I have another one you know?" Aiko took out the [Karma Bound] from her inventory to show it to the mean Fox. *PFFFT* Mei almost fainted again. "Y-y-you have another one!?" She suddenly felt light-headed. ''Do you know how long it took me to get one in order to establish my sect??'' Mei wanted to cry. "I can use it however many times I want though?" Aiko tilted her head, this was one of those items that wouldn''t get consumed which was nice. "WHAT?!" Mei staggered. Aiko stared at the mean Fox and smirked in glee. "Serves you right for hurting me!" Aiko laughed. "You... when did I hurt you?!" Mei was stunned and then it clicked. "Ah! That one doesn''t count!" "Yes, it does stinky Fox!" Aiko protested and trashed around, it was so much easier to do this when one was small. Mei now developed a serious headache. "Ugh, fine! Now tell me how did you know that it was a prototype?" Mei asked seriously. Aiko narrated about her system for a bit, she didn''t tell everything, just about the shop and that she can get anything she wants in the cultivation world. "Oh! That''s what her Soul looks like." Aiko smiled while holding her chin. Mei was currently half-dead. She had been working so hard her entire life to get bits and pieces of Cultivation Techniques, yet this little rascal could obtain anything she wanted. Mei recovered after another half a day. "So it costs you these ''Skill Points''?" Aiko nodded. "Mm, That''s how I got quite a bit." Of course, she wouldn''t give full credit to the system since the system was too stingy. "What else can it do?" Mei narrowed her eyes, in front of Aiko was strange energy and she was playing with that energy. "I can see my strengths and weaknesses and if I find the thing I''m looking for in the shop it will tell me what it does. I also can store things inside, but it seems it''s very limited, I can''t store carcasses or anything that is from this world." Aiko answered. "You can see how strong you are?" Mei strained her eyes and she almost had another heart attack. ''Isn''t that Providence?! She is playing with Providence!'' Mei finally figured out what was that strange energy in front of Aiko. "You shouldn''t use that," Mei said seriously. "If you use it too much it will drain your ####." Aiko tilted her head, another strange word. "No! I will use it!" Aiko pulled her tongue out at the stinky Fox. "You... seriously! I''m serious when I say that it will hurt you!" Mei had a headache, now that Aiko could talk she was more and more disobedient. "No! It won''t hurt me! N¨¹wa promised me!" Aiko shouted at the stinky Fox. Mei took quite some time to process what Aiko said. "I beg your pardon?" Aiko hmpfed. "N¨¹wa Blessed me!" Aiko crossed her small arms. This time Mei really fainted. "Oh..." Aiko stared at the mean Fox puzzled. [Congratulations! You have obtained a new Title: [One Who makes Immortal Faint]!] [One Who makes Immortal Faint] [Immortals have a hard time staying conscious in your presence.] "Hmpf... At least the shitty system gives me some good things." Aiko snorted but was happy inside. "What am I going to do with this..." She stared at Mei tilting her head. "Right, let''s move her so I can sleep again~" Aiko hummed, she could easily move this stinky Fox as she was much stronger and then nestled on her tails yet again. ... Mei woke up, she felt heavy and listless. ''She just said the name of Sage... Nothing bad will happen... right?'' [Nothing will happen to you, my child.] A gentle soothing voice drifted into Mei''s mind and she freaked out. [Calm down, I really like the little one and since you also like her, there is no reason for us to do this kind of thing. We are both old and wise.] It felt like that voice was smiling. Mei felt calm which scared her even more and she was thinking about breaking the taboo... ''N¨¹wa?'' Now she has done it! She broke the taboo from her fright! [Yes, child.] The voice was not angry. [But don''t tell this to others and don''t let that name escape your lips when you are out in the open.] She warned in a gentle voice. ''I know that much, Great Sage.'' Mei nodded. [Good, now take care of that child. I quite like her.] The voice giggled but then stopped. [Right, you don''t have to worry about her Providence, since she is stealing it from my Junior.] ''Isn''t that bad for your Junior?'' Mei had a bad feeling about this. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. [If that idiot would listen to me, nothing like this would happen, but now that I have taken interest in her I won''t allow her to destroy her weak Providence.] The voice said gently. ''So her Providence is weak.'' Mei narrowed her eyes. [He is an unfortunate Soul. So I will take care of him.] ''Him?'' Mei was confused. [My Junior played a prank on him, but I do not intend to change it.] ''That''s quite a severe prank.'' She snorted. [That might be true, but it also saved your little sweetie, didn''t it?] The gentle voice giggled. Mei narrowed her eyes. ''####, right?'' The voice giggled again, but this time it was another giggle. [Senior we should also give her, AU AU AU!] [You have not learned yet you little rascal!] Those voices faded away and Mei''s lips twitched, why did this exchange feel so familiar... She stared back on her tails and Aiko was peacefully sleeping there. The Queen sighed but caressed her again. "5 more minutes." ''Yes, that''s how this is supposed to go...'' Mei already gave up chastising her little one. ''But now we are tied with Karma, I have to be more careful...'' Mei''s Providence was huge and hard to shake, but Aiko''s Providence was weak. It was like comparing a burning forest to a candlelight. "What do you want, mean Fox?" Aiko frowned, she wanted to sleep more. "It''s time for Food." Mei smiled, seeing Aiko salivate. "But you have to be a good girl." She petted Aiko. "But it must be delicious!" Aiko negotiated. "Fine." Mei didn''t reject her. ... The Queen created a feast for Aiko and Aiko drooled a lot. She stuffed her cheeks with meat, looking like a hamster. Mei was looking at Aiko affectionately and pushing more and more food in front of her. [Congratulations! You have obtained a new Title: [Glutton]!] [Glutton] [You get greater benefits from eating food. The more food you taste the better this effect. (Current Effect x1.23)] "Shitty system! I''m not a glutton!" Aiko protested. "You are, it would take me a few days to eat so much." Mei said gently. Aiko frowned. "You just don''t have an appetite!" She was defending herself. Mei didn''t say anything and waited for her to finish. "Do you have a way to obtain the full script of [Heavenly Suppression Technique]?" Mei asked. "Yes, but it costs too much." Aiko munched on her meat. "I see..." The Queen frowned, but she could just use ''that'' to offset the cost. "I will teach you about the [Heavenly Suppression Technique], you need to learn it in 2 days, but you don''t need to master it." Mei slowly explained. "I will offset the cost of your techniques, it will still cost you Energy, but it won''t be as much." Mei blinked a few times. "Is the ''system'' the reason why you are prettier each time?" Aiko nodded. Mei clicked her tongue. "That thing is really great, but I won''t allow you to suck other people, understand?!" Mei had an evil smile and Aiko shivered. She nodded out of fear that the stinky Fox might do something to her. "Good." The aura disappeared like it was a lie and Aiko cursed Mei in her mind. "You won''t need to maintain this technique for long. I will teach you how to extract Souls so you can eat a few. That way it will seem like you have advanced naturally as even I can''t tell what is wrong with that tail." Mei pointed at the second tail Aiko had. "It''s because I have 2 Species." Aiko smiled, munching on the rest of the meat. "I see... so you have 2 Species." Mei nodded in understanding. "Wait! You have 2 Species?!" Mei didn''t quite understand what it meant as she never met anyone who could have those. Aiko altered her Moon form and Shadow form and it clicked for Mei. "That is great, you can have two tails because of that, that means it will be easy to reach 10-Tails." Mei nodded, proud of Aiko. Aiko looked away, it was not a good idea to tell her she had a single tail from each Species, which might mean she could have 18-Tails. She needed to learn that Heavenly thing and didn''t want her learning time to decrease by so much. "Alright, let''s go through the training for you to learn that!" Mei clapped her hands and guided Aiko inside the Den for teaching. ... [ Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 500 - 500 (Adjustable 500 - 500 -> 0 - 1,000) Species: [Shadow Fennec Fox Cub(Female, Peak of Unique, Single-Tail)] Species: [Moon Fennec Fox Cub(Female, Single-Tail(Suppressed))] Age: 0.86/100 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Peak)], [Dream Beast Kitsune(Awakened)] Bloodline: [Moon Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)] Beast Rank: Magical Beast Level: 1 -> 78 (3rd Evolution) Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], [Plushie Princess], [Shadow Thief], [Master of Sex Toys], [Gourmand], [Explorer], [Trickster], [Mischievous Cub], [Filthy RICH Den Master], [Tail Hunter], [Bath Enjoyer], [Closet Pervert], [Devourer of Vitality], [Bane of Immortal], [One Who makes Immortal Faint], [Glutton], Cultivation Technique: [Blood Tyrant Scripture], [Moon Goddess Scripture] Karma Companion(New): [Mei (Affection 12,456)] (You need to increase affection to see more) Elemental Spirit: [Seed of ####; Nurtured 24,546/100,000] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement)(*0.5-2.5 Lunar Enhancement) HP: 83,011|83,011 -> 85,107|85,107 (2pH & 0.1%pH) ST: 83,127|83,127 -> 86,609|86,609 (3pH & 0.1%pH) Vitality: 34,117|41,556 -> 37,117|43,143 (2pH & 0.1%pH)(1pH - Gourmand) Vigour: 41,672 -> 44,645 Beast Cores(65%->50%): 2,000 -> 3,000 (35,030) Moonlight Qi: 1,000 Toughness: 41,502 -> 42,858 Strength: 41,601 -> 42,803 Agility: 41,528*1.65 -> 44,501*1.65 Dexterity: 42,702*1.5 -> 44,520*1.5 Mind: 42,605*1.05 -> 52,354*1.1 Insight: 32,040 Soul: 33,030 Beauty: 45,530*1.5 -> 155,804*1.5 Luck: 44,699*1.01 -> 53,986*1.01 Stat Points: 1,371 -> 1,686 Skill Points: 2,287 -> 2,602 Elemental Affinity: [Moon - 1], [Shadow - 3], [Earth - 9], [Soul - ####] Martial Arts: [Lightness Technique] Martial Ability: [The Ever Shaping Cauldron: - ; -/-], [Heavenly Suppression Technique(Prototype, Incomplete)] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####], [Soul Palace], [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)], [Moon''s Eyes], [Moon''s Crust] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered], [Lunar Bath: Lv.1], [Earthen Walk: Lv.5], [Appraisal: Lv.1] Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.2], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Lunar Enhancement: Lv.1], [Agility Mastery: Lv.4], [Intention Perception: Mastered], [Basic Presence Concealment: Lv.3] Skills: [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Lacerate: Lv.3], [Sprint: Mastered], [Quick Double Jump: Lv.5], [Camouflage: Lv.1], [Meditation: Mastered], [Nurture: Mastered] Passive Skills: [Stealth: Lv.1], [Health Recovery: Mastered], [Stamina Recovery: Mastered], [Prehensile Tail: Mastered], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Thermal Regulation: Lv.1], [Intimidation: Mastered], [Vitality Recovery: Mastered], [Linguistics: Lv.9], [Swimming: Lv.1], [Enhanced Climbing: Lv.6], [Enhanced Basic Senses: Mastered], [Enhanced Mind: Lv.1->2], [Enhanced Beauty: Mastered], [Four Leaf Clover: Lv.1], [Assassin Mastery: Lv.1], [Calligraphy Mastery: Mastered], [Dexterous Fingers: Mastered], [Inscription Mastery: Lv.9], [Alchemy Mastery: Lv.1] Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], [Blessing of N¨¹wa], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x15], [Skill Coupon x2], [Skill Combination Coupon x4], [Cultivation Gift], [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Crystal 25,000]x2, [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Stone 100,000]x2, [Sub-Profession Coupon x2], [Divine Ability Gift], [Sub-Profession Coupon(Servant)], [Cultivation Gift(Servant)], [Ability Coupon], [Bloodline Gift], [Bloodline Gift(Servant)], [Ability Combination Coupon x2], [Profession Coupon], [Karma Bound] ] Chapter 74 – Aiko’s Eloquent Speech They arrived at the plaza of the Inscription Association. Aiko had the constant feeling of being watched and she didn''t like that at all. "This place is no good." Aiko grabbed Mei''s clothes. "Well..." Mei had similar thoughts, but since they were already here might as well exploit her prowess to get some goodies. "At first you were supposed to stay at the Inscription Hall for 3 months and learn from each other, but since you are a month late, we won''t be extending that time." The Patriarch said staring at the pretty Fox and Rune Fox. "Better for us, this place smells bad." Mei stared at the Patriarch and said in a normal voice. A few Elders frowned, but they couldn''t say anything as it was not their turn yet. "That is true, we don''t have that many disciples and when we do they don''t like cleaning." The Patriarch agreed. He despised cleaning, so he never cleaned his place. Aiko stared around. Except for the Patriarch with blond hair, everyone had black or brown hair. He had such a unique and blinding colour that he stood out. This plaza was located on one of the 3 peaks of this place. Each peak was shrouded in mist and it was quite a magical sight, but even that magical sight couldn''t make up for the bad smell. "It smells like shit..." Aiko commented. The Fox Elders smiled faintly. They couldn''t say anything, because they didn''t dare, but that didn''t mean the Jade Fox with her Mate couldn''t say anything. "Sweetie you have to understand that not everyone likes to bathe." Mei smoothed Aiko''s hair. "Stinky Humans." Aiko nodded adding another insult. The Human Elders were already red from rage, but they really couldn''t go against Rune Cultivator. If they caused discomfort to their Patriarch, they would surely lose their heads. The Patriarch chuckled. "That is quite the strong opinion." He was smiling and not smiling at the same time. "As strong as your odour." Aiko frowned and waved her hand in front of her nose to clear the air. *Pfft* Some Fox Elders finally couldn''t endure it and strange noises left their mouths. The Patriarch no longer smiled. "I''m only interested in you because of your Runes." "See? Now that is something I can agree with, at least you are no longer talking rubbish." Aiko nodded smiling. Mei was having a tough time ignoring the popping veins on the Patriarch''s face. She really wanted to laugh, but at the same time, she didn''t want to trouble her sweetie, since she was looking forward to learning more Runes. The Patriarch turned around with hmpf, followed by the Human Elders. Wei came towards the Jade Fox and said. "I have no intention to protect you." "Why would you protect us?" Aiko spat at him. "At best you might be a good chair, but that''s about it you bald fuc-" Mei finally couldn''t endure it and covered Aiko''s mouth, she would have a really hard time keeping a calm face with Aiko''s slippery mouth. Wei''s forehead twitched in a similar fashion to that of the Patriarch. "Don''t think I won''t dare to hur-Ujhlksdg" Wei foamed from his mouth. Aiko blew on her small fist that cracked those eggs at a speed incomparable to before. Mei laughed loudly patting Aiko''s back. "Nice, nice! Let''s go." Aiko nodded and walked with the Jade Fox. The nearby haughty servants turned obedient within moments and guided them around. They told them about history and whatnot, but Aiko wasn''t listening, she was looking around at the vast expanses of forest and mountains. It was a truly magical sight, she wished she could see this from above, flying through the clouds. They were guided into their side of the Inscription Hall but were stopped halfway by the Human Inscription Cultivators. "Oh my, isn''t that those vixens? And here I thought they gave up and tucked their tails between their legs." A very irritating female voice assaulted their ears. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Aiko hated those high-pitched voices, the Princess''s voice was of higher pitch, but it was not grating on the ears, she had quite the smooth voice. Aiko observed the situation where Foxes bickered with Human Cultivators. Both sides flared their Qi, but it had no effect on Aiko and she immediately lost interest. She stared around, this place was completely huge, there were massive ornated pillars supporting the roof, but even then this felt like one of those old cathedrals built by Great Architects. She sneaked away from the ground, but Mei still watched her. She looked around the pillars. All of them were carved with dragons and phoenixes, some even had some Inscriptions engraved, but those were mostly to increase the durability and were too boring for Aiko. She sniffed the air, but there was too much dust and she sneezed. "Kya!" A body rushed towards her, much faster than what Aiko could manage in her Human form and trapped her between huge soft pillows. "I have never seen something so cute before." She smothered Aiko, but Aiko didn''t like her, she smelled too bad. *Poof* She turned into Fox and dashed away at top speed, startling that person. "Wait! This Elder wants to play with you~!" She giggled excitedly. Aiko rushed away from this weirdo and into Mei''s embrace. She was safe there. Mei was looking at her holding back the smile that was creeping up on her face, she was really happy that Aiko would find her whenever she was troubled. This meant that Aiko thought about her a lot. Mei smiled. "What''s wrong?" "This place smells alright, but it''s filled with dust and weirdos..." Aiko murmured, burying her head in Mei''s arms. "Certainly the smell is better, but there are too many weirdos." Mei agreed and broke away from the group, she never liked these kinds of rivalries. It was useless. Even if you prove to them that you are strong, someone will always be stronger, if you don''t spend time polishing your craft you will be left behind while doing something as pointless as challenging others. "Challenging others is only useful when you have met obstacles during your Cultivation. It can help you achieve enlightenment, but you should not rely on it. The more powerful the person is, the less likely he will want to fight you, so if you can''t solve those obstacles by yourself, eventually you will be left behind." Mei spoke gently. Aiko nodded. The better they were the higher their pride was and the less likely would be to help you, why would they help you if it would decrease their Fame? Or what if they were defeated? They would lose face and nobody in this world wants that. Mei walked around pointing at things and teaching Aiko Inscription Techniques. "This one had the Purity, Durability and Qi Gathering." "Why the last one?" Aiko suddenly asked. "Do you remember that table that you have disintegrated?" Mei asked gently and giggled when Aiko frowned. "At that time I thought that the Elders would eat me alive from their looks." Aiko really didn''t like those stares at that time. "Because that Rune was too powerful, everything in this world has Qi inside, some have more and some less, but if you overdraw Qi from it they will turn into dust. As it happened with that table, the Rune was too powerful and thus ''swallowed'' that table." Mei explained. "Aha, so it''s to gather that Qi and use it as some sort of battery to power the rest of the Runes." Aiko nodded in understanding. "Battery?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "Do you need to draw that as first Rune or is it fine to do it last?" Aiko changed the topic as she only knew the word, but didn''t know from where she knew it. She only knew that a battery is used to store energy, but didn''t know how it looked, what kind of energy it stored or what it did. "You would need to finish all the Runes at once if you want to draw it as last, so it''s advised to do it at first or at least middle, of course, the Runic Array would be stronger if it was last, but some things take months to create and you won''t be able to keep that much energy in your Beast Core." Mei was very enthusiastic whenever she taught Aiko. Aiko nodded, she wouldn''t be able to create things for months at a time, so it would be better to make blueprints. "What we will be doing here?" Aiko asked as they were not on the ground. Mei found a small courtyard and settled down near a pond with Koi fish inside. Aiko stared at those beautiful fish but then turned her attention back. Mei was smiling. ''She has good concentration, this place has the bewitching Array so it was surprising that she was not affected as much.'' Mei was unaware that Aiko had a powerful Mind coupled with Soul. Only some things would be able to affect her. "I will be teaching you about Runes, as there is no need to compete with others." Mei smiled. Aiko nodded in understanding. "I don''t believe that anyone in here can beat you." Mei narrowed her eyes. "You think so?" "Except me of course." Aiko proudly lifted her nose high up and Mei laughed. "I''m looking forward to our duel." She was still giggling while caressing Aiko''s fur. Aiko turned back into her Human form and tapped the Sect Token, dressing her up. "Let''s start the learning, it will get boring soon." Aiko already heard voices approaching. "Which place do you like the most?" Mei asked, also noticing those voices. "Something with a nice view?" Aiko tilted her head. She didn''t know herself as she spent too much time in Dens and was not used to normal houses. "Then let''s take that one." Mei pointed at the most secluded place, but also the largest. Aiko turned around to look, that place was really secluded and there was something strange about it, but she couldn''t put her finger on it. "That place has Qi Gathering Array." Mei told her and Aiko looked at her strangely. "Isn''t that Array supposed to, you know, gather Qi?" Aiko frowned, that place was completely deserted of Qi. "That is only the case when they are not using the Reversing Array. It turns Qi Gathering Array into Qi Repelling Array." Mei smiled. "Then why do you want to go there?" Aiko didn''t understand. "Because with a few tweaks, we can return it back to the Qi Gathering Array, and since that Qi Gathering Arrays is huge we will have plenty of Qi to create stuff." Mei''s eyes were sparkling with mischief and she couldn''t help but lick her sweet, tiny lips. Aiko nodded, not quite understanding what was so good about it. Mei giggled. "If we gather enough Qi we can experiment with Runes more, didn''t you want to create that strange massage chair?" She smoothed Aiko''s hair. Aiko''s eyes shined this time. She really wanted to create that chair as she experienced it in the past and she even couldn''t forget it, but the mechanism was too difficult for her so she had to consult with Mei. "Mei? I like you~" Aiko hugged Mei and Mei was startled. The last time she got so much affection was from her previous Mate, she was really weak to these kinds of advances. "I like you too." She murmured and the group arrived behind them. Chapter 75 – Qi Paradise "This place is too shabby!" The Blazing Fox said with a frown. "There is not enough Qi, I feel too weak." The Glacial Fox agreed. "You finally arrived," Mei said with a smirk. "We are taking that place." She pointed at the secluded courtyard with very extremely thin Qi. Nobody protested against it. They were happy that they didn''t need to take the place with the least amount of Qi. Mei licked her lips, she will have to brush up on low-ranked Arrays and raise the Rank of this Array while removing the other Arrays. Aiko was also smiling, she also didn''t like this place, but since the mean Fox said it like that it should be alright. She took out her Jade slips and learned more Runes, while Mei was tweaking the Array. "Is it that easy to tweak it?" Aiko asked with curiosity in her voice. "Yes, they didn''t try to infuse it with part of their Soul and since we are in the eye of the formation that is unguarded I can easily change how this Array behaves." She smiled from ear to ear. This Array was very low in Rank but had quite a large zone of influence. If she tweaked it correctly they would be swimming in Qi, while depriving everyone else of their Qi. She laughed sinisterly and a shiver went up Aiko''s spine. She couldn''t create any Runes since this place was deprived of Qi and she didn''t want to use those materials as one-time use objects. Now that she knew how to create and connect Runes she would always start with the Qi Gathering Rune so her experiments could last longer. Aiko felt the Qi returning already and stared at Mei. "Done?" "Not yet." Mei said gently, she only removed the reversing Array but didn''t restart the Qi Gathering Array. She would have to make some changes and tweaks. Aiko stared at the fired up Mei and tilted her head. She had never seen her with such a devilish smile. She wondered if her previous kind and gentle mean Fox was a lie... Aiko returned to writing down Runes, but something felt off. "Why are the Runes that were on the Vase so different?" Aiko asked Mei who was focusing on her work. "Because they used fluid motions and tweaked the Rune a bit, I will teach you about it once I finish this." She was fiddling with the Array while licking her lips. ... Aiko was near Mei and observed her, the Array was almost finished, but it was strange. "The symbols are the same?" Aiko tilted her head. "Correct." Mei smiled. "Inscriptions, Arrays and Formations use the same set of Runes, but you place them in different sequences and with different connections. Inscriptions use Ink, Arrays use Chalk, while Formations use precious materials or Formation Stones." Aiko nodded. She could understand some Runes but had a hard time understanding why they were in such weird places. "Let''s not talk about Arrays for now." Mei moved back to the table where Aiko was writing down Runes. "The Rune for Strength looks like this." Mei wrote it with a stiff hand and it looked exactly like what Aiko was doing. "But you can also Inscribe it like this." Mei''s motion became incredibly fluid and Aiko was staring at her like she was creating some kind of painting. "It''s crooked." Aiko pointed at the Rune that flew well but also looked crooked. "Making the Rune fluid is difficult, but it magnifies it''s power." Mei said gently. "I see..." Aiko narrowed her eyes. ''Isn''t that just using cursive though?'' ''What if I used real Calligraphy on it? I have that skill...'' Aiko smiled. She practised Rune Inscribing in front of Mei. Mei... wanted to run away. ''Why is she so good when I just show it to her?!'' She was doubting the time she had to spend to adjust one Rune and felt a headache. ''I have spent thousands of years just to master all the professions, but she just had to do that.'' Mei felt tired looking at the smiling Aiko and the beautiful-looking Runes she was creating. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Then insane thought surfaced in her mind. "You wouldn''t happen to be able to read Runes, right?" Her mind stilled. ''Please tell me I''m wrong...'' "Sure I can, but only some." Aiko smiled, looking at Mei who was about to faint once again. "Y-you can read them?!" Mei only knew about one person who could read Runes and that powerhouse pretty much ruled one whole continent in the upper world. Mei had sweaty palms. She would never imagine that her little sweetie could do this... "Is it bad?" Aiko stared innocently at Mei but was laughing inside. ''Yes! That expression! I will pay you back!'' She was laughing in glee, not realizing that her hair turned black and her alignment deteriorated. Mei sighed. "You just increased in value." Mei was serious and was considering leading the Foxes to wipe out Humans so that they would not a threat to Aiko. ''If we could create another Rune God, that could mean we could rope in that old bastard and have an easier time in the upper world.'' Mei smiled, she knew that her Sect would collapse as they relied too much on her and with her boy toys betrayal... ''It will be difficult for my Sect, but if I only take a few thousand years to ascend it shouldn''t be that bad.'' She hoped that she would be able to scavenge the remains of her Sect and boost her powers through relics. ''We will be too weak once we ascend, we will have to rely on relics, but most relics in lower worlds will be ineffective in the upper worlds.'' Mei frowned, there was still a long journey ahead. ''I will also have to protect once she ''shatters'' her Beast Cores to obtain proper Human Form.'' She sighed rubbing her temples. She hugged Aiko who was practising and pondered upon things she had to do. Aiko was Inscribing all the Runes she was able to read. There were about 20 Runes, but fortunately, all of them were very good and versatile, especially the Qi Gathering one. She would be able to create more complex Rune Inscriptions. Mei returned to the Arrays to give it a few finishing touches. *Shine* The huge Array shined, it was powered up. A huge flood of Qi assaulted their courtyard. It was getting thicker and thicker, you could almost smell the Qi in the air and light fog settled around their whole wing. 10cm from the ground was another Qi fog. Mei stared at the curious Aiko who was kicking the Qi fog. She was enjoying herself as it felt like she was walking through the clouds. Aiko smiled, she picked up bucked to scoop some of this strange fog, but it dispersed the moment it reached above 10cm from the ground. "Why does it do that?" Aiko asked Mei. "The concentration of Qi is much denser closer to the ground, so dense that it creates that fog, but once you move above ground where the Qi is not as dense it will disperse to maintain equilibrium." Mei gently explained. "Does it mean we can do more experiments if we write Runes inside fog?" Aiko asked curiously, it was obvious what she was looking forward to. "Yes, but you don''t have Divine Sense so it''s difficult to see through the fog." Mei smiled at the pouting Aiko. "When can I get Divine Sense?" Aiko asked. "You can now, but you have to practise a lot to obtain powerful enough Divine Sense to penetrate Qi fog, it''s better to focus on Runes for now." Mei guided Aiko towards the best possible outcome. Aiko nodded, not satisfied about it, but she had her own plan. She used [Lacerate] on the low table legs to make it even lower. Low enough that the fog barely covered it. Now she could use some of the Qi fog for her experiments, but not enough that it would cover her sight. She smiled from ear to ear and Mei sighed. "Where are we going to eat?" Aiko stiffened. They only had one low table and that one low table turned into a platform for experiments. "Can''t you levitate it with Divine Sense?" Aiko asked innocently trying to divert her guilt. Mei gently flicked Aiko''s forehead. "Divine Sense is not a toy to use like that." Aiko pouted. "Then let''s just take another table from other courtyards." Aiko puffed her cheeks. "What where they will eat?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "They won''t?" Aiko tilted her head. "From what I understood we are the only ones eating things." The Spiritual Cuisine that could improve one''s Beast Core was expensive that most Foxes wouldn''t be able to afford it. As such most Foxes like Humans used Fasting Pills to sate their hunger. "That is true." Mei kept her neutral expression. "But who will you take it from?" She smiled in a mean manner. "I have an idea." Aiko stood up and left the courtyard. ... She finally spotted one red tail going around the corner and followed it. Aiko''s hair was black so she had barely any presence. She tailed the Blood Fox until they arrived at her courtyard and Aiko spotted a nice low table. She moved towards the low table picking it up without a sound and turning around. Their eyes met one with confusion and the other with shock. Aiko fiddled with her toes. This was an awkward situation... "Umm..." Aiko didn''t know what to say now that she was caught during the act. The Blood Fox still had a confused expression. "Do you need that table?" Aiko hummed and nodded. Her hair changed back to the colour of the moon from embarrassment. She now felt kind of bad about it, now that her alignment turned more neutral. "Um... would you like to eat with us?" Aiko couldn''t meet her gaze and murmured. "Eat?" The Blood Fox was confused. ''They don''t have their own table?'' Aiko coughed at that piercing gaze. "Well... this and that happened..." She tried to avoid the responsibility. "What we will be eating?" The Blood Fox asked. "Meat!" Aiko beamed. The Blood Fox stared strangely at this little thief and wondered what happened to that table. ''I will know once I arrive there.'' "Then lead the way." The Blood Fox smiled gently hiding her emotions. Aiko runs back with Blood Fox following her. Aiko arrived. "I have the table!" She beamed. Mei massaged her temples. ''She really went ahead and stole it... and why is that Passion Fox following her?'' This situation was stranger and stranger. The Blood Fox met Mei''s gaze. "That would be my table." She gently murmured towards Mei. Mei sighed. "Did she get caught?" "By accident, I didn''t know about her." The Blood Fox felt bitter, she was quite proud about her detection as she was able to gauge one''s emotions quite well, but she wasn''t able to detect this little one. "She promised you something once she got caught?" Mei thought as that was the only reason why would the Blood Fox come here. "Yes. I will burden you with my meal." The Blood Fox smiled. Mei felt tired. "Seriously..." The Blood Fox stared around, the Qi in here was thick and there was even a light fog. "Do you mind if I stay here?" The Passion Fox asked the Jade Fox. "As long as you don''t disturb us or the Qi in the air." Mei narrowed her eyes at the Passion Fox. "That is fine, my courtyard lacks Qi and I feel uncomfortable." She squirmed. "You are more susceptible to charm as you are a Demonic Beast." Mei gestured. "Each courtyard has Charm Formation." The Blood Fox frowned. "Filthy Humans..." Mei didn''t say anything and stared at the Passion Fox who froze, she followed her gaze and arrived at the ''modified'' low table. Mei coughed. "You can take any room you want." The Blood Fox didn''t say anything and only smiled, now she understood why they needed a table. Chapter 76 – Blood Fox vs Jade Fox "Why are you looking at her like that?" Mei asked the Blood Fox. "What am I looking at?" The Blood Fox played innocent. Mei pressured her with her Soul. "Ugh..." The Blood Fox winced. "I feel calm around her. There are no voices." Mei narrowed her eyes. "I see..." ''Some Bloodlines might do that, I should ask my sweetie about her Bloodlines later.'' Mei nodded. "She is still mine, don''t get too close." Mei warned the Blood Fox. "I''m not doing anything." The Blood Fox''s robe slid revealing her jade shoulders and plentiful bosom. Mei glared. ''Should I just rip her chest?'' "Mean Fox." Aiko tip-toed towards Mei. "I''m not mean!" Mei who already had her feeling thin yelled. "Yes, you are." Aiko didn''t care and showed her the Runes she created. "What do you think?" The Blood Fox was observing them with interest, she would never imagine that the Jade Fox would be so attentive to someone. "Is that part of the blueprint?" Mei asked seeing the vibration Runes. "I never asked but what is the massage chair supposed to do?" "Massage..." The Blood Fox murmured staring at the questionably smart Jade Fox. Mei shot her a glare. "Massage." Aiko blinked. "How is that supposed to massage?" Mei used the vibration Rune on many things, but massages weren''t one of them. Aiko tilted her head. "Relieve muscle pain?" She tried to explain to the best of her abilities, but she didn''t know quite well why she wanted that chair. It was just that the chair would be very nice to have. "Then we need Runes that amplify only certain parts. We can gauge the muscle strain with this and..." Aiko''s Mind steeled itself for the barrage of information, luckily she had a Mind incomparable to before so she was able to take it all in. ... "You should also add this Rune." Mei continued explaining. "But I can''t string so many Runes, at most I was able to do 3 before it crumbled." Aiko pouted. "You need to train more if you want that chair." Mei smoothed Aiko''s hair. She had a hard time not to play with her large ears. Aiko nodded. "I will do my best." She walked away and the Blood Fox and Jade Fox exchanged looks. "What?" Mei glared at her. "Nothing." Blood Fox looked away. Mei was really irritated by the cow tits. She really wanted to tear them off and feed them to her but restrained herself just in case Aiko liked her. ''I don''t see what is so amazing about this Fox.'' Mei clicked her tongue. The Blood Fox had a calm temperament and felt less seductive than when she arrived here. This surprised Mei as she couldn''t experiment well on Demonic beings in the upper world. ''I might test a few things on her.'' Mei thought and returned to her Arrays. ... Aiko was writing Runes in the dense fog. She had to wave her hands to spread some of the Fog and then go by a feeling, but because of that, she was able to create more elaborate Rune Inscriptions. ''They last longer even without the Qi Gathering Rune.'' Aiko smiled. ''But I still need to so I can expand it further. The Qi Gathering Rune stops the Qi flow for a moment before spreading it into the object, but that slight pause also stops other Runes. That is the reason why you need to have the Qi Gathering and Qi Storing Runes as the last ones.'' Aiko fiddled with the pen. Especially some other amplification Runes are very sensitive to the Qi flow. They might break the Inscription if they don''t have a steady income of Qi. ''I still don''t understand how the Storage Rings and Pouches work...'' Aiko frowned. It was difficult to understand. With Inscriptions, she was able to expand the space, but it consumed so much Qi that it wouldn''t be sustainable in the long run, making Storage Rings useless. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ''I still need more Runes and a better understanding of Runes.'' Aiko thought. She then looked backwards. ''It''s not peaceful in here...'' She stared at her mean Fox who was intimidating Blood Fox with multiple Pills. ''... I wonder if she will push her down...'' Aiko had a funny thought, but dispersed it right after. ''I should focus on Runes. I can also feel getting smarter over time and there is less pressure from my desires.'' Aiko was somewhat aware of her changes, but she was unaware that those changes came from her soul recovering. She created more and more complex Inscriptions. ''I wonder when I can get more tails... it''s nice to sit on them... good cushions.'' Aiko smiled caressing her tails. She was not as cold as before since those tails were fluffy enough to block the coldness of the floor. ''It''s still strange that I can feel cold with 40,000+ Toughness...'' Aiko sighed. Suddenly Mei stormed near Aiko. "You like me the best right?" Mei had a distressed expression. ''Is there anyone else I should like more?'' Aiko tilted her head. ''Maybe the Grandmaster, but she doesn''t allow me to sleep on her tails.'' ''The Blood Fox has a nice tail, but she doesn''t have more so it''s a bit difficult to sleep properly.'' Aiko thought. "Yes." Aiko nodded. "Good, good." Mei exhaled in relief. "How do I do this?" Aiko pointed at the Runes. She would use this opportunity to learn more. ... ''They are bickering again.'' She stared at Mei and the Blood Fox. ''They sway quite nicely...'' Aiko was momentarily distracted. ''I can''t think straight when they fight, too many things are squished...'' Aiko sighed leaving the courtyard. The next large courtyard was of the other Foxes. ''They are still fighting...'' Aiko stared at the Blazing Fox and Glacial Fox. ''I don''t understand why they are always fighting.'' Aiko shook her head. She moved further. "Ah~ Senior Sister. Yes. Right there." ''Alright, not this place.'' Aiko turned around walking away from that place. ''So they either fight or fuck... How am I supposed to rest if I either hear grunts or moans...'' Aiko had a headache. ''Let''s look outside of this wing.'' Aiko stared at the conspicuous gate. "Are you leaving?" One Peak Elder asked. "Mm." Aiko hummed. "I can''t rest when they are constantly bickering." The Elder caressed his beard. "It''s good to get used to it since you will be doing that later." The Elder advised her. "I''m good, can I leave." Aiko was not interested in this. She felt no lust, just curiosity. The Elder sighed. ''What an innocent cub.'' "Of course, you can leave, but be careful about the treacherous Humans." He warned her. "Thank you." Aiko cupped her fists like the others did and left the place. ... ''There is so little Qi.'' Aiko looked around. ''That Array must be good.'' Aiko praised Mei in her heart. She didn''t notice someone was behind her and grabbed her. She didn''t feel threatened so she just looked around as she was being dragged. "Senior Sister! I have captured one Vixen whore!" The girl was ecstatic. The other Cultivators looked at her and one beautiful girl came towards Aiko. ''Why are her eyes shining?'' Aiko wanted to tilt her head, but couldn''t since she was grabbed by the head. *Slap* "S-senior Sister?" The girl didn''t understand what was happening. "I''m Bao Ai." The beautiful girl smiled caressing Aiko''s hair. "Why did she drag me here?" Aiko didn''t say her name, it was not important, she was just curious. "This..." Bao Ai was troubled. "Just let her join us for the time being." The handsome youth shook his head. "Guo Hai..." Bao Ai was even more troubled. "What? It''s not like she can run." He snorted. ''It feels like I have arrived in front of a bird brain.'' Aiko sighed. "That... you don''t mind joining us...?" Bao Ai was distressed. Aiko looked around. ''They have quite a few Runes around, let''s observe for now, it''s much more peaceful than that brothel...'' Aiko thought nodding. "Great!" The girl clapped her hands and dragged Aiko between multiple Female Cultivators. ''Why does every Cultivator have a buxom body?'' Aiko couldn''t understand. "Kyuaa! She is so cute!" One girl screamed in her heart. "She has soft and nice hair." Another was already combing her hair. "Her hands are so tiny!" Another was playing with her fingers. ''Are... all Cultivators this weird?" Aiko stiffened from the attention. Fortunately, she had hidden the second tail otherwise they might play even with that. "What is the fuss about?" Guo Hai spat. "Oh shut up, will you? You, sweaty muscle heads smell so bad and pollute the air around, at least let us enjoy this nice Fox." One girl from the group spat on him. "Heh! You think I won''t do anything to you, just because you are fellow Disciple?" Guo Hai snorted. "You would hurt us." Bao Ai agreed. "But that also means your faction would never obtain our Inscribed tools/clothes." She smirked. "Ugh!" His face distorted but left them be. "Ignore that smelly bastard. How are you?" Bao Ai asked. ''Too much sex...'' Aiko''s inner thoughts almost spilt. "It''s bothersome, I want to practice Runes in peace." Aiko spilt the other inner thoughts. The girls paused. "Y-you practice Runes?!" They were all greatly shocked. "What Rank are you at? How many Runes do you know? How complex can you make the Inscription?-" Aiko was assaulted with a barrage of questions and she was overwhelmed by the attention. ... "She is really good." One girl murmured. "Her Calligraphy is beautiful." Another girl murmured. "I wonder if she already has a partner?" Bao Ai murmured. The others looked at the shameless Bao Ai and frowned. "Do you think she will like you just because you are [Inscription Adept]?!" "We saw her first!" "I will have you know that I''m almost [Inscription Master]!" Bao Ai rebuked them. "I''m still a cub." Aiko frowned, she had a hard time not cursing them, but this was good training for her because- [Enhanced Mind: Lv.2->3] "Y-you are cub?!" One girl screamed. "There is no way you are cub!" Another tried to deny reality. "Her writing is too beautiful... to think she was so young." Bao Ai was the only one who took it well. ''She has talent in Calligraphy and her hands are steady. She will be able to achieve great things if she grows well.'' Bao Ai had that silly thought about kidnapping her and raising her as an Inscriptions Cultivator. Aiko sighed. This place was even more bothersome than that moaning bunch. She rolled her eyes. "Don''t underestimate me!" Aiko growled. The girls screamed ''Cute'' and ''how adorable'' among other things. Aiko felt concerned about her practice time. ''I will just sneak away later. ... There was a Waning Moon outside. ''It''s unfortunate that I can''t get both enhancements at the same time.'' Aiko stared at the [Shadow Enhancement] and [Lunar Enhancement]. ''Maybe I need to raise them further to be able to work constantly?'' Aiko thought. She stared at the courtyard, the Qi was constantly dropping over time, but it was slow enough that most of these Human Cultivators didn''t notice. Aiko narrowed her eyes. ''Doesn''t this mean that I will have to raise that table up in order to create more Runes?'' She was concerned that the Qi fog was much higher than previously. Aiko looked at her body and frowned. ''If this continues doesn''t that mean I will be swimming in the fog?'' Chapter 77 – Aiko’s ‘Awakening’ Aiko walked throughout the night, she was not in a hurry as she was enjoying the caress of the shadows. ''They are running around so much...'' Aiko stared at the old guys running around. ''I bet they are furious about the ambient Qi.'' Aiko smirked, the ambient Qi dropped by a lot right now. Aiko arrived at their courtyard. "You scum! We will truly kill your Mate if you don''t deactivate that Array!" One guy screamed at Mei. Mei sipped tea. "I don''t know what you mean. This Array was already here." She smiled mischievously. "You! Don''t you care about your Mate?!" That old guy screamed again. Aiko stared at them. ''So they tried to kidnap us to solve the issue they themselves caused?'' She was confused. She moved in the shadows and settled on Mei''s tails. ''Well no matter, let''s sleep for now.'' Mei''s lips twitched the moment something touched her tails, but she also felt that something had settled on them. ''So she has returned, how cute.'' Mei smiled. "Will you leave now?" "You caused this! Remember this!" He huffed and left the place with his lackeys. ''They can''t just create this Array and not expect someone to turn it around.'' Mei sighed, it seemed like she was overestimating Human Cultivators. This Array was so simple that even a beginner could tweak it, much less someone who has achieved [Array Sovereign] Title. ''And she is already asleep.'' Mei''s lips twitched again, this was the only time when her little sweetie slept so well. ... The next day Aiko woke up. Mei was creating Pills and as such moved inside the building with Aiko. She stretched and left her tails, feeling a sense of loss, but she shook off that feeling and returned to her table to practice Runes. The Blood Fox was staring at her playing in the fog. Whenever she was in her vicinity she felt at peace, but at the same time, she also felt something amiss. She couldn''t put her finger on it so she continued absorbing the Qi fog inside her body. "It''s impressive you can already use the ambient Qi." Mei commented. "It is only because the manual is simple." The Blood Fox remained humble as that technique was truly simple, but at the same time, it was difficult to gather a lot of Qi. Aiko practised Runes for a while, they didn''t bicker, but she still heard moans from the nearby courtyard. ''Let''s explore some more.'' Aiko stood up, bothered. She left the courtyard again. It was bothersome to listen to the moans, it was much more peaceful outside. The Inscription Hall was huge and had 4 wings. The North Wing was for Patriarch and Elders. The South Wing was for Association Members. The East Wing was for Inscription Cultivators Test takers. The West wing was for Foxes, who wished to take the test. It was the smallest and most humble Wing out of them. ''Or so they say.'' Aiko stared at some disciples from the shadows. She learned her lesson about Human being bothersome. She already explored the East Wing and she had no intention to explore the North Wing. ''I will explore the South Wing for a bit and then return.'' Aiko stared at her hand where an elaborate Inscription was created by Mei. ''She said it would offset the [Heavenly Suppression Technique]'' She had constantly run the [Heavenly Suppression Technique] and it didn''t consume much of her Stamina so she was happy. The South Wing was quite lavish, compared to the East and West Wing. She stared around and sniffed the air. It was smelly, like a trash can. ''Can''t believe they can live in here...'' She stared at the elaborate, but filthy halls. ''Didn''t Cultivators love cleanliness??'' Aiko was confused. She walked through the corridors. The Female Inscription Cultivators were somewhat fine, but the male versions were smelly as hell. Aiko arrived in front of huge doors and sneaked around. "The Inscription Palace will open soon." One voice said with concern. "Why now? Now that there are Foxes in here they might demand permission to enter." Another voice was angry. "Gentlemen, it is not up to us to restrict access, Runes decide everything." The Patriarch''s voice reprimanded them. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. They didn''t say anything more but were concerned about the Palace. There was a long-lost legacy that could be obtained if one had good enough Insight about Inscriptions and even if they didn''t have all that good Insight they still would be able to gain something from going inside there. "Gentlemen please sit down." The Patriarch gestured. "I''m looking forward to what those little Foxes can do." "Patriarch it is unwise to allow them to enter." The third voice voiced his opinion. "If they obtain that legacy we would be at their mercy." "It''s not like that legacy will vanish." The Patriarch said gently. He was able to obtain part of that legacy with some difficulty, but that didn''t mean that part of the legacy vanished it was still there waiting for someone fortunate enough to find it. "If they obtain it, then they obtain it. Humans should rely on Humans and Beasts should rely on other Beasts." The Patriarch commented gently. He noticed that little fluffball long ago, but didn''t say anything. He was looking forward to what this little one can achieve. It would be against his interest to expose her now. "But Patriarch, we will be left behind if they obtain it." The first voice was upset. "Just because you have poor aptitude doesn''t mean you will be able to block them forever. If we ban them from entering those grounds who knows what might happen." The Patriarch pointed at that issue. "Do you mean that Rune Fox?" The fourth voice asked Patriarch. "Yes, if we ban the Foxes from entering that place and block the Rune Fox, who knows what might happen in the future." The Patriarch spoke gently, but there was deep concern in his voice. "Can''t we just kill her?" The Second voice frowned. "Can you go against her Mate?" The Patriarch narrowed his eyes. "You mean Fairy Jade Fox?" The fifth voice spoke up and he shivered. "I will definitely be against it." "Cowards." Spat the Second voice. "You were not there when we witnessed it." The Fourth voice warned the Second voice. There was silence. It was a long silence that bored Aiko. ... She left that place thinking about that Inscription Palace. It was an interesting conversation considering it was a legacy. Legacy should be pretty amazing, it''s something that is preserved over a long time. ''Runes are fun, but I don''t think I will play with them once I create that massaging chair...'' Aiko thought. ''Maybe I will create a few Storage Rings, but... I don''t have materials nor the skill to create them.'' Aiko sighed walking with spring in her legs. She really liked the little ponds and bridges. It was so small, yet so large. A small paradise that was peaceful. ''Maybe I should create a garden like that for myself.'' Aiko pondered. ''I can let Mei set up a Sound Locking Array, creating a peaceful environment.'' She stared forward. ''It''s difficult to sleep without those tails, maybe I should use Runes for bedding and stuff.'' Aiko paused. ''That doesn''t sound like a bad idea.'' She nodded to herself and arrived in the East Wing. ''Let''s sneak around for gossip or more Rune knowledge.'' Aiko entered the East Wing unnoticed. No Elders were guarding it. They were too occupied by the Patriarch and ambient Qi deficiency. Aiko walked undisturbed. "Ah~ Senior Brother." Aiko paused. ''It''s noon...'' She felt a headache like she exited Brothel after a long night only to enter another Brothel right after. ''Seriously...'' She stared at the room where they were having sex, but something felt strange. ''Why is the Qi being pulled so vigorously?'' Aiko tilted her head. She entered the shadows and sneaked inside. Inside there was a huge male railing small petite Cultivator, but Aiko ignored that. She spotted a few books on the table and one had strange energy around it. She walked towards the table with her Assassination Skill, unnoticed by both of them. She took that strange book and left the room. She wouldn''t be able to read that book if she was in the same room as those two. It would only cause her a headache. She scouted other rooms but didn''t find anything interesting, only some male Cultivators hitting on that Bao Ai Cultivator. ''I have no interest in that.'' Aiko turned around from them, it''s their problem not hers, she was not Human and there was no need to bother with Humans. She walked from the East Wing back to the West Wing and arrived in front of Mei. "I found this. Is it useful?" Aiko presented Mei with the book. Mei glanced at Aiko, she was preparing a new batch of Herbs for Refinement. Mei glanced at the book and stiffened. A faint blush crept on her face. "Where did you find this?" Aiko narrated the place and placed the book in front of Mei. "It had this strange Energy so I bought it back." Aiko commented. Mei''s lips twitched. "Will you take anything you like?" She asked Aiko. "Of course. Didn''t you always say to grasp all opportunities?" Aiko defended herself like she had done something bad. Mei massaged her temples. ''Why do you learn those things, but not the other important parts...'' She sighed gently. "It''s Dual Cultivation Manual." Mei answered Aiko''s question. "What does it do?" Aiko asked as it piqued her interest. "When you ''Dual Cultivate'' with someone it will help you gather Qi and clean your body." Mei felt burdened by those eyes. "Can it clean my Beast Core?" Aiko asked narrowing her eyes. "Yes, it is beneficial for us Mighty Foxes." Mei smiled. "Let''s do it!" Aiko smiled. "I can purify my Beast Core this way~" She hummed. Mei froze. "I don''t think that is a good idea." Her lips were twitching. "Why not? Didn''t you spend a lot of money on those Baths? Wouldn''t this be cheaper?" Aiko barraged the mean Fox with questions. "You are too young!" Mei kicked Aiko out of her place with a red face. Aiko was confused. ''Is the Dual Cultivation so important?'' Aiko spotted the Blood Fox and ran towards her. The Blood Fox was currently drinking tea in peace. Aiko stared at the Blood Fox. ''What a picturesque body...'' "Hey hey, let''s Dual Cultivate!" Aiko smiled patting the Blood Foxes legs. *PFFFT* The Blood Fox coughed spilling the tea everywhere even on Aiko. "Ew!" Aiko frowned. The Blood Fox snapped out of her peaceful atmosphere, her mind in complete turmoil. She stared at the little Fox in disbelief. "You are too young." The Blood Fox looked away. She was also burdened by Aiko''s gaze. "Why?" Aiko pressed on. She had to understand what was happening. "Well..." The Blood Fox didn''t know how to explain it to the Cub. "Spill it!" Aiko pouted. "Dual Cultivation is mostly about sex." The Blood Fox felt compelled to answer that question, but then she covered her mouth with her hands. She felt like she did something bad. "Oh. That makes more sense now." Aiko nodded in understanding. "That would mean I would have to find some male Cultivators." She spoke to herself but was grabbed by Blood Fox. "Do not even think about it!" The Blood Fox spoke seriously. "Your Mate would kill me if she knew that I guided you like this!" She almost cried in her heart. "Oh..." Aiko tilts her head. "But you can''t have sex with the same... you know." "I understand your concern, but you are too young." The Blood Fox said firmly. "Once you grow up a little more ask your Mate again, okay? Don''t do anything rash! I want to live a long life!" The Blood Fox pleaded with Aiko. For some reason seeing that pitiful Blood Fox pleading... Aiko felt strangely good... Chapter 78 – Karma Aiko spent a lot of time playing with Runes. She was happily writing outside of Mei''s place. She was naturally banned from that place after she brought that book to Mei. Aiko pouted for a few days, but her attention was soon dispersed by the Runes and Blood Fox''s tail. ''It''s nice and smooth, but it needs more tails.'' Aiko evaluated Blood Fox. Outside their residence was stormy. Elders would come and go. Most of them were trying to pressure Mei about the Array, but once one Human Elder pushed with his Cultivation the Fox Elders acted. Now it was a nice deadlock. Those Elders couldn''t do a thing to them even if they wanted to. Aiko smiled at the bickering Elders, because of them this place was much quieter. She was enjoying the benefits and practised Inscribing until she ran out of materials. She was constantly frowning since the [Inscription Mastery] did not budge. She was still stuck at Lv.9... Aiko ignored that fact and focused on her [Calligraphy Mastery]. For some reason, she was unable to upgrade it, which caused her to frown. It seems like she will have to combine it with something else to get higher ranked Skill. Aiko thought about it since she was currently focusing on the Art side of writing. She bought [Drawing] a Passive Skill that allowed her hand to flow better and she could even create some pictures... they were still stick-like bodies, but it was progress. Since it cost only 10 points she looked at other Skills that she might want to upgrade. [Nurture] and [Meditation] could be combined into [Breath of Life], but it cost 10,000 Skill Points. [Health Recovery] + [Stamina Recovery] + [Vitality Recovery] could be combined into [Universal Recovery] for over 12 million Skill Points. Aiko stared at the combination and found it useful, so she used one [Skill Combination Coupon] instead of waiting. [You have acquired: [Universal Recovery]!] [Universal Recovery] [Passive Ability] [1st Effect; Recovers: Health, Stamina, Vitality] [####] She then clicked [Intimidation]. [Demonic Intimidation] [Enhanced Intimidation] [Pressure] She was interested in [Pressure] but soon gave up on it as she had to master it first before she could toggle it on and off. She would [Pressure] everyone constantly which was not ideal since it drained her Mental Power. [Demonic Intimidation] on the other hand was much nicer since it allowed her to keep the Intimidation effect, but also strengthen it against Demonic Beasts. [Demonic Intimidation] [Passive Skill] [Demonic beings are easier to intimidate.] The Enhance Intimidation worked overall, but she was more inclined towards the Demonic upgrade. It was definitely not for the reason that she could bully Blood Fox... definitely not! That cost her 1,000 Skill Points. Mone-Skill Points well spent! [Enhanced Beauty] could be upgraded into: [Picturesque Beauty] [Beauty Aura] [Picturesque Beauty] allowed her to increase the effect further, while [Beauty Aura] was more like a charm. It still made her beautiful, but not Stats-wise. She took the [Picturesque Beauty] as it cost only 500 instead of 5,000. [Dexterous Fingers] couldn''t be upgraded for the time being, which made Aiko sad, she quite liked to play with the Pen and it made it easier to do tricks with it. She looked through the rest, but most of them either had poor upgrades or couldn''t be upgraded so she gave up on them. ''Let''s master Drawing first.'' Aiko smiled. ... Aiko spends the month mastering [Drawing]. She didn''t even use the skills on the Blood Fox, which upset her a little bit, but it was more important to increase her attainment in Inscriptions. [Drawing] + [Calligraphy] could be combined into [Divine Calligraphy] for the simple cost of 1,5 billion Skill Points. ''Why is it so costly?!'' Aiko cried. ''It must be amazing.'' She calmed her heart and used another [Skill Combination Coupon] [Divine Calligraphy] [Passive Ability] [####] ''Fuck your mother!'' Aiko cursed. ''At least tell me what it does!'' She protested in her mind. She was angry since she spent that precious [Skill Combination Coupon], but even then she was unable to understand its greatness. ''How am I going to use it if I don''t know its effects?!'' Aiko felt lifeless. Whatever let''s just leave it there. Aiko picked up her Pen and Inscribed some Runes on the paper. She felt a strange force leaving her body. Beast Cores(50%): 2,000 -> 1,999 (34,029) ''It cost Energy to write?!'' Aiko wanted to cry, she was so dispirited that she didn''t know what to do. Previously it was enough to use Beast Core Energy to finish the Runes, but now even writing cost Energy... ''Right... there was that.'' She blankly stared towards the red tail. Aiko stood up, blending with the shadows slowly approaching that fluffy tail. The Blood Fox had a strange feeling, but couldn''t quite understand it. Aiko used [Demonic Intimidation] to completely stun the Blood Fox and then she claimed the tail. She was giggling with glee, feeling a bit better about herself. Meanwhile, the Blood Fox had also a heart attack. She was so scared when that terrific energy was released behind her that she didn''t dare to move. It took her around half an hour to finally brace herself for her doom. She turned around only to see the sleeping little Vicious Cub. She sighed in relief, all that tension was released and she almost collapsed onto that low table. ''She will give me a heart attack one of these days.'' The Blood Fox pouted, but she didn''t have anyone to protest to. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ''I want to go home brother.'' She silently cried. She was picked as the guard for the Inscription Foxes, but because her brother was about to break through he couldn''t accompany her. ''Should I return to my place?'' She suddenly thought and she thought about it longer than necessary. ''But I don''t want to lose this freedom...'' She felt dispirited. Those voices that haunted her didn''t dare to approach her when she was around this little rascal. The tension completely left her body and she drifted to sleep. ... Aiko woke up again. She didn''t have any intention of practising, so she left the Wing and strolled around. It was a peaceful noon, nobody was walking around. Aiko was puzzled. She used her superior hearing to track down some Humans. ... She found Humans gathering around some kind of round gate. She was curious so she turned completely black and used her assassination Skills to get closer. She was not spotted, except for the Patriarch, but he was too interested in her to rat her out. As such Aiko had free reign over this place as long as she was not spotted by the Elders. She sneaked around listening to the Cultivators around. This was the entrance to the Inscription Palace. Aiko was curious about this place, but they sealed it for the time being and it would open only after the Inscription Test. Aiko pouted, she was really curious about what was behind those doors. She waited around until everyone left and approached the doors. Those doors were Inscribed with countless Runes. Aiko was trying to read them when she suddenly felt startled. ''It''s language?!'' Aiko was shocked and she had a small epiphany. [Linguistics: Lv.9->Mastered] She could now read most of the Runes. ''If you wish... something something... press enter?'' Aiko tilted her head. There were too many missing Runes and she couldn''t figure out the rest, but! ''I''m too curious about these Runes to stop now.'' Aiko shyly giggled and was looking for the other Runes. She spent around 2 hours translating and looking through the countless Runes until she was able to find one strange Rune. ''It''s literally ''Enter''.'' Aiko frowned but pressed that Rune, it was now or never. The Rune was touched and glowed faintly, the whole place glowed and Aiko disappeared. ... "WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE DISAPPEARED!" Mei kicked that Elder until he was black and blue. "P-please calm down!" The Elder pleaded with the Jade Fox, but she continued kicking. "Jade Fox." The Sect Leader nodded towards her. "What?!" Mei was pissed. "Nothing happened to your Mate so please calm down." The Sect Leader tried soothing the Jade Fox. Jade Fox glared at her but didn''t say anything. She snorted and returned to her room almost destroying the doors behind her. She sat down meditating spreading her Divine Sense to find her little sweetie. ... Aiko blinked several times, she was in a dark place, but fortunately, she had [Dark Vision], so she could see everything. This place was an old stinky cave. This cave was completely covered with Runes, even the pebbles on the ground had Runes inscribed on them. Aiko read the Runes on the Pebble. ''Lot of strengthening and few I don''t know about.'' She picked up the Rune so she could play with something. She threw it into the air, but it didn''t return. *BOOM* Aiko was startled and looked up, the pebble was now lodged into the ceiling of the cave. ''What the fuck?" Aiko''s mind blanked. She stared at another one... *Kick* *Swish**BOOM* Aiko giggle. She kicked that pebble very lightly, but even then that pebble suddenly accelerated and blasted a hole into the cave wall. Aiko kicked another rock and another, until. *Kick* *Swish* *Ding**Ding**Ding**Ding**Ding**Ding**Ding**Ding* Aiko was startled as that rock ricocheted from one wall to another speeding up. At first, Aiko was able to follow that rock but it soon sped up so much that she felt dizzy. *Bang* Aiko was blasted away and felt her head splitting. -50,000HP She temporarily passed out. "Au, au, au." Aiko massaged her head. She felt like someone kicked her with the force of a cannonball. ''Next time I won''t play around...'' Tears spilt from her eyes as she felt that pain. She hated this place and hated the one who created this place! Aiko jumped up and glared at all the small pebbles. She stared at the light deep inside the tunnel and walked towards it. *Kick* *Roll* *Ding**Ding* "Well, shi-"*Bang* -10,000HP Aiko lay on the ground motionlessly. She cried rivers of tears and was unable to stand up due to the pain. ''I will definitely skewer his ass!'' Aiko cried but vowed in her heart. [ Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 0 - 1,000 (Adjustable 500 - 500 -> 0 - 1,000) Species: [Shadow Fennec Fox Cub(Female, Peak of Unique, Single-Tail)] Species: [Moon Fennec Fox Cub(Female, Single-Tail)] Age: 0.93/100 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Peak)], [Dream Beast Kitsune(Awakened)] Bloodline: [Moon Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)] Beast Rank: Magical Beast Level: 78 (3rd Evolution) Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], [Plushie Princess], [Shadow Thief], [Master of Sex Toys], [Gourmand], [Explorer], [Trickster], [Mischievous Cub], [Filthy RICH Den Master], [Babi-barian], [Tail Hunter], [Bath Enjoyer], [Closet Pervert], [Devourer of Vitality], [Bane of Immortal], [One Who makes Immortal Faint], [Glutton], Cultivation Technique: [Blood Tyrant Scripture], [Moon Goddess Scripture] Karma Companion: [Mei (Affection 12,511)] (You need to increase affection to see more) Elemental Spirit: [Seed of ####; Nurtured 24,546/100,000] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement)(*0.5-2.5 Lunar Enhancement) HP: 83,011|83,011 -> 23,100|83,011 (2->100pH & 0.1%pH) ST: 83,127|83,127 (3->100pH & 0.1%pH) Vitality: 41,556|41,556 (2->10pH & 0.1%pH)(1pH - Gourmand) Vigour: 41,672 Beast Cores(50%): 2,000 -> 1,999 (34,029) Moonlight Qi: 1,000 Toughness: 41,502 Strength: 41,601 Agility: 41,528*1.7 Dexterity: 42,702*1.5 Mind: 42,605*1.05 Insight: 32,040 Soul: 33,030 Beauty: 45,530*1.5 Luck: 44,699*1.01 Stat Points: 1,371 Skill Points: 2,287 -> 2,277 -> 1,277 -> 777 Elemental Affinity: [Moon - 1], [Shadow - 3], [Earth - 9], [Soul - ####] Martial Arts: [Lightness Technique] Martial Ability: [The Ever Shaping Cauldron: - ; -/-], [Heavenly Suppression Technique(Prototype, Incomplete)] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####], [Soul Palace], [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)], [Moon''s Eyes], [Moon''s Crust] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered], [Lunar Bath: Lv.1], [Earthen Walk: Lv.5], [Appraisal: Lv.1] Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.2], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Lunar Enhancement: Lv.1], [Agility Mastery: Lv.4], [Intention Perception: Mastered], [Basic Presence Concealment: Lv.3], [(New)Universal Recovery: Lv.1], [(New)Divine Calligraphy: Lv.1] Skills: [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Lacerate: Lv.3], [Sprint: Mastered], [Quick Double Jump: Lv.5], [Camouflage: Lv.1], [Meditation: Mastered], [Nurture: Mastered] Passive Skills: [Stealth: Lv.1], [(Removed)Health Recovery: Mastered], [(Removed)Stamina Recovery: Mastered], [Prehensile Tail: Mastered], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Thermal Regulation: Lv.1], [Intimidation: Mastered -> Demonic Intimidation: Lv.1], [(Removed)Vitality Recovery: Mastered], [Linguistics: Lv.9->Mastered], [Swimming: Lv.1], [Enhanced Climbing: Lv.6], [Enhanced Basic Senses: Mastered], [Enhanced Mind: Lv.1->3], [Enhanced Beauty: Mastered -> Picturesque Beauty: Lv.1], [Four Leaf Clover: Lv.1], [Assassin Mastery: Lv.1], [(Removed)Calligraphy Mastery: Mastered], [Dexterous Fingers: Mastered], [Inscription Mastery: Lv.9], [Alchemy Mastery: Lv.1], [(Removed)Drawing: Lv.1->Mastered], Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], [Blessing of N¨¹wa], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x15], [Skill Coupon x2], [Skill Combination Coupon x4->x2], [Cultivation Gift], [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Crystal 25,000]x2, [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Stone 100,000]x2, [Sub-Profession Coupon x2], [Divine Ability Gift], [Sub-Profession Coupon(Servant)], [Cultivation Gift(Servant)], [Ability Coupon], [Bloodline Gift], [Bloodline Gift(Servant)], [Ability Combination Coupon x2], [Profession Coupon], [Karma Bound] ] Chapter 79 – Tests and Arrogance Aiko jumped from wall to wall. She would not touch any of those pebbles lest they might kill her. She was upset that some would create such a dubious trap for her. She didn''t like that person and she didn''t like his taste in things. This place was damp and smelly, she hated that. She hated the fact that there was constant noise of water dripping down. She hated the lack of light. She hated too many things. Aiko arrived at first larger cave. ''Again with the tests.'' Aiko stared at the levers. ''Do they have something with levers? why is everyone using them?!'' Aiko pouted. She flicked the levers at random, no way would she bother with the puzzle! *Mechanic noise* ''Hm?'' Aiko''s senses warned her and she jumped aside. A ballista spear ripped through the air lodging itself into the opposite wall. Aiko''s scalp went numb. ''I almost got skewered...'' It seemed like she wouldn''t be able to cheat this place, she would have to complete the puzzle before flicking the levers. The puzzle was somewhat straightforward. She had to read it and answer the question. Depending on the answer the lever was numbered and she would pull that lever and repeat it. Aiko was curious if there were any more ballista spears or if it was a one-time use trap, but this time she didn''t act on her impulse. She took her time to slowly decipher Runes that she didn''t understand and write down the sequence of the levers. Aiko wiped her sweat, it was the 6th she was writing it down, but something was still amiss as lever 5 was used twice. There are 6 levers, so it should be 6 different numbers, right? Aiko couldn''t figure it out even after 20th times writing it down, the number 5 was still used twice. Aiko frowned. She came to the levers and pulled them down in sequence. She was ready to turn into Fox and jump away. *Click* A wall slowly moved out of the way revealing a passageway. Aiko blankly stared at the passageway. ''Why did it work?! Don''t tell me the 6th lever was a trap!'' Aiko frowned. She didn''t touch that lever and moved through the corridor again or rather jumped. This time there were many small Inscribed marbles on the ground. She didn''t wish to be smacked again. She rubbed her forehead where those pebbles hit. ''It''s too dangerous to walk through these corridors.'' Aiko thought frowning. She stared forward. She arrived at another large cave, but this time the floor was made out of squares, each square had a different symbol. Aiko stared at the Runes. She was only familiar with some of them. ''Numbers... I have to choose the right sequence... again...'' Aiko sighed. She returned towards the corridor with the marbles. Aiko carefully approached them, she had really bad feelings about them. She tried picking one, but it was so smooth that she couldn''t pick it up. Aiko stared at the floor full of marbles. ''If you tried to step on them you would slip and then...'' Shiver ran down her spine. ''Good thing I jumped over them.'' Aiko nodded seriously. She didn''t try to pick the marbles up but flicked them out of the corridor. She then again flicked them over the squares. *Rumble* The square fell down revealing a spiky pit below. Only some squares stayed on pillars. Aiko carefully looked down and flicked more marbles to take down the fake footholds. *Rumble* She was satisfied with her work and jumped through this puzzle without issues. In front of her was another corridor. This seemed... ordinary? Aiko tilted her head staring at the long corridor. She couldn''t see anything wrong with it. There was one marble that made it through the face footholds so Aiko flicked it into the corridor. ''It stopped the moment it touched the floor.'' Aiko stared at the strange phenomenon. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. She went back for more marbles, which took some time, but she eventually managed and flicked them into the corridor again. ''All of them stopped the moment they touched the ground...'' Aiko frowned. She flicked one last marble but this time into the wall. It bounced off and landed on the ground freezing again. ''So walls are safe again...'' Aiko smiled. She turned into a fox again and used her [Quick Double Jump] to pass through this corridor. It took quite a lot of time, but fortunately, she had plenty of Stamina that was even lessened by the mean Fox''s Rune on her paw. She managed to get into another Cave, but this time it was a huge cave with many drawings. Aiko was curious so she sat down on the left side of the entrance and took her time to decipher it. Somewhere in the distant past was a Mighty Figure that sealed the heavens. Why did he seal the heavens? Because Immortals wanted to rob his little world out of his Providence. The Mighty Figure was not good-natured, so he slaughtered them all at first, but there were just too many of them. They kept coming and coming. He couldn''t stop them all. That person was upset, so he sought the help of other Mighty Figures. He shared part of his Providence with them to get their help. They told him about the Runic language and that one can become Almighty by using that language. The Mighty Figure was intrigued and he meditated over this knowledge. He ventured into the Desolate World where many Runic Masters remained. He shared his Dharma Treasure with them to obtain more knowledge about the Runic symbols. They welcomed him with open arms as they never got along well with Forgers. They shared their knowledge with him and he Cultivated to become Rune Sovereign. He returned to his little world happy, but... it took too much time for him to master this craft. His little world was plundered. He cried tears of blood transforming that world into Blood River World. From a fertile and peaceful world, it became the hell-spawn of Demons. They thrived in that world, slowly corrupting the Cultivator. The Cultivator visited the worlds of his many Plunderers. He slowly sucked out their Qi, before moving to another one. They tried to stop him, but it was easier attacking than defending. His Runic language was Divine, on par with the Might of the Divine Mountain. Those Plunderers were pushed back. He sucked many worlds until the Golden Palace interfered. They labelled him as a Demonic Cultivator and put a bounty on his head. The Plunderers laughed in glee and challenged him again. Many worlds were split until the Golden Palace sent their Thousands of Divine Legion. It was a mighty army that could sweep any world they wished. The Mighty Figure was pushed into the corner. He once again cried tears of blood from this injustice polluting some of the Thousands Divine Legion. ''If I can''t seek justice then nobody can leave this place!'' The Mighty Figure cried. He used his lifelong Cultivation with his Soul to borrow the power of the Runes. The Runic language cracked the space from the sacrifice and each single world in the known universe was sealed by him. The world which hosted the Golden Palace was known as the Immortal World, while the small worlds from the Immortal Cultivators were now known as Mortal Worlds. Immortals had a difficult time gathering their Providence from the Mortal Worlds. Thus the Immortal World declined and declined until it was invaded by the Divine World. The second Great Catastrophe happened- ''Where is the rest?!'' Aiko felt unsatisfied as the story on the walls ended. She looked everywhere, but couldn''t find the rest of the story. *Click* Another wall slid down revealing another passageway, but Aiko didn''t want to leave, she wanted to know what happened with that person and those others. ''That mean Fox also talked about the Golden Palace... could it be this one?" Aiko tilted her head staring at the writing of the Golden Palace. ''Arrogant assholes.'' Aiko hmpfed, walking away from the wall and towards the corridor. She wouldn''t underestimate another corridor so she immediately used her [Quick Double Jump] to pass this corridor. She arrived at a humongous cave opening and in front of her was the Palace. Suddenly Aiko felt pain around her Beast Core. Beast Cores(50%): 999 (33,029) ''What a delicious Sacrifice.'' The voice grated at Aiko''s ears and she screamed. ''... why are you the sacrifice???'' The pain stopped and the voice asked in confusion. Aiko panted, her eyes unfocused and it took her a while to stabilize herself. ''Who are you?'' Aiko panted. ''#### or you can probably remember me as the tree that gave you my tree heart.'' The voice replied with a dissatisfied expression. ''Oh...'' Aiko remembered that. ''You are Elemental Spirit, right?'' That voice frowned and squeezed Aiko''s Beast Core again. Aiko screamed for a while until she passed out. ''Seriously...'' The Seed frowned. ''What am I supposed to do now...'' The Seed noticed that elaborate Rune on the little one''s paw. ''I will definitely get killed if I hurt her.'' The Seed frowned. ''But I also want freedom...'' The Seed sighed. ''Hm... quarter of my Energy was recovered...? did she do it?'' The Seed stared at the little fox. ''Why did she sacrifice so much energy?'' It couldn''t understand. ''Whatever...'' The seed threw those thoughts to the back of its wooden brain. ''... What in the world is wrong with her??'' The Seed noticed Aiko having 2 Beast Cores. ''How did that happen? Is she special? But why would she eat my tree heart?'' The Seed was confused beyond belief. It retracted the roots that clutched Aiko''s Beast Core and her complexion recovered somewhat. ... Aiko woke up, feeling awful. "Ugh, it hurts." Aiko cried silently. ''You are awake.'' The Seed said passively. ''And you are still alive.'' Aiko frowned. ''Thanks to you.'' The Seed said gently. ''And I''m feeling like someone crushed my insides, thanks to you.'' Aiko sarcastically spat at the voice. ''... You are in Inheritance Grounds. There should be an exit or test.'' The Seed ignored her displeasure and sarcastic tone and explained. ''Inheritance Grounds?'' Aiko asked. ''You managed to get into this place, this place will either give you its Inheritance, kick you out or give you another test to complete to see if you are worthy.'' The Seed explained. Aiko half-heartedly listened to that shitty voice and walked down towards the Palace. The Palace was still well preserved if you ignored the dust. It didn''t seem it had deteriorated that much over the time. Aiko stared at the magnificent Palace covered in Inscriptions. She clicked her tongue. "How amazing it could last for so long." Aiko believed that this Palace was as old as the previous story. She stepped onto the first step and Runes appeared in her mind. Something was nudging her to connect the Runes, so Aiko did that. ''Incorrect.'' The Voice sounded in her mind. Aiko frowned and tried it again. ''Incorrect.'' The Voice sounded annoyed. Aiko snorted and connected them again. ''Are you even trying?!'' The Voice was very upset. ''Trying your ass! Just you wait and I will skewer it!'' Aiko protested and connected those Runes yet again. The Voice arrogantly snorted and Aiko was kicked from the first step. A Jade Slip arrived in front of her. ''Learn the Runes first brat!'' The voice sounded arrogant and Aiko''s world was painted black and white. Chapter 80 – Rejected Aiko was engulfed by the white and black. There was nothing around. Everything lost its colour except the Jade Slip. Aiko took the Jade Slip and probed it, almost fainting. ''There are more than 50,000 Runes?!'' Aiko frothed from the mouth. ''Am I supposed to learn all that?!'' While Aiko was happy that she had some reference materials for her study, she was not happy that she couldn''t leave this place. That meant she had to learn those Runes to leave this place. ''I''m hungry...'' Aiko pulled one of the special meats from her inventory and chewed it. [Level gained.] Aiko was unhappy that she had to use that precious piece of meat to sate her hunger and vowed that next time she would bring plenty of delicious meat. She sat down and slowly went through all those Runes, she knew quite a few of them and a lot of them were also translated due to the [Linguistics] effects. Aiko browsed the Runes and was puzzled. It looked like a poem... wait was that a story? In the Olden Ages, there was a young boy. That boy was not very talented but had a sharp mind when it came to creating things. The boy was upset that others bullied him, so he researched ways to get back on them. The boy spent most of his days crafting different types of Arrays, but those were useless, he would have to set up an Array in advance and lead people inside. Arrays were inconspicuous at first glance, but everyone here had some kind of treasure-seeking creature. Arrays were made out of very previous components rivalling those treasures, so if many treasures were in the same place it meant that there was an Array. The boy mused, that if he didn''t need to use precious materials it would be good, but there was still a problem that he had to be faster than his peers to guide them inside his Array. Unfortunately, that was not the case, he was very slow, and even some turtles were faster than he was. The boy didn''t give up, he created more and more Arrays, but it was all useless, while he was able to create Array within a few moments, he still had to draw it with Array Chalk. If during this process someone touched that Chalk or moved it, the Array would be ineffective. The boy was upset. There were clear limitations that made the Arrays more powerful, but it also made them weaker to outside interference between setups. The boy looked at the Arrays, the only thing all of them had in common was the treasures, they were used to maintain the stability of the Arrays. The boy mused again. If he could remove Chalk and treasures it would be for the best. The boy spent tireless nights researching and changing the Arrays until they didn''t look like Arrays at all. He used sticks instead of treasures, but those sticks were comparable to the treasures thanks to the dense Inscriptions. The boy Inscribed many sticks. He didn''t need to set them up in advance but used his superior Divine Sense to quickly set them up. The boy was happy about this and Inscribed more and more sticks. Something was missing... If the sticks were too long they would stand out between the foliage or easily intercepted by others. ''A flag.'' The boy murmured, with the flag he could just roll it inside and it would take any space and once used it would unroll itself. The boy got to work, he asked silkworms for silk and created fabric for the flags. The boy Inscribed those flags and everything was ready... The rest was not a story, but different Formations. Aiko jumped up, she was very upset. ''This asshole doesn''t give the whole story!'' Aiko almost smashed that Jade Slip on the ground but held herself back. She sat down again and went through the Runes. This took her a long time. ... If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The space changed and Aiko was back in front of the Palace. She stepped on the first step angrily and answered the question successfully. ''... How did this lad learn so much in such a short time?'' The Fragment of Soul was amused. He stared at the small girl who was angry stomping his stairs. ''Her temperament needs some tempering.'' He disapproved of her attitude. Aiko made it halfway up and still stomped the stairs, but more and more angrily as the difficulty didn''t change. She was upset that she had to read and learn all of those Runes when those tests were so easy. ''I can''t allow her to get my inheritance when she is so unstable.'' He shook his head. Aiko managed to get all the way up the stairs and in front of her were huge pillars holding up the roof and further inside were humongous doors. Aiko stared blankly in front and turned around. She spat on the stairs before moving forward. ''This ignorant fool!'' The Soul almost popped from its anger and he immediately burned that spit glaring at that little fool. Aiko ignored that sensation cursing that old bastard to the ends of the world. She stopped in front of the humongous doors and tried to push them. ''You are not ready.'' The Soul spoke shaking Aiko''s Soul. "Fuck you! You old bald impotent bastard!" Aiko cursed. "Why did I have to learn all that when you would ask such simple questions!" Aiko stomped angrily. She had too many Runes inside her head and most of them were useless. The Soul shook, nobody ever dared to talk to him like that, yet this milk-drinking fool! ''Enough!'' The voice bellowed. ''Get lost, you are not ready!'' He would never accept this rascal! The world turned black and she returned towards that garden with the strange door that she entered with the ''Enter'' word. "You bald impotent fuck, just you wait! I will create a thick flag just for your ass!" Aiko cursed at the doors relentlessly with fists high up in the sky. *Pft* Aiko stiffened and looked back. There were many Elders, both Fox and Human, the Patriarch and a familiar Fox. Aiko paused, glancing at them and the door, she slowly put her little fists behind her back, coughing lightly. Mei laughed loudly. At first, she beat everyone around so they would tell her where her little sweetie was, it was so bad that even the Patriarch had to intervene. Once she heard that she sneaked into their Sacred Ground she laughed even more, making the Human Elders curse her under their breaths. The Fox Elders were smiling, the Human Elders made everything difficult for them and they hated each other, but now that their little disciple ruined this grand occasion, they were secretly happy. Mei came in front of her and pinched her cheeks painfully. "Who told you to run around?" Mei reprimanded her with a smile. "It''s because of that impotent bald jerk." Aiko cried from her cheeks being pinched so much. "Who?" Mei asked again. "Old fuck?" Aiko said again. Mei stared at the Patriarch for an explanation. He coughed awkwardly, he didn''t expect this little cutie to curse so much. "She is probably talking about the Fragment of Soul in the Inheritance Grounds." He answered simply, but Elders behind him whispered with pained expressions, it seemed like they remembered that painful road. "That jeark yeahh." Aiko slurred her speech as she was unable to properly speak after being pinched for so long. Mei let her go. "Now we only have 9 positions that can enter for the coming 10 years." The Patriarch narrowed his eyes. Mei shrugged like it was not their fault. "I don''t understand how someone would want to visit that impotent jerk." Aiko murmured under her breath, but everyone could hear her. They almost flipped out at her, but were held back by the Patriarch. "Since you have already entered those grounds it can''t be helped, but you can''t enter the competition." The Patriarch said flatly. "Who cares about that competition, I''m here for the Inscription Apprentice Test." Aiko spat at him. The Patriarch twitched. "How many Runes can you connect." "Around 8? I think?" Aiko stared at Mei. "6 with 2 Support Runes." Mei gently said. The Human Elders were taken aback, while Fox Elders were wide-eyed. The Patriarch''s lips twitched. ''And you want to take the Apprentice Test? When you should be taking the Inscription Master Test...'' "How many Runes do you know?" The Patriarch asked again. "Over fifty thousand." Aiko said gently. Mei almost stumbled at that number and stared at her little sweetie in shock. The Patriarch was taken aback as he was the only person who managed to ascend about half of the stairs leading into the Palace. Before any of the Elders were able to raise any fuss he asked. "How many stairs were you able to ascend?" "All of them, they were simple?" Aiko tilted her head, not understanding why it was such a big deal. Half of the Human Elders fainted on the spot. Most of them didn''t even manage to pass the corridors and only a few managed to arrive in front of the Palace, but the rest couldn''t ascend even a single step. The Patriarch massaged his nose bridge. "We will postpone the tests, let her enjoy some rest and we will start those tests a few days later." The Patriarch felt exhausted when he checked this little rascal''s bone age. ''1 year...'' He felt his Soul leaving his body. ''I spent more than 50 years just to be able to ascend half of the stairs yet...'' He sighed, leaving the place half unconscious. Aiko stared around, not understanding anything and stared at Mei. "Should we return?" "Mm..." Mei was likewise absent-minded as she didn''t know that many Runes. Her Immortal pride was shattered by her little sweetie. [Congratulations, you have earned a new Title!] [Walking Runic Encyclopedia] [You have shocked many old Souls with your knowledge, learning about Runes has become easier!] Aiko stared at the system satisfied. She would rest for some time before revising that Jade Slip, she was now happy that she didn''t shatter it in her rage. She was guided by Mei back to their little home, and Aiko immediately plopped herself behind the table. *Growl* Her stomach churned. "Mei I''m hungry." Aiko held her stomach. Mei''s brows twitched. "You only call me Mei when you need something." Mei felt hurt. "That''s not true." Aiko denied it with an innocent expression. Mei sighed, she would need to teach her some manners. She went into the kitchen for some already prepared food and placed it in front of Aiko. Aiko happily munched on it smiling. Her stomach no longer grumbling. "Thank you~" Aiko licked her lips and cleaned her face. She was sated for the time being. "At least you know how to thank me." Mei shook her head. Aiko ignored the sad Fox and went into bed, it would be a long day and then she would have to take a few tests. She was looking forward to them, but at the same time, she was upset. ''Two stories that are not finished.'' Aiko made a pained expression and fell to sleep. Chapter 81 – Understanding Waking up she skimmed through the Jade Slip. She was bothered by the incomplete story every time that she wanted to destroy that Jade, but the Runes inside were too precious and she soon calmed down. It was easy to see her being engrossed and the Blood Fox glanced at Jade Fox. "Don''t ask." Mei didn''t have any expression as she was preparing Herbs for Refining. "I didn''t say anything." The Blood Fox frowned. ''Can she read minds?'' She was curious, but not curious enough that she would abandon her pride. The Blood Fox tried to battle with some Human Cultivators on the other side of this place, but... ''They are pitifully weak...'' That was the first impression, of the Blood Fox. She couldn''t match the might of the Elders, but as long as it was not an Elder, she pretty much crushed them. "Take care of her, when I''m Refining or not around." Mei said towards the Blood Fox. Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. "Why should I?" "Don''t pretend, I know that you are using her to suppress your own Bloodline." Mei snorted towards that thing. ''You are thousands of years too early to play with me.'' Blood Fox pursed her lips. She didn''t think others would notice her dependence on the little Cub and that was the case. The only person who realized that was Mei, others thought that Jade Fox threatened Blood Fox and that was why she was staying in their courtyard. It was also one of the reasons why male Foxes didn''t storm this courtyard. They still believed that there was nothing between them and that they could obtain the Blood Fox with a little bit of effort. Aiko left her room, wanting to go out, but was stopped by Jade Fox. "What is it?" Aiko asked. "Did you forget that today is the day you are taking the test?" Mei asked with narrowed eyes. "Oh... oh?" Aiko blinked and then blinked at Mei. "What?" "You have slept for 2 days, you must''ve been exhausted." Mei smirked. Aiko''s cute face distorted, but that didn''t lessen her cuteness. She was upset that she wasn''t allowed to leave and explore the Human side. She was under the impression that if she went there she would be able to find more treasures. "I can''t go?" Aiko asked gently. "You can''t go." Mei was firm. "Why can''t I go." Aiko asked again pouting. "Because you need to take the test." Mei answered gently while hiding her smile. "Do I have to?" Aiko suddenly felt like she didn''t want to take the test. "You have to." Mei smiled widely. "If you want to sell your Inscription for a higher price you need the card you will get after the test." "Card?" Aiko tilted her head. "When it comes to Alchemy there are internal tests, but since Humans came with the idea of Runes, they are the only ones that can issue Runic Cards. They tell the buyers your skill, which makes them feel safer and more inclined to spend their money." Mei gently explained. "Oh..." Aiko was deep in thought. "Do I have to take all the tests?" She remembered their faces when they spoke about Runes and how many she was able to connect. "No. I already solved that for you, you will be going for the [Inscription Master]!" Mei said proudly. "Is that good?" Aiko didn''t know about the Ranks of Inscription Cultivators, so she asked Curiously. "It''s a 3rd Grade." Mei smiled. "You start with [Inscription Apprentice], [Inscription Adept], [Inscription Master], [Inscription King], [Inscription Emperor], [Inscription Ancestor], [Inscription Venerate], [Inscription Saint] and lastly [Inscription Sovereign]" Mei said in one breath. Aiko was startled at the different names but listened carefully. "Where are you?" Aiko asked curiously. "[Inscription Ancestor]" Mei said lightly. "I have never been all that keen about advancing, I liked Arrays much more. It was bothersome to spend days carving into tough metal, my hands hurt and my fingers were numb, it was bad for my soft skin." Mei laughed seeing the disapproving expression from Aiko. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "So~" Mei touched Aiko''s nose. "You should wait and get that card and earn a lot of benefits~" Aiko pouted. "Fine! But we will be having a duel!" Aiko didn''t believe there would be that much difference since this mean Fox didn''t practise it properly. "That is fine." Mei smiled licking her lips. She wondered what kind of excitement Aiko could bring her. "My Beast Core is almost empty." Aiko said gently. Mei''s brows twitched a few times. "You really are insatiable..." She lamented. Aiko snorted but didn''t say anything. "Do you want my help?" Mei smiled softly. Aiko paused. She had now 2 Beast Cores and she didn''t know what to do with them if the extraction of the Spiritual Energy would be the same or not. Aiko glanced left and right. Not feeling anyone else than Mei and Blood Fox she tiptoed closer. Mei was puzzled, but brewed near Aiko. "How do I extract Energy from Beast Cores if I have 2 Beast Cores?" Aiko asked gently. Mei smiled. "That is very simple-" Her brain then processed what she just heard. *"WHAT?!"* The entire Wing shook and the Elders were startled. She looked towards the Inner Courtyard, but there still was that stinky barrier that didn''t let them inside so they went back to meditate. Mei was grabbing Aiko staring at her in disbelief. Aiko was startled and fearful, she didn''t want to experience that pain again. Mei spotted those anxious emotions and forcibly calmed herself down. Mei massaged her temples and set up Obstruction Formation and Silence Formation. She then took her time to calm down. The Formations were within Array so there was no need to worry about their stability. Once she calmed down she looked at Aiko. "2 Beast Cores?" Mei asked again, but this time with noticeable worry in her voice. Aiko nodded, she was concerned if that was bad or not and didn''t know if she should say it. She did already say it, but it still should be possible to make up a lie. She chose not to and answered truthfully. "During my Evolution, I needed a counterbalance for my dark affinity. I didn''t have good Evolution options so I chose the Moon Fox and things happened..." Aiko shyly looked away. Mei had a tired expression. She felt like she had lived too long and should go rest somewhere peaceful. Mei stared at Aiko tiredly. "You have 2 Beast Cores?" Aiko nodded. "You have 2 Bloodlines?" Aiko shook her head. "You have more?!" Mei was shocked, but this time she recovered much more quickly. "Of course, you have more... what are those? So I know what I should give you." Mei sighed resigned her fate. Aiko nodded. "[Shadow Fiend Fox], [Dream Beast Kitsune], [Moon Goddess Kitsune]" Aiko shared her Bloodlines. *Crash* They looked behind them. There was Blood Fox sprawled on the floor looking at Aiko speechlessly. Mei frowned. "If you tell anyone what you just heard I will torture your Soul for all Eternity!" Mei threatened. The Blood Fox wasn''t scared. "No way will I rat out my calming-pack." The Blood Fox stuck out her tongue. Mei wanted to slap this shameless thing to death but held herself back as there was something more important to cover. "[Moon Goddess Kitsune]?" Mei asked if she heard correctly. Aiko nodded. "[Dream Beast Kitsune]?" Mei asked feeling her headache worsening and future troubles/problems increasing. Aiko nodded. Mei felt like she was being crushed by a mountain with the name ''responsibilities''. "Moon Goddess Kitsune is the element of Light, Earth and Stars. So you will be consuming those Cores the most. Moon Beast Cores are incredibly rare and difficult to obtain, so you will have to do." "For Dream Beast Kitsune you have more options. Soul, Dream, Illusion and Neutral." Mei counted. "Illusions are the easiest to get as we are the Foxes, so I will go after those for you," Mei said gently. "Neutral is fine, but I''m not sure how your Beast Cores will cope with it, so we will first go for the elemental ones." Mei explained. "Your Second Beast Core isn''t a dump Core, right?" Mei asked concerned. From the moment she saw Aiko''s fear about having her Beast Core probed she didn''t do anything, but it was important for her to make sure that her Second Beast Core wasn''t just collecting all the filth. "Dump Core?" Aiko asked. "Core that is used to gather all impurities." Mei responded simply. Aiko shook her head. "They are in harmony." Mei was processing those words and stared blankly at Aiko. "They are in harmony?" She didn''t believe her ears. Aiko took a step back and nodded. "Yeah." She mumbled. Mei was aware of Aiko''s concern and fear and didn''t try to drag her back. She wouldn''t allow her to leave until they solved everything about her Beast Cores, as those things are important for growth. ''If that old geezer refuses to admit her to the tests for being late, then I will just beat him until he is black and blue.'' Mei snorted and one Elder somewhere far away shivered in fright. Mei waited until Aiko was a bit more comfortable and less fearful. "Will you let me have a look at your body?" Mei spoke gently, but she noticed that Aiko''s hair was standing upright. Aiko was stiff and her voice wouldn''t come out. She didn''t want to experience that pain again. Mei wrapped her hands around Aiko and felt that she twitched, the feeling of fear was oozing from her. "I won''t hurt you." Mei said gently. Aiko didn''t believe that. The last time she passed out from the pain, she didn''t believe that this time it would be any different. "It was a mistake last time, now I''m more powerful and you won''t even notice it." Mei said gently trying to soothe Aiko. Aiko snorted not believing this stinky Fox. "If it hurts you even a little bit I will cater to your needs until we part our ways." Mei compromised, she really needed to know the conditions and how her Beast Cores worked. "Personal servant?" Aiko narrowed her eyes and Mei stiffened. Her lips twitched. ''Who would dare to make me into a servant!'' "Okay." Aiko agreed, that if this stinky Fox served her until they part that meant she would be able to sleep on her and eat plenty of yummy things. ''Can I take it back?'' Mei was questioning her choices and why she was so nice to this little one. Sure her Beast Core was a mess because of her, but she couldn''t understand why she wanted to tie herself to this little fluffball. Aiko stared at her with her eyes observing and Mei felt a tinge of fear. Aiko''s eyes didn''t hold any emotions and something flickered inside them, but before it could come to life, Mei flicked Aiko''s forehead. "Don''t use your Divine Abilities willy nilly." Mei had sweaty paws. That feeling of being watched and getting stripped naked... she felt that only once and that being was extremely oppressive, it was a good thing she was on its good side, otherwise she would have ended up in his belly. Chapter 82 – Easy difficulty! "Here." Mei presented Aiko with a couple of Neutral Cores. "The rest will have to wait once we return." "Okay." Aiko picked up the Beast Cores. "So how is this supposed to work?" Aiko tilted her head. "Like always or?" "You can stay in this form. I will again separate those energies and you try to slowly consume them. If anything happens I will plug the pole and make sure you are alright." Mei said gently. "Okay." Aiko sat on Mei''s lap and Mei stiffened. "What are you doing?" Mei''s brows twitched. "Sitting like we always do?" Aiko concealed her smile. "Rascal!" Mei ruffled Aiko''s hair. Aiko jumped away, protecting her hair. "Mean Fox!" Mei''s lips twitched, but she didn''t say anything about that. "Come back, let''s start, we only have a few hours before we have to go there." Mei picked the biggest Neutral Beast Cores, they were supposed to be for her Refining, but that can''t be helped. They needed to recover her energy for the test. ... The extraction was successful and Mei couldn''t believe her eyes. Both of those Beast Cores were working normally, like they were always there, neither of them was dud, or tried to consume one another. They just coexisted. This puzzled Mei as two Beast Cores are not supposed to coexist. Sure there are a few races that have multiple Beast Cores, like the Dragon-kin, but those are exceptions. "There is nothing wrong about your body..." Mei still didn''t believe it so she was observing Aiko. "Those Beast Cores only recovered 500 energy." Aiko pouted. Beast Cores(50%): 999 -> 1,499 (33,529) "That should be enough, focus on the tests, we can have a duel once you recover more Beast Core Energy." Mei said gently, caressing Aiko''s head. "Okay." Aiko didn''t like that, but as long as that mean Fox didn''t try to run away she should be able to win. "I already checked your Beast Cores, but I have no idea what to make of it, we will probably have to ask the Dragon Clan about this, but there are probably no Elders in this place, so we will have to wait after you ascend." Mei frowned. "For now there is nothing wrong with it, but if something happens tell me, okay?" "You already looked? But I didn''t feel anything." Aiko commented, clearly upset. ''I lost the chance to have a personal cook.'' She clicked her tongue. "You only think about one thing." Mei sighed. "Whatever, let''s go for the test for now." ... "So you did come." The Patriarch said clearly not happy. "And here I thought I would be able to rest some more." The Elders whom Aiko never saw before were sitting around him, looking at Patriarch speechlessly. "We can''t miss this opportunity." Mei smiled, pleased at his misfortune. "Whatever, let''s skip those steps and get straight to Inscribing." The Patriarch waved his hand. "B-but Patriarch!" One Elder frowned. "She knows more Runes than I do, now shut it and give her the assignment!" The Patriarch glared more and more at his stupid Elders and they shivered. An old and gentle Elder stepped forward. There was a table with a few tools for Inscribing. The Elder stepped in front of it and gestured towards Jade Fox. He was under the impression that she would be taking the test but was stunned once Aiko went forward. His eyes widened for a moment from the shock, but he recovered, he has done this for many, many years. It was not that shocking that someone so small could come forward. "The first assignment is just a demonstration of your Skills, after that, we will assign you certain Inscriptions and surfaces that you have to Inscribe." The Elder smiled kindly. Aiko nodded and doodled a couple hundred of Runes and a few connections. Just from the effects and sparkles the Elders knew that this was high-grade stuff. ''Not bad.'' The second Elder commented telepathically. ''There is a lot to polish, but considering how small she is.'' The third Elder agreed. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!''It seems that she has vast knowledge as the Patriarch said. Look at the power behind those Runes.'' Fourth commented. ''We will only know once we assign the personal Inscriptions.'' The First Elder standing in front of Aiko said gently. Second Elder spat. ''You already like her.'' Other Elders shook their heads. They also liked her Skill, but that was not enough to keep her here. They didn''t really like Foxes. Foxes are clean animals, because of their beauty and charms, if that little Fox lived with their lifestyle all the good perks about females would disappear and since there were no high-ranking female Inscription Cultivators... There are bound to be some inconveniences. The Elders quietly observed Aiko and her somewhat smooth strokes. It was a great shock to them since they could remember their beginnings. They nodded at each other. "You have passed this stage, we will now assign you our personal Inscriptions and you are to recreate them." Of course, most Elders were petty and would assign them things that they couldn''t do when they arrived at this point, so Aiko was swarmed by different, but still difficult Inscriptions. Aiko stared at the first Inscription. The First one was an Extension Inscription. This Inscription was one of the first Inscriptions in line towards the ultimate Storage Ring Inscription. One learned about the capabilities of materials and how they interact. How much they consume Spiritual Energy and how much burden they can withstand. It''s one thing to extend something, but it is another to maintain it. If even a light breeze can destroy it then the Inscription is a failure. The Elders didn''t tell Aiko much about it, nor did they give her a time limit. Every Intelligent species has its mental limit. Aiko was no different. These tests were also tests about Mental Power. Which correlated to Mind. If she spends all of her Mental Power on the first Inscription then she is not worth that Rank. Aiko slowly revised the Runes in the Inscription, she didn''t change anything and picked up a practising Pen and drew it. She revised her drawing a few times, fortunately, her Beast Core had plenty of energy for now, so she could practice some more. Aiko did this for about an hour and then picked up the Inscription Pen. This Inscription had 4 parts, but just because it had only 4 parts it didn''t mean it was 2nd Rank Inscription. Because of the difficulty connecting it and needed to have basic knowledge about space, it was considered a 3rd Rank Inscription. Aiko failed a couple of times during connecting since she was trying to simulate the connections in the Jade Slip, but it was more difficult than she expected. She gave up on that profound way and connected it simply, it lowered the final Grade of the product, but it was usable and finished. The Elders were silent as they didn''t dare to breathe when they saw Aiko trying to accomplish that Rune in such a profound way, but breathed a sigh of relief once she couldn''t accomplish that. Their ego was hurt, but not that much so they were able to recover quite quickly. The first Elder stepped forward and picked up the Stick with the Extension Inscription. He activated it with his Qi and the stick extended, slamming into the roof. The room went silent. The Patriarch was the first to recover and coughed. "You have passed well." He commented, but inside he was shocked. ''What the hell is that?! That''s not supposed to be so powerful!'' He was sweating. The Elders were still flabbergasted by the hole in the roof, but Aiko didn''t need to pay that much attention. She picked another piece of paper looking through the Inscription. This one was much easier, it could be considered beginner-friendly for the [Inscription Master]s. It was a Sharpening Inscription. As the name implied it could sharpen things at the expense of Spiritual Energy. These kinds of Inscriptions were used on Forging and Refining tools and rarely on swords. Sword Cultivators hated Inscription Cultivators and called them cheaters as they could create much sharper swords with very little effort, while Sword Cultivators had to work for decades to sharpen their swords thus sharpening their Intents. Aiko finished that Rune without any problems, she spent 100 Beast Core Energy, which was a little bit less than the previous Inscription which was 115 Energy. The first Elder picked it up and tested it''s sharpness. He picked up a rock and placed it on the cutting board. He tried to test the sharpness, but... *Slice* It went through the rock, through the Inscribed cutting board and through the Inscribed table. The Elders went silent again. They really liked that table, but now that table had a very nasty cut. "You have passed." The Patriarch recovered first again. He stared at his useless Elders who were still stunned and unable to recover. Aiko scratched the back of her head and stared at them. ''There are so many weirdos...'' She shook her head and picked up another. This one was Triple Strengthening Inscription. It was used on smaller supporting pillars to create the magnificent halls. This was also simple for Aiko as most Runes were used as support Rune and only one Rune had any significant effect. She passed without problems and only with 50 Beast Core Energy spent. She passed the rest as they were also simple. One was Dust Removing Inscriptions, used to clean Arrays and Pill Furnaces, while the other was Preserving Inscriptions used on old books to keep them from withering. The Elders were unable to speak as they expected to spend many many days in here, but it only took 2 days to finish. Aiko stared at them sleepily. "Finished?" She yawned, she wasn''t able to have a good sleep for quite some time. "You have passed all the tests, we will finish the Evaluation a bit later and prepare your [Inscription Master Card]." The Patriarch cursed his useless Elders as there was even more work for him. "Thank you." Aiko thanked them and left with Mei. ... The Patriarch slapped every single one of the Elders back to senses. "Incredible!" "Astonishing" "Amazing!" "Unbelievable!" "Prodigy!" One Elder after another praised causing the Patriarch to have a headache. "Shut it, we need to complete the evaluation today, otherwise I will drown you in work!" The Patriarch threatened and every Elder recovered with solemn expression. "Patriarch I believe we should give her the Black card." "I second this." "I third this." The Elders agreed with the first Elder. "Really?" The Patriarch narrowed his eyes. The black card was the highest card in each stage, which meant that that person was godlike in that stage and would be unmatched by others. "Could you match those Inscriptions Patriarch?" The first Elder asked with mischievous eyes. "Of course." The Patriarch answered dully. "Even when you were young?" The first Elder smiled. "..." The Patriarch didn''t want to say it, but that little one was much better than he was at that age... no wait, he wouldn''t be able to even walk at that age! The Patriarch glared at the first Elder slapping the back of his head. The first Elder chuckled. "I will prepare the black card." The Elders were pleased. The Patriarch was upset... Chapter 83 – Clothing Scandal Aiko returned with Mei back to their little courtyard. There the Blood Fox was already waiting for them. "What is it?" Mei asked the Blood Fox. "Elders would like to return back to the Village." The Blood Fox told her the message that they told her. "Already? We are still staying, Aiko doesn''t have the card yet." Mei scoffed at the stupid Elders. "They don''t believe she would be able to manage to get one, so they are calling it quits, many of the Foxes that were supposed to get one didn''t get one, so they are upset and are trying to run away." The Blood Fox gently spoke. Aiko was already sleeping in Mei''s arms and wasn''t paying any attention. "I will talk with the Patriarch about it, but we are not leaving. Aiko got a black card and we will wait for them to prepare it." Mei said gently. "Black card?" The Blood Fox wasn''t really interested in those tests so she was unaware of the Rankings. "Let''s just say it''s the best card you can get." Mei said gently, shocking the Blood Fox. "How amazing." The Blood Fox murmured staring at the little fluffball. Aiko had her tail wrapped around Mei''s arm and was snoozing happily. "She is quite attached to you." The Blood Fox spoke with a tinge of envy. "That''s only natural since she is a foodie." Mei sighed. "Anyway, we are off to sleep, if Elders want to leave feel free to let them leave, once Aiko wakes up I will talk with the Patriarch about retests." The Blood Fox nodded leaving the courtyard. ''What do those bald bastards think they are doing?'' Mei clicked her tongue and settled with Aiko on her bed. ''And this little one only treats me as a bed and cook.'' She sighed gently petting Aiko. ... Aiko woke up, she was biting at something soft. Aiko munched a few times on it, she didn''t really bite, just sort of applied a bit of pressure on it and then let it go. "Is it that tasty?" Mei said with a dangerous voice. Aiko stiffened opening her eyes. She was currently munching on Mei''s hands. Aiko moved her head away, still pretending to sleep. "This won''t work, you little rascal!" Mei ruffled Aiko''s fur, but since she was in Fox form she didn''t dislike it. "Y-you dare to enjoy your punishment?!" Mei was dumbfounded. Aiko snorted and kept lying down. "Alright! That''s it!" Mei jumped at Aiko and cuddled her until Aiko was squealing mercy. "I will be good! Please!" Aiko pleaded with moist eyes. Mei clicked her tongue. "We will have to do this often since you are disobedient." Aiko jumped away the moment she was let go and transformed into her human form, just so she could stick out her tongue. "You..." Mei was speechless as she looked at the running away Aiko. "Seriously." She shook her head. Mei stretched her sensual body ready to leave. "It would be nice with bigger peaks..." The Blood Fox murmured. Mei shot her a glare and the Blood Fox pretended she didn''t say anything and kept brushing her tail. Mei clicked her tongue. ''For some reason she is treating her tail like treasure.'' She noticed long ago that the Blood Fox was taking great care when it came to her tail. Mei narrowed her eyes but didn''t say anything, she needed to leave for the Patriarch and have a discussion. ... Aiko ran away from Mei. ''Stinky Fox!'' Aiko cursed her in her heart because she didn''t really stink, but Aiko wished she would. She took her time to smooth her hair as it got tangled when she was escaping. ''Hmpf! Just you wait! Once I become stronger I will definitely tie you up!'' Aiko made a pose, before jumping into the shadows. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. She sneaked around towards the Human Wing. ''I wonder if there are more treasures.'' Aiko smiled mischievously. She dashed through the shadows and arrived in the Human courtyard. This time it was peaceful and nobody was moaning. She moved in the back of the buildings listening to the whispers. "Someone stole Senior Sister''s Book, but Senior Sister doesn''t tell us what it was about..." One person commented. "I bet they are trying to rob us of our treasures." The second person snorted coldly. "Indeed. I heard they were in a relationship with that guy and now she is walking with her nose high up in the sky." Another person chimed in. They all snorted coldly, if it was not for the fact that he had greater Cultivation they would beat her guy up for putting them in this situation. "Let''s just leave until it blows over..." The first one sighed. Aiko smiled. She wouldn''t help them, but since everyone was on the edge she wouldn''t be able to explore in peace. She moved into the courtyard where she found that book and sneaked inside. ''I wonder if she has more treasures...'' Aiko looked around, this place was empty, without a soul. She moved towards the wardrobes and opened them. ''Ohohoho.'' Aiko giggled in her mind. ''This girl is so kinky!'' She found panties without the middle part and bras in a similar fashion. Then she found a completely see-through nightgown and even ripped-up clothing. She closed that wardrobe smirking. She opened the lower wardrobes, but there was nothing. ''So little clothing?'' Aiko tilted her head, closing the lower wardrobe part. Aiko sat down in the shadows and was deep in thought. ''How am I supposed to make this place peaceful or at least allow them to let their guard down...'' Aiko thought for a good half an hour until she figured out something devilish. She left that courtyard and walked around the other courtyards trying to find the place where that guy lived. The one that railed her when Aiko was exploring. It took her nearly two hours to find it, but she was successful! She then moved back and stole the whole wardrobe. She sneaked back into that guy''s courtyard and scattered the clothes in place barely noticeably, but still in line of sight. This way when there is commotion everyone will move here. Aiko smirked. She stared around noticing a few girls. Aiko made a strange sound to attract those girls and moved into the back of the courtyard and through the wall. "..." The girls looked inside the courtyard and spotted... something that was not supposed to be there. ''Do you see that?'' ''I can see that... do you think?'' ''Why not? They are raising a fuss and you should know that it''s against the rules to have intimate relationships when it comes to the different disciples, especially if it''s of different status.'' ''Tsk. That bitch has done it now, not only she blamed us for everything, yet she was just a slut in heat abusing his position to pressure us.'' ''Let''s tell it to our Elder and ask him for our things.'' ''Agreed! They stole out Pills and clothes so we might as well ruin them!'' They left the place without making a sound. Aiko was upset. ''Why didn''t they raise a fuss?! Should they be screaming about those clothes?!'' Aiko frowned, she was so upset she wanted to cry. ''Why didn''t it work?!'' Aiko felt it was unfair that it didn''t work but soon noticed there was a commotion. She moved a few courtyards away, but still close enough so that she could observe. "E-Elder, I have no idea what you are trying to accuse me of!" The girl who got boned spoke with an aggrieved voice. "You don''t know?!" The Elder was completely furious. "We let you affect the Fox tests so that you can practice in peace and what you do!?" The Elder was fuming and huffing. "I really don''t know Elder! I was really practising!" The girl cried. The Elder entered the courtyard and immediately noticed the clothes. Without a single care in the world, she picked up the clothes for the whole group to see. "What is this?!" He yelled at the girl. "I don''t know!" The girl yelled back, feeling wronged. "You don''t know, you don''t know. Dong Guangli! GET YOUR ASS HERE!" The Elder bellowed shaking the whole East Wing. Aiko felt a shiver down her spine from his voice. She instinctively wanted to run away. "E-elder?" Dong Guangli rushed and greeted the Elder. "What is this!" The Elder showed him the underwear. "I-I don''t know!" But his face already betrayed him. *Slap* The Elder was now completely livid. "DON''T KNOW DON''T KNOW, EVERYBODY DOESN''T KNOW!" He activated some kind of Token and guards arrived. "Throw them into the ravine of repentance!" The Elder yelled. Aiko could see those students shaking subconsciously. It didn''t seem like it was a good place to be in. The girl cried and pleaded with the Elder, but he didn''t listen. He already used Pursuing Paper Crane and it landed on that girl. From that point not even the guards questioned seeing those undies. The Place calmed down. Aiko was so curious that she forgot to explore while the fuss was happening. She snapped out of her daze, but everyone already returned to their courtyards and shut their doors. It didn''t seem like she would be able to explore so she could only give up. She sneaked away without being noticed and arrived at the West Wing. "Is that true Elder?!" One of the Foxes cried in happiness. "Yes, we are allowed to do those tests again and the Patriarch will oversee them, if you can prove you were wronged and display your Skills again many Elders will be kicked out by him, so do your best." The Inky Head Elder spoke gently. "Yes!" They saluted him and were incredibly happy. "Do you think I will be able to attract some handsome Humans?" One Fox asked. "I do think so, you are beautiful, we are all beautiful! They will come for us left and right~!" The second girl hummed. "That would be good, the Male Foxes are too much of wimps, they don''t last at all..." Third Fox grieved, clearly unsatisfied. "You are one to say that." First Fox snorted. "Aren''t you the one who always runs away from a fight?" *Cough* "That can''t be helped they are only barbarians around." The Third Fox looked away. Aiko rolled her eyes and was picked up from behind. "Here you are..." Mei spoke. "We will be redoing the tests, your card will be finished in 2 days since it got postponed," Mei spoke while moving into their courtyard with Aiko. "Moreover you will also be attending this grand occasion." Mei smiled seeing Aiko frown. "You don''t have to participate, you don''t have to pay attention. It''s for security measures." "Why?" Aiko frowned, she didn''t like large groups of smelly Humans. "Because nobody will be in this courtyard, I will be also taking the tests." Mei smiled seeing Aiko surprised. She petted her head gently. "Blood Fox?" Aiko asked. "She is coming too, since she is susceptible to charms, we can''t leave her here." Mei didn''t like the fact that Aiko spoke about that Cow Fox. "Oh... Okay." Aiko frowned but didn''t disagree with Mei. "Good." Mei smiled, she liked this obedient Aiko the most since it was easier to maintain. That way she got more time for Pill Refining. "Rest for now, we will be leaving soon." Mei smiled gently, seeing Aiko not liking this idea. Chapter 84 – Aiko doesn’t like crowded spaces… Aiko was kicking around watching Mei Refine Pills. *Munch* Sometimes Mei would give her a small marble that tasted really great. It was like those bonbons that were liquid inside. It wasn''t overly sweet, but it had a refreshing taste each time. Aiko stared at Mei focusing, each single Pill took her hours to make. ''I don''t think I have the patience to do that, but then again, watching it and doing it are too different things.'' Aiko thought. From watching it she would definitely not have the patience to slowly prepare everything as everything was just too complicated, but maybe doing she could change her mind. ''There is not much to do anyway, maybe I should visit Alchemy Peak...'' Aiko was interested in those tasty marbles. ... Mei exhaled. "We should go now." She spoke gently. Aiko''s face twisted, but she didn''t say anything. She watched Mei clean her place, leaving with her. "This will be such a bother." Aiko sighed. She would need to recover her Beast Core Energy, but eating was expensive. Mei already ran out of ingredients and the rest is stored in Grandmaster''s place. "Who told you to eat so much." Mei poked Aiko''s inflated cheek. "I''m not talking about food." Aiko swatted Mei''s hand pouting again. Mei giggled but didn''t say anything. She knew that Aiko didn''t like gatherings, but this one was necessary for them. ''I made a bet that more than half of the Elders would get kicked out.'' Mei licked her lips. She calculated it was around 70%, but if the Patriarch did something she would lose, so she put up a lower number just in case. They arrived at a large plaza, different to the test Aiko was taking as that one was inside a building. There were 20 mats for test takers and likewise, 20 Human Elders were watching over the mats. ''This place is big...'' Aiko stared around, the audience seats were arranged in a circular motion. The North were where all Elders, including the Fox ones, were. The East was for Human Inscription Cultivators. The West was for Fox Inscription Cultivators and lastly the South. That place didn''t have normal seats, but low tables with chairs similar to that of the North side. The South side was much smaller but had a more lavish decorum. It seemed like only those that had some kind of Token could sit there. "That is for [Inscription Master]s and above." Mei explained to the curious Aiko. She already learned some of her body language, the happier she was the more her tail swished around, when she was sad the tail was like a corpse, unmoving. If she was curious her tail tip would make a slow circling motion. Aiko nodded. "Can we go there, it''s less stuffy." Aiko grabbed Mei to drag her there. "Do you have the Token for that?" Mei smiled seeing the distressed Aiko. "I don''t have it, but I passed!" Aiko defended herself, still trying to pull Mei towards the South side. "Why not visit the East si-" "No." Aiko immediately flatly denied that and Mei was startled. "Why not?" Mei narrowed her eyes smiling. "They are too chummy." Aiko gestured a hugging motion. "You don''t like it?" Mei giggled. "They smell bad." Aiko simply said, unaware that almost everyone in there was watching her. "Is that so?" Mei''s eyes turned crescent moon shape. It was a good thing for her since she didn''t need to care about Human Cultivators appealing to her. "And they don''t feed me well." Aiko grabbed her stomach. "I''m hungry." Aiko''s eyes shined at Mei. Mei felt burdened once again as her storage rings dwindled in good meat. "I don''t have anything." Mei was honest at first, but now she also learned how to lie with a straight face. Can you blame her? Aiko''s consumption increased by more than 10 times once she got this pseudo-human form. Aiko pouted, trying to drag Mei there. "We can''t go there." Mei smiled gently. "Hmpf." Aiko pouted her ears twitching in displeasure. "I don''t believe that!" Someone suddenly yelled attracting everyone''s attention. "Young miss..." The old servant was wiping his sweat, it was difficult to manage youngsters... "I don''t believe that little whore is already [Inscription Master]!" That shrieking girl pointed at Aiko and everyone followed the line of sight. Stolen novel; please report. They were already aware of that little cutie with a foul mouth. They were no longer surprised by her name as ''Vicious Cub''. They exchanged glances between them, but they noticed that the little Cub paid zero attention to the Peak Elder''s daughter. "I want a duel!" She proclaimed pointing at the Cub. The Patriarch already had a headache as he accidentally agreed with the Jade Fox on a bet. Now he was regretting it since he paid no attention to the Elders, but it was obvious that he would regret it. "Little Vicious Cub." The Patriarch spoke gently. Aiko didn''t pay attention to him either still trying to pull Mei into the South part. The Patriarch''s lips twitched and stifled coughs drifted from the surroundings. Now Aiko was paying attention to the strange atmosphere. Aiko tilted her head, meeting the Elder''s daughter''s eyes. She then met the Patriarch''s gaze. "What is it? I''m already [Inscription Master] so we should be allowed to go there." Aiko stated plainly, completely disregarding their words. A stifled laughter drifted from the spectators'' seats on the West side and seats containing the Fox Elders. They were holding their laughter back because they had never seen in their 500 visits someone disregard the great Patriarchs so much! *Cough* The Patriarch awkwardly coughed. "Little one do you accept that girl''s Duel?" The Patriarch couldn''t care about the Elder''s daughter''s name. He always caused a fuss and brought him so much trouble and paperwork. Aiko stared at the girl, looking away immediately still trying to push Mei towards the Southernmost empty side. The coughs and stifled waves of laughter intensified. "Y-you dare disregard me whore!?" Tao Xuefeng was livid. Aiko didn''t even glance at her. "Are you sure you don''t want to accept the duel, you would be able to enter the southern side." The Father of Tao Xuefeng spoke loudly. "I can already enter it." Aiko spoke flatly. "That is not the case, there is a barrier separating that place, you can''t enter unless you have our Token." The Elder spoke again. Aiko stared at Mei. Mei chuckled. "It is true that there is a barrier, but it''s too flimsy to stop you." She caressed Aiko''s head. The Elder flinched and glared at the ignorant Jade Fox. "Then let''s just poke it until it collapses, I don''t really want to sit here." Aiko spoke, but she was too light to convince Mei''s body to move. Mei giggled. "Why don''t you accept the duel?" "Because we didn''t have our duel, no way will I waste my Beast Core Energy on a small fry." Aiko spoke without blinking as if it was a fact. Tao Xuefeng fumed, but she was held back by her servant. "Don''t stop me! I will rip that little bitch apart!" Tao Xuefeng screamed. "You can''t Young Miss! You were injured and are unable to fight!" The Servant was gripping her with all his might, but he had much lower Cultivation so he was dragged along by his Young Miss. "Don''t stop me! I will kill that little-" *Ding* Tao Xuefeng staggered backwards and the gallery stared at her strangely. They couldn''t understand what just happened. *Plap* A rock fell from her head down to the ground, she was uninjured but completely infuriated. They stared at the faint trajectory of the rock, only to spot the duo, Jade Fox and her little beast. Some had to rub their eyes if they saw correctly. "Did that little cutie just?" "Don''t ask me, I suck at combat." "She must''ve been..." The gallery was full of murmurs, but they quietened down as they came to a consensus. They stared at the little Cub in reverence, since they all suffered at the hands of Tao Xuefeng. She was the daughter of an Elder, which gave her the ability to bully anyone she wanted as long as it wasn''t a Direct Disciple or higher. "You dare-" Before the Father of Tao Xuefeng could say anything he was likewise struck by a rock. Aiko had enough of their sharp noises and screams, she already prepared a small pyramid of rocks ready to throw them. The place was quiet, Mei was holding her stomach trying not to laugh. Meanwhile, the Fox Elders had to use their Qi to forcibly suppress the laughter that crept in between their lips. The Patriarch held his head. This will take a lot of paperwork to calm down... "Since you have ''injured'' the girl you will have to duel now." The Patriarch said slowly. "Eh?!" Aiko was shocked. She was so upset that she wanted to throw more rocks at that shitty brat. Unfortunately, her rocks crumbled with the wave of the Patriarch''s hand. Aiko looked away pouting. "I believe that prize is necessary." Mei spoke gently, but everyone heard her. Aiko''s ears twitched. ''Treasures?'' "Yes, yes, it''s only natural for there to be a prize." The Fox Elders noticed that twitch and pushed that motion forward. "Indeed, since you were insulting our guest it''s only natural that there is a prize." The Patriarch agreed and he smiled with glee seeing his Elder''s distorted face. "Meat, Spirit Stones and treasures." Aiko shamelessly counted on her fingers and then nodded. The gallery laughed at that cute, yet shameless display. "But that is only if you win, you don''t have anything to appeal to us." The Elder snorted. Aiko pulled out Spirit Crystal and the whole place quietened. "Seriously? Spirit Crystal, that is too good for those two! Why can''t we challenge the little one, why does it have to be that bit-" "Why am I so poor." "I want to challenge her, no way will I allow the Elder to get Spirit Crystal!" The gallery was in uproar. Most of them cried since they were only either [Inscription Apprentice]s or [Inscription Adept]s they had a long way ahead to become [Inscription Master]s. The others were already [Inscription Master]s so they wanted to rush forward and steal this duel for themselves. Spirit Crystals were incredibly rare and precious, no way in the underworld would they allow Tao Xuefeng to get the Spirit Crystal! "The purest Meat! A pile of Spirit Stones! Treasures!" Aiko counted again, ignoring the animated gallery. The Elder had his eyes glued on the Spirit Crystal. ''I need that one to promote to [Inscription Emperor]...'' His eyes shined with greed. "Very well, we agree." The Elder said hastily. The Patriarch shook his head. Mei smiled gently. The Fox Elders frowned. The Gallery was in uproar yet again. The place was cleaned with only two test tables in front of each other but with a 5-meter distance in between. Aiko happily sat down, her tail moving left and right. Tao Xuefeng also sat down. The Elders bought Inscription Pens and Inscription Ink in front of them. Aiko checked her stuff and then checked her opponent. "Why does she have higher quality Pen and Ink?" Aiko frowned. Tao Xuefeng smiled like a snake. The others also saw that, but nobody dared to raise the issue, on the other side the Foxes were trying to raise an issue but were suppressed by the Human side. It was 200 Foxes vs around 1,000 Humans. Aiko frowned seeing nobody doing anything about this, but luckily she stored a few rocks in her rings. *Swish**Crash* [[Mischievous Cub] Activated! Force increased!] [[Trickster] Activated! Accuracy increased! *Shatter* Aiko smashed her Pen and Inscription ink to pieces, the Ink splattered everywhere while the pieces of the Pen flew somewhere far away. Aiko snorted and returned to check her table. The girl was stunned, but that didn''t last long as she roared. "You dare to destroy my things!? Do you know how much it cost!" "Why should I care, you failed to protect your stuff." Aiko cutely tilted her head and stifled laughter spread from the gallery. This was just too much for them, they didn''t expect this little Fox to be so vengeful! Chapter 85 – How to Duel! Tao Xuefeng was fuming. Aiko giggled cutely. "I can''t believe an esteemed Inscription Cultivator would resort to cheats." As Aiko''s Soul recovered she was able to create more elaborate traps for her opponents. The Elders frowned, now it was not just a duel between youngsters, but a duel between Inscription Cultivators. They could no longer aid Tao Xuefeng. They bought Tao Xuefeng the same Pen and Ink that Aiko had. There was no real time limit, but it was advised to complete the Inscription as soon as possible. Tao Xuefeng used her pen to carve into a wooden stick. She was skilled and her hand was steady. She was able to finish in half an hour, with a score of 98. Aiko smiled from ear to ear. She had a brilliant idea. She picked up her Pen and slowly carved the wooden stick as the girl did. She was a bit faster, but her hand was steadier, she finished in 25 minutes, but because it counted from the time Tao Xuefeng started she managed to finish it in 55 minutes. The Patriarch scored Aiko. "99 Points." The Patriarch said gently. The peanut gallery with Elders fell quiet. "That can''t be right." "What''s wrong with her? She barely managed to beat [Inscription Adept]..." "There is no way that''s it, right?" "Patriarch..." Tao Xuefeng''s father gently nudged the Patriarch. "What is it?" The Patriarch glanced at him. He then rolled his eyes and gave him the wooden stick. The Elder tried to discredit Aiko, but her technique was refined and even when she was quicker the effect was slightly stronger. He couldn''t deduct any points without becoming a clown. "I believe that they should do another round." Tao Xuefeng''s father gently coughed and proposed. "Double the Treasures." Aiko immediately said and that Elder choked. "What?! You little-" "That is fine." The Patriarch overruled the Elder. "P-Patriarch?!" The Elder was left speechless. "Duels are normally done once, not more times, it''s only natural that if you want to challenge her you need to bring more rewards." The Patriarch spoke slowly, but it was obvious he was taking Aiko''s side. ''She is incredibly talented that she could guess our marking system and then improve the craft ever so slightly to beat that girl.'' Patriarch smiled. The next round was of higher difficulty. The Girl ended with 65 points. Once again Aiko watched her and ended with 66 points. Murmurs spread through the audience. "I thought she would be able to create something exceptional, but she only surpassed Tao Xuefeng with only one point..." "Yeah, it''s disappointing. I also expected more." "Can''t believe I''m wasting my time on this instead of researching about Runes..." The reception was not very good. The Elders also didn''t say anything as they realized the true worth of what Aiko was doing, but none spoke about it, just in case this was a fluke. The third round arrived and Aiko was still smiling innocently. ''I can''t believe this bitch is just so so-so. How can she be [Inscription Master] when she can barely beat me? Luckily I saved up my strength for this round and I will easily beat her.'' Tao Xuefeng was still clueless about what was Aiko doing and she would stay like that since nobody ever dared to play with her. She was the shining star, the prodigy of the millennium. She was the undefeated champion, the chosen one. She was cherished and worshipped by many. This caused her intelligence to degrade greatly, which brought even more issues. She believed that everything should go her way, so when the third round finished and scores were told... "WHAT!? HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?!" Tao Xuefeng screamed like mad. "I got 126 points! I used the best technique! How can she still get 127 points!" Tao Xuefeng couldn''t comprehend it. "Again!" Tao Xuefeng challenged Aiko again. The Audience was bored at this stage, the first two rounds were interesting, but after seeing Aiko effortlessly wipe her with Tao Xuefeng, they lost interest... Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. The interest was regained once they saw Aiko move her tail. It would faintly mimic her hand movement when she was drawing. The Audience was attracted to that cute display and more murmurs spread. "Did you see that tail? Isn''t that just the cutest!" "Kyyaaaa, I want to comb that tail!" "I wonder if she can become Rune Cultivator..." The audience quietened at the last remark. They paused to think about it and shivered in fear. "S-hut up, you know how scary is that thought?!" "Y-yeah you bastard! Can you imagine her drawing 11 Runes at the same time?!" The audience fell silent, that thought was really terrifying as they already had a demonstration from the Patriarch, who dual drawn Runes. It was a terrifying display of power. What was more the number of Runes one could draw at once would not increase the power linearly, it was explosive growth in power. The Human Elders saw the smirking faces of the Fox Elders and they really wanted to punch them until they were half-dead, but they couldn''t the moment they moved a Rune pinned them back down into a sitting position. What was worse, was that Rune would last quite a long time, meaning they would be left sitting here for a few days. Nobody wanted to spend days in this place so they conceded. They dragged the Fuming Elder who was threatening to kill Aiko and the girl who continued screaming insults at Aiko. "Wait!" Aiko stopped them, nobody knew why Aiko stopped them, so they stared at the Patriarch. "Don''t forget my rewards! Meat, Spirit Stones and 3 Treasures!" Aiko counted on her little fingers. Half of the audience fainted, they couldn''t bear with Aiko''s cuteness. The Elder was let go temporarily, but most of his Qi was sealed, he opened his Ring and gave Aiko one piece of meat, a couple of Spirit Stones and 3 worthless Treasures. Aiko stomped his hand. "AGH!" The Elder screamed as his bones were crushed by Aiko. "Seriously you shitty old bastards have quite the balls right!" Aiko cursed him and his blindingly shining head. "You think I''m easy to bully? Even with your Spiritual Power, I can make you into an eunuch!" Aiko kept kicking him. The audience couldn''t help but laugh out loud. A small cute little thing was beating a grown-ass guy. It was just too comical. "Now listen you bastard, I want 2 podium-sized meat, Spirit Stones that I can roll in them and you will turn your Treasury upside down so I can choose the Treasures! Ptooey" Aiko spat at his shiny head, slapping paper there with words written ''Bald Fuck''. [[Babi-barian] Activated! Emotional damage increased!] The rest of the audience fainted and Tao Xuefeng''s father was looking like he was eating shit. The Patriarch coughed awkwardly. "Isn''t that a little excessive?" "If you go into a restaurant and order a meat omelette, but instead you get a bucket full of shit. Would you be happily eating or force that cook to eat his own shit?" Aiko stared directly at Patriarch and raised that question. The audience recovered and agreed with Aiko''s motion, now they had the opportunity to go after those two assholes and they would take every little opportunity to do so! "That''s right, the prize can''t be that shabby." "They insulted her, but wanted to withdraw paying the price!" "Can''t believe we have such a shameless Elder." The Elder was completely red glaring at Aiko, but Aiko wouldn''t budge. "I will gather Elder''s Treasure for you to pick, we will come tomorrow with it." The Patriarch said gently. ''That also means you will finally leave this place...'' He sighed. Aiko snorted but didn''t say anything against it. She went to drag Mei into the South courtyard, naturally picking the biggest place which even had a large sofa. Aiko jumped on it and rolled a few times to ascertain quality. She gave Mei a thumbs up that it was good and Mei giggled. She sat down near Aiko and petted her gently. Aiko was happily humming. The other Fox tests went well and without complications, the Patriarch had to kick 80% of his Elder, since all of them were guilty. ''So much paperwork...'' The Patriarch was without a Soul, he would now have to do a lot more paperwork as 17 out of the 20 Elders were kicked out. He would have to manage 18 Peaks by himself or delegate the other 3 Elders to spread out the work, but either way, it was extremely bad for him. Aiko enjoyed sleeping on the sofa. Her Beast Core was almost completely depleted from this fortuitous encounter. She still didn''t like the stares from the Audience. They kept staring at Aiko''s slowly moving tail. Some shivered, some felt pressured to pray towards that tail, and some even made small shrines with things from their rings. The 3 Elders sighed in displeasure, sure, her display of power was great, but to warrant this... they couldn''t agree with the youngsters, but since there were too many youngsters it was difficult to rail them in line. They could only watch as multiple shrines were created and small grounds of people prayed to the small shrines. They also gave their offering, from simple Spirit Stones to... underwear...??? The Elders immediately took action punishing the Human Disciples. Meanwhile, Aiko was quietly sleeping ignoring this commotion and Mei could only wryly smile. ... The whole event was... peaceful... mostly. None of the Foxes were injured and the Patriarch was able to clear his Association from bad apples. Aiko and Mei returned to their West wing, only to find it completely trashed up. It was a good idea to bring all the Foxes as they only lost some of their possessions. "We will talk with the Patriarch later about this." "And we will make him pay for the damages." "And we will quietly increase it~" The Elders laughed in glee, they previously told them to pack up everything since they would be leaving so the worst loss was some clothing and maybe a few Spirit Stones, but Patriarch didn''t know that, they would be able to squeeze quite a few Treasures from him. ... Aiko went to her bed lifelessly, her Beast Core was almost empty, only leaving her with- Beast Cores(50%): 100 (32,130) ''Who would''ve thought that that duel would drain me so much...'' Aiko was sad as they kept increasing the difficulty thus increasing the Beast Core consumption. ''At least I will have some Treasures, but I should also loot the East Wing for this displeasure of mine, I will have to calm myself down with some rare books or something...'' Aiko thought this was a good plan. "Where you are going?" Mei smiled, but that smile didn''t reach her eyes. Aiko shivered. "Nowhere!" And she was forced to stay behind. "You are not going anywhere today, tomorrow you will choose those Treasures and Inscription Master Token and we will be going, okay?" Mei pinched the mischievous Aiko''s cheeks. Mei enjoyed Aiko''s performance, but that didn''t mean she could spoil her here. ''Those Elders are still on the loose, we need to be careful about retaliation...'' Mei thought this wouldn''t be the end since her carefully changed Array was changed again into a hidden Trapping Array. Naturally, she already worked on changing that, but she didn''t like the fact that someone tinkered with her work. She would make that person pay in blood! Chapter 86 – Aiko watches Couples Quarrel Mei adjusted the Array from Trapping Array to Restriction Array, of course, this Array wouldn''t harm other Foxes, as for Humans... heh. Aiko was lying down, she was waiting for her treasures, but that would still take time. Blood Fox was observing Aiko, so she couldn''t jump at the Blood Fox. She would have to leave this place, mask and return to be able to jump at her but... "Don''t leave this place, something is wrong..." Mei said gently. Aiko couldn''t leave. She had too much energy, but not much Energy in Beast Core. ... "Aiko..." Mei sighed. She was still adjusting the Array to be able to restrain higher Cultivations. Aiko was currently playing with Mei''s tails. They were fluffy and nice to the touch. Aiko smiled but didn''t stop. Her energy was well spent here as she could rest while playing. "What will you do after you grow up?" Mei teased, stunning Aiko. "I will find a way to become small again." Aiko nodded seriously, startling Mei. Mei laughed at her silly fluffball, playing with her cheeks. Aiko pouted, she didn''t really like it when someone played with her face. Mei kissed the frowning Aiko''s forehead. This stiffened her, warmth spread through her forehead and she blushed. Mei enjoyed the changing expression and since she achieved her goal she returned to tinkering with the Array. Aiko lost much of her previous energy and laid down on Mei''s tails. Slowly drifting to sleep. ... "Cheat." Blood Fox clicked her tongue. "What? At least she is willingly following me." Mei smugly said. The Blood Fox frowned, but couldn''t retort that, the only way to get Aiko to follow her was when she wasn''t paying attention to her so Aiko could ambush her. "You should cheat less, once she gets strong enough you won''t be able to put her to sleep." Blood Fox questioned Jade Fox''s ways. "Eh..." Mei shrugged. "At that time she will be already attached enough that she won''t leave me and since she will be enough with me for such a long time she will learn not to disturb me when I tinker with Arrays." Blood Fox rolled her eyes, but didn''t say anything. Her intelligence was increasing sharply when she was with that little one. She had to use all of her energy just to think straight, but now she had to use only a tiny bit for the same effect. At first, this startled her and she was afraid of this change, but once she realized it was not that bad of a change she stuck close to Aiko whenever she could. Mei observed the trained eye of the Passion Fox and teased some more. "Should I move her to your tail~?" Mei enjoyed teasing her as it brought her some joy to her boring Refining life. "Hmpf" Blood Fox snorted and looked away, but one of her eyes was glancing at Aiko. "Since you don''t want to." Mei shrugged. "Wait!" Blood Fox suddenly said, startling herself. Mei stared at the confused and startled Passion Fox and smirked. "What? Have you changed your mind?" Mei teasingly said. Blood Fox frowned, she didn''t understand herself, why would she say that? Mei noticed that. ''A pity... it''s nice when she reacts, but this is not what I''m looking for.'' Mei sighed, no longer teasing her. Teasing only brought her joy when it was done correctly and this was not it... Mei needed to work more on the Array, but Aiko was getting quite heavy so she moved her to Passion Fox''s tail. Blood Fox glanced at the walking Jade Fox, not thinking much about it, but she stiffened once Mei placed Aiko on her tail. Countless questions appeared in her mind, but none of them left her lips. Mei enjoyed that questioning look before leaving. The Blood Fox didn''t know what to do as her tail warmed up from the sleeping Aiko. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. She was stiff for a long time. ... Aiko woke up, but instead of the usual colour, she was drowned in the colour of Red. This momentarily shocked her, but she calmed down once she saw that Mei was nearby. She was still in the courtyard so she laid back down, for some unknown reason this tail was fluffier than she remembered... Blood Fox frowned seeing Aiko that just continued sleeping. She was troubled as she worried that Aiko would fall down and then rain rocks at her. She still remembered the shocking sight of her throwing Spirit Stones and how much damage they did. She didn''t want to experience all of that. "You will need another tail." Mei teased Passion Fox, but the Passion Fox just looked away, pouting. "No way will I fuck filthy Human just for his Soul." Blood Fox murmured. Mei narrowed her eyes. "If you help me take care of Aiko I will provide you a few Souls." "There is no need." Blood Fox rejected that motion immediately. "Brother will help me with this." The Blood Fox didn''t pay much more attention to Jade Fox, but she still couldn''t move. "I still have a few tasty Souls on me. If you know how to extract them I can give you one so you can grow a tail." Mei smugly stared at Passion Fox. This time the Blood Fox was troubled. Her brother told her that it would take a few months/years to deliver that Soul since they would dissipate quickly. This reduced the opportunities of getting one as you had to eat them on-site. The Blood Fox questioned Jade Fox with her eyes, but Jade Fox only returned a smile. ... Mei finished working on the Array but noticed Passion Fox''s gaze. She was still staring at her questioning. This surprised Mei as she thought the Passion Fox would either give up or concede. "What is it?" Mei smiled. "How can you keep Souls on yourself when you stayed here this whole time? It''s impossible to keep Souls ''fresh''." The Blood Fox questioned Jade Fox. ''Hmmmm...'' Mei narrowed her eyes. "What can you give me for that information?" Mei''s eyes laughed at the Passion Fox. The Blood Fox felt awful from Jade Fox''s gaze and couldn''t bring herself to answer her. She heard a click of a tongue and she stared at Jade Fox. "Keep Aiko occupied and I will give you that Soul. Deal or not?" Mei snorted towards the Passion Fox, who was thinking deeply. "Fine..." The Blood Fox agreed with some difficulty. "But it better be fresh Soul, not a wisp that won''t give me anything. Mei smiled and came closer to the Passion Fox with a teasing look. ... Aiko was thrown off the tail as it stiffened. She wanted to bite that tail, but once she opened her eyes she saw that stinky Fox kissing the Blood Fox. *Whistle* Both Jade Fox and Blood Fox stiffened. They didn''t expect that little Cub to wake up. The Blood Fox''s face was immediately dyed red and she swung her claws at Jade Fox. Mei dodged, but... *Slice**Crash* Shivered once she realized that what was enhanced with durability and preservation was easily sliced apart by the Passion Fox. ''What a terrific ability...'' Mei thought, she saw many things, but this reincarnation was the most bizarre one. ''How can they be so strong when there is not enough Spiritual Energy in the Air?'' She questioned but still dodged. The Blood Fox was hurling profanities at the Jade Fox with a flushed face. "Oh, my~" Mei giggled. "Did I perhaps steal your first kiss~?" She talked seductively. The Blood Fox stiffened her face twisted. "Of course not!" She roared. "But how dare you kiss me when you are not my Mate!" She growled. "My my. Then we can just become one~" Mei teased more, this was a lot more fun. The Blood Fox froze and her demeanour completely changed. A shiver ran down Mei''s spine. Mei pulled a protective small shield. The Blood Fox had enough and used her Ability Blood Slash. She easily penetrated the reinforced walls and shattered that shield. She wanted to continue, but... "AAAAGH!" A female voice screamed. They were startled and hurriedly looked at Aiko if she was alright. She was... unhurt, but that didn''t make sense... "What?" Aiko stared at the quarrelling couple. "Didn''t you scream?" Mei asked and Passion Fox nodded with her. "No. It came behind that wall." Aiko pointed with her tiny paw at the destroyed wall and blood was seeping through it. "Did you already finish your love quarrel?" This time Aiko teased both of them. ""WE ARE NOT A COUPLE!"" They yelled in sync. They didn''t expect this and glared at each other while moving towards that wall. Sparks were flying between them. "Humans..." Mei murmured. "Definitely." The Blood Fox agreed, she was much more sensitive to Blood and could smell the differences. "What are they doing here?" Mei tilted her head. "If you spy you at least keep low to the ground, but your slash is way high..." They didn''t understand, but then something clicked. "Could it be that they are the ones that tinkered with our Arrays?" Mei thought. "They tinkered with Arrays?" The Blood Fox didn''t understand them, she... didn''t like to learn things. "Yeah, so maybe this is an ambush?" Mei said almost convinced. "Ambush for what? Why would they do that?" The Blood Fox was doubtful. "We caused a mess, several times at that. Then Aiko slapped that brat''s face and robbed their treasures, moreover, she earned the Black Inscription Token." Mei recounted what happened and the Blood Fox''s lips twitched. She stared at the little fluffball in disbelief. "What?" Aiko stared back at the Blood Fox innocently. "I can''t believe she was able to manage all that with such a short time..." The Blood was flabbergasted. "Anyway, Refine the Soul I gave you, I will adjust the Array for sudden invasions." The Jade Fox said, they still had a night before they would come over with treasures, but she should finish that Array sooner, lest they ambush them during the night. "Huh?" The Blood Fox remembered that kiss. "I have still not beaten you up for that... that!" She was red in the face, ready to rip apart Jade Fox. "I just transferred the Soul into your body." Mei glanced at her innocently, like Aiko would always do. The Blood Fox almost fainted from her anger but checked her body. Near her Beast Core, there was a restrained Soul that still looked fresh. She stared at the Jade Fox with complicated emotions. "Since we have solved this misunderstanding you can return and Refine it. Remember to only eat the outer layer unless you are completely mad and want to anger the Reincarnation Path." Mei warned before returning to tinker with the Array. The Blood Fox''s face was still conflicted, but she returned to her house where Aiko was staring at her. She looked away from the little Cubs gaze and meditated to slowly chew the outer layer of the Soul. She didn''t understand why she couldn''t just eat it whole, but since she got this Soul from someone else she couldn''t question her. She was worried that she would be so angry that she would finish the Jade Fox. Aiko stared curiously at the meditating Blood Fox and suppressed her existence. She then moved on her lap, startling the Blood Fox, but before the Blood Fox could say anything and reprimand Aiko, Aiko was already asleep. "Seriously..." The Blood Fox massaged her temples. "I''m not even your Mate." She murmured, not understanding this little Cub. Naturally, Aiko didn''t care about what Blood Fox thought of her, she only enjoyed the warmth of the new sleeping spot. Chapter 87 – Fight…? Mei stared at the smirking Blood Fox. She was in a bad mood once she found Aiko rolled on her lap and even worse once she saw the Blood Fox''s smirk. If Gaze could kill the Blood Fox would already die ten times over. Aiko''s ears twitched, she had a strange feeling so her head stared in a certain direction. Mei looked in that direction too. "They are here..." Mei said gently, the Blood Fox tilted her head. She really wanted to upset the Jade Fox, because of that kiss, but it didn''t seem like she would get anything, but glare. The Blood Fox discreetly pouted, dissatisfied. Aiko stood up keeping her body like a Fox, she could smell danger approaching and her Ability warned her of the impending danger. "Hahaha!" Laughter came from above their Wing. There stood an old geezer haughtily staring down at them. Aiko remembered him as one of the Elders who made the Foxes fail and who was kicked out of this place. Behind him stood the other Elders. It didn''t seem like they came with good intentions. "What are you doing there?!" One Fox Elder bellowed. He was upset that someone disturbed his good time with one of the Foxes. The Elder up above laughed. "Call me your father and I will tell you." The Elder was in a good mood, it would take some time before the Patriarch realised something was wrong, but then it would be too late. "You bastard!" The Fox Elder was not one of the brightest, he had a mush instead of a brain from the sheer amount of sex. He was easily provoked. The Fox Elder rushed with his Ability towards that Elder but was shot down by a net. "Oi! Don''t waste such precious restraining artefacts on old bastards!" The main Elder roared at his colleague, they were here to capture a few foxes before escaping. "We can always kill him and retrieve it." The Elder shrugged. The main Elder frowned, while they did have time, they didn''t have that much time. Once they cause too much ruckus it will alert the Patriarch and their lives will be doomed. ... Aiko and Mei were staring towards the Elders, even the Blood Fox now realized that they were adversaries. She clicked her tongue, she was so focused on belittling and making the Jade Fox upset that she completely disregarded what was happening around her. She felt upset, upset at the Jade Fox, upset at the Vicious Cub, but mostly upset at herself. She already recovered her ego and pride she thought that she returned back to when she was not affected by her Bloodline, but that was a big lie. Now she realized and she regretted it. She was upset at herself. Her nails cracked creating longer sharp claws. She dashed forward towards the incoming battlefield. Mei clicked her tongue. "She is still too hot-headed." She then activated the Array that she made. Aiko stared at Mei, she was cautious since she didn''t know if she could rush forward, she really wanted to screw a few of them over since they interrupted her sleep. After the Array activated the Elders fell to the ground, flustered. They didn''t understand why their External Qi was limited and why they couldn''t take flight even with their swords. "What did you do?!" The Elder bellowed using his Peak of Nascent Soul Cultivation to pressure the Foxes, most of the Foxes were stunned and unable to move. "Go, go." Mei stared at the impatient little rascal who wanted to cause some chaos. Aiko smiled from ear to ear and dashed forward. Mei sighed at that display of vigour but didn''t say anything. The Blood Fox''s legs were restrained by the net, but the Elder''s still couldn''t approach her. Her upper body was unaffected and her claws were deadly. She was able to finish one Elder before he could completely restrain her. "You useless fools!" The main Elder yelled at them. The ten over Elders fought against the Fox Elders and some other Foxes and had their hands tied, they couldn''t run around and capture Foxes. Aiko swished past one of the Elders, he was only the beginning of Nascent Soul and was easily sliced by the Skill [Lacerate]. The other Elders shivered, they didn''t expect this little Cub to be so deadly so when she arrived at the battlefield most of them ignored her and only a few of them wanted to capture her, but Aiko didn''t give them that chance. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. She rushed between their legs injuring or severing them, depending on their Cultivation. Aiko was looking forward to some proper fight, but unfortunately, they were too weak... Both the Fox Elders and Human Elders stared speechlessly at the Vicious Cub. They didn''t expect her to be so strong, but then they had a funny thought. ''Is she the same one that had that crazy Evolution?'' The Human Elders frowned and tried to dispel that thought, but were unable since almost half of them were already restrained by the Fox Elders. ''This is... too easy.'' Aiko frowned, she was not yet used to this strength, but it was obvious that she was out of their league. Aiko jumped around landing somewhere near another Elder. He slapped Aiko with all of his might, but Aiko didn''t even budge. When that Elder saw it he coughed up blood from his anger and shock. "Why are you so weak baldy?" Aiko tilted her head, her tail unmoving. She was not amused, she was upset at how weak this guy was. The Elder coughed up even more blood once he heard the Vicious Cub speak like that and we fell unconscious from the beating and anger. Aiko stared at them strangely. "Why are you all coughing up blood, you weren''t even injured." Both the Fox Elders and Human Elders felt angry from her ignorance, but they were too focused on their fights and protecting the Foxes to retort her. "Hey! You, kick his balls! What are you waiting for?" Aiko commanded the nearby Fox Elder, making the other Elders cough up Blood from her insolence. "What are you getting injured for, you are supposed to dodge!" "Why are you so slow you shit-coloured Elder?" "Hey! You piss-coloured Elder, slash him already, he is already so weak!" "Oi! You! Yes you with the moustache that you use to pick out your nose, why are you dodging?! You are supposed to take the hit!" "Oi, you there! Stop making out and finally kill him!" Aiko''s indiscriminate insults hit all of them and they were coughing blood left and right. They couldn''t believe this shameless Vicious Cub who even didn''t join their fight but kept hurling one insult after another. Mei was holding her stomach and laughing out loud. At first, she wanted to stop Aiko, but seeing everyone so enraged by this little fluffball made her day. The Elders were too arrogant and deserved some ruffling. Mei also didn''t join the fight, she sat near Aiko and [Clean]ed her of the blood and other fluids. Aiko enjoyed this spell much more now that her senses were sharper, but it still couldn''t surpass those baths. "When will they finish? They are so slow..." Aiko shook her head, letting Mei ruffle her fur. "They are pretty slow and unimpressive, but that''s only because they are weak, on the mainland there are much more powerful Cultivators." Mei said gently. At first, the Fox Elders wanted to glare at her, but once they realized it was the Jade Fox speaking... they gave up. They couldn''t afford to anger this demon. "But... it''s not fun..." Aiko frowned, feeling quite sad. ''What''s not fun?! We are fighting here for our lives!'' ''What do you mean?! You are not supposed to enjoy this like some kind of play!'' ''Fuck! I''m bleeding more because of those shameless Foxes.'' Mei shook her head. "To begin with all their superiority from their flight was locked by me, it would be a different fight if they could keep flight." Aiko''s eyes widened. "When can I fly?" She was curious and her eyes shined, even her tail swirled around. Mei giggled. "You need to attain Human Form first, or obtain Divine Ability that allows flight." Mei caressed Aiko''s head while answering her questions. "That''s too long." Aiko frowned. "Then you have to get a flying artefact." Mei smiled narrowing her eyes. "Flying artefact..." Aiko repeated. "You need Inscriptions for that right?" Aiko laughed happily when Mei nodded. "Great. Can we return to our place? I want to learn how to make those things~!" Aiko''s eyes shined so much that Mei was burdened, but since she completed a few flying artefacts she could help Aiko, but first... "What about the massage chair?" Mei teased Aiko. Aiko frowned, she really wanted to fly, but... massage chair. It''s a massage chair! She doesn''t know why it''s so important, but she still believes that it''s beneficial to her. "Can we do both?" Aiko''s large eyes plead at Mei. "No, we don''t have enough time." Mei smiled teasingly. "Then massage chair." Aiko nodded seriously. She didn''t know what kind of material she would need for those flying thingies, but she already had most of the parts of the massage chair, so they were closer to finishing. At this point, the Fox Elders tiredly tied up the Human Elders. They were still staring speechlessly at the duo who was casually talking on the battlefield and it was not just them. Other Foxes also stared at them flabbergasted. While others fought for their lives they were talking about some kind of sex instrument, this upset the other Foxes, but they couldn''t really voice their opinion since they were currently burdens. "Right." Aiko thought of something. Aiko transformed into her human form and walked towards a certain girl, you could remember her as the girl who gave Aiko those flags before passing out from her cuteness. The girl stiffened once she saw the Vicious Cub walking towards her with those ''puppy eyes'', she already knew what the Vicious Cub wanted to do, but she didn''t want to yield her flags so she looked away. Aiko grabbed her sleeve and gently pulled. "Pretty please?" Aiko''s ''puppy eyes'' with her cute and soothing voice dealt lethal damage to the girl. Her nose burst with blood and she almost passed out immediately. "T-take it." She wouldn''t be able to survive if Aiko continued her assault so she could only concede... "Thank you~!" Aiko took the flags and smiled brightly. This was a finishing blow for the Fox girl and nearby Foxes. They all fainted. Aiko skipped a few steps arriving in front of the Elders. Most male Foxes were already holding their backdoors and looking away, they couldn''t watch that gruesome scene, but they also couldn''t leave, just in case their popularity would plummet because of that. Aiko took the flags and Inscribed something on them. The Human Elders didn''t understand what was happening and were even more confused seeing the Foxes'' pitying expressions. They felt something was wrong, but they just couldn''t put their finger on it. Aiko finished Inscribing, and the Fox Elders gulped. A few of them already noticed the Rune, it was a rune to soften things, to make them more bendable. Aiko smiled like the devil and all Foxes shivered, most of them from fear, but also many of them from excitement, they wished they could swap places with the Human Elders, but they couldn''t... Aiko kicked one of the Elders. He was still screaming at Aiko about what she was doing and that she should untie him if she doesn''t want to get raped by him, but Aiko ignored him. She kicked his butt upwards so she had a better approach and the Elder froze. "W-what are you doing! Untie me, untie-AGGHARGHGH" The Flag was halfway down his backdoor and the Elder already passed out. The other Human Elders shivered and stared at Aiko in fear. Aiko borrowed a hammer... for reasons better not spoken about, but... *Bang**Bang**Bang**Bang* She finished nailing that flag until only a piece of cloth was visible... Chapter 88 – Extorting from Mei and Treasures~ Aiko finished nailing all of the Human Elders. She cleaned her hands of their filth and returned to Mei. "They don''t have anything on them other than those ropes." Aiko felt upset as it was a lot of work punishing all those Elders, not to mention... [Backdoor Destroyer] [You are proficient in destroying the backdoors, your enemies will shit their pants from your intimidation] She even got this shitty title! She didn''t want this! What if her enemies had some fancy clothing she could sell for a lot of money?! Now she couldn''t because she would have to clean it! Mei noticed the upset Aiko and soothed her. "You can just extort that Elder." Mei was talking about the Father of Tao Xuefeng. Aiko frowned but didn''t reject that notion, since they dared to attack them she would extort the ever-living shit out of them and with a smile! Aiko returned with Mei back to their place. The Blood Fox was frowning as she had her legs still tied up, but it didn''t seem like they remembered her, they just left, leaving her in that sorry state. What was even worse was that only perverts wanted to help, so she had no other option than to jump back with tied legs. She would rather suffer a blow to her pride than be touched by those filthy horny Foxes. Mei glanced at Blood Fox from the corner of her eye and smiled. ''Serves you right! Who told you to placate my servant!'' She had a very gleeful smile on her lips as she guided Aiko towards their blueprints. They sat down completely forgetting about the Blood Fox. "If you would like a flying artefact what it would be?" Mei suddenly asked when she watched Aiko carefully go through the blueprints. "Feather." Aiko nodded seriously, surprising Mei. "Why that?" Mei couldn''t understand why she would pick that kind of thing. "It is soft, light and can be very pretty." Aiko answered passively. "And the real reason?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "You can tickle people to death once I tie them..." There was no point for Aiko to conceal anything as it wouldn''t be beneficial for her. She realized that Mei was as mischievous as she was, so it was a good idea to talk about mischief since it would allow Aiko to sway Mei to her side and help with her projects. Mei also had much more knowledge than Aiko, that was another reason why she didn''t conceal anything as she needed someone knowledgeable to teach her about those kinds of things. "Also." Aiko paused going through the blueprints. "Mm?" Mei looked at the cute Aiko. "I''m hungry." Aiko almost salivated but was able to restrain herself. "..." Mei couldn''t believe her ears and pretended not to hear. "I would also want to recover my Beast Core, I''m pretty much running on an empty tank." Aiko frowned seeing her Beast Core have only 100 Energy to spend on things. "......" Mei sighed but gave Aiko a few Neutral Beast Cores. Her heart ached at that since she planned to use those on her Pill Refining, but now she couldn''t. Aiko smiled from ear to ear and sat on Mei''s lap, making her stiff all over. Aiko bit into the Beast Core letting it release its Energy and waited for Mei to do her magic. Mei shook her head and separated the impurities from the Beast Core, letting Aiko consume the Energy. The Blood Fox arrived just now and frowned. She glared at the Jade Fox who stared at her with pity, but with a gleeful smile. They battled through gaze, but eventually, Blood Fox gave up and went to her place. She was unable to use her Energy to form those claws as the ropes now restrained her circulation of Beast Core. She would have to use a knife to cut those ropes, fortunately, her brother gave her quite a few goodies and the knife was one of them. If Mei saw this knife being used as a cutting tool she would cough up buckets of blood. This knife was used to harvest Spiritual Herbs, which were different from normal Herbs as they had a Spiritual Sense, they were alive. This tool was used to deal as little damage as possible to them, while not causing them any pain. If you couldn''t properly harvest Spiritual Herbs then they could degrade or even detonate themselves, injuring everyone around. Of course that was only the case for novice Alchemists, the more powerful ones could directly suppress the Spiritual Herbs, but even then it would cause those Spiritual Herbs to degrade. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. The Blood Fox cut those ropes and threw the knife back into her Pouch. She didn''t have a Storage Ring, because if she went berserk or had restrained Energy she wouldn''t be able to open it, so her brother bought her this special Pouch that only she could open as it was tied to her Soul. Once she was powerful enough she could even store this Pouch inside her body and leave it near her Soul. ... Meanwhile, Aiko was recovering her Energy. Her consumption was so brutal that Mei was unable to keep up. Aiko was like a bottomless pit that no matter how much you threw inside the pit would adjust itself and swallow everything. Mei wanted to cry when she saw those dozens of Beast Cores vanish into her fluffball. Beast Cores(50%): 100 -> 1,100 (33,130) Aiko stared at Mei, she went through all of the Beast Cores her chef gave her, but was unable to restore much. "I don''t have more!" Mei cried out. "Oh..." Aiko''s ears dropped down and Mei suffered a critical hit, but she really couldn''t afford to give her any more Beast Cores as she was running low herself. She still needed to finish a few Pills for the Grandmaster since they would be leaving soon... ... The Patriarch visited the Foxes and immediately noticed those Elders who ran away from their confinement. He pinched his nose bridge, more paperwork to come, but also he had to give them treasures. While yes Humans hunted Foxes for their... uses... They also cherished if those Foxes were ''skilled'', so if the word spread that the Foxes were bullied and their Skills were rejected even though they were more skilled than most Humans... ''We would lose our standing as Inscription Association...'' He sighed, he would have to part with his treasures to appease the Foxes. ''But first thing first.'' The Patriarch stared at Inky Head. "Good day, fellow Taoist." He would have to negotiate the terms... ... Aiko arrived at the main courtyard of this place. There was the stupid Elder with his Storage Rings. The Patriarch and some Fox Elders beckoned her inside so she dragged the Jade Fox with her. She had no idea of the price of those treasures and seeing the previous time and how stingy this bastard was... she would rather use Mei as an appraisal machine. The room was spacious and the Fox Elders took their seats, waiting for the Human Elder to show his treasures so Aiko could pick her share. Aiko stared at the strangely shaped treasures and tried to use Appraisal... [Sword] [Shield] [Toothpick] [Stick] ... Aiko almost spat blood when she looked at her useless Ability. Not to mention she was unable to level it up, so she couldn''t guess if the Ability was completely useless or somewhat useful... The Elder watched her with glee, while he couldn''t bring everything trash, he could mix and match things and if she picked something that was trash it was not his fault. He watched her how she struggled frowned and looked upset, relishing in the fact he was able to inflict emotional damage on her. Aiko frowned for the last time and turned around, confusing the Elder. She grabbed Mei by the hand and dragged her in front of the treasures smiling. "But I''m only a chef." Mei coquettishly glanced at Aiko, teasing her. "Now you are also an Appraisal." Aiko nodded as if it was a matter of fact. Mei''s lips twitched. "But I will need something in return~" She teased Aiko, she never intended to take her treasures, but Aiko stunned her. "Sure, you can have two and I will have the rest." Aiko nodded readily, she was unable to identify those treasures, but since she would get 6 of them she didn''t mind. She would properly extort this bastard since that previous fight upset her as those Elders were completely broke. "This one is good, this one is useless and this-" Mei started to throw things around. Things that were almost completely depleted of their Spiritual Energy, damaged or useless were thrown away. She identified about 10 Treasures for Aiko to pick. "This one is a Defensive Artefact. It is still in somewhat good shape, although the quality is low, it can block Nascent Soul Cultivators." Mei pointed at the first one. It was a small badge that looked like a shield. "You would put it under your robes or on your belt..." Mei stared at Aiko who didn''t have any belts. "Let''s create a belt for you later." Mei nodded to herself. Another one was a spear, while it was useless as a weapon, it was very useful as a throwing weapon, this spear would continuously speed up until it ran out of internal Spiritual Energy. The third one was a fan. This one caused large winds to form and could cause hurricanes if infused properly. The fourth one was another Defensive Artefact, but this one was against low-tier poisons. It was again in the shape of a badge with a snake on it. The fifth one was a rock formation that could gather Spiritual Energy, while it was not as good as classic Arrays, this one was portable and easy to store so it was considered quite a good Artefact. The sixth one was a nightgown- A defensive Artefact that protected the body from slashes. It was very light and see-through, so it was hard to see if one had this under their robes. The seventh was a dagger. It was strangely shaped and damaged, but the Inscription craftsmanship was exceptional and it was great learning material for Aiko. The eighth was an armour. Like the dagger it was damaged, but the Inscription was very dense and strange, so once again good learning material. The ninth was what looked like a broken relic, but this could lessen the impact of Human Cultivators when they formed their Nascent Soul, it could block part of the Heavenly lightning. It had last use, but the Inscription could be possibly copied given enough time. The tenth was a flying sword. This sword didn''t use sword-kinesis like others would, but if you infused it with Qi it could fly, so it was marked as Flying Artefact, not all that good, but better than the rest of the trash that Mei threw away. "What do you want?" Aiko asked Mei first. Mei smiled and picked the fan and nightg- Defensive Artefact. "Are you sure?" Aiko looked at the see-through shirt and stared at Mei strangely. "You... what are you thinking about?!" Mei ruffled Aiko''s hair roughly, ''glaring'' at her. "I have nothing against kinks." Aiko shook her head protecting it from Mei. "You little!" Mei tickled Aiko causing her to laugh like a maniac and plead for her dear life. "Hmpf! That''s what you get for teasing me." Mei huffed, satisfied with the messy servant. ... Aiko took some time to recover and picked her four choices. Defensive Artefact against Poisons. The Dagger with exceptional Inscription craftsmanship. The Armour with the dense, yet strange Inscription. The Broken Relic. The Human Elder glared at her. "You are supposed to take only 3!" Aiko stared at him like he was an idiot. "Of course, I only took my share, you bastard tried to guide the other Elders here while staying put, a coward like you doesn''t deserve any treasure so I''m lessening the burden on your shoulders!" Aiko said righteously. "Bullshit! I didn''t do anything!" The Elder sweated. ''How does she know I instigated those spineless, useless bastards?!'' ''With this, there is a good reason to take those treasures without others stopping me~.'' Aiko hummed, she was unaware that she hit the bullseye with her lie. Chapter 89 – Profession and Kinky Foxes They dragged that Elder away for questioning, Aiko didn''t care and wanted to leave, but she was stopped by the Patriarch. "Your Inscription Token is finished." He said while taking out Black well-decorated Inscription Token with [Inscription Master] written on them. Aiko completely forgot about her Token and took it from the Patriarch. [Congratulations for finishing [Hidden Trial]!] [Unlocked Main Profession and Sub-Profession!] [You have obtained a Special Token. Your Sub-Profession changed from - to [Inscription Apprentice (1st Low-Grade Inscription Cultivator)]!] [Your main Profession changed from - to [Opportunistic Kleptomaniac (Apprentice)]!] Aiko stared at the system for a bit, attracting the attention of the Fox Elders. "Is there something wrong?" Inky Head Elder asked. Aiko snapped out of it and hid the Token. "No, mine!" The Elders smiled warmly at her antics. "Since we have finished our business we will wait till all the Foxes that passed get their Tokens and we will leave." Lightbulb Elder smiled brightly, they were just pretending to leave to pressure the Patriarch so they could get more treasures out of him. "Please fellow Taoist stay for a tea." The Patriarch beckoned them gently but was frowning inside. He lived for quite a long time and was already used to the shameless ways. "Since you insist." The Fox Elders smiled from ear to ear, ready to extort the Patriarch. Patriarch could only sigh when staring at the hungry Foxes. ... Aiko left that room with Mei, she was restless, she really wanted to know what those Professions and Sub-Profession do. ''You need to control yourself better so your secrets don''t get exposed.'' Mei gently reminded Aiko through telepathy. Aiko nodded shyly, she was aware of that, but when the system was silent for such a long time she couldn''t help, but pause and be curious. They returned to their place and Aiko immediately went into her room to check those new shiny. [Profession: [Opportunistic Kleptomaniac (Apprentice)]] [Opportunistic Kleptomaniac (Apprentice)] [First step towards the Dao of Kleptomaniacs.] [1st Effect: Finding Shiny new things is easier.] [You can upgrade the Stage, by collecting/extorting Treasures from others.] Aiko smiled, she could get more treasures now. What is more, collecting and extortion is very easy for her when she considers her complexion and cuteness. [Sub-Profession: [Inscription Apprentice (1st Low-Grade Inscription Cultivator)]] [Inscription Apprentice (1st Low-Grade Inscription Cultivator)] [First step towards Dao of Runes.] [1st Effect: It''s easier to understand Runes.] [You can upgrade the Grade, by Inscribing Runes onto objects. The more complex and defined Inscription the better Evaluation and thus higher chance to advance Grades!] ''... Why am I not [Inscription Master] already?'' Aiko tilted her head, she was confused as to why this was not the case. The system didn''t consider her as [Inscription Master] since she was severely lacking in Skill, what was considered [Inscription Master] in the lower Realm was not considered [Inscription Master] in the worlds beyond. Thus the system was Evaluating her based on the criteria from Worlds beyond this small insignificant lower realm. ''Whatever...'' Aiko pouted, but she was still upset that she didn''t get her just deserved Rank. She sat down and doodled with her Pen a couple of Runes, she already noticed her higher understanding of the many Runes that she casually doodled. [Inscription Mastery: Lv.9->Mastered] And the system agreed with her sentiment. She achieved Mastery in it, she could now upgrade it, but... "Ugh... everything costs 10,000 Skill Points." Aiko frowned seeing the insane prices, but those prices were not THAT insane, so she didn''t consider using the [Skill Combination Coupon]. "I will have to level up once I return so I can purchase it..." Aiko thought about it. "I should hunt some monster and roast their meat, but..." She stared towards the house where Mei rested. "I don''t think that she will let me?" Aiko thought that sometimes that mean Fox was too overprotective. "But it''s not like I can roast that meat myself..." Aiko frowned, she was already addicted to the taste that Mei created when she cooked the meat. This was a good thing for Mei as she was planning to ensnare Aiko in different ways so that she wouldn''t want to leave her, but even Mei didn''t expect it to be so effective. Aiko sighed. She went into the house of that mean Fox. "Mei?" Aiko looked around, but couldn''t find Mei anywhere. She went to another house but was empty again, so she went to the last one where the Blood Fox resided. Aiko opened the doors, only for her to see two half-naked Foxes. Those Foxes were completely stunned. Their minds blanked and their words were caught inside their throats. Aiko stared at them without blinking. "I''m sorry, I will be on my way." ... Mei frowned. She just tried the Defensive Artefact, but it didn''t fit her. Certain parts of her body were too small so the shirt was too big. Mei was upset and cursing, if this wasn''t a Defensive Treasure she would already burn it to crisp. She then stared towards the residence of Passion Fox and a playful thought crossed her mind. Mei was aware of the Passion Fox''s condition, but that didn''t mean she would help her rival. They both relied on Aiko in some way, so there was just no way she would concede her current position. She moved towards the house of Passion Fox and opened her doors. Passion Fox was currently changing dress and was half naked. The Passion Fox stiffened from embarrassment. The Jade Fox stiffened from rage. ''Why the fuck are they so big!'' Mei cursed in her mind and was upset at Passion Fox''s body. ''Should I also find the Blood Bloodline so I can get that kind of body?'' Mei clicked her tongue. ''No, I don''t want to completely rely on Aiko like this stupid Fox.'' You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ''W-w-w-why is she here?!'' The Blood Fox was embarrassed. ''W-what does she want?!'' She immediately picked up her previous clothes to somewhat cover, but the Jade Fox grabbed her wrist and stopped her. "W-what do you want?" The Blood Fox tried to maintain a tough front, but her voice quivered. She was afraid that if she hurt this Jade Fox she would get stoned by the little one. "Try this." Mei placed the shirt in front of her with a frowning face. "O-okay." The Blood Fox was beet red, but couldn''t say anything as she was really worried about the fluffball. She picked the longer shirt from Jade Fox and- The doors opened. They both looked towards the door. There stood Aiko frozen in place. She browsed their bodies like she was in some kind of shopping centre. "I''m sorry, I will be on my way." She said slowly, keeping her eyes on them. Both of the Foxes were embarrassed, both for different reasons, but Mei refused Aiko to leave like this. She grabbed Aiko and pulled her inside sealing the doors behind her. "W-what?" Aiko was smothered by Mei''s smooth body. *Poof* She transformed and jumped outside through the window. Mei was stunned as she didn''t expect this event, but she was too slow to stop it as Aiko''s ears tickled her, making her reaction time slower than what it was supposed to be. The Blood Fox grabbed Mei. Her chest squished Mei''s easily, which upset Mei. "Y-you need to explain it to her!" The Blood Fox didn''t wish to be seen as a pervert. Mei frowned and slapped the Passion Fox away. "Auch." The Blood Fox hit the side of the bed, but before she could get angry the Jade Fox was already gone. *Sob* "What am I going to do now? Will she avoid me?" The Blood Fox was restless and pitiful, once her emotions overwhelmed her, her Bloodline would make it difficult to think straight. She quietly sobbed inside her house until her emotions calmed down. ... "Aiko." Mei stared at Aiko who was Inscribing Runes. "Finished?" Aiko tilted her head at Mei. "What do you mean ''finished''?!" Mei cried out. "I mean... you don''t last very long." Aiko tilted her head. Mei frowned and pinched her nose bridge explaining her situation. "Oh..." Aiko had a very passive attitude, she didn''t believe Mei that it was really like that. "It is the truth!" Mei cried out again, feeling wronged and she dragged Aiko back into her house for her to try the shirt. ... "GHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH!" Mei was laughing so loud it spread through the entire courtyard. Aiko currently had that shirt on her, but it was so big that it basically worked as a one-piece dress with comically long sleeves. "HAHAHAHA!" Mei couldn''t stop laughing, she felt much better about her lack of assets once she stared at Aiko. Aiko pouted. "Stinky Fox you owe me meat and more Beast Core." Aiko wouldn''t take it lying down. ''Just you wait, once I''m bigger and stronger I will tie you up!'' She threatened the mean Fox in her mind. "HAHA, sure!" Mei was still laughing but conceded to Aiko since she was in a much better mood. "And it better be exceptionally good!" Aiko pouted throwing that shirt away before activating the Sect Token, which gave her back the one-piece clothing. ... "We will be leaving soon." Inky Head interrupted them just as Mei was starting to prepare some meat. "What about my Spirit Stones and those large pieces of meat?" Aiko frowned, sure she got the treasure, but what about the shiny stones and delicious meat? "Here." The Elder gave her a Pouch that was filled with meat and 3,000 Spirit Stones. "Just 3,000..." Aiko pouted and the Elder wanted to spit blood. ''What do you mean ''just'' 3,000! I don''t earn more than that in a year!'' The Elder was upset at this clueless Cub. "Hmpf!" The Elder flicked his sleeve and left without looking back. Mei stifled her laughter that threatened to escape her lips and gently nudged Aiko. "Go pack up." Mei smiled sweetly. Aiko frowned but listened. They would be leaving today. [ Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 500 - 500 (Adjustable 500 - 500 -> 0 - 1,000) Species: [Shadow Fennec Fox Cub(Female, Peak of Unique, Single-Tail)] Species: [Moon Fennec Fox Cub(Female, Single-Tail)] Age: 1.04/100 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Peak)], [Dream Beast Kitsune(Awakened)] Bloodline: [Moon Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)] Beast Rank: Magical Beast Level: 78 -> 80 (3rd Evolution) Profession: [Opportunistic Kleptomaniac (Apprentice)] Sub-Profession: [Inscription Apprentice (1st Low-Grade Inscription Cultivator)], Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], [Plushie Princess], [Shadow Thief], [Master of Sex Toys], [Gourmand], [Explorer], [Trickster], [Mischievous Cub], [Filthy RICH Den Master], [Tail Hunter], [Bath Enjoyer], [Closet Pervert], [Devourer of Vitality], [Bane of Immortal], [One Who makes Immortal Faint], [Glutton], [Walking Runic Encyclopedia], [(New)Backdoor Destroyer] Cultivation Technique: [Blood Tyrant Scripture], [Moon Goddess Scripture] Karma Companion: [Mei (Affection 12,456)] (You need to increase affection to see more) Elemental Spirit: [Seed of ####; Nurtured 25,000/100,000] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement)(*0.5-2.5 Lunar Enhancement) HP: 23,100|83,011 -> 84,091|84,091 (100pH & 0.1%pH) ST: 83,127|83,127 -> 85,629|85,629 (100pH & 0.1%pH) Vitality: 41,556|41,556 -> 42,649|42,649 (10pH & 0.1%pH)(1pH - Gourmand) Vigour: 41,672 -> 44,187 Beast Cores(50%): 1,999 -> 1,100 (33,130) Moonlight Qi: 1,000 Toughness: 41,502 -> 42,358 Strength: 41,601 -> 42,299 Agility: 41,528*1.7 -> 44,043*1.7 Dexterity: 42,702*1.5 -> 44,032*1.5 Mind: 42,605*1.05 -> 52,072*1.05 Insight: 32,040 Soul: 33,030 Beauty: 45,530*1.5 -> 158,172*1.5 Luck: 44,699*1.01 -> 53,692*1.01 Stat Points: 1,371 -> 1,401 Skill Points: 777 -> 807 Elemental Affinity: [Moon - 1], [Shadow - 3], [Earth - 9], [Soul - ####] Martial Arts: [Lightness Technique] Martial Ability: [The Ever Shaping Cauldron: - ; -/-], [Heavenly Suppression Technique(Prototype, Incomplete)] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####], [Soul Palace], [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)], [Moon''s Eyes], [Moon''s Crust] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered], [Lunar Bath: Lv.1], [Earthen Walk: Lv.5], [Appraisal: Lv.1] Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.2], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Lunar Enhancement: Lv.1], [Agility Mastery: Lv.4], [Intention Perception: Mastered], [Basic Presence Concealment: Lv.3], [Universal Recovery: Lv.1], [Divine Calligraphy: Lv.1] Skills: [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Lacerate: Lv.3], [Sprint: Mastered], [Quick Double Jump: Lv.5], [Camouflage: Lv.1], [Meditation: Mastered], [Nurture: Mastered] Passive Skills: [Stealth: Lv.1], [Prehensile Tail: Mastered], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Thermal Regulation: Lv.1], [Demonic Intimidation: Lv.1], [Linguistics: Mastered], [Swimming: Lv.1], [Enhanced Climbing: Lv.6], [Enhanced Basic Senses: Mastered], [Enhanced Mind: Lv.3], [Picturesque Beauty: Lv.1], [Four Leaf Clover: Lv.1], [Assassin Mastery: Lv.1], [Dexterous Fingers: Mastered], [Inscription Mastery: Lv.9->Mastered], [Alchemy Mastery: Lv.1], Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], [Blessing of N¨¹wa], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x15->x14], [Skill Coupon x2], [Skill Combination Coupon x2], [Cultivation Gift], [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Crystal 25,000]x2, [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Stone 100,000]x2, [Sub-Profession Coupon x2], [Divine Ability Gift], [Sub-Profession Coupon(Servant)], [Cultivation Gift(Servant)], [Ability Coupon], [Bloodline Gift], [Bloodline Gift(Servant)], [Ability Combination Coupon x2], [Profession Coupon], [Karma Bound], [(New)Black Inscription Master Token], ] Chapter 90 – 1 year old and Shameless Leader Aiko boarded the ship with the others. She looked at the strangely grinning Elders and tilted her head, she couldn''t understand them. It would be better if they didn''t look so creepy. Aiko moved to their abode inside the ship, but she was bored and soon there would be night, yet they were forbidden to cook with fire for the duration of the flight, Aiko didn''t understand why since on the way here they could. "What are you thinking about?" Mei asked with a small smile. "I''m bored..." Aiko commented weakly. "Why not go outside and enjoy the moons?" Mei giggled. "Eh... might as well." Aiko agreed that that was better than doing nothing. ''I can also try the new Abilities.'' Aiko smiled and left the abode. She walked onto the deck and stared around, most Foxes were already in their places doing... things. So it was peaceful on the deck... somewhat. "It''s getting colder, heat up." The Glacial Fox smirked at the Blazing Fox. "Fuck!" The Blazing Fox was freezing because it was night and he didn''t have the help of the sun to keep the temperature going as high. The Glacial Fox giggled. "What''s wrong~?" She was teasing the Blazing Fox. Then they noticed a stare and turned towards it. "Hey~" The Glacial Fox was always in a good mood during the night since she could torture the Blazing Fox. "Hello." Aiko walked towards them. "What are you doing?" Aiko asked curiously, she always saw them ''fight'' like this, but she never understood why. "We are training." The Glacial Fox said cheerfully. "Ugh... speak for yourself." The Blazing Fox looked tired and almost half-dead. Aiko stared at them curiously, wondering if they would do this the whole time until they arrived at the Village. Aiko sat next to them, looking blankly forward. She was looking through her Abilities and [Moon''s Eyes] attracted most of her attention. She activated it, but she passed out almost immediately. ''My head hurts, it''s so much information...'' The [Moon''s Eyes] is an Auxiliary Ability that allows the User to observe his surroundings in great detail while slowing down the perceived time. ''It''s too much and it cost 1 Moonlight Qi each second...'' Aiko had it activated for 3 seconds. ''Let''s not use the [Moon''s Crust] on the ship, I do not know if it would gauge the ship to protect me or if it would simply create a barrier.'' Aiko nodded. ''[Lunar Bath] is the safest option so let''s go with that~.'' Aiko stared at it, understanding what she had to do, it was similar to [Meditation]. Aiko relaxed, closed her eyes and used the [Lunar Bath]. ... The surroundings dimmed, startling the Blazing Fox and Glacial Fox. They looked around anxiously only to spot Aiko who was hogging all the moonlight for herself. It was not enough to make it pitch black, but it visibly dimmed. Like this an hour passed. Those two Foxes no longer fought as they were curious about what was happening with the Vicious Cub. Aiko opened her eyes and checked her system. [Beast Cores(50%): 1,100 -> 1,101 (33,131)] [Moonlight Qi: 1,000 -> 997 -> 998] ''One...'' Aiko wanted to cry, all that meditation gave her just a single piece of Moonlight Qi and Beast Core Energy. ''What am I going to do...'' It took her 3 seconds to fully activate the [Moon''s Eyes], but it would take 3 hours to recover all that energy! Aiko felt a headache incoming, but maybe once she levelled up the [Lunar Bath] it would improve? Aiko hoped for that and went to meditate again. ... Like this 2 weeks passed by. [Lunar Bath: Lv.1 -> Lv.4] She recovered... a bit. [Beast Cores(50%): 1,101 -> 1,423 (33,453)] [Moonlight Qi: 998 -> 1,320] But what was more important was... [Happy Birthday!] Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.[You are now 1 year old!] [Please choose a gift:] [1. Meat - 100] [2. Skill - Sleeping] [3. Stat and Skill Points - 100] [4. Surprise - Surprise] Aiko stared at the system, thinking about what she should pick. Meat was great for levelling up, that Skill seemed... [Sleeping] [You can enter a pseudo-sleeping state, you can still meditate or have your Abilities activated at a moment''s notice.] Pretty good. Very good! The stat points with the skill points were too little to matter currently and the Surprise was... questionable knowing the system. It had terrible naming and titling scheme and timings, no way that the last one would be any good. Aiko took her hand ready to click on the [Sleeping] skill after checking that it can''t be purchased from the stores. *Rumble* *Shuffle* *Crash* Something crashed into the ship and Aiko''s hand slipped on the 4th option, enraging her, but she didn''t have time to think about it as there was danger coming from her left. *Poof* She immediately turned into a Fox and [Quick Double Jump]ed away from there. A... fish? Crashed into the place where Aiko was. It was a very long and sharp nose and it drilled into the ship. The Elders and fighters rushed onto the deck as Aiko was using her [Lacerate] and [Crushing Bite] on the fish. The Elders didn''t join the fight and let the other combatants deal with the flying fish, they had much more important things to attend to and that was finding what was happening or why it was happening. Aiko kept jumping, this was a nice fight for her as her Skills and Abilities rose sharply from the dangerous combat. Her senses screamed at her whenever she would look at the flying fish and that meant that they were dangerous and could penetrate her defences, which was obvious since those fishes could easily drill into the flying ship that was densely Inscribed with Runes. "Found it!" Lightbulb Elder yelled at the others attracting their attention. It was a nearby lake that produced a whirlpool that launched fish high into the sky. "I don''t know the source so let''s steer clear of it for the time being and let the combatants gain experience." Inky Head Elder said slowly. They would protect the most important parts of the ship while letting the youngsters experience the world, it was definitely not because they were too lazy, definitely not! Aiko spends two hours weaving between the fish and biting/slicing them to death. What was more, she was able to gain a bit of experience when killing them for some reason. Were they considered special or...? Aiko shook those pointless thoughts and finished the fight cleanly. Everyone was looking at her strangely and Aiko tilted her head. "What?" She spat at them and noticed that all of them were in Human form, while she was the only one in her Fox form. "We are supposed to fight them in our Human form to get used to it." One girl murmured, she didn''t really want to say that, but she also saw that nobody wanted to answer the Vicious Cub. What if they anger her? Death with a stick! So she took it upon herself to tell the Vicious Cub gently. "Tell too bad, since I''m not gonna do that. You might enjoy the feeling of misery and pain, but I don''t." Aiko spat at them again. She stared at the haggard and injured Foxes and called them names in her mind. ''Seriously how fucking stupid do you have to be to like pain and suffering?!'' Aiko shook her head. She switched her forms and gathered all the sliced and bitten fish. It was easy to find as she had the smallest mouth and everyone else didn''t use their mouths. ''I don''t understand, why can''t they just bite them.'' Aiko frowned, Fox''s jaws might not be the most powerful, but they can easily crush some useless fish. Aiko snorted disdainfully at them for not using their teeth. The Foxes exchanged looks but didn''t say anything. They already were aware that the Passion Fox stuck to the Vicious Cub. If they anger the Vicious Cub, not only would the Jade Fox move, but also the Passion Fox. This would be deadly to anyone as their crushes would not be after their bodies but after their lives. Aiko collected all the fish that were bitten by the tiniest teeth and moved to the abode. Mei was still Refining Pills, completely oblivious to her surroundings. Aiko frowned towards the defenceless mean Fox but didn''t do anything. She checked her system for her harvest... [Level: 80 -> 95] [Lunar Enhancement: Lv.1->2] [Agility Mastery: Lv.4->6] [Universal Recovery: Lv.1->2] [Lacerate: Lv.3->8] [Quick Double Jump: Lv.5->Mastered] [Enhanced Mind: Lv.3->4] [Assassin Mastery: Lv.1->3] Aiko liked this loot and waited for Mei to finish. They would cook meat and she doesn''t care about others'' opinions! ... Mei finished and bottled additional Pills into the special bottles and breathed out tiredly. She turned around only to spot Aiko staring at her. "What''s wrong?" She gently petted Aiko''s hair. "I want to eat meat, I got this from the fight earlier." Aiko pulls out the strange fish. "Sword Fishes, huh..." Mei blinked several times, those were rare and very beneficial for Sword Cultivators in order for them to sharpen their inner blades. She stared at the little glutton speechlessly. "Fight?" "Yeah, they were flying in the air and now I''m hungry!" Aiko patted her stomach. *Growl* "See? It agrees with me." Aiko shamelessly ignored Mei''s strange stare, when Mei heard her stomach rumble. "We can''t cook here." Mei said gently. "Now we can." Aiko crossed her arms. "And we will." Mei laughed. "Fine, since you did well and were not injured I will cook up something for you. ... *Knock* Aiko opened the door and the smell of roasted meat escaped. "What is it?" She stared at the Sect Leader who visited them. "Cooking is prohibited and someone told you weren''t fighting in your Human form." The Sect Elder narrowed her eyes. Aiko let her inside. It would be better to kick this nuisance onto Mei for her to deal with. She wouldn''t do anything, but eat currently. She is too hungry to think or bicker with useless people. The Sect Leader followed Aiko inside. She was puzzled why she was let in, but noticing that the little Vicious Cub pushed her onto the Jade Fox she giggled. "Jade Fox." The Sect Leader smiled. "Sect Leader." Mei nodded. "Cooking is banned for the flight." The Sect Leader planned to reprimand them and then take Jade Fox for some ''education'', but... "I heard you were trying to force Aiko to fight in human form when she is still a Cub." Mei narrowed her eyes and let out some of her pressure. "W-well." The Sect Leader was intimidated, while she would be able to subdue the Jade Fox, she would also lose the ability to get Pills from her, which she couldn''t afford. "But clean it soon, the other Foxes are being a nuisance." The Sect Leader lamented, staring at the Jade Fox. "We will finish soon." Mei nodded, but the Sect Leader didn''t move. "What?" The Sect Leader said innocently. "I''m already here so I might as well eat some meat~" She hummed shamelessly while gulping down her saliva. "You can''t! That''s is my meat!" Aiko growled at the Sect Leader surprising both of them. "But I''m the Sect Le-" The Sect Leader tried to use her position, but... "I don''t care! My meat!" Aiko stood her ground. Chapter 91 – How to Stab and How to Slap *Stab* *Munch**Glare**Munch* *Level up* "Ummmm..." The Sect Leader didn''t know what to do. She ate just a bit of meat and the little Vicious Cub was like this. *Stab* *Munch**Glare**Munch* *Level up* Mei meanwhile had a hard time containing her laughter as she watched her little sweetie trying to intimidate and glare at the Sect Leader. She wouldn''t stop glaring and always menacingly stab the piece of meat, before ripping it apart and munching it. "Can you eat... less menacingly?" The Sect Leader asked gently. *Glare* *Stab* *Munch**Glare**Munch* *Level up* "No." Aiko glared at the Sect Leader, while savouring the delicious meat, how unfortunate that she wouldn''t be able to enjoy it properly with this ugly nuisance. "HAHAHAHA" Mei was finally laughing out loud prompting the Sect Leader to blush. "It''s not my fault, I wanted to taste your cooking." The Sect Leader''s smaller ears drop down dejectedly. "Who told you to eat her meat?" She laughed out loud. "But..." The Sect Leader was speechlessly looking at them. *Stab* *Munch**Glare**Munch* *Level up* "Will she do this till the end?" The Sect Leader didn''t know how to handle the little one. "Unless you leave." Aiko spat at her, holding herself back from cursing. She was still the Sect Leader, she would let her retain some of her pride. The Sect Leader cried in her mind. She just wanted to eat some homemade cooking, but was immediately placed on the to-kill list and kicked out of that place. "It''s better to leave for now." Mei gestured to her. The Sect Leader sighed. "But finish the meat quickly, we are approaching the Roc territory, it would be bad if we got ambushed by them." "Got it." Mei nodded. "You heard her." Aiko nodded. *Stab**Munch* *Stab**Munch* *Stab**Munch* *Stab**Munch* Aiko gave Mei a thumbs up with filled cheeks. Mei shook her head, finishing roasting the last few pieces. ... Aiko woke up refreshed. Her belly was full and she didn''t need to do anything. She postponed her Rune Research as they couldn''t finish the massage chair and Mei refused her from blueprinting the flying feather. Aiko was bored. So she left that place, not knowing that the smell of meat was still on her body. The Foxes gave her strange looks, but Aiko ignored them. She arrived on the deck in front of the very familiar, but strange duo. "Why are you doing this?" Aiko was so bored that she socialized!!! They looked at each other. "We are training." "How does that work?" Aiko asked. The Blazing Fox was the first one to answer. "Well, it''s simple. I''m continuously using my flames, slowly improving my control over them. In turn, those flames refine my Beast Core, slowly burning the impurities. That allows me to increase the intensity and possibly Grade of the flames. And you repeat that cycle." The Glacial Fox was the second to answer with a pout. "I have a similar way, but in my case, I have to freeze, encase and spit. You freeze the impurities, encase them in my ice and spit them out, improving the Beast Core purity." Aiko was a bit fascinated. She didn''t have Fire or Ice affinity, but it was fascinating how different elements took care of their Beast Cores. "How about the Grades?" Aiko asked with interest. "You can improve them by either finding wild flames and subduing them or by feeding your current flame materials that burn well." The Blazing Fox was yet again the first one to answer. "For Ice it''s different, you have to compress it, freeze it, melt it." The Glacial Fox was yet again a beat late. "Depending on the type of the Ice, you either compress it until you run out of Beast Core. Freeze, in other words, decreases its temperature with materials. Melt it, to strengthen some types of Ice to be more resistant to flames." If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The Glacial Fox pointed at the Blazing Fox. "My Ice requires melting it, so I''m training with this buffoon." She sighed. "You don''t increase the grade of flames just from feeding it, you can also quench it with water or ice for it to become more resistant. You can also increase its temperature, by encasing it in earth and so on." Aiko nodded, she was completely hooked. "How about Shadows?" She asked curiously. This time Glacial Fox was the first one as Blazing Fox didn''t know anything about it. "They increase their grade by staying in the Shadows..." The Glacial Fox was startled by seeing the dejected Aiko. "I''m sorry, I don''t really know much about shadows..." Aiko sighed. "How about Earth?" "That..." The Glacial Fox was startled. "You shouldn''t go for that Element." She shook her head. Aiko was completely crestfallen. "W-well, it''s the best Element for defence and you can do a lot of cool stuff with it..." The Glacial fox mumbled her speech, trying to soothe Aiko. "Like?" Aiko stared at her quietly. "You can build caves!" The Glacial Fox said proudly. "But I don''t like them..." Aiko quietly cried out. "..." Glacial Fox didn''t know what to say, she just wanted to appease this little fluffball. "Just tell me straight how shitty of an Element that is." Aiko sniffled. "... It can''t purify the Beast Core as it more pollutes than removes." The Glacial Fox looked away as she couldn''t watch Aiko being crestfallen and other Foxes nearby were staring daggers at her for saddening the little fluffball. The Glacial Fox talked fast."But the way to increase grades is the simplest. Compress, find, destroy. You can compress some of the earth to make it harder, you can find higher-quality soils and add them to your existing soil. Destroy is a bit... you need to drown, burn, wither and so on, the earth you are currently using, that way it will be more resistant." Aiko stared at her. She was surprised at how much understanding this Fox had. Seeing the admiring fluffball she puffed her gentle chest and they talked some more until it was an evening and the sun was setting. "Fuck! You really hate me!" The Blazing Fox cursed as the Glacial Fox increased the intensity of her Ice. "You are just too weak during nights..." the Glacial Fox shook her head. Aiko was waiting to bathe in the moonlight but observed them. She wanted to use her [Moon''s Eyes], but the last time she used it, she got quite the headache, so she was not tempted. ''It''s too bothersome to use just [Lunar Bath]...'' Aiko thought. ''I wonder if I can do both [Meditation] and [Lunar Bath]...'' Aiko paused and looked through her system. ''Hm?'' Aiko tilted her head. ''Why do I have [Essence of ####] in my inventory?'' She was unaware that, that was her prize from the surprise option that the system gave her. ''Do I eat it? How do I use it?'' Aiko was excited. [You can''t eat it.] The system sighed. ''Why not you stinky system?!'' Aiko growled in her mind. [Because you would get devoured during the night, it''s not safe.] The system had a headache. ''So I just need to find a place and eat it.'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. [Yes... I mean no! You need to prepare properly!] The system was angry at the clueless cub. ''How do I do that?'' Aiko asked, ignoring the glare from the system. [You need to find a very secluded space with lots of sunlight. The small secret Worlds would be the best since there is a chance that you will encounter Nightless World.] The system patiently explained and Aiko listened. It was fascinating to hear about a World that does not have nights. [You need protective gear against heat/flames and the Flame Quenching Pill.] The system listed things that Aiko would need. [Lastly, it will take around a year to completely absorb it, so only do it once you know you won''t get stuck in that small World!] The system warned. Aiko smiled nodding. ''You know, sometimes you are useful.'' This was small payback for not giving her the [Sleeping] option, but there would be more to come. [I''m always useful!] The system screamed. ''Sure, sure.'' Aiko rolled her eyes and returned back to the [Meditation] x [Lunar Bath] dilemma. ... ''I also have to find from where those fish came and roast them alive.'' Aiko narrowed her eyes, she was upset since she was unable to activate them at the same time, so her anger was directed at them. ''It''s not like I can''t do it, but it takes too much concentration and I always fall asleep.'' Aiko frowned. She would make sure that those fish are well boiled, roasted, steamed, dried... She practised the double meditation for a week, with little to no success, but she realized something. [Beast Cores(50%): 1,423 -> 1,615 (33,645)] [Moonlight Qi: 1,320 -> 1,512] [Seed of ####; Nurtured 25,000/100,000 -> 25,192/100,000] If she was successful, she was actually able to nourish that strange seed. This made her really happy as she didn''t need to spend her precious Beast Core Energy on it! ''But then, wouldn''t [Nourish] be useless...?'' Aiko paused for a moment to think. ''Well, shit... I know it was for free, but having it so useless...'' She sighed. She turned into her fox form. She didn''t like when something was completely useless and was kept in her system. Looking at you [The Ever Shaping Caldron]. Aiko sighed when she felt a peck on her head. She turned around to find a small strange creature sitting on the railing. It had two pairs of wings and stared at Aiko curiously, with hints of hunger. It pecked her again with its long beak, but it didn''t hurt Aiko, her Toughness was beyond of normal Magical Beasts. *Peck* Aiko was upset as she couldn''t think. *Peck-Slap* She slapped that beak away and that creature stared at her again. *Peck-Slap* They both narrowed their eyes. *Peck-Slap**Peck-Slap**Peck-Slap**Peck-Slap**Peck-Slap* There was a small battle of pecking versus slapping, but since Aiko was superior in her speed that little pecker never pecked her again. "Give me food." Crackled the little bird. "No." Aiko refused. ... The Great Roc Mother was startled as she couldn''t find her little baby anywhere. She sensed his Bloodline far away from her nest and panicked. With one flap of the wings, she flattened her surroundings and with the blink of an eye arrived near her baby. She wanted to destroy the kidnappers, but something strange happened... *Peck-Slap**Peck-Slap* "Give me food." Her little baby said. "No." The little fluffball said. She stared at her little baby speechlessly. How could he be like this, but soon she also smelled that alluring smell of meat. She stared down at the little cub. The Cub was growling at her baby, while her baby was clicking at her back. She blinked several times before she said anything. "Sweetie, what are you doing?" The little Roc was startled. "Mom, I''m hungry..." The Great Roc Mother''s clicked her beak. "You are always hungry, let''s go back." The little Roc reluctantly left his meat and flew away with his mother. Aiko stared at them with relief, unaware that there was an audience watching the peck-slapping competition. This wouldn''t be a calm night... Chapter 92 – Brushing = Sleep and ruthless Grandmaster Aiko hid in their abode. There were just too many curious people outside trying to hog her for themselves. ''Scary...'' Aiko thought. She didn''t think she would attract so much attention for slapping some kind of stupid bird. *Knock**Knock* ''I''m not home! Go away!'' Aiko cried out in her mind, she would be as quiet as possible until those people left. "What is it?" Mei asked through the door, trying to maintain her expression, but inside she was laughing. She couldn''t believe that her little fluffball would pick a fight with a Roc, Great Roc at that. It was good that his mother was tolerant or this whole ship would be destroyed. "May I enter?" The Sect Leader''s voice drifted inside and Mei opened the doors. "Do you need something?" Mei smiled, blinding the Sect Leader. "How did she pick a fight with a Great Roc?" The Sect Leader recovered this time quickly as this was a pressing issue. The Sect Leader didn''t believe the words of others and she was afraid that the Great Roc would return and destroy their ship. What was even more unfortunate was that they were already flying at full throttle and could not speed up further otherwise the flying ship wouldn''t take it. "Come inside." Mei noticed the group of admirers trying to peek inside and felt displeased. The Sect Leader understood and stepped inside, Mei closing the door behind her. "From what Aiko told me, that small one tried to peck her and they got into a slapping competition." Mei brushed over the whole situation. If she explained it in detail she wouldn''t be able to stifle her laughter. "So, she didn''t provoke anyone?" The Sect Leader asked again in fear. "As far as I''m aware, no." Mei shrugged seeing the witless Sect Leader. "Fine, but don''t let her leave this place until we arrive, just in case she finds some other trouble." The Sect Leader said. "That will cost you." Mei smiled "No. That is an order." The Sect Leader had enough of the nerves and commanded before leaving. Mei clicked her tongue. "No fun, it''s not like I would exploit you, you know." It was a good thing that the Sect Leader was not present during that last sentence or she might jump on this opportunity. "But what am I supposed to do now..." Mei sighed, staring towards the little scared fluffball. ''I made some brushes so let''s do that.'' Mei arrived in front of the pitiful Aiko and sat down. "Come here." She patted her lap. Aiko tilted her head but sat down there. Mei pulled several brushes and tested them on Aiko. "This one hurts." "I don''t feel this one." "This one is somewhat nice, but it is also a bit painful." Mei''s lips twitched at those simple reviews. She was slightly upset that her meticulous crafts were reduced to ''it hurts'', but it couldn''t be helped as Aiko didn''t know the art of brushing and why it was important. Soon Aiko leaned against Mei and drifted to sleep. ''As I thought, if you are stressed just brush it away until you fall asleep.'' Mei nodded to herself clearly proud of her wisdom. ''But what am I supposed to do now? Mom never told me...'' Mei tilted her head. Her mother was always able to move her without waking her up, but she didn''t know the technique and waking Aiko up... was not an option. ''She is pretty grumpy if you wake her up.'' Mei clicked her tongue, she was now locked in place by the sleeping sweetie. ''Good thing I have powerful Divine Sense.'' Mei nodded while letting some Jade Slips fly to her. She probed them until she found the Herb Jade Slip. She would revise this Jade Slip from the moment she realized she was lacking in basic skills. From there she also realized that her mind regraded from the special reincarnation cycle. She was slowly losing memories about her crafts so she was doing her best to maintain them at an acceptable level that would blind anyone in the Lower Worlds. She would have to deal with the Upper Worlds when she got to it. ... Aiko slept well. Her portable heater warmed her quite nicely and it also smelled of gentle Herbs. Aiko woke up completely staring at Mei who was blankly staring forward, but with Jade Slip in her hands. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ''I can''t get used to the fact that everyone just blanks out when they look into the Jade Slips...'' Aiko lamented. It was not a pretty sight. ''Note for self, always lower your head when looking through Jade Slips.'' Aiko stretched and jumped down. She turned into her Human form and went towards the table so she could scribble some Runes. Mei stared at her, but soon returned to her Jade Slip, like this the day passed quickly and soon they arrived at their destination. ... Aiko disembarked from the ship and immediately ran away. The Foxes wanted to brush her fluffy tail but were unable to catch up to her. They could only sadly stare at Mei. Mei naturally ignored them and went after Aiko, she headed towards the Grandmaster''s abode. "You have grown up." The Grandmaster smiled. "You bet!" Aiko grinned. "My, you can now talk." The Grandmaster''s smile deepened, but it was a kind of dangerous smile. Aiko took a step back in her Human form. "Let''s start your training." The Grandmaster picked up two wooden swords. Aiko shivered and returned to her Fox form to run away, but was caught by the Grandmaster effortlessly. "I will be borrowing her." The Grandmaster spoke towards the Jade Fox. "Please do." Mei was not against it, it was very important for Aiko to learn about her strength. She was not a fighter in nature, she could put up a fight, but she specialized mostly in craftsmanship like Pills and Arrays. "Oh?" The Grandmaster smiled. "That''s the first time someone looked at this so brightly." The Grandmaster was reading her mind naturally, but she was still surprised by Jade Fox''s attitude. "While she might not be a fighter in the future, it''s important to learn at least something about it, so she can protect herself in the future." Mei shrugged. The Grandmaster liked the Jade Fox more and more. "Then I will get her into tiptop shape." The Grandmaster grinned. "Right, I have prepared the Pills, the Arrays are also almost finished, so we can fulfil our part of the deal." Mei smiled, she also created many brushes and tested them on Aiko, so that she wouldn''t escape from Grandmaster. "How evil." The Grandmaster chuckled. "Very well, I will tell you when the relapse arrives." She was fine even without them, but since it was part of their deal she wouldn''t refuse it. At first, she thought it would be very disturbing to have others in her abode, but soon she realized that the quietness was not interrupted by them, but also it was not as deafeningly quiet as previously. She didn''t feel as lonely as before and she even felt a sense of loss when they left. ''Must be my age...'' The Grandmaster shook her head, dragging Aiko away. ... *Whack* "Let''s do this again." The Grandmaster smiled, looking at the haggard Aiko. She didn''t expect this little cutie to be so strong, what was more her learning speed and adjustment were terrific. "Tomorrow you will have the Beast Core test since you left without taking it." The Grandmaster spoke casually while fending off Aiko effortlessly. "You should also be careful as it was raised from 40% to 50% purity." She advised. "I''m at 50%." Aiko huffed angrily, she couldn''t manage to get past her defences and her [Lacerate] could not even scratch that wooden sword. ''I have it at 8th Level, but it doesn''t leave a scratch!'' Aiko was upset as that [Lacerate] was able to injure a Nascent Soul Cultivator, but now she wasn''t able to do anything against a Stick! The Grandmaster made a swift thrust towards Aiko, but this time Aiko anticipated it and used her [Moon''s Crust] to block it. [Moonlight Qi: 1,512 -> 1,412] A barrier formed around Aiko, it was reminiscent of the battered Moon''s surface but still see-through. *Clang* Aiko was blasted away, but uninjured. "Oh! A Moon Bloodline and with Divine Ability!" The Grandmaster praised Aiko. It was rare for one to get Bloodline, but now this little one had 3! ''But she will have a rough time supplying Spiritual Energy.'' The Grandmaster clicked her tongue. Just because you had many Bloodlines didn''t mean you were powerful. You had to give enough Elemental Energy for the Bloodlines to awaken and Evolve, without that they were mere trinkets slowing down Aiko. ''I will have to whip her up in top form in close combat so she can hunt enough Beast Cores for her needs.'' The Grandmaster made up her mind to not hold back so much. If Aiko knew that her careless use of Divine Ability caused this she would definitely cry, but she was unaware. ''Damn! She is too strong!'' Aiko cried out in her mind, each blow that she didn''t block was painful, but it dealt no damage to her... at least physically. She received plenty of emotional damage as that pain didn''t translate into reduced HP. ''How can she cause so much pain without injuring me?! This doesn''t make any sense!'' Aiko doubted the system yet again, but this left her vulnerable to another strike. *Thud* ''I wanna run away.'' Aiko cried from the pain, but she was too slow compared to the combat-heavy and old Fox Grandmaster. "You are doing well." The Grandmaster praised as she read Aiko''s mind. She was impressed by her acute judgement, but she would have to temper her when it came to that strange thing called ''system''. ''Her focus is getting dispersed because of it.'' The Grandmaster clicked her tongue and whacked Aiko again, this time Aiko barely dodged, but only because she no longer paid any attention to the ''system''. "See? Much better when you are not getting distracted." The Grandmaster smiled and Aiko cursed in her mind. "I will be black and blue once I turn into Human form!" Aiko cried out agitatedly. "It''s fine, since it''s the pseudo form it doesn''t transfer that into Human form, so unless your human form gets injured, nobody would be able to tell." The Grandmaster smiled. *Whack* ... Aiko was walking funnily towards the abode, finally released by the Grandmaster. "Auch, Auch." Any kind of movement hurt Aiko. ''At least deal some damage so that I can Level up my [Universal Recovery]!'' Aiko felt sad. She managed to get near Mei. Mei was startled at the battered Aiko, but after seeing there was no real danger or severe injury she just moved Aiko on her lap and continued to refine Pills. Aiko was upset that Mei didn''t pay any attention to her injuries, but soon that soft and gentle smell drifted into her nose and she almost immediately fell asleep. "What are you doing?" Aiko asked. She was aching too much to do anything. "Pills for you." Mei smiled picking up one of the finished Pills and giving it to Aiko. "Pill Candies~!" Aiko was overjoyed, "Auch." but quickly found out that her body was still painful. "Here." Mei moved the Pill in front of Aiko''s mouth and Aiko took it from her. "How is she?" Mei asked the Grandmaster. "Good, very good." The Grandmaster praised. "She gets distracted a lot with the ''system'' thing, but once she pays attention she is learning fast. With this speed in a few years, we can switch to training with her Human form." The Grandmaster didn''t hold back and Aiko shivered. "I see... How is she compared to her peers?" Mei asked narrowing her eyes. "Anyone with the same Beast Rank as she is will cry, but any normal Beast will make soup out of her." The Grandmaster shook her head. "At least she is safe inside the Village." Mei sighed. "As for outside... she will learn in due time." They conversed a bit, while Aiko fell asleep. Chapter 93 – Grumpy Mei and Teachings Aiko woke up the next day, her body was no longer aching. She was confused and she wondered if the previous day was just a dream, but seeing the grinning Grandmaster, she knew that it was not a dream. "Since most Foxes already had their Beast Cores checked you won''t need to go through the normal way." The Grandmaster suddenly spoke. Aiko sighed, while her body was no longer aching she was still feeling very heavy. "Do I have to?" Aiko asked frowning. "We can also train more." The Grandmaster smiled. "I will go!" Aiko suddenly agreed to go. ''I don''t want to experience that beating again...'' "We will go soon, so eat something for now." The Grandmaster said while standing up and going somewhere. Aiko came to Mei for more food, but Mei was not home, so the only thing she could eat would be meat from her system, which she didn''t want to. Aiko waited for them to return. She was already addicted to Mei''s cooking and she knew that her cooked meat would pale in comparison so she didn''t even try. ''I hope that the Beast Core test/exam or whatever that is, is quick...'' Aiko wanted to finally finish her massage chair, but previously she was unable to, due to material and work constraints. Now that she could buy the missing material and borrow the power of the Forging Peak she would be able to finish that chair and then she could focus on that feather. ... The Grandmaster came to pick her up, but Mei was still not there. "There is an annoying person overseeing the test, so you can just ignore her." The Grandmaster spoke gently. They went through many small forests until they arrived at the test site. There was a crystal clear ball on a pedestal. "You are finally here." The person in charge narrowed her eyes. She already disliked this short little Fox. Aiko didn''t say anything. She noticed that the Fox was glaring at her. She didn''t like that as she had done nothing so far, it must be another grumpy person. "Come forward, you are the last one." That Illusion Fox said. Aiko walked towards the pedestal and put her hand on it. Nothing happened. Aiko tilted her head. "I have not told you to put your hand on it." The Illusion Fox was annoyed. Aiko rolled her eyes. The Illusion Fox clicked her tongue. "Seriously, why do they cater to something as insignificantly useless as this Fox." She murmured, but Aiko didn''t hear it as she was more curious about the crystal ball than about grumpy Fox. "Your hand." The Illusion Fox was incredibly irritated at those shiny cute eyes. Aiko plopped her hand on it again, but this time some kind of fog whirled inside. Aiko was curious and mesmerized about the inner workings, but kept silent as she knew that this grumpy Fox wouldn''t answer her. "50%" The Illusion Fox clicked her tongue again. "Barely passable, at this rate you will be kicked out soon." She smiled. Aiko didn''t say anything and left, which angered the Illusion Fox further, but she was unable to act as the Grandmaster was watching. ''Annoying little things.'' The plaza was soon deserted and some other Foxes moved the pedestal with the crystal ball somewhere else. "What are we waiting for?" Aiko asked. Mei was still nowhere to be seen. The Grandmaster narrowed her eyes as if finishing her business. "You should be careful about the Mystic Fox." The Grandmaster warned Aiko. "Mystic Fox?" Aiko tilted her head. "The one that was overseeing this test." The Grandmaster explained. "Oh, okay." Aiko didn''t have a good first impression of her so it was natural she would be more guarded about that ''Mystic Fox''. They finally moved from this place back to the abode where Mei was waiting. "Passed?" Mei didn''t look all that good. "I''m still here." Aiko spoke gently. "Good. Go practice with Grandmaster today and someday we will finish the chair." Mei looked upset, but Aiko didn''t know why. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The Grandmaster gently guided the confused Aiko away. Once they arrived at their sparring ground Aiko finally asked. "What''s wrong with her?" She didn''t understand. "There was something unsavoury that happened, she will be alright with time." The Grandmaster looked oddly serious. Aiko had a bad feeling, but for some reason, words couldn''t leave her mouth, they were stuck in her throat. ... *Whack**Ding**Bang* Aiko fought against the Grandmaster, dodging her wooden sword and using [Lacerate] to try and sever that weapon. Aiko no longer thought about beating the Grandmaster as the Grandmaster was out of her league, her wooden stick was not and she could feel she was getting closer and closer to scratching it. [Lacerate: Lv.8->9] It was definitely not because her Lacerate improved! "You are distracted again." The Grandmaster smirked. *Whack* A good whack on Aiko''s head was steaming a bit from the impact. Aiko clutched her head and rolled around trying to dodge the combo attacks. The Grandmaster shook her head, Aiko was natural at this and if she wasn''t distracted this time she would suffer fewer injuries. ''There is only so much power I can put into this wooden sword before it either shatters or injures the little one.'' The Grandmaster shook her head fending off the frenzied Aiko. At this point, Aiko was even using rocks on the Grandmaster to put pressure on her, but all she got from the Grandmaster was laughter. "Stop laughing!" Aiko threatened, but the Grandmaster only laughed more. "You are the only one who would use rocks like that." The Grandmaster was amused, but she had to admit that the impact from the rocks was on the heavier side. ''Maybe if she could imbue her rocks with Spiritual Energy they would hit harder.'' The Grandmaster was half absentminded, but unlike Aiko, she had the situation under control and would not get beaten so easily. ''Right... any techniques that are usable are for human form, the proper ones, there are some pseudo techniques for the pseudo form, but those burn too much Spiritual Energy to be usable in combat...'' The Grandmaster couldn''t find a way for Aiko to strengthen her impact, but she could at least help her with her accuracy and strength of the throw. "Stop ignoring me!" Aiko was mad, huffing at the Grandmaster who was lost in thought, but still able to put her in place. "I''m only thinking about what is good for you." The Grandmaster defended herself cutely as she used only one hand to deal with Aiko. "Grrrr." Aiko growled at Grandmaster clearly upset. "We will be practising throwing skills later." The Grandmaster suddenly announced startling Aiko. *Whack* "You are wide open." The Grandmaster chuckled after giving Aiko another good whack on her head. Aiko clutched her head again and glared at Grandmaster with teary eyes. "Alright, that''s enough, let''s go for throwing." The Grandmaster shook her head. Aiko held her head but followed the Grandmaster, escape was never an option unless she got stronger. ... They stood before a thick tree. It wasn''t all that tall, but it was thick enough that not even 5 people at the same time would be able to hug it completely. Aiko was intimidated. "What are you scared about? We are not doing anything bad." The Grandmaster smiled, this tree was known for its durability and even weapons wouldn''t be able to put a dent in it. "Are you sure? This tree seems important..." Aiko stared around. Normally trees would have mess around them and plenty of weeds, but this was seriously maintained and looked dignified. "It''s only important if you can use it, now grab some rocks and we will practise your throwing skills." The Grandmaster smiled and walked away about 30 meters from the tree. Aiko picked up a few rocks, she still had some in her storage ring, but she didn''t use those and kept them in reserve. "Now come here and you will be shooting from here." The Grandmaster smiled, that dangerous and sinister smile. "T-that''s far!" Aiko shivered. "It''s fine. You will manage." The Grandmaster still kept that smile. Aiko grumbled but still went next to the Grandmaster. "Now throw." The Grandmaster pointed at the tree. Aiko didn''t want to injure that tree so she didn''t throw seriously, but... ''Missed?'' Aiko felt dizzy, indeed, she never threw anything from a distance of above 15 meters, but that wouldn''t make as big of a difference, right? "See? You have a lot to practice." The Grandmaster spoke gently. She flicked a rock from her hand and it hid the centre of the tree, exactly the centre! Aiko frowned. She was not at throwing, but this kind of skill was... unreal. Not to mention that rock vaporized once it met the surface of the tree! How can a tree easily shatter a rock?! "That tree is special in the way that it can''t be damaged by ordinary means." The Grandmaster explained once she read Aiko''s mind. Aiko nodded, but she couldn''t wrap her head around it. "How can it... and so easily...?" Her brain was in overload mode and she just couldn''t figure it out. "You will understand once you spend enough time practising." The Grandmaster stroked Aiko''s head. Aiko pouted but didn''t shy away, it was quite nice even though the Grandmaster had rough hands. ... Aiko kept throwing the rocks till the end of the day, she was surprised at the speed of her gaining the skills. [Enhanced Mind: Lv.4->6] [Assassin Mastery: Lv.3->5] ''Is this what it feels like when you have a proper teacher?'' Aiko smiled widely. "This is enough." The Grandmaster spoke. There was a pile of rocks under the tree, some cracked, some shattered, but most left intact. "Gather the rocks and place them here, we will be returning some other day." The Grandmaster gave her an assignment and left. Aiko quickly stored those rocks in her Storage Ring since she didn''t want to bother with moving them by hand and followed after the Grandmaster. The Grandmaster''s lips twitched, just because she left that place didn''t mean she was not looking through her Divine Sense. ''She is probably the only one who would store normal rocks in Storage Rings.'' The Grandmaster couldn''t believe her eyes at first, but then just shook her head. ''I should''ve stayed so that I knew what was going on in her little head.'' Aiko caught up to the Grandmaster. "Do you think she will still be grumpy?" Aiko asked the Grandmaster. She was talking about the strange behaviour that Mei displayed. "It will take some more time and you are also not allowed to leave my abode until you are at least juvenile." The Grandmaster shook her head. Aiko paused. "What about my Rune studies?" She wanted to go outside since she didn''t know how long would it take till she was a juvenile. "Can they even teach you anything more than you already know?" The Grandmaster narrowed her eyes, she already heard about this little rascal learning thousands upon thousands of Runes, it would not be an understatement to say that she was unrivalled in the sheer amount of Runes that she knew. "Definitely!" Aiko lied through her teeth. She didn''t believe that they could teach her anything about Runes, but maybe about the different Inscriptions? "We will see." The Grandmaster chuckled, she already read through Aiko''s mind and was amused, but she couldn''t cave in so easily, it was important for Aiko to grow well than to fight in the Village. "Once you reach juvenile you will also go for the Assassination Peak, I heard that the Peak Elder over there missed you." The Grandmaster smirked. "Missed Mei, you mean." Aiko rolled her eyes. "No, I''m being serious, once she calmed down a bit she was impressed by your skill." The Grandmaster told her the truth. "I see..." Aiko didn''t believe that at all. Chapter 94 – Time Passes and Mei’s Cuddling Aiko was right, Mei was still grumbling, but there was no time for her to ask as Mei was constantly refining Pills. Meanwhile, Aiko could not think about it properly because she was being beaten by the Grandmaster. "You have a small build so leverage that advantage!" The Grandmaster reprimanded. "You have the strange jump in midair use it more!" The Grandmaster was pretty difficult to deal with, she was very demanding and her only close-quarter combat teaching was her beating Aiko up. Aiko didn''t like this at all, but once it came to throwing or anything that didn''t revolve in CQC then the Grandmaster was very helpful and kind. Slowly teaching everything she knew about those things and even sometimes researching about them to help Aiko get used to her tails. "But it''s strange." The Grandmaster shook her head. "I know that you have two tails, but I can''t seem to find them on you." "I''m using Technique for that from Mei." Aiko admitted it was safe to tell Grandmaster as she was under a gag vow. "I see... that is good, that will save us a lot of trouble in the long run." The Grandmaster nodded and praised this insight. "Keep your hands slightly higher when throwing." The Grandmaster gestured. "There will also be a relapse soon, so it will be time for you." "What am I supposed to do?" Aiko vaguely remembered that deal, but she still didn''t quite understand it. "It''s simple, you just have to sit still." The Grandmaster smiled. "And not use that Technique." Aiko frowned, but she knew that the Grandmaster wouldn''t put her in danger and this place was pretty much isolated from the outside so nobody would dare to invade. "But why stay still?" Aiko tilted her head. "It''s better like that." The Grandmaster smiled vaguely. "You won''t hurt me right?" Aiko guarded herself against the Grandmaster. The Grandmaster flicked her. "Even if I wanted to hurt you, you are not powerful enough to stop me, so train well and stop thinking about useless things." Aiko rubbed her forehead and looked away. ... A month passed like this and it was time for the relapse to happen. Mei expressionlessly prepared the Array and Pills for the Grandmaster not saying much, just the usage and what was necessary. Aiko was troubled, she wanted to finish the massage chair, but knew it was not the right time as Mei hadn''t improved. Mei left quietly and the Grandmaster sat down inside the Array. "Come here." The Grandmaster patted the pillow on her lap. "In Human form?" Aiko asked just in case. "Fox form is preferable." The Grandmaster smiled. "Okay." Aiko changed into her Fox form and jumped on that pillow, that pillow was not all that bad, but it wouldn''t get a better rating than 8/10 since it was not warm. Aiko lay there waiting. The Grandmaster picked up a brush and brushed Aiko''s fur. ''Her Bloodline is more powerful than I thought... this will be troublesome.'' The Grandmaster quietly clicked her tongue. ''I already syphoned some resources for Aiko once she grows up a bit more, but with the current power of her Bloodlines it will take a lot more resources than I expected.'' The Grandmaster was deep in thought, meanwhile, Aiko was looking through the system. [Beast Cores(50%): 1,615 -> 3,835 (35,865)] [Moonlight Qi: 1,512 -> 3,732] ''My Moonlight Qi was boosted greatly, while Beast Core was likewise increased, but I had not managed to enter the dual Meditation.'' Aiko frowned. ''I don''t want to spend so much Beast Core Energy in nurturing it so it would be best if I learned that.'' Aiko thought that she could ask the Grandmaster, but her eyelids felt heavy and she soon drifted to sleep. ... Aiko woke up the next day, she felt... airy? Like her fur wasn''t there? But it was still there? What was happening?? Aiko turned around, the Grandmaster had a gentle smile that froze Aiko in place. She was unaccustomed to that smile and her brain lagged. ''I can''t believe the Grandmaster can smile sweetly...'' Aiko raised her ''eyebrow''. ''No way that this battle maniac can smile like that, this must be a dream. Definitely a dream!'' Aiko gently convinced herself but felt a pull on her ear. "It''s not very nice to badmouth others." The Grandmaster smiled with that dangerous smile like she was about to beat Aiko up. She pinched and massaged Aiko''s cheeks. "I''m sowwy." Aiko apologized as she knew that the Grandmaster could read her mind. "As long as you are really sorry I will forgive you since this was a small thing." The Grandmaster let go of Aiko and lifted the pillow with her. She walked towards the small place that the Jade Fox hogged for herself. The Grandmaster knocked as a courtesy, but only because she held some respect for the Jade Fox, otherwise she would just enter without asking. "Come in." Mei answered buried in herbs. She looked towards the Grandmaster. "How was the relapse?" She asked if she needed to change the Herb formula, but... "What relapse?" The Grandmaster beamed. "I didn''t expect it to work so well." The Grandmaster gave the Jade Fox a genuine smile as she was happy that she made that deal and it worked so well for her. "That''s amazing, I expected some pain or stuff like that." Mei nodded looking interested in the effects. "Anything else?" The Grandmaster sighed. "Here." She placed Aiko who was sitting on the pillow onto Mei''s lap. The Jade Fox was confused and was about to hand Aiko away, but she was not allowed. "I will be excusing myself now, as my body feels refreshed and needs some stretching unless you would like to join me?" The Grandmaster smiled with her ''training'' smile. The Jade Fox hardened. "I''m good." The Grandmaster left the room, leaving those two alone. Aiko didn''t want to move too much and also knew that Mei needed space for her work. Mei was... stunned. Hesitant about what to do. She wanted to drive Aiko away as she didn''t know what to do about her current situation, but at the same time, she was concerned about driving Aiko away completely. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Her emotions were a mess, she was pissed beyond belief that someone would say such a disgusting claim. She was too upset to care about others at that time, but now that she was presented with Aiko... She slowly picked up Aiko and cuddled her. "You won''t leave me right?" Mei squeezed Aiko tightly, not letting her say anything. "You won''t hurt me..." Mei chanted like she was so sure about it or maybe she just tried to hypnotize herself that this would be the reality. Like this Aiko spends time in Mei''s arms, unaware of the passing time. ... A week passed and Mei finally let go of Aiko. *Grumble* Aiko was hungry, she didn''t expect Mei to cuddle her for so long, so she was exceptionally hungry. "I will cook you something nice." Mei smiled faintly. It seemed like her emotions were much more stable, but not in shape that she would want to work on something. ... Aiko ate quietly, glancing at Mei. She played with her food but finished everything she cooked. Mei''s portion might''ve been only 1/5th of what Aiko had, but it was still similar to the Human food portion, so there should be no worry about her food intake... Aiko hoped. Mei returned to her place to Refine Pills and Aiko went with the Grandmaster. Once A month Aiko would spend a day in Grandmaster''s arms and then some days being cuddled by Mei. She didn''t dislike this lifestyle, but was concerned about Mei, as this situation lasted for almost a year. The time for Beast Core tests was postponed to every 5 years, but they also announced that you had to reach 60% Beast Core Purity to ensure prosperity. Aiko didn''t understand what was happening at first, but- "There might be war incoming, so to ensure everyone''s safety they need to get stronger. There was not much of an incentive at first, but now there is." The Grandmaster calmly explained. "What about Mei?" Aiko asked concerned. "She is one of the main Refiners, there is no way that the war might affect her, she is too precious." The Grandmaster spoke calmly. After experiencing the quality of Jade Fox''s Pills she was sure that those old fogeys would never let her leave the Village and join the war. "There will also be more Assassination Mission and Hunting Missions, so it would be best to use this situation and get plenty of rewards..." The Grandmaster paused and ''flicked'' her own forehead. "Right, you are still a cub, but how old are you?" "I''m over 2 years old now." Aiko spoke slowly. The system offered her those nice things. Including the [Sleeping] Skill. Aiko was overjoyed, but also upset, she could''ve had 2 Skills if that miss-click hadn''t happened. [Sleeping] [You can enter a pseudo-sleeping state, you can still meditate or have your Abilities activated at a moment''s notice.] She was able to dual Meditate with this Skill. At first, she tried to ask Grandmaster about it, but it just wouldn''t work, she was too restless and it didn''t help her much. [Beast Cores(50%): 3,835 -> 20,000 (52,030)] [Moonlight Qi: 3,732 -> 46,500] She tried it a few times, but because of her [Filthy RICH Den Master]. She was unable to sleep under the bright sky. The best one was the Grandmaster''s pillow, but she would not allow Aiko to sleep on it, lest it would get dirty. Later she tried making holes in the roof to let the moonlight drift onto Mei''s tails, but both Mei and Grandmaster put her through hellish training because of that and from that point, she dropped it. ''I will need some kind of portable bed that I can dirty, but that requires resources...'' Aiko frowned. ''There is still time before I grow...'' Aiko sighed, she didn''t know how long would it take, but she hoped it wouldn''t be too many years... [ Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 500 - 500 (Adjustable 500 - 500 -> 0 - 1,000) Species: [Shadow Fennec Fox Cub(Female, Peak of Unique, Single-Tail)] Species: [Moon Fennec Fox Cub(Female, Single-Tail)] Age: 2.12/100 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Peak)], [Dream Beast Kitsune(Awakened)] Bloodline: [Moon Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)] Beast Rank: Magical Beast Level: 80 -> 90 (3rd Evolution) Profession: [Opportunistic Kleptomaniac (Apprentice)] Sub-Profession: [Inscription Apprentice (1st Low-Grade Inscription Cultivator)], Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], [Plushie Princess], [Shadow Thief], [Master of Sex Toys], [Gourmand], [Explorer], [Trickster], [Mischievous Cub], [Filthy RICH Den Master], [Babi-barian], [Tail Hunter], [Bath Enjoyer], [Closet Pervert], [Devourer of Vitality], [Bane of Immortal], [One Who makes Immortal Faint], [Glutton], [Walking Runic Encyclopedia], [Backdoor Destroyer] Cultivation Technique: [Blood Tyrant Scripture], [Moon Goddess Scripture] Karma Companion: [Mei (Affection 12,456->18,864)] (You need to increase affection to see more) Elemental Spirit: [Seed of ####; Nurtured 25,000/100,000->45,192/100,000] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement)(*0.5-2.5 -> *1-2.5 Lunar Enhancement) HP: 84,091|84,091 -> 94,791|94,791 (100->150pH & 0.1->0.2%pH) ST: 85,629|85,629 -> 96,509|96,509 (100->150pH & 0.1->0.2%pH) Vitality: 42,649|42,649 -> 48,069|48,069 (10->15pH & 0.1->0.2%pH)(1pH - Gourmand) Vigour: 44,187 -> 49,787 Beast Cores(50%): 1,100 -> 20,000 (52,030) Moonlight Qi: 1,000 -> 36,996 Toughness: 42,358 -> 47,748 Strength: 42,299 -> 47,669 Agility: 44,043*1.7 -> 49,643*2 Dexterity: 44,032*1.5 -> 49,482*1.5 Mind: 52,072*1.15 -> 58,552*1.5 Insight: 32,040 Soul: 33,030 Beauty: 158,172*1.5 -> 177,902*1.5 Luck: 53,692*1.01 -> 60,112*1.01 Stat Points: 1,401 -> 1,458 Skill Points: 807 -> 864 Elemental Affinity: [Moon - 1], [Shadow - 3], [Earth - 9], [Soul - ####] Martial Arts: [Lightness Technique] Martial Ability: [The Ever Shaping Cauldron: - ; -/-], [Heavenly Suppression Technique(Prototype, Incomplete)] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####], [Soul Palace], [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)], [Moon''s Eyes], [Moon''s Crust] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered], [Lunar Bath: Lv.1->9], [Earthen Walk: Lv.5->Mastered], [Appraisal: Lv.1] Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.2], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Lunar Enhancement: Lv.1->Mastered], [Agility Mastery: Lv.4->Mastered], [Intention Perception: Mastered], [Basic Presence Concealment: Lv.3->9], [Universal Recovery: Lv.1->2], [Divine Calligraphy: Lv.1] Skills: [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Lacerate: Lv.3->Mastered], [Sprint: Mastered], [Quick Double Jump: Lv.5->Mastered], [Camouflage: Lv.1->Mastered], [Meditation: Mastered], [Nurture: Mastered], [Sleeping] Passive Skills: [Stealth: Lv.1->Mastered], [Prehensile Tail: Mastered], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Thermal Regulation: Lv.1], [Demonic Intimidation: Lv.1], [Linguistics: Mastered], [Swimming: Lv.1], [Enhanced Climbing: Lv.6->Mastered], [Enhanced Basic Senses: Mastered], [Enhanced Mind: Lv.3->Mastered], [Picturesque Beauty: Lv.1], [Four Leaf Clover: Lv.1], [Assassin Mastery: Lv.1->9], [Dexterous Fingers: Mastered], [Inscription Mastery: Mastered], [Alchemy Mastery: Lv.1], Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], [Blessing of N¨¹wa], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x14], [Skill Coupon x2], [Skill Combination Coupon x2], [Cultivation Gift], [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Crystal 25,000]x2, [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Stone 100,000]x2, [Sub-Profession Coupon x2], [Divine Ability Gift], [Sub-Profession Coupon(Servant)], [Cultivation Gift(Servant)], [Ability Coupon], [Bloodline Gift], [Bloodline Gift(Servant)], [Ability Combination Coupon x2], [Profession Coupon], [Karma Bound], [Black Inscription Master Token], [(New)Essence of ####] ] Chapter 95 – Aiko’s Change Aiko returned to Grandmaster, she was now used to being beaten up and she even put a few scratches on the stick, which greatly satisfied her. ''Hmpf! Look you are no longer invincible!'' Aiko felt proud. The Grandmaster smiled gently. She lowered her Sword Qi on the sword so that Aiko wouldn''t be as demotivated. As such Aiko was able to scratch it. ''It shouldn''t matter if I do this, at least it will get her motivated.'' The Grandmaster thought, but she didn''t expect to have such a substantial effect. Aiko went into a frenzy, she no longer wanted to scratch it, but slice it in half. As such she was trying to aim into that same spot again and again. ''At first, she was getting stronger and stronger for no reason, but now she is refining the technique, which is more beneficial in the long run.'' The Grandmaster praised Aiko in her mind. ... Like this little less than half a year passed and there was a sudden change. Aiko collapsed on the floor mid-fight. The Grandmaster was mid-thrust but was able to stop due to her flexibility and years of experience. ''What in the world?'' The Grandmaster tilted her head, she didn''t understand what was happening and was unable to read Aiko''s mind. ''It can''t be ''that'', right?'' The Grandmaster was concerned and took Aiko away into her abode. Along the way, she met up with the Jade Fox. For some reason, the Jade Fox was paralysed once she saw Aiko motionless. The Grandmaster didn''t say anything before entering her room. She had her own protective formations which she activated before walking out. Those formations wouldn''t be able to stop her, but any other intruder would be at least slowed down, which would allow her to kill them. "What happened?" Mei asked with a neutral expression, but her voice was dripping with worry. "Nothing bad, you don''t have to worry." The Grandmaster smiled, but she said this on purpose like this. This would make Mei restless and she would wait in front of her place before Aiko exited. ''You need to make up finally, while Aiko didn''t seem to be affected she worried about you a lot, so it''s only natural that you should worry about her. Aren''t you two close?'' The Grandmaster questioned Jade Fox in her mind. She didn''t transmit those sentences and walked away, leaving the restless Mei behind. ... A month passed. Mei was still waiting outside, waiting for the doors to open. Meanwhile, Aiko finally woke up and bumped her head on the nearby shelf. "Auch." She clutched her head. Aiko was startled at her voice as it didn''t feel as childish as before and what was more... she felt kind of strange... [ Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 500 - 500 (Adjustable 500 - 500 -> 0 - 1,000) Species: [Shadow Fennec Fox Cub(Female, Peak of Unique, Single-Tail)] -> [Shadow Fennec Fox Juvenile(Female, Peak of Unique, Single-Tail)] Species: [Moon Fennec Fox Cub(Female, Single-Tail)] -> [Moon Fennec Fox Juvenile(Female, Single-Tail)] Age: 2.12/100 -> 2.58/2,000 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Peak)], [Dream Beast Kitsune(Awakened)] Bloodline: [Moon Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)] Beast Rank: Magical Beast Level: 90 (3rd Evolution) Profession: [Opportunistic Kleptomaniac (Apprentice)] Sub-Profession: [Inscription Apprentice (1st Low-Grade Inscription Cultivator)], Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], [Plushie Princess->Little Princess], [Shadow Thief], [Master of Sex Toys], [Gourmand], [Explorer], [Trickster], [Mischievous Cub -> Mischievous Juvenile], [Filthy RICH Den Master], [Babi-barian->Juve-barian], [Tail Hunter], [Bath Enjoyer], [Closet Pervert], [Devourer of Vitality], [Bane of Immortal], [One Who makes Immortal Faint], [Glutton], [Walking Runic Encyclopedia], [Backdoor Destroyer] Cultivation Technique: [Blood Tyrant Scripture], [Moon Goddess Scripture] Karma Companion: [Mei (Affection 19,864)] (You need to increase affection to see more) Elemental Spirit: [Seed of ####; Nurtured 63,144/100,000] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement)(*0.5-2.5 -> *1-2.5 Lunar Enhancement) HP: 94,791|94,791 -> 96,279|96,279 (150->250pH & 0.2->0.4%pH) ST: 96,509|96,509 -> 98,897|98,897 (150->250pH & 0.2->0.4%pH) Vitality: 48,069|48,069 -> 49,278|49,278 (15->25pH & 0.2->0.4%pH)(1pH - Gourmand) Vigour: 49,787 -> 51,896 Beast Cores(50%): 20,000 (52,030->52,060) Moonlight Qi: 36,996 -> 54,948 Toughness: 47,748 -> 48,957 Strength: 47,669 -> 53,108 Agility: 49,643*2 -> 52,652*2 Dexterity: 49,482*1.5 -> 49,791*1.5 Mind: 58,552*1.5 -> 69,661*1.5 Insight: 32,040 -> 32,070 Soul: 33,030 -> 33,060 Beauty: 177,902*1.5 -> 324,011*1.55 Luck: 60,112*1.01 -> 78,241*1.02 Stat Points: 1,458 -> 11,458 Skill Points: 864 -> 10,864 Elemental Affinity: [Moon - 1 -> 0], [Shadow - 3 -> 2], [Earth - 9 -> 8], [Soul''s Affection: 1] Martial Arts: [Lightness Technique] Martial Ability: [The Ever Shaping Cauldron: - ; -/-], [Heavenly Suppression Technique(Prototype, Incomplete)] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####], [Soul Palace], [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)], [Moon''s Eyes], [Moon''s Crust] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered], [Lunar Bath: Lv.9->Mastered], [Earthen Walk: Mastered], [Appraisal: Lv.1->2] Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.2->3], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Lunar Enhancement: Mastered], [Agility Mastery: Mastered], [Intention Perception: Mastered], [Basic Presence Concealment: Lv.9->Mastered], [Universal Recovery: Lv.2->4], [Divine Calligraphy: Lv.1->2] You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Skills: [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Lacerate: Mastered], [Sprint: Mastered], [Quick Double Jump: Mastered], [Camouflage: Mastered], [Meditation: Mastered], [Nurture: Mastered], [Sleeping: Lv.1] Passive Skills: [Stealth: Mastered], [Prehensile Tail: Mastered], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Thermal Regulation: Lv.1->2], [Demonic Intimidation: Lv.1->2], [Linguistics: Mastered], [Swimming: Lv.1->2], [Enhanced Climbing: Mastered], [Enhanced Basic Senses: Mastered], [Enhanced Mind: Mastered], [Picturesque Beauty: Lv.1->2], [Four Leaf Clover: Lv.1->2], [Assassin Mastery: Lv.9->Mastered], [Dexterous Fingers: Mastered], [Inscription Mastery: Mastered], [Alchemy Mastery: Lv.1->2], Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], [Blessing of N¨¹wa], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x14], [Skill Coupon x2], [Skill Combination Coupon x2], [Cultivation Gift], [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Crystal 25,000]x2, [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Stone 100,000]x2, [Sub-Profession Coupon x2], [Divine Ability Gift], [Sub-Profession Coupon(Servant)], [Cultivation Gift(Servant)], [Ability Coupon], [Bloodline Gift], [Bloodline Gift(Servant)], [Ability Combination Coupon x2], [Profession Coupon], [Karma Bound], [Black Inscription Master Token], [Essence of ####] ] Aiko stared blankly. ''Everything got upgraded and the bonuses from Species also doubled... I should Evolve my Shadow class for better bonuses.'' Aiko thought. ''Even my Abilities and Skills... whoa my Elemental Affinities also got a boost!'' Aiko was overjoyed as the #### on Soul Affinity changed. She looked at her body, noticing that she was much bigger than the previous, but not that big. ''Perhaps...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. She used the [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)] to turn into human form. "Whoa..." Aiko was left speechless as now she was much bigger! Her body now reached around 105-110cm. Her hair and everything also got longer, her tail was too long still. She could wrap the tail around her and some, which meant that the tail was also above the meter length. She would have to measure it later so it wouldn''t get cut on accident. ''They are also bigger.'' Aiko cupped her own chest, it was no longer flat and she even had nipples now. ''Whoa, now it feels more like a Human body.'' Aiko nodded to herself. ''I also don''t feel like I''m that much weaker...'' [(Human Form) Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 500 - 500 (Adjustable 500 - 500 -> 0 - 1,000) Species: [Shadow Fennec Fox Juvenile(Female, Peak of Unique, Single-Tail)] Species: [Moon Fennec Fox Juvenile(Female, Single-Tail, Pseudo Human Form)] Age: 2.58/2,000 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Peak)], [Dream Beast Kitsune(Awakened)] Bloodline: [Moon Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)] Beast Rank: Magical Beast Level: 90 (3rd Evolution) Profession: [Opportunistic Kleptomaniac (Apprentice)] Sub-Profession: [Inscription Apprentice (1st Low-Grade Inscription Cultivator)], Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], [Little Princess], [Shadow Thief], [Master of Sex Toys], [Gourmand], [Explorer], [Trickster], [Mischievous Juvenile], [Filthy RICH Den Master], [Juve-barian], [Tail Hunter], [Bath Enjoyer], [Closet Pervert], [Devourer of Vitality], [Bane of Immortal], [One Who makes Immortal Faint], [Glutton], [Walking Runic Encyclopedia], [Backdoor Destroyer] Cultivation Technique: [Blood Tyrant Scripture], [Moon Goddess Scripture] Karma Companion: [Mei (Affection 19,864)] (You need to increase affection to see more) Elemental Spirit: [Seed of ####; Nurtured 63,144/100,000] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement)(*0.5-2.5 -> *1-2.5 Lunar Enhancement) HP: 96,279|96,279 (250pH & 0.4%pH) ST: 98,897|98,897 -> 98,897|57,380 (250pH & 0.4%pH) Vitality: 49,278|49,278 (25pH & 0.4%pH)(1pH - Gourmand) Vigour: 51,896 -> 10,379 Beast Cores(50%): 20,000 (52,060) Moonlight Qi: 54,948 Toughness: 48,957 -> 9,791 Strength: 53,108 -> 10,622 Agility: 52,6528*2 -> 10,530*2 Dexterity: 49,791*1.5 -> 9,958*1.5 Mind: 69,661*1.5 Insight: 32,070 Soul: 33,060 Beauty: 324,011*1.55 -> 972,033*1.55 Luck: 78,241*1.02 -> 234,723*1.02 Stat Points: 11,458 Skill Points: 10,864 Elemental Affinity: [Moon - 0], [Shadow - 2], [Earth - 8], [Soul''s Affection: 1] Martial Arts: [Lightness Technique] Martial Ability: [The Ever Shaping Cauldron: - ; -/-], [Heavenly Suppression Technique(Prototype, Incomplete)] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####], [Soul Palace], [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)], [Moon''s Eyes], [Moon''s Crust] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered], [Lunar Bath: Mastered], [Earthen Walk: Mastered], [Appraisal: Lv.2] Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.3], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Lunar Enhancement: Mastered], [Agility Mastery: Mastered], [Intention Perception: Mastered], [Basic Presence Concealment: Lv.Mastered], [Universal Recovery: Lv.4], [Divine Calligraphy: Lv.2] Skills: [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Lacerate: Mastered], [Sprint: Mastered], [Quick Double Jump: Mastered], [Camouflage: Mastered], [Meditation: Mastered], [Nurture: Mastered], [Sleeping: Lv.1] Passive Skills: [Stealth: Mastered], [Prehensile Tail: Mastered], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Thermal Regulation: Lv.2], [Demonic Intimidation: Lv.2], [Linguistics: Mastered], [Swimming: Lv.2], [Enhanced Climbing: Mastered], [Enhanced Basic Senses: Mastered], [Enhanced Mind: Mastered], [Picturesque Beauty: Lv.2], [Four Leaf Clover: Lv.2], [Assassin Mastery: Mastered], [Dexterous Fingers: Mastered], [Inscription Mastery: Mastered], [Alchemy Mastery: Lv.2], Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], [Blessing of N¨¹wa], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x14], [Skill Coupon x2], [Skill Combination Coupon x2], [Cultivation Gift], [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Crystal 25,000]x2, [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Stone 100,000]x2, [Sub-Profession Coupon x2], [Divine Ability Gift], [Sub-Profession Coupon(Servant)], [Cultivation Gift(Servant)], [Ability Coupon], [Bloodline Gift], [Bloodline Gift(Servant)], [Ability Combination Coupon x2], [Profession Coupon], [Karma Bound], [Black Inscription Master Token], [Essence of ####] ] ''Damn... that''s too much, isn''t it?! Why does the Human form have such a high multiplier for Beauty and Luck?!'' Aiko frowned, but her mind was oddly clear. It felt as if something inside her changed, for better or worse. ''My lifespan also skyrocketed... but doesn''t that mean I will take longer to reach adulthood? Do my life stages count through the lifespan?'' Aiko pondered. ''It''s good that I have a longer lifespan.'' That was the only good thing she thought about. ''What about the rest...'' [Little Princess] [Raises your likeability with females and older members.] [Your Beauty is increased by 10,000 and Beauty per Level by 500 with Luck by 100!] [Mischievous Juvenile] [You have talent in teasing people and/or making other people suffer through your mischief.] [Greatly increase the chance of success when doing Mischievous things!] [Possibility to raise affection or sharply decline affection, use with care!] [Juve-barian] [You have proven to be a ruthless Barbarian!] [Your ''weapons'' can be imbued with Qi! (It is automatic)] [Your Strength is increased by 1,000, and Strength per Level by 50!] ''The Little Princess is a bit too much isn''t it...?'' Aiko frowned. ''I''m almost at the million mark, how do I reduce it?!'' Aiko felt bitter, but her senses were sharp. ''Someone is waiting outside, so this can wait...'' Aiko thought. She wanted to step outside, but she was still butt naked. ''Right, the token.'' She pressed that Sect Token, but nothing happened. ''...'' Aiko looked around, but there were no clean bed sheets or anything. Aiko peeked outside, seeing that it was just restless Mei she sighed and then smirked. ''Should I surprise her?'' She had a mischievous grin on her lips. She busted the door wide open announcing her arrival. "Mei~!" She jumped at Mei almost immediately since she was close by. Mei turned around restlessly only to see something that resembled Aiko, but much bigger flying at her. For some reason, she didn''t have the urge to dodge the flying Human Fox. She caught the slightly grown-up Aiko and stared at her. "Mei~" Aiko rubbed her face on Mei''s bosom and grinned. Mei checked out Aiko''s body, she knew that it was Aiko since there were still two- wait three Beast Cores?! Mei felt dizzy, but the only saving grace was that Aiko had smaller- Ahem. Mei snapped out of it and pinched Aiko''s cheek, which didn''t have much baby fat. "Where are your clothes rascal?!" She reprimanded Aiko. ''It''s a good thing that I''m the only one here, but I have to teach her something about manners since she would charm about any other Cultivator.'' Mei thought. "It''s bwoken." Aiko slurred her speech as she was pinched. "Broken?" Mei tilted her head. "Yeah." Aiko nodded, she was still cute, but for some reason, there was this unknown urge to bully this cutie, much more than it had previously. Aiko touched the Sect Token, but it didn''t do anything. "See?" Mei frowned. "Go inside the room, I will bring you some clothes." Mei commanded, but Aiko was still glued to her. Mei''s brows twitched. "hehe, itty bitties~" Aiko was still rubbing her face on those peeks. *Whack* "Auch." Aiko clutched her head which was bonked by Mei. "Hmpf!" Mei stormed away. "Why have I never realised how soft those are..." Aiko was still dreaming about them. "Well~ I should have plenty of time to enjoy them in the future, but I have to be covert... Auch. That really hurt." Aiko clutched her head again, in her Human form she might not be that weak, but she was still much weaker than Mei. "She could hold back a bit..." Aiko rubbed her head going inside the room. Chapter 96 – Mischief and Teasing~ Aiko stepped inside humming. ''It seems like the [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)] has reduced its consumption and the same goes for the [Heavenly Suppression Technique(Prototype, Incomplete)].'' Aiko nodded, pleased by this. She stretched once more testing out her new bigger body. She was pleasantly surprised by the increased flexibility. ''I could pose as those ballerinas...?'' Aiko thought. ''But with a much healthier body.'' She smirked. ''But I still don''t like the fact that I have almost a million Beauty, my senses are telling me that I will be troubled.'' She frowned. She mixed and matched skills and got a few interesting combinations. [Stealth] + [Camouflage] + [Enhanced Climbing] = [Shadow Climb] for 2,000 But when she touched her titles it became: [Stealth] + [Camouflage] + [Enhanced Climbing] + [Shadow Thief] = [Shadow Walk] for 0 Then there was: [Lunar Bath] + [Meditation] + [Nurture] = [Lunar Nurturing Meditation] for 500 ''This is the weirdest name, but...'' Aiko stared at the description. [Lunar Nurturing Meditation] [Ability] [Depending on your meditation place you will get the following Effects: 1st Effect: Beast Core Energy regeneration (Anywhere) 2nd Effect: Moonlight Qi generation (Under Moonlight)(Can Boost other Effects) 3rd Effect: Nurturing your body (Dense vegetation)] ''This stuff is seriously amazing...'' Aiko thought, while she already had the [Sleeping] Skill, most of the time the upgrade would come with an increase of the effect or significant gain. [Prehensile Tail] + [Lacerate] = [Sword Prehensile Tail] for 5,000 ''Ew...'' Aiko didn''t like that. [Crushing Bite] + [Prehensile Tail] = [Crushing Prehensile Tail] for 2,000 There were also, interesting skill restrictions... [[Laceration] - Locked due to not having Sword Aptitude] Aiko stared through the whole thing, because of her advancement into Juvenile form she had 10,000 points so she would upgrade a few. Her Elemental Affinity also improved, giving her more chances to gain interesting abilities and the possibility for Divine Abilities. [Your Elemental Affinity with [Moon] has reached its Peak, your body now can contain Moon Attribute or Spirit!] ''Interesting...'' Aiko thought. ''What are the uses?'' [Your Elemental Affinity becomes stronger for that type of Element, but if the Spirit or Attribute is too powerful it will lock the opposite Element.] [You can contract different Attributes even when you have not reached the Peak, but at that moment the Attribute or Spirit would constantly drain your reserves of Beast Core Energy.] [Those Attributes can strengthen Abilities or have their unique Abilities. Meanwhile, Spirits can act as your Companions.] ''Why would they do that?'' Aiko asked out of curiosity. [Because Attributes need Energy to nurture, but without the Peak of Elemental Affinity, your body is not hospitable for the Attribute/Spirit, as such you have to pay them to stay, but it is different when you have Elemental Body or high enough Affinity.] ''Elemental Body?'' Aiko asked again since this thing was not in the [Introduction to the Mortal Realm]. [Elemental Body is an extremely rare body that can be obtained from Human Bloodlines or Birthmarks.] ''How do they differ from Beast Bloodlines?'' She wanted to know as much as possible since the system seemed helpful for once. [Human physique or Elemental Body do not necessarily make them stronger but have different effects. Yang Bodies are perfect for vanquishing Ghosts and beings alike, it is also the perfect body for Body Cultivators. Meanwhile, the Yin body is great for cold Cultivation and ghost Cultivation. It is also a great source for Human furnaces or Pill Refining. The Fire Body is a physique that revolves around Fire, the User would have extremely fast Cultivation in Fire-based places and their Fire-based Techniques would have a significant boost, but they would be weak against the Water Body.] ''Rock, paper, scissors, huh?'' Aiko nodded. She thought about these things and then suddenly asked. "What would my body be when I become Human?" Aiko suddenly asked. [Without considering Bloodlines, Extreme Yin Body.] ''Well fuck.'' Aiko frowned. ''Good thing it''s without Bloodlines, I would like to enjoy my life without being hunted for Furnace purposes...'' Aiko fiddled some more with the system and concluded. [Lunar Bath] + [Meditation] + [Nurture] = [Lunar Nurturing Meditation] for 500 [Stealth] + [Camouflage] + [Sprint] + [Shadow Thief] = [Assimilation (Shadows)] for 500 Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. [Assimilate (Shadows)] [Ability] [User can assimilate into given element possibly ignoring physical/psychical damage and get different bonuses.] [Current Bonus: Physical Resistance, Reduced Presence, Increased Speed] [Prehensile Tail] -> [Prehensile Mastery] for 500 [Prehensile Mastery] [Allows one to master any part of the body, including organs.] ''Other Skills/Abilities need something more to upgrade, are locked or can''t be upgraded.'' Aiko browsed. ''For the time being.'' ''I will have to raise my Bloodline further and increase my Beast Rank. What do I need for that?'' Aiko asked the system. [Your Beast Core must be full, your Bloodlines need to be at least Awakened, but preferably Peaked, your Species needs to have some resemblance of power, Species from Lower Beast Ranks won''t count towards this, as such [Shadow Fennec Fox] is required to Evolve before you can step into another Beast Rank.] ''But [Moon Fennec Fox] is fine?'' Aiko asked. [[Moon Fennec Fox] was obtained during the crossing of Ranks, as such is already considered appropriate for advancement.] ''So difficult...'' Aiko frowned. ''What do I need to advance [Shadow Fennec Fox]?'' [Level.] ''...'' Aiko sighed, she was just Level 90 and most meat no longer gave her any experience, like it did previously. ''What kind of meat do I need to eat to Level up? Like inside the Village that boosted me so much.'' [At least meat of a Sacred Beast.] ''Never mind, I''m not even a Spirit Beast I won''t be picking fights with them...'' ''Can I Evolve my Species without advancing a Rank?'' Aiko suddenly asked. [It is possible at higher Ranks, as there will be more requirements to fulfil.] ''But I can Evolve even now without advancing.'' Aiko narrowed her eyes feeling like she caught a loophole. [That is possible because the other Species is not powerful enough.] ''Which means as long as I Evolve the [Moon Fennec Fox] and not the [Shadow Fiend Fox] I can keep my current Rank?'' Aiko smiled. She noticed that with each Rank it was harder to Level up, but what if she stayed in the current Rank without advancing and just farmed Evolutions getting stronger and stronger? [...] The system no longer replied, Aiko was not upset since she got most of the information. ''Like this, I can farm Stat Points and Skill Points, but I will have to be careful with my Evolutions and Bloodlines. If I Evolve too much I might not be able to gather enough Spiritual Qi from the atmosphere for my Evolution. Thus I should build some kind of portable structure that can store Spiritual Energy and then that will be drained by me during the Evolution.'' Aiko made plans, completely forgetting about the massage chair as Mei was still somewhat distant and she now had new shiny toys to play with. ''The question is if I can get Evolution that will fit me...'' Aiko frowned. She got a powerful Moon Bloodline, which might mean that one needed a higher level to increase it... or maybe she was just overthinking and the required Level was tied to the number of Evolutions. ''I will need to do more tests, but since now I''m allowed to leave I should explore the Forests around and maybe pick up a few missions.'' Aiko thought. *Knock Knock* Aiko went and opened the doors, Mei stood there with clothes in her hands. Aiko stepped aside letting Mei enter. Aiko smirked and proudly displayed her new body. She noticed a faint blush from Mei, but that must have been her imagination. Mei gave her the clothes, but Aiko found it too difficult to get into them, it had too many parts, it might be just a robe, but the belts and accessories that are tied to the robe make it quite difficult to get inside. Mei felt amused by the struggling Aiko and chuckled. "Stop laughing at me and help me!" Aiko cried out. She felt embarrassed that she was unable to get inside the clothes since she never wore clothes by herself. She always put clothes on with the Sect Token, but now the Sect Token didn''t work. Mei smugly enjoyed Aiko struggling for a bit more before getting up and helping her. "Hands wide." Mei commanded and Aiko listened as her mind was occupied by the complex clothing system. "Hands forward." Mei commanded again, at this point, Aiko was struggling to keep up and felt bored. *Squish Squish* "Hehe~" Aiko grinned with a silly smile. *Slap* Mei slapped her hands away, but Aiko kept her smile as it was completely different from testing it with her face. Mei continued dressing Aiko with a mean smile. Aiko ignored that as she was daydreaming about those soft peaks. ''I wish I could sleep there...'' Aiko daydreamed. "!" Her mind blanked as something soft brushed her lips and shadow hung over her. "Huh, eh?" Aiko stammered and when she looked at the smirking mean Fox she knew that it was her! "Stop moving or it will take longer to dress you up." Mei smiled licking her lips. ''The taste is a little bland, but that can be improved...'' Mei was dutifully dressing up Aiko, ignoring the fact that over time she was transforming into a tomato. ''W-what happened?! When, how?!'' Aiko''s mind was in turmoil. ''I''m supposed to tease you! Not the other way around!'' Aiko pouted. *Peck* "Stop pouting or it will make me want to tease you more~" Mei commented lightly, but Aiko was completely stunned as her lips were stolen again. ''At least I found something to stun her with, it was about time! I would run dry from giving her meat and Pills.'' Mei smiled to herself as she watched Aiko staring blankly. ''Let''s stop for today, I think I have broken her...'' Mei giggled and finished Aiko''s dress. "Done, we can now go to the Sect Token Forger to fix your Token." Mei smiled looking at Aiko. She might be small at around 110cm, but with those white-blue high-waisted Ruqun and white hair, which made a nice harmony of colours, she was incredibly cute and bullyable. Everything was covered outside of her neck and area around the neck. ''Although... that collarbone is too bite-able, should I cover that up too...?'' Mei was lost in thought unaware that Aiko''s hair changed and mischievous smile played on her lips. Her presence was barely there and Mei who was deep in thought didn''t notice her approach. *Squish Squish* Aiko got her revenge by cupping her bosom. Mei snapped out of it, but Aiko was already at the door smiling mischievously and giggling. Before Mei could do anything Aiko ran away like a little girl. Mei sighed. "Seriously this rascal always takes advantage of me." She didn''t look all that angry and had her own little mischievous smile on her lips. ''Just wait till you get close again~'' ... Mei left the room and spotted Aiko who was looking at her from behind a tree. Aiko''s hair was back to her Moon-like colour. Mei smiled. "It''s time to visit the Forging Emperor." "Emperor?" Aiko''s curiosity was piqued. "It''s just a title, he is no Emperor in the sights of others, if you don''t like it, you can also say he is 5th Grade Forger." Mei wanted to pet Aiko, but Aiko gently dodged. Mei was not angered as she noticed Aiko''s red ears, so she didn''t pursue it further. Mei guided Aiko throughout the Sect and noticed quite a few stares at them. Aiko was restless for some reason. She didn''t like those stares and wanted to hide behind Mei, but they were all around them and she was unable to hide. Mei didn''t mind those stares as she noticed those people were left speechless. "Hey, hey, who is she?" One Harem King asked as he didn''t remember beauty like her joining. "Isn''t she comparable to the Jade Fox?" Another Harem King asked. "Brainless Bimbos." One girl spat at them. "You still have the gall to ask that when your ass purity was severed by her?!" She scoffed at their surprised faces. "Well..." Those two familiar Harem Kings frowned and hid further away from this place. ... Mei was puzzled at this point as she didn''t understand why Aiko was so shy when she was so daring just a few moments ago... But she didn''t get time to think for long as they arrived in front of the Forger''s place. Chapter 97 – Bronze Fox and Aiko 2.0 It was quite warm outside, much warmer than along the way here. Mei didn''t have a nice expression on her face. ''He is already Forging.'' Aiko didn''t know much about those things, so she just stared curiously at the blasting heat that escaped through the doors. Mei knocked on the door and waited outside. Suddenly there was a silence, Aiko didn''t realize that previously she was hearing metal clanging, but now that everything quietened down for real she realized that those background sounds were gone. "Why are you disturbing me again, bloody hell." The door blasts open, revealing a Bronze Fox with some charred hair. "Oh, it''s you again..." He rolled his eyes. ''It''s her, the one that caused me so much trouble. She wanted so many Pill Caldrons...'' He had quite a large build and bulging muscles, yet his face was of a baby. Aiko''s mouth twitched a few times as she was holding in her laughter. "My little one needs the Sect Token fixed." Mei said with an expressionless face. The Hunk stared at the squishy Fox next to Jade Fox. "I have never seen her around..." He murmured. "What''s wrong with your Sect Token?" He asked gently. He had a soft spot for small Foxes. "It doesn''t work, the clothing option is broken." Aiko said with some apprehension, as she didn''t like the cutesy voice he was trying to make towards her. "..." The Bronze Fox thought for a while. "Let me see." Aiko placed her Sect Token inside his hand and he looked at it. ''... Vicious Cub...?'' His body involuntarily stiffened, especially certain muscles on the lower part of the body. ''She isn''t here to take any kind of revenge, right?'' He shivered. Aiko stared at the scared Hunk of a Fox and felt amused. ''I have not done anything yet, why is he so scared?'' "Why do you look so different?" He suddenly asked. "I have advanced my life stage." "... That''s a new one, alright I will look at it, wait here." He shut the door behind him and Aiko looked at Mei. "Is he reliable?" Aiko asked with worry. "Don''t worry, while his personality... leaves much to desire. His actual skills are top-notch." Mei spoke gently. "That is also why there is only one Bronze Fox." "Bronze Fox?" Aiko tilted her head. "Yes, it is a nickname for Forging Fox." Mei smiled. "There are other nicknames that are assigned only to one Fox in the Fox Village, Inscription Fox, Runic Fox, Jade Fox, Vicious Fox, Pill Fox, Huntress Fox and so on." Mei explained. "They call you Jade Fox? Because you are beautiful?" Aiko asked. Mei''s lips twitched, and her face stared at Aiko like she was saying, ''You only now realized that?''. "Yes, they call me like that, but sometimes they also call me Pill Fox too." Mei commented. Although that was less likely since the only buyers of her Pills were the Sect Leader and other Elders... but since she didn''t want to deal with the Elders, it was mostly the leader. "I see." Aiko nodded. "You smell of Herbs, so it''s only natural they would call you like that." "I don''t smell of Herbs." Mei defended herself. "Yes, you do, but it''s a nice smell." Aiko commented. "You..." Mei had a light blush since most of the time others commented badly on her smell when she refined Herbs. "I have fixed it... probably." The Bronze Fox barged outside in front of Aiko startling her. "I have adjusted your height, so now it should work, but it has a correction rate of only around 5cm so if you grow more, we will have to tweak it again." He said all of that, with a single breath. Aiko jumped behind Mei and stared at him. She took the Sect Token with some caution. "Thank you." "No problem." He didn''t mind this reaction, as it happened quite often. He blamed it on his overbearing build. "We will be leaving then." Mei spoke to him. "You won''t cause trouble this time?" He shielded his body when he heard the Jade Fox talk. She slapped his back in anger and sent him flying into the room. "Manners! When did I ever cause you trouble?!" This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. "You just did!" The Bronze Fox retorted, as his room was messed up by his large build when he flew inside. The Jade Fox clicked her tongue and left with Aiko. ... "He is a strange person." Aiko suddenly said as she was still taking in what just happened. "He might be strange, but he is a good Forger." Mei commented lightly, but she wouldn''t take her little sweetie over there if she doubted his abilities. Aiko didn''t say anything any more and walked forward. ... She went to their place and tried to undress, only to fail miserably. "Can I just rip them?" Aiko asked with a teary face. "No." Mei sat nearby with yet another amused expression. "You are enjoying this, am I right?" Aiko glared at Mei. "You are imagining things." But Mei''s lips were raised ever so slightly, and they were slowly twitching upwards. ''Hmpf! Just you wait! I will give you a nice massage!'' Aiko glared at Mei''s chest. Mei uncomfortably shifted around, covering herself. "Finish soon, or I might need to hel-" *Poof* Before Mei could finish, Aiko took the easy way out by transforming into a Fox. She was much smaller than her Human form but larger than her previous Fox form. Her tail was also bigger and thicker, while her ears grew only slightly more, but they were still comically large. Mei''s lips twitched, she wanted to tease Aiko some more, but she didn''t think Aiko would give up so easily. Aiko then transformed back into her Human form with a ''tada'' kind of expression. She was proud of her ingenuity. "How are you going to put them on later?" Mei asked, still amused. "I don''t have to~" Aiko hummed. "I have this." She touched the Sect Token, which clothed her up. "And what about when you become Human?" Mei narrowed her eyes and she had a mean smile on her lips. "I can just use the Sect Token." Aiko shrugged. Mei chuckled with a mischievous smile. ''Sure, sure you can.'' She already made mental plans to assault Aiko when she was in her proper Human form. ''Except you can''t use Token as it''s tied to your Beast Blood. Without that it doesn''t work~'' Mei likewise hummed and Aiko shivered for some unknown reason. ... *Whack* *Clang* The Grandmaster sparred with Aiko again. ''She grew even more powerful...'' The Grandmaster narrowed her eyes. ''She once again relies on brute strength more than on technique, it''s time to step up my game.'' *Whack**Clang* The Grandmaster smiled and Aiko had a bad feeling. *Whack**Clang**Whack**Whack**Whack**Whack**Whack**Whack* "Au, au, au! Stop! Stop!" Aiko cried out as she was ruthlessly beaten by Grandmaster. "This will be it for today, we will skip the throwing lessons, once you are healed up visit the Assassination Peak." The Grandmaster smiled satisfied. Aiko cried and wobbled back onto Mei''s lap, passing out. Mei shook her head, she felt some pain seeing Aiko like this, but that was suppressed by the need to get stronger. "Let''s check those strange Beast Cores." Mei narrowed her eyes. ''1... 2... 3...'' Mei blanked. ''... 3 Beast Cores?'' She couldn''t wrap her head around it. She stared at it again and again, until something strange happened. The third Beast Core twitched. ''STOP DISTURBING MY SLEEP!'' A voice yelled inside Mei''s mind, and she was pushed out of Aiko''s body. She also suffered some Soul damage from that scream. "What the hell." Mei coughed up a bit of blood. She frowned worried about her little sweetie, but then... ''Seriously... one feeds me only lunar energies which upsets my stomach and the other one keeps poking my body.'' The third Beast Core twitched in anger. ''...'' Mei stared blankly at the complaining Beast Core. She was worried since this never happened before, and she had no knowledge or experience to lean on. She was deeply troubled by this. ''Aiko should be safe for the time being as it didn''t invade her body, but stays close to her Beast Cores, but I should make some Pills to purge that thing later.'' Mei thought. She would tell Aiko about that thing. ... Aiko woke up refreshed and new. ''Hey! Tell that wench to keep her hands off of me!'' And she was immediately sobered up when she heard that voice. "It''s you, the seed..." Aiko frowned. "Seed?" Mei perked up her ears. "Yeah." Aiko absent-mindedly answered. "And who are you calling wench you shrivelled shrimp." Mei snorted towards that voice. ''It''s your fault to begin with that I have ended up like this! You are that wench!'' The third Beast Core complained. "How is that my fault?!" Mei frowned, she would definitely purge this bastard. "Um..." Aiko didn''t know what to say, as it was really Mei''s fault. "What is it?" Mei''s voice was sharpened. Aiko slowly explained what happened and that it was really her fault. ... ''Oh... her Soul is leaving her body again.'' Aiko felt amused as this Soul looked much more powerful than before and thus was less see-through. "So... when I found you..." Mei sighed, she messed up again. "I will find a way to purge that thing out of your body." ''I will purge your grandma, you wench!'' The Seed spat at Mei. ''There is no way that such a half-assed Immortal can do anything to me!'' The Seed inherited Aiko''s cursing condition. Mei frowned. "How do you know that?" ''Hmpf! As if I would tell someone as half-assed as you.'' The Seed was ''smirking'' at Mei, which upset Mei. "How do you know it?" Aiko was also curious. ''And why should I tell you?! Do you know how much lunar energy you have fed me?! It almost changed my Element!'' The Seed complained. "But if you won''t tell me I will continue." When it came to battles of shamelessness nobody could beat Aiko. ''Ugh. Bullshit! I don''t believe you have a-Huh?! Nature Energies?! Huuuh?!'' The Seed was promptly shut up by Aiko''s new Ability: [Lunar Nurturing Meditation]''s third effect. ''Because I''m someone who can create worlds, and thus I can see the Inner workings of people walking around.'' The Seed obediently answered, ''drooling'' at those Energies. ''Create Worlds...?'' Mei paused to think. "Wait, you have found a World Seed???" Mei grabbed Aiko and stared at her up and down. World Seed was a precious seed found only in the Immortal World and as the name implied that seed could become a separate World. Where Aiko and Mei currently live was created from World Seed. There are different Grades and Effects of the World Seeds. One can create an endless night World. Another could create an Ocean World. And so on... The effects that the Seeds come in greatly differ between Grades. The highest Grade can create an Immortal World, while the lowest one would be the size of a small house. ''Hmpf, don''t dump me in those categories!'' The Seed snorted. "So you are not a World Seed?" Mei asked doubting the Seed. ''Who knows.'' The Seed shrugged as if it would tell this stinky Fox anything useful. Mei sighed. "I will still purge you, you are a danger to Aiko." Mei proclaimed. ''You can try, but you will only feed me, stupid.'' The Seed shrugged. ''And I have no intention of hurting this little one since she fulfilled her part of the deal... albeit a bit scuffed fulfilment.'' The Seed sighed. "Oi! That was not my fault!" Aiko defended herself. ''Whatever.'' Were the last words of the Seed before it went silent. Mei massaged her temples. She went from one trouble to another, but this time she didn''t know if she could solve it. Chapter 98 – Assassination Peak, yet again Aiko munched on a piece of jerky along the way towards the hidden Shadows Peak. That''s how the Assassination Peak was called once you entered it and since Aiko could technically enter, she was supposed to call it like that. Aiko hid in the shadows and tailed yet another person from the Shadows Peak. He was completely unaware that Aiko was tailing him and even munching on a piece of meat. He could not even escape her when she was in her Human form. What a poor sod... ... "Hey, bastard! It''s enough that you get tailed once, but twice...!" The guard was left completely speechless when he noticed that small teen tailing this useless bastard. "I was not tailed! Other than-" The Youth who was tailed once again by Aiko was trying to defend himself. "Hello~" Aiko spoke near his left side. "GAH!" He jumped backwards throwing his knives at Aiko. ''Shit! I panicked! I hope she doesn''t get hurt.'' Aiko tilted her body and the knives passed by her without injuring her. The guard and the Youth stared at her strangely. "I''m back~" Aiko smiled at the dumbfounded duo. They looked at each other like they were seeing some kind of ghost. "What''s wrong?" Aiko tilted her head. She was unaware that Youth was a rising star when it came to assassinations and he was well-trained in throwing. "You have tailed him, so you are allowed to enter." The guard spoke slowly after recovering. "Well, duh, I was already admitted here." Aiko pouted. "You were?" The Youth stared at her strangely. "My nickname is... Nightingale..." At first, he introduced himself with fervour, but when it came to his nickname, he trailed those words into oblivion. "Pfft." *Cough* *Cough* "That''s a very pretty nickname." Aiko tried to maintain her facial expression, but it was twitching so much that it made matters even worse than they were previously. The Youth blushed. It would be something else if a battle-hardened assassin called him that, but when a pretty girl like her called him... He suddenly felt embarrassed about that nickname. "Well... who did you tail at first?" Nightingale asked. "You." Aiko smiled sweetly, charming both of them. "Huh..." Nightingale was charmed for only a moment until his face hardened. "But I was only ever tailed by... a... cub?" He was trying to measure her up and down. "No way you are that cub!" He rejected that motion, no way that little cub could turn into such beauty. "Bingo!" Aiko applauded him. "See? It was not that hard." She giggled. They were a funny bunch with ever-changing expressions. "Fuck! I can''t believe I lost!" Nightingale cried out and collapsed on his knees. Aiko stared at him strangely and shifted towards that guard. "Pst, what is this all about?" The guard smiled bitterly. "The Peak Elder of this place told him that if he is followed again, he will go through the Assassination Training again." "Oh..." Aiko felt kind of bad, but only kind of, who told him not to practise his craft and be tailed again. "So." Aiko slapped his shoulder, at least that''s what she tried, but she almost slapped his butt due to the height difference. Aiko awkwardly coughed. "Why are you so tall." She looked away, embarrassed from misjudging the distance. The guard rolled his eyes. ''You are just too small.'' "Did you need something?" He spoke politely, he was against a Vicious Cub... Vicious Fox? Anyway! He couldn''t afford to take this encounter lightly, or his ass... Ahem. "How do I get inside? Do I have to wait outside?" Aiko asked curiously, trying to look through the locked doors. She got closer, trying to peek and listen to the sounds inside. Suddenly, the door opened and slammed into Aiko. "AGH! What kind of bastard!" Aiko yelped at them since the doors didn''t injure her, but she was still startled since she couldn''t hear anything. The Peak Elder stared at the cursing girl and then at Nightingale. "You will have to train again." "Peak Elder, have mercy! It''s the same person!" Nightingale pleaded. The Peak Elder paused and looked at the cursing girl. "Vicious Cub?" "Who are you calling Vicious Cub, when you slammed the door into my face!" Aiko roared at the Peak Elder. The Peak Elder chuckled, she liked her energy. "I thought you would never come." "I don''t intend to stay for long." Aiko shrugged. "I want to see how it works and if I don''t like it I will go for the Hunting Peak." "How daring, do you believe you will be able to leave once you enter." The Peak Elder threatened. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Normally no, but you can''t afford that." Aiko smiled mischievously. "Oh? And who would I be scared-" The Peak Elder was so that this little one didn''t have anything great, but she didn''t expect this little cub to cut her off. "Jade Fox." Aiko replied blandly, not letting the Peak Elder finish. The Peak Elder stiffened, she couldn''t believe that this little Vicious Cub would use that name so blatantly. "And for your information, she was not in a good mood for over a year." Aiko''s smile widened, seeing the Peak Elder deep in thought but with a frowning expression. The Peak Elder clicked her tongue. "Daring. Not bad, but her influence can only get you so far." "I mean, I have already cleared the first part, twice. So we can move on to the other parts, and you can show me around. Then we can discuss things." Aiko looked at Nightingale crying on the ground. "Is the Assassination Training that hard?" Aiko asked, not understanding his sorry state. "Not really." The Peak Elder shrugged, she was the one who came up with the Assassination Training, so it was only natural for her to see it as such. "Are there any other tests before I take that Training or...?" Aiko asked with some curiosity, trailing her words. "Follow me." The Peak Elder didn''t say much and walked inside. Aiko followed her normally. "Silently." The Peak Elder warned Aiko. Suddenly, she almost couldn''t feel Aiko at all. Sound, smell, breathing and so on, were easily suppressed by Aiko, and it was hard to spot her. The Peak Elder''s eyes shined. ''I found a high quality Jade Stone, if i polish her properly she will easily surpass me.'' "Not bad." The Peak Elder nodded and moved forward. The Courtyard was silent, eerily so, but Aiko kept looking around. "I feel like my body will be stiff if I have to do what those guys are doing." Aiko suddenly murmured, attracting the Peak Elders''s attention. "What?" The Peak Elder played innocent. "That guy, that one, and that one and..." Aiko kept pointing at those hidden assassins hiding all around the courtyard. "But there is nobody there." The Peak Elder smiled and played the dumb card. Aiko picked up a nearby rock. *Poof* She transformed into a small Fox and used her superior speed to launch that rock. It was aimed straight at that assassin. That would not have been such a big deal if he hadn''t underestimated the speed at which Aiko could throw that rock with her small Fox''s body. *Ding* "AGH!" The hidden assassin cried out and fell down from the tree twitching. *Poof* Aiko turned back into her Human form and clothed herself. "That one." She pointed again. "Should I shoot down the others?" Aiko played the innocent card this time. The Peak Elder''s lips twitched. "There is no need." Who would have thought that this little Fox would play her game, but she couldn''t afford to injure so many of these sorry bastards, since they would have to do the Assassination Training all over again. The Peak Elder smiled sinisterly while thinking about it and Aiko kept looking around. This courtyard had many trees and bushes. Perfect spots for Assassins. "How strange," Aiko murmured. "I can definitely feel their presence, but I can''t locate them?" She tilted her head. The Peak Elder raised her eyebrow. This test was about spotting all the younger assassins, but it seemed that she was able to catch those thin threads of the veteran assassins. "Elder Shadow." The Peak Elder spoke. The nickname Shadow was only given to the most upstanding assassin. "Have you called, Mistress?" The Shadow appeared near her and Aiko stared at him intently. "It wasn''t him..." She murmured. She kept looking around trying to spot that person, but she was just unable to grasp its location. "You can finish the tests with her, give her a guide around the estate and explain things to her. If she doesn''t like it let her leave this place, unharmed, but give her a Token if she changes her mind." The Peak Elder commanded. The Shadow Elder was surprised and stared at the little girl beside the Peak Elder. "As you wish." He bowed gently. "Please follow me." The Shadow Elder spoke gently, attracting Aiko''s attention. "What was that?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. The Shadow Elder was surprised and even the Peak Elder paused. They exchanged glances. "That would be voice seduction." The Shadow Elder answered truthfully. "Oh." Aiko''s eyes shined. It was an interesting technique since it attracted Aiko''s attention. If it was possible to attract someone''s else attention like this it would make sneaking around much easier and if there existed some kind of recording crystals... hehe~ "You will be taught in due time once-" The Shadow Elder wanted to explain, but he was cut short. "She can skip that part of training or our Peak wouldn''t last." The Peak Elder''s voice drifted into the garden, but Aiko felt confused. She didn''t understand how voice could drift from everywhere without a starting point, it felt like Peak Elder was everywhere around her. "Yes, Mistress." The Shadow Elder was shocked since that part was one of the hardest on the newcomers. "Or at least ''that'' part, she can practice others." The Peak Elder spoke again, but yet again Aiko could not find her. The Shadow Elder didn''t understand and stood there dumbfounded. ''No sex education you dumb bimbo!'' The Peak Elder frowned and sent him a telepathic message since she couldn''t bear his stupid face that ruined her prestige. ''But Mistress...'' The Shadow Elder wanted to protest since this test was the easiest and most effective for gaining information. ''If you have anything to say, say it to Jade Fox and see her reaction.'' The Peak Elder snorted, she was aware that Jade Fox was treasured by the Sect Leader, but even this little one was treasured by the Grandmaster! If the Jade Fox was displeased not only the Sect Leader but also that terrifying war machine would be going after them, their little hidden Peak wouldn''t be able to defend itself! ''I understand.'' The Shadow Elder bowed. He would ask Jade Fox later about this matter and skip this part of training for the time being. "So what are we doing now?" Aiko asked curiously startling the Shadow Elder. He was so taken in by the conversation that he could barely notice Aiko''s approach. ''I will have to train harder, it seems like my basics are lacking...'' The Shadow Elder frowned. "How many assassins are you able to notice in here? And where are they?" The Shadow Elder gave this little one her first test. "I have counted 21, but I can only find the location of 13 of them." Aiko answered truthfully. The Shadow Elder raised his eyebrow. "Where are they?" Aiko pointed straight at them. ''It didn''t seem like she was lying...'' The Shadow Elder narrowed his eyes. "There are 8 left." "I know..." Aiko frowned. "I just can''t seem to grasp their position, I know they are there somewhere, but I just don''t know where." Aiko clicked her tongue. The Shadow Elder nodded. "You have found all the youngsters so we can say you have passed, as for the others... there are an additional 12." "Eh? You count even those that are taking a shit?" Aiko was surprised and the Shadow Elder choked. "What?" The Shadow Elder doubted his ears. "They are taking a dump? Shitting? Letting out those poisonous bricks?" Aiko repeated in different words. The Shadow Elder coughed awkwardly. "Yes, they are also counted." "But I still could only find 11..." Aiko frowned. The Shadow Elder was amused at this point and clapped his hands. All the nearby assassins moved outside their hiding spot and Aiko stared at them. "This one! I couldn''t find you at all." Aiko tilted her head. "How? It doesn''t seem you are all that exceptional. You don''t look even half as good as this grandpa." Aiko pointed at the Shadow Elder. The Shadow Elder almost coughed up blood. ''I''m not that old!'' "I use illusions to trick my enemies." The Youth smiled, seeing the battle-hardened Shadow Elder choke up. He really did like this little one. "Hmmm..." Aiko suddenly lost interest. "What''s the next test." The other assassins chuckled, his existence was ignored which brought them joy. The Shadow Elder clapped again and they returned to their positions, but Aiko could feel them shift around. "Let''s go to the next place." The Shadow Elder spoke, but this time without voice seduction. Chapter 99 – (18+) Shadow Elder Aiko walked silently behind the Shadow Elder, still looking around curiously. She could still feel some new presences, but she just couldn''t pinpoint them. "Your next test would be a simple dodging." Before the Shadow Elder finished, Aiko was showered by a wall of knives, kunai... chair? Aiko dodged to the left and shifted her body so that she had a thinner profile, but there were just too many of them, she wouldn''t be able to dodge all of them. *Poof* In Human form, that is, in her tiny Fox form, she was able to easily weave through the knives, kunai and... chair? Who keeps throwing chairs?! The danger was passed easily in her Fox form as she was much faster and she also had fewer debuffs. "Only half of the points since you took your Fox form." The Shadow Elder nodded. Aiko snorted. "What? You don''t agree?" The Shadow Elder narrowed his eyes. "Obviously. When I was a cub, the pseudo-transformation reduced my speed to 1/10, now that I''m juvenile it''s 1/5, so I''m guessing that you, shitty adults, have something like 1/2.5 or 1/2." Aiko scoffed at him. ''Trying to measure me to adult standards? Dream on! I will chew your ass for that!'' "But the matter still stands, that you took your Fox form." "Sure sure, smart-ass, it doesn''t seem like your nickname comes with intelligence." Aiko rolled her eyes. The Shadow Elder breathed deeply, he was about to punch this brat but restrained himself since his mistress told him she could leave unharmed. "Next up is math-" ... "See? I told you, your nickname doesn''t come with intelligence attached." Aiko scoffed at him once again and she had a good reason to. 1,000:0 in favour of Aiko. She won 1,000 times against this brainless ''Shadow Elder'' and she would keep winning if the Peak Elder didn''t stop her. She was a bit upset that it ended so quickly, but she didn''t mind it as much, since this Shadow Elder was dumb as a brick. "What''s next." Aiko smugly stared at him. The Shadow Elder groaned, he never suffered such a defeat. He wanted to get rid of this brat who didn''t give him any face, but... ''She is to leave unharmed.'' The Shadow Elder practised his Mental Cultivation Technique to calm himself down. Aiko waited for him to finish and stared around for the time being. "Fish..." Aiko murmured. They sat under a small pagoda when they were doing those simple equations and fishes swam around them in the ponds. ''They are so quiet.'' Aiko thought, staring at those fish like she was trying to hypnotize them. The Shadow Elder stabilized his mind and looked at this brat. She was hungrily looking at those fish. "Do you want to eat them?" The Shadow Elder asked as he spotted an option to get back on this brat. "No." Aiko denied it. "Don''t lie, I saw how you hungrily looked at the fish." The Shadow Elder shook his head. "Are you stupid? No, wait, don''t answer that. You are stupid!" Aiko nodded seriously. The Shadow Elder''s forehead twitched and a few veins popped up. "Why would you want to eat such skinny fish?! Do you know how much work it would take to prepare them?! Seriously, how can you be a Shadow? Or maybe Shadows are supposed to be without brains?" Aiko cursed him, but still restrained herself since he would be her future colleague if she liked this place. *Pffft* Laughter drifted from all around, and the Shadow Elder looked incredibly angry. "Bastard! Go take another round of Assassination Training!" The Shadow Elder took his anger on them since he couldn''t really do that on this brat. ''Mistress doesn''t want her to feel uncomfortable and she is protected.'' The Shadow Elder frowned. "Last test would be you sneaking around." The Shadow Elder spoke. This was not the last test and it was not even part of the test. He just wanted to make things difficult for the brat. "Sure, where do I start and what is my destination." Aiko didn''t reject this, as it was much better than keeping this geezer''s company. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! The Shadow Elder didn''t say anything any more and guided her to the entrance of the Shadows Peak. "You are to reach the Peak Elder''s room." The Shadow Elder said before disappearing from his place. "At least he has some skill..." Aiko chuckled. The assassin in hiding almost spat out blood. ''This is only ''some skill''?!'' But they soon realized why Aiko said that. Aiko turned into her Fox form as it was smaller and better at sneaking around and she fully activated all of her stealth Skills, alongside [Assimilate]. Her whole being seemed to merge with the surrounding shadows and if you had not stared directly at her, you would never notice her. The Shadow Elder was pleasantly surprised at this and the animosity he held towards this brat lessened a little, but only a little! He would never forgive this brat for ridiculing him! Aiko walked around in the Shadows, only some veterans were able to spot her, but once they spotted her, Aiko would move into their blind spot to hide yet again, before moving forward. This place was quite large, so she would have to explore this place and nab- displace a few things. She went inside the first room, but there wasn''t anything worthy to take, only some bamboo sticks and small wooden throwing knives. ''Probably a training storage room.'' Aiko thought, closing this room. The assassins tailed Aiko out of curiosity, but mostly because of the Shadow Elder''s orders. Aiko''s Skills in hiding were improving at a stunning rate. She was slowly beginning to predict where the young assassins would look and she no longer needed [Intention Perception] to tell her. That was not the case for the older generation as even with [Intention Perception] she was unable to completely guess their positions and thus she was unable to predict them. That''s not to say they were not impressed by her, most of them didn''t take this test as they would fail immediately, but this little one has lowered her profile and is very cautiously exploring. They wouldn''t be able to do that if they were in her shoes at that time. Aiko sneaked into another room, it was a herb room with many Herbs, but also flasks with strange liquids. ''Let''s leave this creepy place alone.'' Aiko had a bad feeling whenever she looked at those flasks. She felt danger from them and as such she would never touch them. Another room was bedding- ''They are fucking...'' Aiko rolled her eyes. ''They aren''t all that pretty either... the best one is 4/10.'' Naturally, Aiko compared them to the Jade Fox and Grandmaster. If she compared them to Blood Fox''s body... ''At most 2/10...'' Aiko sighed silently. Aiko didn''t care about ugly people fucking, it was like staring at an ugly blob trying to make you aroused. It disgusted her. The assassins were surprised to not only see Aiko''s disgust, but also her lack of lust. They couldn''t help but look at each other. Most of them were looking forward to this kind of training since they had their urges, they felt kind of weird when they spotted this little one who was not only indifferent but also disgusted by such scenes. Aiko went towards another room. She opened the doors and immediately something inorganic fell on her. Aiko barely dodged and stared at that object. "Fucking dildos again!" Aiko almost cried out loud but restrained herself only glaring at it like it was her mortal enemy. At this point, the assassins thought that she was asexual when they saw her attitude towards those sexual things. They shook their heads as this was an important part of the training that everyone would have to do. They didn''t know that Aiko was pardoned from such training... Aiko sneaked around some more, looking into clothing rooms, dressing rooms, shower rooms and so on. ... ''This is the last room.'' Aiko panted, she couldn''t believe how huge this place was. Aiko opened those doors, but she regretted that action. The Peak Elder was currently using a huge dragon dildo, and she was ramming it into her pussy with ecstatic expression, only for that expression to completely stiffen when she saw Aiko. They stared at each other and Aiko placed her paw on the doors, slowly closing them with the expression of ''Sorry, my bad.''. "Hold it!" The Peak Elder demanded and Aiko immediately shut the door, but those doors were blasted apart and the assassins behind Aiko, who were hiding in place, but still stunned at the Peak Elder''s beauty, were shot down from their hiding spots. The Peak Elder was already clothed. "Come inside and explain your attitude." The Peak Elders Energy allowed her to erase temporary memories, so if Aiko didn''t explain herself properly the Elder would make her forget this situation. At this point the Shadow Elder was pleased as only the Peak Elder was allowed to deal with this brat, he was smugly smiling when... "The Shadow Elder told me to sneak into your room." Aiko immediately ratted out the perpetrator. "He also didn''t tell me which room was yours, so I had to explore this place and I have plenty of issues." Aiko snorted. The Peak Elder was stunned. "Shadow." "Yes, Mistress?" The Shadow Elder appeared already formulating an excuse for himself, but this momentary distraction allowed the Peak Elder to kick his balls. "Ungrateful bastard." The Peak Elder scoffed at the quivering body on the floor. "I have been wronged, Mistress." The Shadow Elder said weakly. "Bullshit! You have always played these kinds of pranks on people that displeased you!" The Peak Elder didn''t believe the Shadow''s bullshit. "Not only that, but you didn''t expect her to get so far, am I right? It would be no issue if she was caught properly before, by the younger generation, as the older ones move only if the person invading is dangerous." She stomped his balls several times and the Shadow Elder writhed in agony. "I was wrong, Mistress." The Elder wasn''t a masochist and he could hear the giggles of other assassins, he felt like he lost all of his face... "Now you admit it! 50x Assassination Training and without rewards!" The Peak Elder slapped his face a few times. The Peak Elder kicked the Shadow Elder away and sighed. "Come inside." The Peak Elder looked irritated so Aiko complied. She pointed at the chair for the Vicious Cu-Juvenile? Child? The Peak Elder sighed, they would need to sit down and give her a new nickname. She sat down only to slam her fists on the table right after. She completely forgot about the dragon dildo that was still inside of her and as she plopped down it got lodged deeper than it was supposed to go. ''Agh, the ecstasy.'' The Peak Elder shivered as her eyes rolled backwards. Aiko was creeped out by that expression, the Peak Elder looked like she was possessed. "Leave for a moment." The quivering Peak Elder told Aiko. Aiko nodded, she didn''t want to stay in this musky room and left. The Peak Elder sighed, her stomach felt full, and she tried to stand up so that she could remove the dragon dildo. Unfortunately for her, the floor had another idea as it was soaked with her juices and she slipped just as she freed herself, and this time the dildo went somewhere where it truly was not supposed to go. She screamed in ecstasy as she squirted from the overwhelming pleasure and passed out. ... Aiko shivered from that scream and walked a bit further away from that room, waiting for the Peak Elder to do her business. That waiting turned into nighttime when the Peak Elder finally arrived next to Aiko. "We can talk now." The Peak Elder said, but she was strangely fidgeting with her legs. Chapter 100 – Creepy Peak Aiko was once again creeped out. She didn''t like her fidgeting at all! "Let''s move to the pagoda." The Peak Elder beckoned. This was the only thing Aiko agreed with her, as she could still faintly hear something dripping in her room. It felt like a horror house. Aiko sat down under the small pagoda and stared at the Peak Elder. "You are not going to sit?" Aiko asked with a frowning face. "Well... things happened, so I will just stand." The Peak Elder nodded awkwardly. She was a veteran when it came to sex toys, but she passed out with that dragon dildo inside her and now she was too stretched out to sit normally. "Creepy." Aiko finally voiced her opinion out loud. "It''s not my fault it was lodged- What are you trying to make me say?!" The Peak Elder cried out. Aiko no longer saw her as the dignified Elder, but just as a horny teen... a very very old horny teen. ''Why do males look older, but most foxes look teen?'' Aiko tilted her head, she didn''t understand. The Peak Elder coughed. "Let''s talk about the joining thing." "I will pass." An immediate response from Aiko. "Let me finish!" The Peak Elder felt like she was wronged. "You won''t be subjected to any sexual education or techniques. You will be trained in the art of information collection and presence suppression." "But I''m interested in the Sexual Techniques." Aiko suddenly said. "Not training, just techniques." She nodded a few times. ''I need a way to get revenge on Mei for ''that''.'' Aiko treated their first kiss like it was something forbidden and couldn''t be said out loud. Mei would probably laugh out loud since she didn''t see Aiko in an intimate way. She saw Aiko as another family member that she had to take care of. "What?" The Peak Elder was speechless. "Weren''t you disgusted when you saw that room?" She asked just in case those bastards reported incorrectly. "No, that''s true." Aiko didn''t deny that and the Peak Elder was surprised. "I don''t understand how they can fuck someone so ugly." The Peak Elder was stunned, but then it clicked for her. ''Stop comparing Jade Fox to others! It''s obvious that you wouldn''t find anyone as pretty as she is!'' The Peak Elder complained in her mind. The Peak Elder coughed. "So you want to learn Sexual Techniques, but not train them." "Eh, I wouldn''t say that, I will do plenty of training." Aiko had a mean smile on her lips. ''What did you do to her, Jade Fox?!'' The Peak Elder cried out in her mind. "What about Assassination Techniques?" The Peak Elder asked again. "Eh, why not? I can at least try, but I''m more interested in sneaking around." Aiko said flatly kicking her legs. "Will you be joining any other Peaks in the future?" The Peak Elder asked her. "Well, I''m already part of the Inscription Peak. I''m interested in Pills and meat, so maybe the Alchemy Peak and Hunting Peak?" Aiko tilted her head. "I don''t know yet." She shrugged. The Peak Elder''s lips twitched. "That would be troublesome for us." "That sounds like your issue." Aiko snorted at her. The Peak Elder rolled her eyes. "You can leak our techniques to other Peaks." "I don''t understand why I should share my hard work." Aiko shook her head. It seemed like everyone in here had the ''dumb'' trait attached to them. Will she be alright? The Peak Elder sighed. "You will have to prove yourself over time to get more techniques, there won''t be any other benefits or favouritism." "That is fine by me." Aiko kicked her leg yet again as she was bored of this pointless conversation. "The Mirage Fox will guide you around." The Peak Elder said and the assassin which was unable to be found by Aiko appeared nearby. "That guy huh..." Aiko stared at him. "I still don''t understand how he does that..." She shook her head. "He has great Affinity with Illusions." The Peak Elder explained gently. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. "I see..." Aiko nodded. "Can I also learn that?" She asked out of curiosity. "If you have Illusion Affinity, sure." The Peak Elder smiled. Aiko pouted. ... "Please follow me." The Mirage Fox spoke gently. "Another voice seduction, huh." Aiko noticed it immediately now that she experienced it again. "Quite weak, huh, so you are only good with Illusions..." Aiko murmured. The Mirage Fox''s lips twitched, he was a prodigy when it came to seduction and illusions, but now one of his traits was denied by this little one. He felt irritated. "It''s better to walk slowly or you might trigger some traps." He used his full-blown seduction technique, but Aiko completely ignored him. He was upset, but he was only tasked with guiding, maybe if he got to be her sparring partner he would be able to take advantage of her for this loss of face. Aiko kept looking around, this place really liked small gardens and ponds. Yet you couldn''t hear any birds or fish making their usual noises. ''It''s too quiet.'' Aiko was unaware that this place was specially made to train and rate someone''s mental fortitude. The more silent one place was, the harder it was for a person to spend their time there. Their mental fortitude would be slowly chipped away until they lost their mind. He guided her to her place. It looked like barracks with many bunk beds, but those bunk beds looked like nests instead of beds, so bunk nests? There was nobody inside currently. Next up was the bathing area. "Why are they not separate?" Aiko asked. "On a mission, you won''t be able to care about such things, so these things are preparation for that." The Mirage Fox answered but left out one important detail. ''This place is also to test your skills, mainly how well you can defend yourself during assaults.'' He smirked, he would save this ignorant brat later and then put her inside his harem, only to ignore her completely. "Eh, I won''t use it since it stinks too bad." Aiko shrugged and walked with a spring in her legs. The Mirage Fox''s dreams were shattered and it took him a while to recover. He followed Aiko who was walking away from him. "This way." The Mirage Fox said and caught up to the little brat. "Why are you so slow." Aiko shook her head and he almost coughed up blood. "Here is the training place." He pointed at the numerous bamboo pillars and people fighting on them. "Ooooo" Aiko admired it. "So fighting with bad footing." Aiko nodded in acknowledgement. "That is correct. When other Elders are around, they also make those pillars move up and down, making it even more difficult. Most injuries come from here and then from the obstacle course." The Mirage Fox was proud, as he could easily bypass this place. "Obstacle course?" Aiko was curious and she didn''t notice, but her voice softened greatly and tickled nearby ears. "AGH" "GAH" The people on the pillars collapsed because their bodies shivered due to Aiko''s soft voice. ... "..." Aiko pointed at them and stared at the dazed Mirage Fox. "You there?" "Ah, yes." He was imagining things that he shouldn''t imagine at this point, but his plans shifted a little. He just might dote on this little Enchantress. The Enchantress was a nickname given to those who could enchant someone just from their movement or voice. He guided her towards the main eating hall. "It smells bad, let''s skip this one." Aiko said this while scrunching her nose. The Mirage Fox''s lips twitched again. He enjoyed the food in here, so it was quite tactless for her to say that. But the others inside were too exhausted to retort, so they just rolled their eyes and continued eating. He showed her a few more rooms, but nothing that Aiko had not seen already, so he pardoned himself and went to his own barracks. For some reason, the newbies had separate barracks, but the older ones shared them. ''I don''t get it, newbies have shared baths but separate sleeping quarters?'' Aiko just couldn''t point out why they would do that. ''Bunch of perverts.'' She spat in her mind. Aiko went into the barracks and noticed they were almost full. ''What is occupied and what isn''t...'' Aiko browsed, not many paid attention to her, but those who did had smirks on their faces, fortunately for them, they were too exhausted to ridicule Aiko as they went through another day of hellish training, and finally tomorrow they would get their ''rewards'' so they wanted to rest as much as possible to ''receive'' them properly. Aiko didn''t like those nests so she left the barracks. "What''s wrong?" One veteran assassin asked. "I won''t be able to sleep there, so I will look around and play..." Aiko answered passively. She wasn''t interested in company. "There is a curfew during the night." That veteran assassin smiled. "Do you know what happened to those who disobey it?" The veteran assassin smirked, assessing her body. She might be small, but her picturesque face made up for it and he would definitely enjoy shoving... ahem. He placed a hand around Aiko who was distractedly looking around, but before he could do anything to her he felt sharp pain. "Agh!" The veteran assassin clutched his bloodied hand. Aiko was unable to sever that hand, but that didn''t mean that the injury was light! That guy let his guard down, so Aiko had an easy time slicing through his flesh with her sharpened fingers and with her [Lacerate] she was even able to damage his bones! "You bi-Gah!" Aiko kicked him lightly, but still aimed into a certain region, making him froth from the mouth. At this point, most Foxes from the barracks went to peek at the newcomer getting molested and later fucked, only to find their esteemed older brother bleeding and frothing from his mouth. Aiko clicked her tongue. "Weak bastard." The female Foxes from the barracks almost fell over when they heard that, as he was one of the strongest from the younger generation. He was so good at his stealth kills that he earned the veteran assassin position much earlier than others! "Hey." Aiko turned at them. Most of the Foxes yelped and ran away back into their nests and only the slower ones or those that were shoved forward stayed behind. "Are there any fun places? Something else than the obstacle course and the bamboo pillar thing?" Aiko asked them. They didn''t want to answer, they didn''t dare to answer, but seeing Aiko''s pressing stare, one of them who already tailed Aiko before, steeled herself. "There is a marble dodging training room." That girl murmured. The others cursed this brainless fool! It was obvious that this little one was looking for a proper sex partner! They were not around when Aiko was taking those tests, so they were unaware that Aiko despised those things, but that didn''t stop them from ridiculing her. "Not a bad idea. Lead the way." Aiko smiled from ear to ear, subconsciously charming them. "W-we don''t dare." The others bowed and pleaded towards Aiko. "Why not?" Aiko didn''t even glance at them, because that girl who told her about the marble dodging room still didn''t say anything. "If you go outside after the curfew, you are subjected to harassment from Veterans and Elders." The girls answered truthfully. Chapter 101 – Cute Grandpa Aiko followed that girl, her nickname was Umbra Fox. She has a powerful Shadow Bloodline that allowed her to hide in plain sight as long as she was in the shade. This piqued Aiko''s interest and she was looking forward to their time together as she was the only one not quivering from her sight after stabbing that veteran assassin. "Here it is?" The girl was a bit fidgety, but she led Aiko towards the marble-dodging training room. Strangely they have not met anyone else. "Oh? A visitor?" Aiko turned around towards that old, yet gentle voice. "Another grandpa?" Aiko tilted her head. The Grandpa in the assassination outfit laughed out loud. "Some interesting newbies." "And an interesting grandpa." Aiko followed. "Here for training, kiddos?" The grandpa asked. "Just to pass the time, I won''t be able to sleep in the barracks." Aiko shrugged. "How magnanimous." The grandpa clicked his tongue but didn''t look displeased. "I can''t help it." Aiko shrugged. "How about some tea with me?" The grandpa asked with the same gentle voice. "Sure." Aiko didn''t reject it as this grandpa was interesting. ... "How long have you been in training?"" The grandpa asked along the way. "Today would be the first day I somewhat joined." Aiko answered truthfully. "And your companion?" The grandpa asked the girl next to Aiko. "I''m just a guide, Elder." The girl bowed respectfully. "But I have been here for half a year already." The grandpa narrowed his eyes. "Did you get any ''rewards'' or ''special training''?" "No, I was never able to impress others." The girl shook her head. "Good. From here on out I''m forbidding both of you from receiving any ''rewards'' or ''special training''." The grandpa commanded, surprising the girl. "What''s this about ''rewards'' and ''special training''?" Aiko asked. "Just something we shouldn''t give to talented Foxes." The grandpa sighed. "Something about sex?" Aiko tilted her head, there was too much sex so what those ''rewards'' could be other than something about sex? The grandpa was surprised. "That is correct." He already quite liked this little one, so he didn''t want her to be corrupted by that shitty Dual Cultivation Technique. "I made a deal with Peak Elder that I would be excluded from those training and things, not from learning though, I''m interested in what is the fuss around it." Aiko skipped a step and seated herself, kicking her legs. "Oh?" The grandpa was amused. "How should I call you grandpa?" Aiko asked, the girl was still left stunned by the casual speech and she was just unable to recover. "Just call me Grandpa Lin." Grandpa Lin said gently. "Hmmm." Aiko nodded looking at him. "Grandpa Lin sounds nice." Grandpa Lin laughed. Suddenly a shadow appeared near them. "Elder Punisher." The assassin bowed. "Speak." He poured tea for Aiko and then for himself and sipped it. "That''s..." The assassin was hesitant. "Should I punish you?" Grandpa Lin narrowed his eyes. "A newcomer injured one of the veterans. How should we deal with them?" The assassin left out things out of the report because he was ordered to make things difficult for Vicious Cub. Grandpa Lin didn''t even bat an eye. "Will you report properly, or should I douse you with boiling water?" The assassin shivered. "Reporting to Elder Punisher. Newcomer Vicious Cub walked around during the curfew and injured a veteran assassin when he was trying to teach her a lesson." "You mean molest me." Aiko corrected but frowned. "And why is everyone using such a nickname for me?!" She couldn''t understand how someone as lovely as her would get that nickname. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Grandpa Lin almost spat his tea when he heard that. "You are that notorious Vicious Cub?" He eyed her up and down, but he just couldn''t imagine how or why she got that nickname. He was in seclusion till now so he could break through to the Soul Formation Realm, but unfortunately, he was missing a few steps... "No?" Aiko tried to deny it as she was embarrassed about her own nickname. Grandpa Lin chuckled and glanced at the assassin. "Have you punished the veteran assassin?" He asked casually, but the assassin nearby shivered. Before he could recover and answer Grandpa Lin already knew the answer. "I take that as a no." He sipped tea casually but still savouring the taste. "If he isn''t punished by the time I arrive, I will take over his punishment, as for the Vicious Cub, she is under me if you have any problems and ignore my presence... you know what will happen, right?" Grandpa Lin narrowed his eyes, but the assassin almost pissed himself. "I understand, Elder Punisher." He cupped his fists and disappeared. Grandpa Lin clicked his tongue. "Seriously those bastards should follow the rules." "Anyway. Should we talk about the history of the rules? I worry that you would get deceived." Grandpa Lin said gently. Aiko sniffed with her nose a few times and asked. "You are not a Fox?" Grandpa Lin laughed. "Sharp nose." He gently rubbed her head. "I''m indeed not a Fox, but I was allowed admission in to the village because of my young master." Aiko stared at him for a bit but didn''t voice her opinion about this. "The history?" Aiko asked. "It''s not that bad if you think about it." Grandpa Lin laughed. In the Olden days of this Village, there weren''t many rules, so most Demonic Foxes ruled over this Old Village. They were much more powerful than normal Foxes and easily angered, so those times were rough on everyone as the Demonic Foxes would anger each other quite often. Then one year a Fox Elder returned from exploring the outside world and brought a particular Dual Cultivation Technique. Surprisingly that Technique worked between Beasts, without needing a human, so most Foxes could practice that Dual Cultivation Technique among themselves. As such, soon orgies became commonplace, while it did speed up the development of strength it also halted communication with the outside since most of them indulged in the carnal pleasures. One Elder called a meeting. They discussed the banning of the Dual Cultivation Technique, since unfortunately, that Technique had a major flaw. A few Fox Elders left the Village to find a solution for this, but those who stayed behind were soon corrupted. They made rules so that ''disobedient'' Foxes could be fucked without any sort of consent. Those times were the darkest times for if a Fox, resisted the technique their pleasure points would burnt out for months at a time, with the exception of their most recent ''mate''. Leading them to be mostly insensitive to pleasure. Which rendered them inactive during mating season. Fox numbers dwindled because of this. While they did have a steady stream of incoming Foxes, most larger Fox clans refused to send their prodigies to the Sect and thus the prestige was lost almost entirely. Then came another major blow to the Village and that was war. Foxes were no longer hunting and providing Beast Cores and other materials that this Village could trade for Spirits Stones causing the already weakened Defensive Array to weaken further until it collapsed. At that time many Human Sects spotted this Village and invaded it, almost annihilating it. The Fox Elders that had not gone carnal, or at least not fully brought the most talented individuals, and Sect treasures into hiding to pass this storm. Years passed and the Elders outside finally returned back. But the Village was already destroyed. They had no time to bury the dead, let alone rebuild the Village again when a warship flew overhead. It was the Fox Fortress, now Sect, that was looking at the carnage below. Fox bodies were everywhere and only a couple of Elders and a few young prodigies were alive. The warship landed establishing the current Village as a branch and appointed the current Sect Leader as the Leader. Her task was to guide this Village to prosperity and send promising prodigies to the mainland where the Qi was much thicker. Naturally, this establishment aroused the interest of the nearby Sects, but my master, a human, interfered and suppressed them. Thus he earned the praise of the Foxes and was allowed to stay inside with one of his protectors. Grandpa Lin proudly pointed at himself. Then my master introduced a less potent variation of the Dual Cultivation Technique, weaker, but the lust for the non-Cultivating partner was much more manageable, and unable to burn out an unwilling partner. This made the Fox Elders both grateful and angry. The grateful ones were those who wanted change, while the angry ones were those who enjoyed those carnal pleasures. They remembered that using the old Technique on Foxes would make them addicted to sex, but only for the person who used it first on them. And the ability to render headstrong Foxes unable to get pleasure from anyone other than them. As such civil war spread where the Carnal Elders fought for their carnal pleasures and others to stop them. There were many rules about the Techniques and what is allowed and what isn''t. It was changing almost every week, depending on which side was stronger. Most Carnal Elders went into hiding after losing too many times and they were bitter about their loss. They vowed revenge. "It''s this place, right?" Aiko pointed down. "Correct. They hid in the ranks of assassins." Grandpa Lin nodded. "I should definitely leave." Aiko frowned. "Or you can work with me." Grandpa Lin smiled. "Why should I?" Aiko asked. "Because for each Carnal Elder removed you would get half of their assets." Grandpa Lin smiled. "And before you say no because they are poor. They are not. Before the first Village was destroyed this place was wealthy when it came to relics, just not with Spirit Stones needed for the Array." Aiko was still not convinced. "Moreover your nickname will change-" Grandpa Lin tried to rope her with something more, but was cut short. "Deal." Aiko nodded. "But once shit goes down I''m the first one running away." "That is fine." Grandpa Lin smiled. "Once you clear the Assassination Training you are allowed to pick an Assassin companion." Grandpa Lin counted. "Of course, since your position is different I will allow you to even choose another companion, but one of them needs to be from Shadows Peak, otherwise there would be too much backlash." Aiko thought about it. "What is the work of assassin companions?" "You could see them as your right and left hand." Grandpa Lin explained. Aiko nodded. "Let''s talk more in detail." Chapter 102 – ? Bite Marks~ Aiko stared at Grandpa Lin. "Seriously..." She had gained quite a few benefits from this exchange. "But I will still run away if anything goes downhill." Aiko gestured towards Grandpa Lin. "That is alright." He nodded, any help was appreciated, so there was no problem if she left later on. "It''s almost morning." Aiko turned around, while this place was quite dark, the sun rays still pierced here and there. "Do you wish to leave for the time being? Recharge your energy and such?" Grandpa Lin asked. "But if I don''t do the Assassination Training soon, they can grab her away." Aiko pointed at the Umbra Fox. Before the Umbra Fox could say anything, Grandpa Lin said gently. "It''s fine, she is also under me, so I will train her during the time you are away, thus nobody will be able to get her under their ''ownership''." "Still, it''s strange that you call it like that." Aiko sighed. "Well, considering that they do this through contract it should be obvious that they would call it strangely." Grandpa Lin shrugged. "Seriously, their brains turned into mush." Aiko sighed. Grandpa Lin didn''t say anything. Just then, a very haggard assassin walked by. Aiko turned around as he was quite loud. "Oh! It''s the Shadow Elder." Shadow Elder shivered when he heard that voice and immediately ran away. "..." Aiko was left speechless. "No wonder you have that nickname." Grandpa Lin stared at the retreating Fox Elder. Aiko snapped her head at him, but from the corner of her eyes, she could see the Umbra Fox was also nodding. "Why?!" Aiko felt wronged. ... Aiko grumpily returned to the Grandmaster''s place. There, Mei was in a much better mood than previously. "Mei..." Aiko sniffled, which startled Mei. ''What did those bastards do to her?!'' She went back to her ''demon'' form, oozing bloodlust. "They are calling me a Vicious Cub." Aiko sniffled again. Mei almost laughed out loud, but she gulped down that laughter and beckoned Aiko. Aiko came close, hugging Mei. "There, there." Mei soothed Aiko. "They are so mean..." Aiko sniffled, at this point, Mei had to use her internal Qi to stop herself from laughing. She didn''t want to upset her little(?) sweetie. "How was your stay at Assassination Peak?" Mei asked gently. "I met a kind yet strange, Grandpa..." Aiko kicked her legs so she could hug Mei harder. She really liked Mei''s waist, as she felt nice and gentle energy drifting there. "Grandpa?" Mei asked, narrowing her eyes. That brainless bastard was an old fool, she didn''t remember him being kind. "He is a Human." Aiko nuzzled into Mei''s stomach, tickling her with her nose. Mei giggled. "Stop~" Aiko pouted but stopped. "Is he alright?" Mei asked, smiling, but that smile didn''t reach her eyes. "Yeah, I got some benefits if I happen to ''accidentally'' kill a few Elders." Aiko smiled with a similar smile to that of Mei. "Which ones?" Mei asked, slightly startled. "Those that are still from the Old Village." Aiko confessed. "I get 60% of their wealth~" Aiko hummed softly. "Those guys are dangerous..." Mei said with a worried voice. "It''s fiiine~" Aiko giggled. "I will be the first one to run if something goes awry~" Aiko hummed with a sinister tune. "Good, good." Mei was happy that Aiko placed her life before this... questionable Village. Then she paused. ''How did she manage to last in the heart trial so long?'' Mei was confused. With her current standing, shouldn''t she last only around 5 minutes? Mei was distracted, which made Aiko upset. She traced Mei''s supple thigh, smirking to herself. *Bite~* "Ah!" Mei let out a strange noise, which startled even Aiko. So much so, in fact, that she recoiled with a guilty expression. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Mei glared at Aiko with a red face, but she couldn''t bear to hit her. She pinched Aiko''s soft cheeks. "Don''t do that again!" Mei threatened, but her voice was still soft. "Oway."(Okay.) Aiko agreed in her slurred voice and Mei let her go. Aiko rubbed her warm cheek, while Mei slowly rubbed her thigh. ''If it leaves marks...'' She glared at Aiko again and Aiko turned away from her eyes. Mei clicked her tongue. ''So cowardly.'' Aiko stood up, leaving the room. She would let Mei cool down before returning. Mei rubbed her thigh again, but it would just not calm down, so she lifted her skirt part of the dress, revealing very noticeable bite marks. She glared towards the way where Aiko left. ''She really left marks on me! That rascal! Nobody ever left a single mark on my body!'' She was confused, as she was supposed to be angry, but she just couldn''t direct her anger at Aiko. ''It''s all because of that shitty Mystic Fox!'' Mei roared in her mind. ''I will definitely enslave her in one way or another and use her as a Pill Tester!'' Mei decided in her mind and she felt like something heavy had fallen from her body. She felt much lighter than before. ''Strange...'' Mei clicked her tongue. ... Aiko walked around, encountering the Grandmaster. The Grandmaster smiled at Aiko. "How was the Shadows Peak?" She gently asked. "Bunch of horny bastards." Aiko didn''t soften her words. Grandmaster nodded. "It''s good you are aware of that, so be careful, if anything happens just run here and you will be safe." Aiko nodded, walking into the forest. She really liked this new body, but she also felt like she couldn''t control it properly. There was a strange sense of disconnect. This was a completely natural thing, which Aiko didn''t know. As this was only a pseudo-transformation Technique, it would never let her display her full potential, but this was also a good thing. Once she became a true human and later full-fledged Kitsune, she would be much more powerful than if she hadn''t experienced this restriction. The same happened to her Soul. Her Soul was restricted, but because of it, her Soul tried its best to wiggle out of it, causing it to grow more accustomed to its ''body''. When the restriction was lifted the Soul could expand again, but because now the Soul knew its ''body'' and how it worked, that expanse was not like building a thatched hut, but a sturdy, brick building. Thus, she earned the Soul Affinity. Aiko walked around the forest. She loved walking with her bare feet, but... she didn''t know why. There was a strange feeling whenever she wore shoes and she just couldn''t shake off that... incompatibility. ''I also noticed that other Foxes loved their well-designed shoes...'' Aiko didn''t have much reaction to it, but she knew that when the Foxes looked at her strangely, it was because she didn''t wear any shoes. Which was completely false. Those Foxes simply adored Aiko and wanted to dress her up, but they just couldn''t find the proper clothing, which made them look strangely, unsatisfied... ... Aiko walked around and around before returning to Mei. Mei glanced at her, but Aiko could still feel that piercing gaze. "Sorry..." Aiko apologized, as she didn''t want Mei upset like before. Mei sighed, lifting part of her skirt. "This doesn''t feel all that sorry." She pointed at the still-present bite mark. Aiko stared at it, dumbfounded. "That wasn''t me!" ''No way, that was me, right?'' Aiko frowned. Mei enjoyed that reaction and covered her thigh. "Don''t bite next time!" She glared at Aiko, but it was not really a glare, as she was laughing inside. "That wasn''t me!" Aiko felt wronged, as she didn''t believe she would be able to inflict something like that upon Mei. "You should sleep, you will be returning to Assassination Peak soon." Mei spoke gently. Aiko pouted but didn''t reject it as she felt a bit bad about everything that happened. She plopped on her bed but kept staring at Mei''s tails. Aiko kept counting, but no matter how many times she counted, something felt wrong... "1... 2... 3...?" Aiko felt puzzled and sneaked behind Mei. Aiko caressed two of Mei''s tails and Mei straightened her back. "What are you doing?!" "I feel like I''m seeing things..." Aiko said gently as she rubbed those tails. "There are really- Auch Auch!" Aiko''s cheeks were pulled by Mei. "We need to have a talk about your behaviour so you don''t confuse other Foxes." Mei huffed angrily. "buf you haf only fwo fails."(But you had only two tails.) Aiko slurred her speech, feeling wronged. "What does that have to do with you?" Mei glared at Aiko. "Mowe sleefing sface."(More sleeping space.) Aiko''s eyes twinkled. "Ugh." Mei hated those eyes, since she was weak to them. "Lef me!"(Let me!) Aiko smiled goofily. Mei let go of Aiko and she plopped down, rubbing her cheeks. "Right..." Mei just realized something. "I will give you a Soul tomorrow morning and teach you about it." Mei nodded to herself. ''It would be bad if they found out she had two tails without consuming her Soul, or any other Souls to gain it. This way even if she is exhausted or loses control over her Heavenly Suppression Technique, there is no danger in her getting outed for having too many tails.'' Mei nodded to herself again. "Okay..." Aiko felt wronged but used this situation to transform and hop on the newly formed tail. ''Soft~'' Aiko slowly sank into them and before Mei could even protest Aiko was already sleeping. "This..." Mei was completely speechless, she didn''t know what to do with this little rascal. ''Let''s leave it, let''s leave it.'' Mei chanted. ''She is still young, so there is no problem for her to sleep like this for the time being.'' She convinced herself and returned to refining Herbs. ... Aiko woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. Aiko yawned gently and stretched herself. "You are finally awake." Mei said with narrowed eyes and Aiko recoiled. Mei sighed. "Transform and come here." Mei beckoned Aiko. Aiko listened, she didn''t want Mei to be upset. Aiko came close and Mei pulled out something translucent out of her body. "Ah." The translucent creature made a strange yet ecstatic expression. "Agh!" Aiko screamed at that distorted face. "What are you doing?" Mei said sternly, but deep inside. ''Yes! Revenge~!'' She giggled to her heart''s content in her mind. "It''s ugly!" Aiko didn''t want to approach it. "Too bad, since you will be eating it!" Mei glared at Aiko playfully. "I know I was wrong!" Aiko plead. "That won''t help you, we will be talking about Souls!" Mei teased. "I don''t want to!" Aiko cried out. Mei waited until Aiko calmed down. "There are 3 parts to any kind of Soul-" The innermost part is where the being is stored, if this part is destroyed that being will cease to exist. The middle part, where experience and abilities are stored, gets washed away by the soup of Yellow spring (forgetfulness), before the Soul enters the river of Reincarnation. The outermost part is a bit special, since it doesn''t store or contain anything. It''s a protective filter that protects from invaders that wish to harm the Soul. Its thickness depends on the person''s Cultivation. "Do you understand?" Mei asked and Aiko nodded. "Now, which part should you eat?" Mei gave her a simple question. "Innermost?" Aiko tilted her head. "Why?" Mei asked gently, not reprimanding her immediately. "Because it sounds like it will give you the most?" Aiko stared at Mei. Mei blinked a few times. "You are correct in that, but you can''t eat that part." "Why?" Aiko tilted her head. "Because Heavenly Dao would not leave you alone, so only eat the outermost part." Mei gently explained, but left out things. ''If she knows too much, it would be bad for her.'' Aiko nodded a bit reluctantly. "Good." Mei placed the Soul in front of Aiko, it still had that strange expression on it. Chapter 103 – Aiko’s Cry and Pillars "I''m really sorry!" Aiko sobbed, she didn''t really want to touch that Soul. Mei was in a dilemma. She really wanted to get back at Aiko, but at the same time, she felt bad looking at her in such a sorry state. "Aiko..." Mei softly said. *Snifle* Aiko had red eyes and sniffled a few times. Mei sighed, picking up the Soul. She swapped it with another. This one was half asleep. Aiko stared at it curiously. She wasn''t so afraid of this one. *Poke* The Soul''s eyes flew open and it screamed. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA." "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Aiko screamed back. Mei stared at those two idi- *Cough* She stared at them dumbfounded, as that was one of the gentlest Souls, yet... "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA." "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Mei massaged her temples, she couldn''t understand why that Soul was screaming. Mei swapped the Soul again. This time, the Soul was an old man. The guy stared at Mei and drooled, then he looked at Aiko. "Agh! Filthy abomination! Let the Immortals purge you from this pure world!" The Soul started yelling at Aiko. Aiko wanted to cry. "This is too much, Mei." Aiko sobbed. "I understand I shouldn''t have fondled your boobs or bit your leg, but this is just too much..." Aiko''s sorry state worsened. Mei picked that Soul and didn''t give Aiko another one. She couldn''t understand why those Souls... *Sigh* "Come here." Mei gestured towards Aiko. "No." Aiko was scared that Mei would continue her torture. *Sigh* Aiko flinched taking a step back, but Mei wouldn''t let Aiko escape so she dragged her into a hug. Aiko was frozen stiff, but due to Mei''s tender care, she slowly relaxed. ''It''s not that bad...'' Aiko''s eyes blinked a few times, she felt a bit sleepy. ... "Have you calmed down?" Mei asked gently. Aiko shook her head hugging Mei. Mei''s lips twitched, but she didn''t push Aiko away and let her stay like that for some time. Aiko sighed, looking at Mei''s profile. "You are the only one who likes me..." Aiko murmured. Mei''s brows twitched for a moment. ''We have different meanings of like. There are so many Foxes who adore you...'' Mei shook her head and continued with her Herb Refinement. ... Aiko finally got up from Mei''s lap. "I will be going." Aiko wanted to run away before Mei could bring up the Soul problem. "Okay." Mei didn''t stop her. "Just keep in mind to only eat the outer layer." Aiko flinched but soon relaxed when she noticed that Mei didn''t force her to confront those... things. "Okay." Aiko nodded obediently and left Mei''s room. Mei shook her head. ''Let''s prepare for war when the Fox Village notices her abnormality.'' Mei opened her personal Storage Ring which was filled with precious Herbs and a few Spirit Herbs. ... Aiko ran around the back of the mountain to get to the Shadows Peak sooner. Those ugly faces were still in her mind, but she just couldn''t grasp why they reacted like that. She arrived in front of those familiar doors. "You are back." The Guard stared at the Vicious Cub. Aiko nodded silently and walked in. The Guard didn''t stop her, but still tilted his head. ''Strange, she looks much more docile than before.'' He shook his head and guarded the gate once again. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Aiko strolled around the Shadows Peak, she could feel eyes on her, but she ignored them. The assassins frowned but didn''t leave their positions. Aiko finally arrived in front of the Pillar Training place. "What are you doing?! Keep your back straight! Soften your knees!" Grandpa Lin was currently shouting at the Umbra Fox. Aiko stared at the wobbly Umbra Fox, smiling. There were other Foxes training, but only Umbra Fox had moving Pillars under her legs. "Grandpa Lin." Aiko smiled and greeted that grandpa. One-third of the Foxes fell when they heard how the Vicious Cub greeted their esteemed Elder. The middle third saved it, but they still looked like they were in a sorry state. The last third frowned at Aiko, glaring at her. Naturally, Aiko ignored everyone. "You are back." Grandpa Lin smiled. "Somewhat." Aiko nodded, she still felt strange from those Souls. "Do you want to try it?" Grandpa Lin smiled at Aiko. Aiko was a bit curious about how well she would be able to do and it would be a good thing to do something so she could forget about those Souls. Aiko nodded lightly. "Then go up, but keep your Human form, you will have to get used to it in this form." Grandpa Lin gently pushed Aiko forward. Aiko sighed, she didn''t really want to try it in her Human form, as it was not as good as her Fox form. Aiko still listened to Grandpa Lin and stepped towards the stairs that led to the top of the Pillars. Most of the Foxes around had shoes with softer underside, but Aiko was barefoot. She put one leg on that Pillar cautiously. The Pillars were hard, but there was a strange feeling of it being slippery. She put the other leg on it. She almost immediately lost her balance. Not because those Pillars were thin, but because those Pillars felt slippery, like they were constantly tilting. Aiko frowned, she had to focus a lot to maintain her balance. "Not bad." Grandpa Lin murmured. ''It''s rare for Foxes to not slip immediately after they place their second foot on it.'' There is an unwritten rule that if a Fox didn''t immediately slip from the Pillars they had a good sense of balance especially if that form was not their true form. ''But she is still struggling.'' Grandpa Lin narrowed his eyes. It was true that Aiko was able to stay on the Pillars, but that was it. She had to focus hard to stay on them and could not move forward or defend herself. ''It will still be worth teaching.'' Grandpa Lin agreed with himself in his mind. He already taught many Foxes and most of them slipped the first time, so he wondered how quickly the Vicious Cub could catch up to them. ''Let''s watch and see.'' Grandpa Lin smiled and let Aiko do whatever she wanted for the time being. Later, he would assign the Umbra Fox to spar with Aiko in Human form, or rather make things difficult for Aiko so that she learns how to balance faster. Grandpa Lin abruptly moved his energy making one of the Pillars under the distracted Umbra Fox move. The Umbra Fox lost balance from the sudden situation and fell down. "Ugh." The Umbra Fox winced from the pain but didn''t protest, as it was her own fault that she didn''t pay attention. Aiko felt it was too difficult, but she still tried moving. *Slip* Aiko fell down, Grandpa Lin wanted to help her cushion her first fall, but... *Poof* Aiko changed into her Fox form and jumped mid-air back to the stairs. Making both Grandpa Lin and the other Foxes speechless. She then turned back into her Human form, clothing herself with the Sect Token and trying again. Grandpa Lin''s lips twitched. ''You won''t be able to learn if you don''t suffer!'' He protested in his mind, but that was only because he suffered too many falls and he felt bitter that someone could just defy those rules so easily. The only rule about these Pillars was that you had to be in Human form, but there was no rule about being in Fox form once you left (fell off) those Pillars. He sighed quietly, staring at the Vicious Cub who was trying again and again, but without any repercussions. The Foxes were upset as each fall was hard and painful and that was even when they turned into their softer Fox form. They plotted against Vicious Cub. One took her blunt kunai and threw it at the Vicious Cub''s legs. Aiko didn''t pay any attention as she was trying her best not to fall. A blunt kunai hit her leg, making her stagger. Aiko frowned, her tail was already wrapped around the kunai and she started to fall down. Aiko didn''t transform immediately and threw the kunai back towards the direction it came from. She then used her [Quick Double Jump] to soften her landing. *Ding* "AGH!" The Fox that threw that kunai didn''t have time to react as she was gleefully giggling until that same kunai hit her stomach. *Bang* She slammed the back of her head on the Pillar and fell down from it. *Ding Bang Ding Bang Bang Boom* For good measure, she banged on the nearby Pillars too, before she arrived at her new friend, a muddy floor. *Splash* She was bathed in the Mud, meanwhile, Aiko landed on her legs and swiftly grabbed her overly long tail. "Phew." Aiko wiped the sweat, but fortunately, her feet didn''t feel uncomfortable, it didn''t seem she was dealt any damage. Aiko stared down, the mud hugged her feet tightly, but it was not unpleasant. "Ugh..." The Fox who was now a Mud Fox groaned, recovering from her fall. Aiko didn''t pay attention to her as she was more interested in this mud. "It''s special mud that is softer and slightly less fluid." Grandpa Lin explained. "It reduces some injuries from the fall." Aiko nodded silently she really liked this mud. "It''s not good for bathing." Grandpa Lin reminded her. Aiko frowned and said slowly. "Who said I would bathe in it?" She liked the mud because it was nice on her legs, but who said that that same ''niceness'' would transfer to the rest of her body? Aiko pouted slowly moving out of the mud as her feet easily sank into it. She was not discouraged and eventually managed to get out. "Not bad." Grandpa Lin praised her again. Aiko tilted her head. "Most Foxes would end up exiting like that." Grandpa Lin pointed at the fallen Mud Fox. Aiko turned around to see a pitiful Fox ''swimming'' in the mud glaring at her. "At least they can learn how to swim." Aiko nodded gently and the Mud Fox almost coughed up blood. Grandpa Lin looked at Aiko. "Do you know any cleaning spells?" "No." Aiko said, as every time she was cleaned, it was due to Mei''s [Clean]. Aiko stared at Grandpa Lin as he made a gesture and that mud fell down, like it never stuck to her skin to begin with. Aiko felt a sense of loss and a bit of chilliness, but she didn''t say anything. "Do you wish to try again?" Grandpa Lin asked. Aiko nodded, while it was difficult it was also fun and if she fell nothing really happened to her. Well, she gets a nice mud leg bath, but that was about it. Aiko walked back to the Pillars, the Foxes felt... intimidated by Aiko''s vigour. "Hey, hey, she will try again!" "No way! It took me a day to recover from my loss!" "Fuck, I won''t get any rewards if she stays around." The Foxes looked intimidated and anxious, but since infighting was forbidden, they couldn''t just get rid of Aiko in plain sight. Aiko ignored those voices, but she still glanced at them remembering all of those hostile faces. Aiko once again cautiously stepped on the Pillars, but this time she tried to move immediately. *Slip* She immediately fell down, even when she prepared for the slippiness. Aiko cushioned her fall again and enjoyed the brief mud bath before trying again... Chapter 104 – Training "This is crazy..." The Foxes no longer trained and only strained their eyes at Aiko. Aiko was currently still trying to walk, but she always failed. The only difference between her and the other Foxes was that she never bathed in that mud. ''It''s tiresome.'' Aiko thought after she fell for the 400th time. She had been at it for several hours now, and she felt tired. Aiko jumped down, this time by herself. "Done?" Grandpa Lin asked, looking at the tired, Vicious Fox. ''She had done much better than I expected, even though she was unable to walk.'' "Yeah..." Aiko said tiredly. She stared at the audience, who were munching on food while watching her. Grandpa Lin shrugged. "They are not under me, so I don''t bother with them unless they break the rules." He murmured. Aiko rolled her eyes, it was obvious he could do something about them, but he chose not to. "You are amazing!" The Umbra Fox startled Aiko with her enthusiasm. ''Her tail is like a windmill...'' Aiko glanced at the whirling tail. "I couldn''t take a step, so it''s bad." Aiko dismissed her praise. The nearby Foxes almost vomited blood. ''What are you talking about?! We couldn''t even stand on them!'' They were livid, but since their cheeks were stuffed, they couldn''t yell at Aiko. They had a short break and they wanted to enjoy the food, but if they bickered with the Vicious Cub, they wouldn''t be able to do that. ... Aiko left the Shadows Peak, returning to the Grandmaster''s place to rest. She would take the test tomorrow, since today was too late already. Aiko transformed and plopped her body on Mei''s tails. Mei twitched but didn''t move. Soon she noticed gentle, yet stable breathing. Aiko was fast asleep. ''She falls asleep too fast and she is completely defenceless...'' Mei clicked her tongue. Mei Refined another Spiritual Herb, this one was used to boost one''s energy past the limit, allowing one to display much greater power than what they are supposed to. Mei sighed. From the time she started practising the fundamentals of Alchemy again, she realised that her Refining rate greatly improved. She didn''t burn as many Herbs as previously and their quality was also preserved much better. She caressed Aiko''s fluffy back, before returning to Refine more. ... Aiko woke up, but this time Mei was asleep, which surprised her. What was even more surprising was the fact that she was still in her Human form. Aiko stared at the picturesque Mei and wondered if she could snuggle there with her. This time Aiko resisted that temptation as it was already late and she needed to take that Assassination Training so she could get some quests and explore the world. Aiko promptly left the Den. Mei woke up almost immediately after Aiko left, and she tilted her head. Her mind was strange, but she suppressed that strangeness and returned to Refining those Herbs. ''Why should I care if she wants to snuggle or not...'' Mei''s mind was still strange and she needed more time to clear her mind. ... Aiko arrived at the Shadows Peak. She already knew the way and went there a few times, so she also used a few shortcuts to arrive sooner. The Guard nodded at Aiko and Aiko nodded back before entering. She found Grandpa Lin almost immediately and sat next to him. "Are you ready?" Grandpa Lin asked. "I''m not sure?" Aiko felt strange from yesterday and today didn''t help, but she couldn''t pinpoint that wrongness. "Then let''s start, at worst you will have to repeat it a few times." Grandpa Lin smiled gently and guided Aiko towards the marble-dodging room. This room was the least used room out of all the training rooms. The reason was simple, this room was the most painful. Those small marbles were quick and painful. This room was designed to train your dodging skills, so it reduced your Beast Core Energy output, thus reducing the defence of your body. This in turn caused much more severe injuries, as those marbles might not pierce the skin, but the bluntness and speed caused a shock-wave spread through one''s body. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. That was alright, until you passed a certain threshold, after which those marbles had a chance of shattering, with those sharp broken pieces getting lodged into the body. One would have to remove those shards, piece by piece, before using the Revitalizing Pills. This in turn meant that the pain would be prolonged until you removed all the bits and pieces, as such this was the most hated training room ever designed. "Your first test and training is to last in this room for at least 5 minutes, after 5 minutes you will return and we can begin training in this room." Grandpa Lin said. "Why the test?" Aiko passively asked. "Because we need to measure your current skill, if we don''t do that then the training would be either pointless or too deadly." Grandpa Lin slowly explained. Aiko nodded in understanding and stepped inside. She was scared of pain, but she couldn''t just back off, so she braced herself for what was to come. Aiko breathed in and out, waiting for the first marbles to arrive, but... ''This is a bit too easy...'' Aiko frowned. Her [Intention Perception] warned her each time the marble would be shot from the hole. This allowed Aiko to work in advance and dodge with ease. What she didn''t know was that this room was not automatic, as such someone had to fill, power and shoot those marbles. This caused Aiko''s [Intention Perception] to trigger, allowing her to guess the trajectories in advance. "Stop." Grandpa Lin said and the marbles stopped shooting. Aiko turned around. "What is it, Grandpa Lin?" "Do you have some kind of Prediction Divine Ability?" Grandpa Lin asked, but he was constantly frowning. "It can''t really be called that, but I can guess whenever someone wants to attack me?" Aiko concealed her Ability with this as she didn''t 100% believe this Grandpa. Grandpa Lin frowned. "It''s difficult to train you if you can predict it, let''s go somewhere else." Grandpa Lin guided her outside towards the obstacle course and told Aiko mostly the same. She is to run once to guess her skills and then she would be trained based on those. There was one slight issue. Aiko was at the starting point and rushed forward with her [Quick Double Jump]. In front of her was the first obstacle, a nice lake. Which was completely skipped by Aiko with a double jump... Then another obstacle which was climbing... Was skipped due to repeated use of the double jump... Then... You get the point. Grandpa Lin almost fainted when he saw Aiko bypassing everything in almost record time. Aiko finished this obstacle course easily and returned towards Grandpa Lin. "Oh, this Soul is different..." Aiko stared at the milky blue Soul, which was leaving Grandpa Lin''s body. ... "Could you do the obstacle course without that... thing?" Grandpa Lin looked exhausted. "Thing?" Aiko tilted her head. "The relic that allows you to double jump." Grandpa Lin stared at the innocent Aiko. Aiko fiddled with her dress. "But that''s my Ability..." She murmured and Grandpa Lin almost passed out. "That''s your Ability?!" He was shocked. "But we can''t train you if you bypass everything..." He frowned, staring at the still innocent little Fox. "I can do it without my Ability, but..." Aiko trailed her speech. "Sure, sure, I will train that strange double jump too, just clear this one without it for the time being." He shook his head. At first, he thought that that double jump was just her jumping on the Pillars, but now that he witnessed the true essence of the double jump... ''No wonder she didn''t fear such great height. I would not be scared if I would be able to jump mid-jump.'' He shook his head and observed Aiko. She was in front of a lake and jumped into the lake. She swam with some difficulty to the other side. Her body was completely soaked and the one-piece dress was stuck to her body. "Wohoooo!" "GO GO GO!" The Foxes from nearby training that were passing by stopped to admire the sight. Grandpa Lin frowned, but wouldn''t shoo them away, so long as they were not too loud. Aiko arrived at the jumping obstacle course. This time she didn''t use her double jump, but jumped normally. She was much slower as her [Quick Double Jump] gave her a boost of speed in addition to the jump. Aiko cleared the simple rock jumping obstacle and arrived at the climbing obstacle. This had two parts: The first part where there was a rope and you needed to climb it The second part is where you climb an actual mountain. Aiko didn''t have much trouble with the first part, but struggled on the second one, as she was not used to climbing with her body and her Fox form had powerful claws that dug into the rocks which would allow her to climb easily. Grandpa Lin noted down Aiko''s shortcomings and continued to watch over Aiko. The peanut gallery more than quadrupled at this point, but since they were still tame, he still didn''t drive them away. The next obstacle was the tree branch jumping obstacle. There you had to make your body lighter and jump from tree branch to tree branch, but there was a catch. Some of the tree branches were partially cut or already weakened, which meant you had to choose your footing properly or one would fall down and have to redo the whole thing. What was even more damning about this place, was that it was littered with illusions, so it was difficult to see which was fake and which wasn''t. Aiko blinked her eyes and for a moment they shined in silver light. Aiko activated her [Moon''s Eyes] to spot all the low-tier illusions or branches that looked weak. This still didn''t help her clear it fast as she had to take a detour because of those illusions, but she also didn''t fall during this obstacle. The next obstacle was tightrope walking. The catch was that this wire was extremely thin and if one didn''t focus their Beast Core Energy into their soles, the wire would easily cut into them, injuring them. Aiko took a lot of time before she managed to gather her Beast Core Energy into her soles and even then she was overly cautious about the approach. She felt some fear when she stared at that wire, but it had to be done... Aiko stepped with one leg on it and it didn''t cut her, but she didn''t use her full weight. She stepped with her other leg and she was still fine, but... *Crash* That wire was too thin and Aiko was still not used to balancing like that, so she kept crashing and crashing. Fortunately, it was not all that high, so she wasn''t injured. It took her a whole day to finish that thing. The last one was mud crawling. Aiko truly didn''t like this one, as her body was much smaller than others and there was a slight possibility that she could drown. She was intimidated, but she also believed that Grandpa Lin wouldn''t hurt her intentionally. ''Mei is behind me and Grandmasters likes me too... probably.'' Aiko glanced at the mud lake with spikes here and there and planks above the lake that limited the height. ''Let''s go...'' Aiko hyped herself up and crawled under those boards, avoiding those spikes. ''How strange...'' Aiko frowned. She was not really sinking into the mud. The mud still dirtied her, but since she didn''t sink entirely, only half of her body was covered. Eventually, she managed to crawl to the other side, where Grandpa Lin was waiting. "Barely passable." Grandpa Lin said. He made a hand gesture and the mud fell off Aiko. "Awwwww." "What a shame..." "A pity..." Aiko noticed the peanut gallery staring at her and she stiffened. "Ignore them, let''s discuss your performance..." Grandpa Lin noted a few last things before looking at Aiko. Chapter 105 - Scolding Aiko and Teammates "Your swimming speed is too slow and you make too much noise." "The rock jumping obstacle was alright but too slow." "The rope climbing was alright, but mountain climbing was abysmally slow." "The tree branch jumping obstacles were somewhat good. You were able to spot all the weak branches and Illusions, but! It was still slow, with your weight you could jump on certain branches without them cracking." "The tightrope..." Grandpa Lin paused. "Let''s not talk about that one." "The mud crawling was somewhat okay, you didn''t hit any spikes and were silent enough that it was barely passable." At the halfway point of Grandpa Lin''s barrage, Aiko''s ears were already flat. "Boooo!" The Foxes booed the Elder until he glanced at them, then they quietened almost immediately. "Well, for your first time, it''s a commendable effort, at least you did not have to be fished out of the pond like a certain Fox..." Grandpa Lin glanced at the Umbra Fox. The Umbra Fox blushed furiously, avoiding his eye. Aiko nodded, but she was still unhappy. "Well, I will be training you now, after I sort through this." Grandpa Lin pointed at his notes on the Jade Slip. "For now you can play with Umbra Fox and once I finish I will take you back here to guide you in the basics." Grandpa Lin left and Aiko was left alone with Umbra Fox and the peanut gallery. Fortunately, they stayed here for too long. They couldn''t engage with Aiko and had to sadly leave this place, but deep down they hoped that Aiko would visit their training grounds. "What do you wish to do now, Mistress." The Umbra Fox elegantly bowed. Aiko was taken aback and stared at the Umbra Fox. "Mistress?" Aiko tilted her head. "Is it wrong to call you that? Would you prefer Vic-" Before the Umbra Fox could finish, Aiko screamed, placing her hands on her mouth and shushing her. "Anything is better than that!" Aiko was blushing, she really hated that nickname. Umbra Fox was mesmerized, if she didn''t know that Mistress didn''t like sex she would think that Mistress was trying to seduce her... Aiko took back her hands and coughed. "Anyway, are there any other fun places?" Aiko asked. "Um... may I ask a question, Mistress?" The Umbra Fox was quite shy. "Sure." Aiko tilted her head, the Umbra Fox was more than a few heads taller, so Aiko was small compared to her. "How did you avoid all those marbles?" The Umbra Fox was shy as she was bad at dodging. "Maybe once you become good enough, I will tell you." Aiko narrowed her eyes. She meant that once the Umbra Fox became closer to her and more useful, she would answer that. "Okay!" The Umbra Fox nodded vigorously. "Let''s go to the Ice room!" "Ice room?" Aiko asked. "Yeah, It''s a special floor where there is only Ice, the Elders would move the floor and your task is to stay standing." The Umbra Fox explained while dragging away the Vicious Cub. ''Vicious Cub... Pfffft, the name probably got twisted somewhere, and it''s supposed to be Sugar Cub.'' The Umbra Fox was humming in her mind, she was not there during the ''exposition of flags'' so she was unaware of what Mistress had done to earn it. ''But I''m really fortunate to get a Mistress like her, since I don''t need to worry about my body in that way.'' While the Umbra Fox was interested in sex, she was not interested enough to engage in it, so she was always hiding and training where the veterans would never visit to avoid them. This helped her to keep her place as a lone assassin, but now she finally found someone good to be a servant to. "So, what exactly would be your work or task or whatever?" Aiko asked. "During missions, I will be your right hand, I will execute your commands." The Umbra Fox said. "During your stay at base, I can be your training partner or anything you desire." The Umbra Fox smiled cheerfully. She naturally excluded any sexual-connotation from her voice, since neither of them were interested in it. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Aiko nodded slowly, she liked this smiling Fox, she wondered if when she officially become her Master, would the system count her as a Servant... could she then use those System things? Aiko was looking forward to that but paused for a moment since they arrived at the Ice training room. Aiko stared inside, it had quite a cold atmosphere. "I don''t like this one, are there any others?" Aiko said gently. The Umbra Fox didn''t mind this and guided Aiko elsewhere. ... "There you are." Grandpa Lin smiled when he stared at the Vicious Cub who was still trying to walk on the Pillars. Aiko didn''t have any expression, as the other rooms had their own problems and Aiko was not interested enough that she was willing to be uncomfortable to explore them. "Grandpa Lin." Aiko nodded towards him. "I have your training plan." Grandpa Lin smiled and beckoned Aiko. The peanut gallery sighed as the little cutie would not attend this place for a long time. While most Foxes didn''t know much about the Elder Punisher, those who knew, knew that Vicious Cub would be away for a long time. ... "Now let''s begin with swimming-" Grandpa Lin paused for a moment like he realized something. "Right, first let''s get the contract for the Umbra Fox, you will be her leader and you will have to take care of her needs, but for now I will cover that, at least until you clear this stage flawlessly." Aiko nodded slowly, she didn''t know about this one, she would have to spend her resources to nurture her... Grandpa Lin vanished for a moment and reappeared with a confused Umbra Fox and the Contract. "Right, who else would you like in your team?" Grandpa Lin asked. Aiko thought for a while. ''Mei can''t be used in combat, and most Foxes were abysmally weak...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. "I don''t have her answer yet, is that alright?" Aiko asked Grandpa Lin. "That is fine, tell me and I will bring her here." Grandpa Lin didn''t have anything against that, as some Foxes liked to hide and would be hard to find for normal Foxes. "Blood Fox." Aiko said. "The one that went with us to the Inscription Tests." Grandpa Lin staggered. "I don''t recommend Demonic Beings." Aiko tilted her head. Grandpa Lin sighed. "Listen well little one, Demonic Beings are very unpredictable and aggressive, unless they can control those emotions they are not allowed to leave their forbidden zone." "Moreover, nurturing such Foxes is dangerous as they grow much faster than normal Foxes, so once she is more powerful than you are, she might kill you out of pride." Grandpa Lin tried to dissuade Vicious Cub. "So I can''t have her?" Aiko tilted her head. Grandpa furrowed his brows. "It''s not like you can''t have her, but-" "Then please bring her here, she might surprise you." Aiko smiled. She heard Mei murmur about the Blood Fox and what kind of effect Aiko had on her, she also talked something about rivalry and affection, but Aiko ignored those. ''Since I can calm her and she is powerful, she could cover close combat, while I would be ranged and Umbra Fox would be an opportunist.'' Aiko nodded, in her mind it was a perfect plan. "You..." *Sigh* "Fine, I will bring her here, but the moment she attacks you I will be sending her back." ... Grandpa Lin left, he remembered all the Demonic Foxes, just in case they escaped and had to be hunted. Grandpa Lin dashed towards the forbidden grounds and in front of him appeared a large gate. "Elder Punisher." The burly guard bowed towards him and cupped his fists. "How is it?" Grandpa Lin asked. "A few skirmishes, but most of them are fine." The burly guard answered. "Good, write down that I will be borrowing the Passion Fox." Grandpa Lin commanded. "May I ask the reason, Elder Punisher?" The burly guard felt awkward asking that, but he had to do it, rules and all that. *Sigh* "Don''t mention it, my trainee wishes to have her as her left hand during missions..." Grandpa Lin shook his head. The burly guard nodded, writing it down, but then he suddenly paused. "Pardon me?" He felt like he was hearing things. "You heard me right." Grandpa Lin sighed. "Anyway, I don''t think it will work, so I will only take her for a few hours. "Elder Punisher...?" A Youth cupped his fists. One could remember this Youth as the brother of the Blood Fox. "Little Zhi." Grandpa Lin smiled. "Elder Punisher." Zhi cupped his fists with respect. "Here to visit your sister?" Grandpa Lin asked gently. "Yes..." Zhi admitted, that normally Foxes would be banned from entering the forbidden zone, but Zhi had great charisma and was able to sway the guard to let him inside to visit his sister. But one day he was caught by Elder Punisher. He begged to leave his sister out of this, as he was the one who sneaked in. Fortunately Elder Punisher didn''t mind Zhi''s care for his sister, and left him alone. "I''m also here for her, so let''s go together." Grandpa Lin smiled. "Oh..." Zhi''s face flashed with rage. ''Which bastard wants to take her?!'' He was upset, but that rage was concealed almost immediately. "Don''t worry, I don''t think it will work." He patted Zhi. "Work?" Zhi asked. "One Fox wanted Passion Fox as her left hand, but as you know your sister is not very stable, so when she snaps I will restrain your sister before my pupil gets hurt and thus I will return your sister back." Grandpa Lin said gently. ''Someone wants my sister as his left-hand attendant, what kind of bas-'' Zhi paused. "Did you say she, Elder Punisher?" He knew that some Foxes had an inclination for that kind of thing, but it was mostly a rare occurrence. "Yes, she is a newbie, but she has great potential, so I promised her 2 attendants, but I didn''t think she would pick a Demonic Fox." Grandpa Lin shook his head. ''What is wrong with Demonic Foxes, they are Foxes too!'' Zhi retorted in his mind, but then shook his head. ''What am I saying, it''s good if they keep that reputation since I will be able to stay with my Sis forever.'' He nodded gently. "After you Elder." Zhi beckoned Elder Punisher. Grandpa Lin laughed. "A gentleman as always." He stepped inside and Zhi was behind him. "But I wonder why haven''t you picked any Fox as your partner, yet?" Grandpa Lin narrowed his eyes. Zhi sighed. "There are just not many good Foxes... and most of the good ones were already taken." He shook his head. Grandpa Lin sighed but didn''t call him out. Grandpa Lin knew that Zhi despised most female Foxes as they were too eager to throw themselves at him, exposing themselves just to obtain his favour. Zhi didn''t believe there were any good female Foxes. ''At one point I wondered if he was into males...'' Grandpa Lin laughed in his mind. Chapter 106 – The Blood Fox They arrived in front of the Blood Fox''s house. It was partially torn down from her aggression, but that was fine since it serves as another good training grounds for the Earth/Nature Foxes to rebuild the houses while the Forge Foxes were able to treat it as a good testing site to test the durability of their creations. Grandpa Lin opened the doors and dodged sideways. The Blood Fox jumped at his throat, but because he stepped sideways, she crashed into a nearby tree. She already had partially equipped Blood Armour and thus was uninjured from the impact. "Grrrrrrr" The Blood Fox growled at Elder Punisher. Elder Punisher didn''t move and stared at her. "Sis..." Zhi spoke gently and his sister snapped at him. "Grrr" A startled growl escaped her lips. Zhi stared at his beautiful Sister with a pained heart. ''I have to protect her from the lechers before she regains her senses again.'' He thought, silently dodging his Sis''s charge, but still using part of his body to slow her down, so she doesn''t accidentally injure herself. Grandpa Lin let them do their thing again, but he was also thinking slowly. ''If I bring her now she will surely attack my pupil... if that happens I will have more reasons to send her back and she would choose some other normal Fox.'' Grandpa Lin nodded a few times at his plan and made his move. He struck the Passion Fox on the back of her neck, putting her to sleep. "Elder Punisher?!" Zhi cried out, he didn''t expect the Elder Punisher to be so ruthless. "I''m doing it for the sake of both of you." Grandpa Lin glanced at Zhi. "If she is in this state she will surely attack my disciple, thus I will be able to immediately send her back." Zhi was startled, he was frowning but still nodded. "Thank you, Elder Punisher." He didn''t like his Sis being struck, but if it was for this kind of plan... then he agreed reluctantly. "Elder Punisher..." Zhi hesitated to speak. "What is it little Zhi?" Grandpa Lin glanced at him gently. "May I come with you?" Zhi asked. Elder Punisher frowned. "You know where I''m going." "The Shadows Peak." Zhi bowed and said the secret word. "I see..." Grandpa Lin nodded. "Since you are worthy." He beckoned Zhi. Zhi was happy and came closer to Elder Punisher. ... Grandpa Lin appeared whilst Aiko was chatting with the Umbra Fox. She noticed that the Umbra Fox was very interesting. Even if Aiko got close to her, the Umbra Fox only blushed but didn''t take this opportunity to touch her. Aiko liked this and her appreciation for Umbra Fox rose sharply. "Grandpa Lin." Aiko smiled, but she stiffened. "Is she alright?!" Zhi was behind the Elder Punisher, hiding himself so that he wasn''t immediately exposed, so that he could gauge the rapist who wanted his Sister. He was startled, her addressing the Elder Punisher as Grandpa Lin was unheard of, but what startled him more was how worried that voice sounded. He had very sharp ears that allowed him to gauge the emotions of other Foxes. Naturally, he knew that this Fox was really concerned about his Sister and he had mixed emotions. "She is just asleep, it needs to be done when you are transferring them." Grandpa Lin said gently. Zhi rolled his eyes at this blatant lie but didn''t say anything. "Oh..." Aiko frowned. "And who is the one behind you?" Aiko asked gently but didn''t move from her place as she felt strange energy trying to gauge her. She didn''t like that. Grandpa Lin smiled, placing the Passion Fox down. "This is Zhi-..." Grandpa Lin stepped aside to introduce him, but Aiko ignored him as she went to Blood Fox. Aiko tested if she was still alive and then she looked around her body to see if she was injured. Grandpa Lin''s lips twitched, similarly, Zhi frowned. This little wretched whore didn''t give him any face and was more interested in his Sis. Aiko touched her ring and several Spirit Crystals appeared and fell on the ground. All of them widened their eyes. It looked like their eyes would pop out of their sockets as everyone present could feel the powerful energy inside those Crystals. Aiko arranged them as bedding and moved Blood Fox carefully on it. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Zhi frowned. ''So she is not just a whore, but a wealthy whore! Good, good!'' Zhi glared at the little Fox but was still ignored. Aiko arranged the Blood Fox and sat near her so she could question her once she woke up. ''No way, that Grandpa Lin didn''t do anything to her, he is an Assassin and Elder.'' Aiko stared at Grandpa Lin with suspicion, startling him. "I have really not done anything to her." He defended himself. "That''s what all guilty people say!" Aiko retorted. Grandpa Lin''s brows twitched, but Zhi almost let out a chuckle. He had a lot on his mind and he wanted to scold the Elder Punisher for doing that to his sister, but this situation made him happy. The image of this little Fox improved ever so slightly in his mind. Grandpa Lin said. "Don''t be angry, don''t be angry. It needed to be done." "You could''ve placed her slowly and gently!" Aiko glared. Grandpa Lin was flabbergasted at her protectiveness. "Is she that good?!" He didn''t believe that the little Vicious Fox would be so protective after he gathered all the rumours about her. "Best! She easily contended with mid-stage Nascent Soul Cultivator!" Aiko stomped her feet. Zhi''s lips twitched. ''My Sis is indeed the best- Wait no! I won''t be swayed.'' He glared at the little Fox. They bickered for a while. ... ''Where am I...?'' The Blood Fox was confused, since below her was something very warm and nice, but also hard. Her mind was muddled, but she still felt strange possessiveness towards her right. She took a peek, only to widen her eyes. Her eyes, previously of bloody red colour that gave a feeling of murder, were changed into completely vibrant red. As Aiko was bickering with Grandpa Lin, she noticed their panicked expression, but before she could understand anything she was hugged from behind. *Whimper* Aiko was startled by that noise. The Blood fox was hugging Aiko''s thin waist and rubbing her face into the crook of Aiko''s neck. *Whimper* She heard another whimper and Aiko''s mind was confused. "It''s alright." Aiko petted the Blood Fox, she didn''t understand why, but seeing the Blood Fox rub her head into her palms and body, she felt strange. "Uhhhh..." Aiko looked at Grandpa Lin in confusion, but she only got the shocked expression from all of them. Aiko blushed slightly, she didn''t understand what was happening and felt strange when everyone was looking at her with such shocked and confused expressions. Zhi glared at the little Fox fiercely. "What have you done to my Sister, you filthy whore!" Zhi''s mind blanked and he said his innermost thoughts out loud. Grandpa Lin staggered when he heard the outwardly gentle Zhi say that and looked at him flabbergasted. Zhi realized that his thoughts leaked, but he didn''t stop glaring. *Grrrrrrr* The Blood Fox growled at her brother. "Bad!" "Huh?" Zhi was taken aback. "Bad!" The Blood Fox repeated it. "Yes." Zhi drooped his head low. Aiko was completely bewildered. Grandpa Lin was likewise completely stunned. ''The Passion Fox didn''t attack her?'' Grandpa Lin didn''t understand what was happening. ''She also seems docile in her presence...? Wait her eyes!'' Grandpa Lin could already guess most Demonic Foxes'' disposition from their eyes. ''They are back to their vibrant red colour!'' He stared with interest. Zhi said hesitantly. "Sis... Foxes are bad." "Be quiet brother." The Blood Fox glanced at him, but soon closed her eyes and snuggled to the Vicious Cub. Aiko was puzzled and looked at the Blood Fox''s brother. "You are her brother?" Zhi listened to her soothing voice, but soon snapped out of it. ''Voice seduction! This bitch!'' He couldn''t glare at Aiko since he would make her Sis angry, but that didn''t mean he would take it lying down. "I would appreciate it if you returned my Sis." Zhi spoke firmly. "No." Aiko said firmly but was overshadowed by the Blood Fox who was leaning on her. "No!" Zhi was startled and staggered backwards. "Sis! She is deceiving you." "Brother." The Blood Fox growled. She finally didn''t hear those voices, yet her brother tried to take her away!? Keep dreaming! Seeing the sharp and unkind gaze, Zhi could only shift his gaze and curse, but then he thought. ''I finally got my hands on an artefact that guards the mind.'' Zhi pulled the artefact, it was a bracelet and Grandpa Lin also understood what he wanted to do. "Passion Fox, before we talk could you put this on." Grandpa Lin glanced at the bracelet. "Why am I even here?" The Blood Fox didn''t accept immediately. "Because I wanted you in my team." Aiko patted her chest. "You are a perfect hand-to-hand fighter!" Aiko beamed, charming everyone present for a moment. The Blood Fox paused, snuggling herself, thinking with closed eyes. "How would that work." The Blood Fox stared at Elder Punisher. Grandpa Lin was still taken aback. "First please put on this bracelet and then we will talk." He still needed to know if it was just a charm or what was really happening here. The Blood Fox stared at the bracelet. "What does that bracelet do." Grandpa Lin didn''t want to answer, but he didn''t expect Zhi to answer enthusiastically. "It blocks mind interference, charms and those sorts of things." Zhi answered his Sis. The Blood Fox nodded. "If I don''t like it, I will take it off." Zhi was pleased. This meant that the charm didn''t take completely over her. He handed her Sis the bracelet and took a step back. The Blood Fox fiddled with the bracelet and placed it on her hand. "..." The Blood Fox stared at it blankly. "..." The others stared at the Blood Fox, but Zhi was the first one to talk. "Now you know, Sis, that this bitch is trying-" Zhi couldn''t finish it when a bracelet struck his head. *Ding* It naturally didn''t hurt him as he was much stronger than his Sis, but he was still confused. "Sis?" "I don''t like it." The Blood Fox shook her head. Zhi saw his Sis''s strange behaviour. "What''s wrong?" "It makes me feel bad." The Blood Fox answered truthfully, as she felt a bit bad for hitting her brother. "What kind of bad?" Zhi was sober and noticed the changing expressions when she placed it on, it was barely noticeable, but her eyes gave her away now. "It''s trying to seduce me." The Blood Fox shivered, hugging the little Fox strongly. "Gentle, gentle, too strong." Aiko caressed the Blood Fox''s head to calm her down. The Blood Fox''s ears drooped down. "Sorry..." It was barely audible, but everyone heard it. "It''s fine, just don''t squish me too hard." Aiko didn''t mind. Meanwhile, Zhi was staring at the bracelet, then he put it on. ''Oh, how wonderful, another cute boy~'' He glanced at his Sis. "I''m sorry." Zhi bowed to his Sis and took off the bracelet. He used his strength and his arms bulged. "Aaa! You are going to break it!" A voice screamed from the bracelet and Grandpa Lin had a solemn expression. Zhi didn''t wait for the voice and exerted his full strength. *Crack**Crack* He completely crushed the bracelet and grabbed that lecherous Soul. Zhi was already used to Souls, so it was impossible for the Soul to escape. He grabbed that Soul with both hands and started to stretch it. The Soul screamed out loud until a crisp pop drifted from it. The Soul was split into two parts. He didn''t stop there. He took those two parts of Soul and stretched them again until two crisp pops spread from it. Not only that, but he did it several times until the Soul was in small bits and pieces that leaked white smoke. Zhi let them leak until they completely vanished. He came close to his Sis. "I''m so sorry..." He believed that person a bit too much and that almost caused his Sis to be possessed... Seeing her remorseful brother, the Blood Fox was gentle. "It''s fine." She snuggled the little Fox and meditated. Aiko felt awkward... she felt like she was invisible. One was using her as soft bedding, while the other one was apprehending her. ''Why me...'' Aiko cried out in her mind. Chapter 107 - Blood Foxs brother The Blood Fox was peacefully sleeping, nuzzling Aiko. Aiko''s neck tickled with each breath, sending goosebumps down her spine. Yet she didn''t dare to move. 3 pairs of eyes were strained at her. The first one was looking curiously. The second one was looking amused. The third one was looking with a complicated expression. Aiko didn''t want to be observed like this, but she couldn''t move, since the Blood Fox was still cuddling her. The longer they looked at her, the redder the little Fox became. Their expression changed from their previous ones to amused ones, especially Zhi. ''No way, she is pure.'' He didn''t believe that a Fox could make that embarrassed expression without exposing her skin, but the redder she became, the more amused Zhi was. "What is your nickname?" Zhi asked gently. The Umbra Fox wanted to answer him, but Aiko glared at her and she recoiled. She never saw her Mistress look at her so sharply, so she was startled. Grandpa Lin felt amused, staring at them and answered. "She is a Vicious Cub." "Geezer!" Aiko yelled, her face was completely flushed. "Vicious Cub...?" Zhi stared strangely at the little Fox. ''Wasn''t Vicious Cub just a cub, since when did she become so big?'' Aiko now looked like a tomato. Zhi felt amused and observed the little Vicious Cub more intently. ''I will reveal your true colours!'' He vowed in his heart. ... The Blood Fox slowly blinked, dragging Aiko down into her embrace as she slowly dozed away. Aiko finally recovered when this happened and she was yet again embarrassed. "Um... Blood Fox?" Aiko gently spoke to wake her, if it was somewhere private she didn''t mind, but 3 pairs of eyes were already too many pairs of eyes! "Mrrr." The Blood Fox strangely, yet gently, purred. She slowly blinked. Her mind was getting clearer and clearer. She stared at the little red Fox and their ambiguous position. She let go of the little Fox and she slipped away, coughing. "Well, we can discuss if you want to be in my team once you have rested." Aiko was still red, even her neck was red. The Blood Fox stared at Aiko gently. She didn''t think she would miss this little rascal so much, but now seeing the effect that the Vicious Cub had on her... ''I need to stay by her side.'' The Blood Fox thought. She had a rough life once she returned from the Inscription Test site. She was locked yet again with other Demonic Foxes. At first, it was fine, but soon those voices returned, slowly gnawing at her sanity. She became muddle-headed over time until she lost her sense of self again. She became the bloodthirsty beast she was before, incapable of recognizing even her brother when he came to visit her, always striking at him with her Abilities, trying to kill him. That was fine before since she didn''t remember what was happening once she had clarity of mind, but after meeting Aiko... She realized that she remembered everything that happened during her bloodthirst induced madness.. She hated the fact that she would always try to kill her brother or anyone who showed kindness. She wanted to change and this chance was presented to her. ''I don''t mind if I have to serve her...'' The Blood Fox thought. ''I don''t want to hurt my brother...'' The Blood Fox''s eyes became a little red and she stared at her kind, yet foolish brother. ''The Jade Fox might be a bit mean, but she didn''t hurt me. She might humiliate me at times, but as long as I can converse with my brother like we once did... I don''t mind.'' The Blood Fox resigned herself. She already heard that Demonic Foxes would be able to reclaim and retain their sense of self once they were strong enough, but... ''I can''t live with those voices forever...'' Were her honest feelings. The constant seducing, belittling and rage inducing voices that whispered to her were driving her crazy, but... The Blood Fox stared at the shy Aiko. Whenever she would try to look at her, Aiko would look somewhere else. ''She is fun to tease...'' The Blood Fox suddenly thought and then she shook her head. ''I should not be thinking that.'' If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Who else is on the team?" The Blood Fox asked, she could tolerate humiliation from Jade Fox and teasing from Aiko, but not from someone else. Aiko beamed. "This one!" She hugged the Umbra Fox''s hips and Umbra Fox blushed. "I will be in your care." She bowed towards the Blood Fox. The Blood Fox observed the Umbra Fox with her eyes. ''She isn''t bad, and her eyes don''t lust after me, she is also kind of cute, like Aiko.'' The Blood Fox smiled gently, making the Umbra Fox blush. "I will be in your care." It took a moment for Aiko to process this situation. "Yay!" She jumped around happily. ''Now I have melee fighter, I''m ranged and Umbra Fox is opportunist, everything is well and good.'' *Cough* Grandpa Lin coughed awkwardly as he had just now recovered from the fact that the Vicious Cub called him geezer. "I still have to question her, but afterwards if she still wishes to stay... I will get another contract." Grandpa Lin resigned himself, as he didn''t want to be called geezer again. Zhi was still observing, but seeing his Sis''s interest and teasing gaze, he felt like his Soul would leave his body any time now. He sighed. "Sis... are you sure? You know that Foxes are lustful whores-" "Brother!" The Blood Fox sharply reprimanded him. Zhi didn''t back off this time. "What I mean is that if you join her team you will be subjected to that treatment as she will need a training partner for those dirty techniques!" Zhi tried to explain to his Sis. The Blood Fox glared at him, she already steeled her resolve, but their staring contest was interrupted by Grandpa Lin. "The Vicious Cub is exempted from such training." Grandpa Lin spoke slowly, attracting the attention of Blood Fox and Zhi. "Umbra Fox is included in that. As such, your sister would naturally also not take part in such training." Grandpa Lin tried to reassure them, but Zhi frowned. "So just because you want to get rid of me, you are lying to my face!" "Mind your language, Grandpa Lin might be old, but he is honest!" Aiko glared at Zhi. "Not to mention, I was the one who made those rules for myself and thus for my group!" Grandpa Lin staggered, he knew he was old, but she didn''t need to rub it in so much! Zhi looked at her speechlessly. "Bullshit." "Go ahead and ask the Peak Elder!" Aiko huffed at this jerk. Zhi furrowed his brows. "Do you think Peak Elders are so easy to meet?!" "Yes." Aiko nodded. "She talks with me quite often." Aiko often spotted the Peak Elder walking around inspecting things when she was falling down from the Pillars. Zhi was doubtful, but seeing Elder Punisher nod, he was left speechless yet again. "If something happens to my Sis, I will torture you for ten thousands years!" He threatened. "Oh, fuck off, you bulging bastard!" Aiko finally snapped. "I should be the one saying that, since you gave her that shitty bracelet!" "Not to mention she is a melee fighter, it''s obvious she will get hurt!" Aiko snorted disdainfully at him. "Take your shitty dreams and put them back where the sun doesn''t shine, and come back once you mature. For someone who is comparable to old fossils, your intelligence is not up to par!" Aiko barraged him with insults. Zhi stared blankly, he thought he was imagining things. The Blood Fox placed her hand on Aiko''s lips to shush her, but she could feel her mouth continue moving. The Blood Fox''s lips twitched upwards, she found this situation funny, as nobody ever dared to speak to her brother like that. Zhi finally recovered. "Y-you!" He glared at the Vicious Cub, now he understood why nobody ever considered a different nickname. "Hmpf." Aiko snorted victoriously, making the Blood Fox giggle. Seeing his Sis like the little Vicious Cub, he felt depressed... ''Will I lose my Sis like this?!'' Zhi couldn''t believe it and he didn''t want to believe it! "You little..." Zhi glared, but his Sis glared at him back and he had to shut up. "I will be staying with her then." The Blood Fox said gently. Grandpa Lin frowned. "It''s impossible-" "Elder Punisher." The Blood Fox interrupted him. "If you want me to slaughter all the other Demonic Foxes, please feel free to send me back." The Blood Fox smiled innocently, if other Foxes were here they would already be howling with lust for her and Aiko. On the other hand Demonic Foxes might regain their sanity just from Visicous Cubs words... Elder Punisher glared at Passion Fox. "Don''t push your luck!" "I can say the same to you." She smiled and the Elder Punisher choked. Aiko placed the hand away from her mouth. "Let''s just get those contracts ready." Aiko gestured. Grandpa Lin sighed. "You will have to deal with her accommodation, needs and other things. If you are unable, I will have to send her back to her Forbidden Zone." Grandpa Lin tried to dissuade Aiko, but Aiko just smiled. "That''s fine~" Aiko hummed, gesturing towards the Spirit Stones. "I''m wealthy." She devilishly smiled. Grandpa Lin felt exhausted... When he glanced at those Spirit Crystal, he wanted to cry. Those Spirit Crystals would be priceless on the mainland, but now this little Vicious Cub is using them as bedding? Those things are priceless! Grandpa Lin chose the wisest option: Give up. He disappeared to take another scroll with the contract. Aiko meanwhile stared at Zhi who was deep in thought. "You are not allowed to give my Sis anything under 70- no, 80% purity!" Zhi said firmly. "No problem." Aiko readily agreed, which startled Zhi. "It''s really hard to find Beast Cores-" He tried to explain, but was interrupted by the Vicious Cub. "Don''t worry, I got this." Aiko smugly smiled. Zhi didn''t like this little Fox, but seeing his Sis like her... He could only withdraw for the time being. "Fine." He stared at Aiko, but soon turned to his Sis. "Sis, please be careful and if she does something to you, tell me immediately, okay?" He spoke with an incredibly gentle voice. "I got it, brother." The Blood Fox nodded. ''I wish I could call you by your name...'' Zhi sighed. "I will visit you often, so get better soon." He had an air of melancholy. "You can visit her often." Aiko wouldn''t stop him from visiting his Sister. "Who asked you?!" Zhi glared at the Vicious Cub. "Brother!" The Blood Fox reprimanded him again. Zhi felt he was wronged, but could only shake his head and wait for Elder Punisher to take him away from this place... ... Grandpa Lin reappeared with Peak Elder. Aiko frowned. She didn''t like this Peak Elder from the moment she saw ''THAT''. "Stop frowning or it will affect your beauty." The Peak Elder smirked. Aiko wanted to curse her, but she was shushed by the Blood Fox again. The Peak Elder stared at the Passion Fox, who was shushing the Vicious Cub. "Aren''t you supposed to be bloodthirsty?" The Peak Elder didn''t believe Elder Punisher that the Passion Fox was able to control her bloodlust, not to mention look so doting. "I have calmed down." She played with Aiko''s hair, while Aiko was pouting. Why was the Blood Fox stopping her from talking?! The Peak Elder observed the Passion Fox, but the more she observed, the more speechless she became. "She can stay as long as she is around the Vicious Cub, nobody is allowed to call her away from the Vicious Cub, those who do that or plot that will be punished by Soul Whip." The Peak Elder commanded. "Elder Punisher please finish the contracts with them, and reduce the nurturing requirements, also since she is just starting out extend her grace period." "As you command." Elder Punisher cupped his fists and bowed. Chapter 108 - Angry Aiko and Poor Umbra Fox Aiko stared at the Elder Punisher. "Grace period?" The Peak Elder was about to leave when she spotted Zhi. "What brings you here?" "Replying to Peak Elder, I was worried about my sister." Zhi retained his gentleness once he calmed down. "That''s so you..." The Peak Elder shook her head. "Ummm..." Aiko tried to attract their attention, but was once again ignored. "My apologies, Peak Elder, I was just worried that someone was trying to take advantage of my sister''s condition." Zhi said gently. The Peak Elder nodded. "You are a good brother, it''s good that you are still willing to take care of your sister, even when she is a Demonic Beast." Zhi smiled bitterly, it was his fault that his Sis became like this, so it was only natural for him to take care of her. "And I was worried that she would get corrupted if it was someone from Shadows Peak." Zhi once again said the secret word and the Peak Elder understood. "The Vicious Cub will be exempt from such training. Likewise, her teammates are also exempted, but she will have to work harder to nurture them." Zhi was left speechless. ''That brat didn''t lie?!'' He already knew that Vicious Cub didn''t lie, but that just didn''t reach his brain. He didn''t want to believe it, whenever it was talk about his Sis, his brain would lag behind and he wouldn''t listen. "So...." Aiko stared at them and voiced herself loudly. "My apologies for invading this Peak." Zhi bowed. The Peak Elder smiled. "It''s fine, how about joini-" "My apologies Peak Elder, it''s quite late and I still have a few duels with my peers, I hope you can excuse me." Zhi half-made it up so that he didn''t have to answer those types of questions. He had no intention of joining this Depraved Peak when he wouldn''t get the same benefits as the Vicious Cub. *Sigh* The Peak Elder sighed. Zhi was too stoic and she had already tried to recruit him once. Why? Because her little Foxes weren''t as good, and since they weren''t as good, they didn''t win often in the tournaments. Tournaments were all about the distribution of wealth and since they didn''t get many victories their wealth declined greatly and now this Shadows Peak is mostly deserted. "If you change your mind, you can join. Of course, there are new rules in place that if you prove yourself you can get exceptions like the Vicious Cub." The Peak Elder smiled, seeing Zhi''s eyes twinkle. "Alright, you bastards!" Aiko roared. "It''s bad enough that you want to fuck him, but can you at least answer my fucking question before you go and fucking plough his Dr-" The Blood Fox placed her hand on Aiko''s mouth again with a strange smile. Both Zhi and Peak Elder were stunned by this cry and looked at the small, Vicious Cub that was being silenced by the Blood Fox. The Peak Elder blushed violently and glared at the Vicious Cub. ''You...! How could you say that before him! He might be handsome, but he surely wouldn''t have a Dr- What are you making me think?!'' The Peak Elder''s glare strengthened. Zhi on the other hand was still stunned. ''Did... did she just curse the Peak Elder?!'' It took a lot of time for him to recover. "What?!" Just as the Blood Fox removed her hand thinking that Aiko was back to normal. "If you bastards just answered me, I wouldn''t be yelling at you! And you! Why are you glaring at me?! Keep your fucking urges about fucking for when you fuck! Can you not do that when he is present?! What will he think about this Peak then?!" Aiko still roared, and the startled Blood Fox covered her mouth with a blush. ''No, the problem here is you...'' Zhi expressionlessly stared at the Vicious Cub who was berating the Peak Elder. The Peak Elder glared at the Vicious Cub with a red face. "So what?! I just want to sleep with him! Is that so bad?!" ''You are too loud, Vicious Cub. I don''t have any uncontrollable urges.'' The Peak Elder was so flustered that she swapped her inner monologue with voice monologue. The place fell silent. The Peak Elder was confused, but seeing Zhi''s horrible expression, she came to a realization. *Sniff* "I just don''t want to be a virgin, alright!" She cried, running away with a completely red face. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. They all stiffened. None of them thought she was a virgin, considering she was ''ruling'' over this Peak. The most dumbfounded was Zhi. ''Bullshit! There is no way the Peak Elder is a virgin!'' He didn''t believe it, even when failed to pick up any sign of deceit. In the past Zhi was charmed by the Peak Elder, so he completed the various tests to get her favour, but once he entered this Peak, he was completely disgusted by that PART of the assassin training. He believed that the person who came up with such training would not be normal, in other words, a complete slut. He was so convinced about it that he didn''t listen to anyone and left the Peak, sure of his truth. But now Peak Elder''s words stunned him since she didn''t lie. He didn''t understand how someone could come up with that kind of training whilst still being pure... Zhi was confused and shook his head. "Can you take me away, Elder Punisher?" He needed time to think. Elder Punisher staggered when he heard Zhi. ''You won''t pursue her?'' He was confused as he knew that Zhi had a crush on the Peak Elder. "Are you sure?" "Yes." Zhi said expressionlessly. Grandpa Lin shook his head and disappeared with him. The Blood Fox sighed. Releasing Aiko from her grasp. "Alright, you shitty bastards! Keep ignoring me! You motherless fuckers! I dare you!" Aiko was completely livid. ''Who cares about those things! You just told me about the grace period, but you didn''t even explain it properly!'' The Umbra Fox was slightly worried. ''Will I be alright? I won''t be punished by her often... right?'' She was scared of Aiko, who berated the Peak Elder. The Blood Fox was likewise stunned. She knew that Aiko was... outspoken, but she didn''t expect that she would even drown the Peak Elder with her words. Seeing the angry, huffing Aiko she inwardly smiled. The Umbra Fox wanted to cry. ''Even the Demonic Beast is smiling at Mistress! What will happen to me?!'' She was now regretting her choices, but she couldn''t change it. ''What if she takes it out on me?!'' She was worried that Aiko would go after her if she left just like that. Aiko huffed and snapped her head at them. "Hicc!" The Umbra Fox was scared. Aiko tilted her head. "What''s wrong? Are you scared of the Peak Elder? Don''t be, she won''t do anything to you." Aiko said gently, trying to soothe her. The Umbra Fox cried, she didn''t want any attention right now. ''I''m scared of you, dummy!'' She didn''t dare say those words out loud and could only cry. The Blood Fox touched her cheek. ''She is quite cute when she is angry. It reminds me of our old neighbour''s daughter.'' The Blood Fox neighbour''s daughter was likewise Fennec Fox, a very angry Fennec Fox. As small as she was, she was also very angry and liked to snap at people. "Why are you petting me?" Aiko didn''t understand why the Blood Fox was behaving so strangely. The Blood Fox stiffened, she didn''t realize that she had come near Aiko and caressed her head. This was her carelessness, since Aiko reminded her of her childhood when she wasn''t Demonic Fox. She coughed awkwardly. "Your hair is nice." She nodded like some kind of child. Aiko stared at the Blood Fox. ''So she also can be childish at times.'' She already completely forgot the fact that she was cuddled by her. "Anyway! Your brother gave me a task about high-purity Beast Cores, so I will do my best." Aiko smiled towards her. "The same goes for you." "Hii!" The Umbra Fox was still scared of her. Aiko sighed, the Umbra Fox was too scared of the Peak Elder, she would need to train her later so she could become fearless! Aiko sat down on the Spirit Crystals. They were warm, which calmed her down further. The Blood Fox stared at the sobbing Umbra Fox with understanding. She also felt like this when she received Aiko''s ''care''. ... Grandpa Lin returned and Aiko stared at him with a sharp gaze that pierced his Soul. "W-what''s wrong?" Grandpa Lin asked, slightly startled and he fumbled his words. *Stare~~~* Grandpa Lin felt strange as the Vicious Cub kept staring at him without talking and no matter what he asked she just continued staring, so he searched his mind for why would that be. "The Grace period is a period where you don''t need to nurture them." Grandpa Lin realized what was wrong and explained. "This period is mostly awarded to good seedlings that have yet to complete their basic training." Grandpa Lin smiled, suppressing his strange emotions. Aiko nodded in acknowledgement. "So it is extended for me?" "Since you were able to get a Demonic Fox on your team, it was naturally extended, as Demonic Foxes consume a lot more materials to grow properly." Grandpa Lin explained gently. "How does the nurturing work or how do you decide if they are nurtured properly?" Aiko asked, she thought that it was important to know, just in case someone picked a fight with her over it. "That is for the teacher/master of said disciple to decide." Grandpa Lin said gently. "So you will be rating my nurturing?" Aiko glanced at him. She felt tired from all those events that happened. "That is correct, but since your grace period was extended, you have nothing to worry about." Grandpa Lin smiled. "I don''t want to go to the Treasure Pavilion, those bastards are stupid, which means I will have to hunt for those Beast Cores myself." Aiko murmured. Grandpa Lin was taken aback as there was no one who would refuse the Treasure Pavilion. "You should buy from them as it will make your life easier." Grandpa Lin tried to convince the Vicious Cub. "Not happening. They won''t get a penny from me!" Aiko snorted coldly. She didn''t like that place and as such would never visit it again. The only thing she was interested in were those dense Inscriptions, but... ''I have those rewards from that ''kind'' Elder.'' Aiko smiled sinisterly. Grandpa Lin felt a chill down his spine and took a step back. His senses warned him to protect his treasures. Aiko stared at the strange Grandpa Lin and asked. "How is the contract supposed to work?" "It''s similar to a vow." Grandpa Lin gently said. "But unlike a vow, it can be broken if both parties agree or if the Enforcement Pavilion had a good enough reason." "So they can force me." Aiko frowned. She didn''t believe anyone other than Mei would keep her secrets, so it doesn''t seem like she should use her System on them for the time being. "I got it." Aiko nodded in understanding and changed her plans, but she was not willing to use the System on Mei either. ''What if something bad happens to her? It''s better to test it on... my servants.'' Aiko thought. Although she already used the Karma thing, but she was not willing to use the Bloodline and other thingies on her. She didn''t want to consciously hurt Mei ever since the time Mei hugged her for a whole week straight. Side POV – Saintess & Princess [Saintess and her Sect] The Saintess was exhausted after the constant fighting. "Fuuuu..." She breathed out heavily, staring at the plains littered with corpses of human and beast alike. "Right... I should get a few corpses for my master, otherwise she might get grumpy." She sighed. [Activate Detection?] [Y/N] ''We have done it so many times and you still ask...'' The Saintess shook her head. She knew that this strange system, that she got after she reincarnated, wouldn''t answer her. At first, she hoped she would get some kind of cheat, but she was soon disappointed. There were no missions, no stat points or coins, that she could spend. All she got was a useless system, that just told her things. [Corpse of Horned Pig: Low 1st Grade] [Corpse of Frost Snake: High 1st Grade] [Corpse... The Saintess clicked her tongue. ''I have yet to meet a 3rd Grade Beast.'' She sighed, but still collected every Beast of the 2nd Grade and filled the rest of her storage ring with the rarer 1st Grade beasts. The Saintess glanced into the forest. It was too quiet, yet she hoped that the little fluffy beast would be alright. She sighed. This system was truly useless, but at least she wouldn''t get scammed when she went into the city. Although she got plenty of interesting trinkets and artefacts every time she did go. [ Name: Li Xiu Age: 15 Physique: [Innate Heavenly Sword Body] Bloodline: [Glacial Divine Phoenix] Titles: [Shameless Haggler], [Shameless Extorter], [Shameless Usurper]... Affiliation: [Moon Water Flower Sect] Cultivation: [Late Stage Foundation Establishment] Martial Talent: [Innate Sword Heart] Qi: 8,126 (Absolute Peak at 13,200) Cultivation Method: [Heavenly Revolving Glacial Divine Phoenix Scripture (Ancient Rank)] Spiritual Roots: [Heavenly Spiritual Roots(Fire)] (Hidden)[Mutated Heavenly Spiritual Roots (metal, wood, water, fire, earth, ice, lightning...)](Hidden) Contracted Beasts: [Glacial Phoenix - Sacred Beast - Beast Core: 123,456/100,000,000] Martial Skills: [Sword Intent Manifestation - 9/81] Movement Skills: [Butterfly Steps - 3/9], [Lightness Technique - 1/1] Auxiliary Skills: [Raven''s Sight - 1/9] Next Upgrade at: [Golden Core] ] Li Xiu sighed again. Apparently, she was supposed to have broken into Golden Core already, but the system said that she didn''t even reach the absolute peak, whatever that meant, so she didn''t try to breakthrough. Why breakthrough when you still have space to grow? She gathered the remaining beast corpses, and leapt on her flying artefact, which was the sword she used when she met the tiny Beast. ''That one was a cutie~'' She hummed, she was in a good mood since she took out the Saintess from the Mirage Flower Sect. She clicked her tongue. ''Just because I want to reach absolute peak doesn''t mean I have stopped Cultivating. Both Master and the others are completely useless.'' She disliked being forced into things. ''Right, but you still signed the contract with me.'' The Glacial Phoenix snorted. Li Xiu scrunched her pretty face, she didn''t like this one either. ''But you can''t get rid of me.'' The Glacial Phoenix laughed with glee. ''Not to mention, without me, you would be already dead!'' ''Bullshit! If it wasn''t for you, I wouldn''t have been crowned as a Saintess!'' Li Xiu snorted. ''Not only did I stumble into this barbaric world, I even have barbaric chicken with me!'' ''What did you-!'' This was a common occurrence between them, while they did constantly bicker, it was not to the point where they would fall out. ''Anyway, you need to contract that tiny Beast!'' The Glacial Phoenix gaggled. ''No way!'' Li Xiu didn''t agree. ''I can temporarily suppress her blessing since I''m the superior Bloodline!'' ''No, means no!'' Li Xiu didn''t want to force the Beast into contracts, she was an animal lover and hated the current contract where the Human was untouched even when the Beast died. ''You...'' The Glacial Phoenix was speechless. ''Let me eat it then, I stand to gain a lot from her.'' Li Xiu ignored this bastard chicken and flew towards her Sect, it would take some time, but since most Cultivators were still rushing towards the cursed forest she was still safe. ''You should go and train into the Mystic Meadow Forest.'' The Glacial Phoenix said gently for the first time. ''I don''t like my Cultivation being suppressed.'' She didn''t want to return. The Glacial Phoenix rolled its eyes. ''You have my Bloodline! Do you know what that means?!'' It scoffed at this cowardly human. ''That means that the restriction is ineffective!'' Saintess scrunched her face again. Even if that was the case she was not willing to return since too many eyes were on her, maybe once she reached her Absolute Peak of Foundation Establishment, she would do something about it. ... Saintess arrived at the bottom of the Sect. She glanced at the endless expanse of the stairs and slowly climbed up. Many people passed by her and respectfully bowed towards her. Soon a whole group was climbing with her. "Why is Saintess always climbing the stairs instead of flying into the Sect?" One girl asked. "She probably wants to honour our Founder." Another girl theorized. "She is amazing!" "She is gorgeous!" They praised her as she climbed the stairs, she always did this, but not to honour the Founder of her Sect. [You have climbed the Sects stairs where many [Void Amalgamation] Cultivators died!] [Reward: 1 Qi] [Qi: 8,126 -> 8,127] She sighed. It was so difficult to increase her Qi without spending a lot of time in her abode. ... She walked through the Sect until she arrived at the Peak where her Master resided. "Little Xiu, you have returned." A beautiful Immortal hugged the tall Xiu. "Are you injured anywhere?" She was concerned about her little Core Disciple. "I''m alright." Li Xiu smiled at her Master. "Good, good. How about the harvest, did you find the Beast that caused the phenomenon?" Her Master asked her in a gentle voice, but she already knew her Master''s temperament. ''She still wants to contract some Mutated Beast after she raises it...'' She shook her head. "I did find the Beast. It was a cute little Fox." She didn''t lie, as she knew she would be punished by having to sit in the cold ravine staring at the wall. She didn''t want that. "Little Fox..." She clicked her tongue. "I don''t want any filthy vixens in my house." Her Master shook her head. "Alright, you can leave for the time being." "Yes..." Li Xiu bowed, staring at the system. [ Name: Fairy Ah Cy Cultivation: [Void Amalgamation] ] Li Xiu always shivered when she saw her Master Cultivation. Her Master was a complete monster. This was the third time she was able to see it after the system was upgraded. Li Xiu left before sighing quietly, she couldn''t go against someone at the [Void Amalgamation] stage, there was just no way. Li Xiu walked down from her Master''s Peak, meeting someone she didn''t want to meet. "Isn''t that the Saintess?" The Girl giggled with glee. Li Xiu rolled her eyes. [ Name: Chen Bai Age: 16 Physique: [Intoxicating Lotus Body] Affiliation: [Moon Water Flower Sect (Spy)], [Demonic Waterfall Sect] Cultivation: [Middle Stage Golden Core] Qi: 8,436 Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Cultivation Method: [Charming Lotus Flower Scripture (Incomplete)(Saint Rank) ] Li Xiu stared at her. ''She is already at the middle stage, but she is still so weak...'' Li Xiu didn''t believe she was all that strong, considering her physique wouldn''t allow her to cultivate any body-tempering techniques. Li Xiu ignored Chen Bai and walked towards her abode. She could feel a piercing gaze on her back, but she didn''t care. She had no affiliation with her and as such would ignore her. This Sect was no longer peaceful, every 5th student was a spy from some kind of Sect, yet when she told her Master she didn''t believe her. "Chen Bai is the True Disciple of our Sect Leader, it is impossible for her to be a spy." She still remembered those words in her mind. ''Seriously, all men only ever think with their dicks!'' She cursed them all, especially that Sect Leader who fucked his disciples regularly, especially after he met Chen Bai who made him even more dickbrained. ''Now his lower head controls his upper head.'' She sighed. She really wanted to leave this Sect, but she would have to wait until someone strong enough invited her, otherwise her Master would surely kill her for being a ''spy''. She felt heavy, she was constantly hailed as a Saint, but Chen Bai still had better accommodations even before she became a True Disciple. At first, others were also dissatisfied, but they soon shut their mouths. ''If it weren''t for Chen Bai''s companions seducing everyone left and right, this wouldn''t have occurred.'' Li Xiu sighed, she remembered Cultivation Novels which were all about fighting and ''you dare'' masters, but reality was just... so different. ''Simp number one, simp number two, simp number three...'' Then you had Alchemists who would take 70% of the Pills and you were left with only 30% AND they would also have you collect all the needed Herbs. She cursed under her breath. Or the Forge Masters, who would try to force her to undress so that they could ''measure'' her. She never did that, but she heard from others that then they would receive a Jade Slip with all the materials, which made them foam from the mouth. Simply impossible to gather and even if you were able to gather them, they would cost so much that even Core Disciples couldn''t afford it! Not to mention, even if you had everything, they would still help you ''dress up'' in the armour! ''Bunch of shameless bastards!'' The only thing she was good at was Talismans. She was truly exceptional at making them, but nobody wanted her as a disciple. "I can''t make you my disciple, this art is too difficult for you." And other shit, even when she was better at making them than they were, but without knowledge it was fruitless! She unconsciously arrived at the Beast Taming Peak. There were many different Beasts that made her go wow, but... *Spit* Li Xiu took a step to the side as spit hit the ground were she stood a second ago. It was the beautiful horned horse who spat at her. *Spit* Another Beast spat at her and she had to dodge again. *Peck* "Agh!" A bald crow pecked her head, making her bleed. "Why me!" She cried out only to get kicked out of the Peak by a Demonic Pig. She cried lifelessly, dragging her body to her abode, nurturing her wounds... ... She returned to her abode to check her system logs, it was too difficult to go through all of them when she was travelling. She skimped through them only to pause with a shocked expression. [ Name: Aiko Age: ##/## Species: #### Bloodline: #### Beast Rank: #### Beast Core: #### ] This had never happened before! She didn''t understand what this meant, but she hoped she would be able to meet that little Beast again and ask it... ******************************************************************************************************* ******************************************************************************************************* ******************************************************************************************************* [Princess and her Mother] The Princess boarded the luxurious carriage that was drawn by a flaming Qilin. "Mom..." The Former Princess said gently. "Jia..." Fang Jia''s mother sighed. "You should forget about this place." "No, that''s not what I meant, Mom..." Fang Jia sighed. "I miss that little one." Fang Jia already missed that little fluffball. She enjoyed eating and cuddling with her. She was soft and somewhat obedient, with hints of mischievousness. Fang Jie smiled, she was happy that her daughter cared more about the little Beast, rather than the big animal. While yes, she was impressed he was able to kill them, he didn''t hurt their daughters. There was no clean end to this and their blood would keep polluting this land. "When we get back, I will resume teaching you Alchemy and you will Cultivate in peace." Fang Jie smiled gently at her daughter. "Mom..." Fang Jia hugged her mother tightly, she didn''t want to be separated from her again, but she also didn''t want to learn Alchemy. "Can I learn Forging instead?" Fang Jia made puppy eyes at her mother, mimicking the irresistible eyes that the little fluffball would use occasionally. Fang Jie felt like her heart was hit and she hugged her daughter with her four fluffy dark green tails. Unlike other Foxes which typically had coloured tips, the colour of hers was perfectly uniform. They nuzzled while travelling. Fang Jia really did miss her mother, so she stuck to her like a tick. The guard doubling as a coachman smiled gently. He was ordered by his Master to deliver them safely without a single hair harmed. Naturally, he would obey his Master, but this time he needed no command. He would make sure they are not hurt, so his Master can succeed in her plan. ... The ride was pleasant, unbeknown to Fang Jia and her mother, they were ambushed several times, but the coachman was not one to be trifled with. Once the bastards were less than a mile away, they were split in half even before they could make a sound. This coachman has already achieved his own sword domain. He was able to cut anything within a 1,000-mile radius as long as he saw them or a 1-mile radius without needing to see them. They arrived in front of a luxurious hidden palace. Fang Jie frowned, she didn''t want to see her employer, but she also understood that she was protected by her, so they went together. Fang Jie was shielding her daughter. She was worried that one of the old fools would take a liking to her and take Jia from her. She would never allow that! "Fang Jie, you are back~" A pleasant voice drifted behind a paper curtain. She was shrouded and only her body proportions could be seen, yet her allure wasn''t really lessened. Fang Jia was mesmerized. "This insignificant one, greets the Patriarch." She kneeled with her daughter, who was still stunned. Patriarch Lian smiled at them, especially at her Fang Jie. She was happy that Jie was uninjured and in good health, but she pouted when she heard her admonish herself. "Jie, there is no need for such stifling formalities." Her voice sounded displeased, and Fang Jie shivered. She was with her daughter now, so any misstep might implicate her. Lian sighed, seeing her shiver like that, she had no intention of harming her. One could say she had fallen in love with her, but Jie kept her distance, which greatly saddened Lian. Not because she was distant, but because she couldn''t approach her beloved Jia due to her own Cultivation technique. ''The artefact is nearly done and I will finally be able to play with her~'' She hummed gently. "Is that your daughter?" Lian asked, seeing the stunned little girl. "She is quite pretty." Jie shivered like she was losing her life. "Patriarch, please spare us." She banged her head on the floor, but before she could reach it, a force stopped her. "Your place is too small for the both of you, so move to the North Wing." Lian gently said seeing the duo. "Patriarch!" The Elder on the side, who was hidden in the shadows, wanted to step in, but a powerful force made him sit down like he never intended to stand. The others didn''t dare to voice their opinions, they knew that their Patriarch had a strange temper and would kill them if she was displeased. Fang Jie''s face distorted, she knew what kind of place was the North Wing. She couldn''t really leave since otherwise the Fox Village would hunt them down, she could only bear with it for the time being, until she reached 6th Grade Alchemist, which would allow her to have greater sway in here. Fang Jia still stared at the paper curtain, trying to gauge the person behind it. If anyone else even attempted this, their heads would have already left their body, but Lian was indulgent when it came to Fang Jie and since this little girl was her beloved''s daughter... she should also indulge her new daughter. Lian said gently. "Go rest for now, I will call you later to discuss things." She licked her lips and a shiver went down Fang Jie''s spine. ... They left that place and Fang Jia immediately asked. "Where is this place?" "Don''t ask such things, all you need to know is that we are now affiliated with the Alchemy Hall." Fang Jie said softly, she would naturally not tell her daughter the truth, as long as Jia didn''t know anything more, she would be able to leave once she was strong enough, unfortunately, Fang Jie fate was chained to this gilded cage forever more... ... Behind the paper curtain, Lian was looking at the retreating backs of her wifey and daughter. "Shadow." She commanded. "Here!" A black shadow knelt by her. "Search and Purge. Nightingale." Lian commanded again. "Here!" A female voice drifted from her right. "You are to protect them, anyone who would slight them shall be killed, if they are core members... send them into the Breeze Pavilion." ""Yes!"" They both accepted this command and spread out. A shadow tailed the duo, while another slowly searched this whole place. ... "This place is so small yet homely~" Fang Jia was mesmerized and breathed the gentle smell. "Your little Palace was prettier~" Fang Jie praised her daughter''s taste. "You mean cold and empty. All the treasures and nice things were given to those wastes." Fang Jia spoke coldly, remembering her ''sisters''. Fang Jie shook her head but didn''t say anything, she slowly packed up her belongings, before being interrupted by a knock on the door "Fang Jie, I have come~" A seductive voice drifted from behind the door and Fang Jie''s face paled. Seeing her mother''s odd behaviour, Fang Jia shouted. "She is not here." "Oho~ a new girl arrived~" The voice was dripping with sweetness, but in a way that sent shivers down Fang Jia''s bones. "Go away!" She yelled. "..." "..." There was no longer any voice coming from the other side of the doors. Fang Jia approached them but was stopped by her mother. Fang Jie pushed her back inside the house and went open the doors... Nobody was there. She was taken aback. That bastard would never leave until he destroyed part of her Herb garden or burned her tails. Yet now he just left? The Shadow nearby saw her frightened and confused expression. She picked up a small hummingbird and tied a Jade Slip to it. The hummingbird left immediately after she released it. ... Somewhere far away, a killing intent spread far and wide. Most Elders were suffocated and almost lost their Souls. "Change of plans." A cold voice spread throughout the Heavenly Treasure Palace. "I want their Souls, every single one of them." She would slowly burn the Souls with the inexhaustible flames of the netherworld, not allowing them to reincarnate ever again. Every Shadow and Elder shivered. They all felt the scythe of death approaching, yet they could do nothing to halt its approach, as they watched. ... Fang Jie felt strange, there were no mishaps or anyone to bother them. Fang Jia was also confused, seeing her pale mother. "Everything will be alright, Mom." Fang Jia tried to soothe her mother, but Jie was still looking around cautiously. Jia couldn''t forget that cold feeling which had her feeling as if she was undressed of her clothes, skin and even her flesh, so she somewhat understood her mother. ... A month had passed by since they arrived in this Pavilion, yet nothing bad happened to them. They even got their own servants who took care of them. They were incredibly polite and respectful, not to mention very attentive. Fang Jia''s worries had been soothed, while Fang Jie still didn''t let her guard down. She refused to believe this place improved, she was not as naive as her daughter. ''I will do my best so that my daughter lives well...'' ... Lian sat down in front of thousands of Souls. "Use Soul search on them, afterwards use the flames in the forbidden zone." Lian Spoke coldly, yet her expression changed almost immediately after. "I wonder if I should bring any gifts with me when I visit my wifey and daughter..." Lian pondered, she was no longer behind a paper curtain and the sight was both mesmerizing, yet terrifying. She sat on a soft couch, her nine soft tails of arctic blue swayed gently. She had a ravishing body which she partially covered with her tails. Her clothes were loose-fitting, yet they couldn''t conceal her beauty. A mere meeting of the eye could pluck anyone''s Soul. There were only three words needed to describe her. Full-fledged Kitsune. She came down from the Upper World to see if there was anything interesting to find or do, yet all she found was a sad lost little Fox. At first, her heart was cold as ice, but over time her fox thawed it. Especially when she heard her story when Jie was drunk, she was obsessed with this silly little lost Fox. She wanted to have her, yet at the same time, she was unable to approach her. She would normally not care about it and approach her, making her her slave, but this time, something was different. ''I don''t want to hurt her...'' That is what she thought. Later, Fang Jie confessed she had a child, and an inextinguishable flame burned inside Lian. She wanted to murder her and kidnap Jie, but her thoughts halted... Fang Jie was simply too lovely when she talked about her daughter. Lian couldn''t make a move... She ordered her shadows to search for them and she changed her plans. She wouldn''t protect the worthless lowlife who abandoned her Jia, even if it was due to outside interference. She assigned shadows to guard Jie''s daughter and keep her safe without being seen. Today was the day she saw her daughter for the first time. A half-breed... yet she didn''t mind as much as she expected, maybe because she took so much after her beloved Fang Jie and her heart softened. ... "Sit down." Lian spoke gently. Fang Jia was interested in this mysterious lady. They sat down and had a pleasant conversation, but Fang Jie stared at her warily. "I won''t gobble up your daughter." Lian chuckled, seeing the shocked expression that Fang Jie displayed. "My apologies." Fang Jie bowed. "It''s fine, do you have anything you want to learn Jia?" Lian spoke gently. Since Fang Jie was too scared to approach her, she would earn her love through their daughter. "Forging!" Fang Jia immediately replied as she already liked this Patriarch. "Very well, I will teach you personally." Lian smiled. She knew a bit of Forging since she learned many skill as a way too pass her boredom, this was the perfect chance to utilize those Skills. Lian then narrowed her eyes and stared at the ring that hung around Fang Jia''s neck. ''Unless that ''thing'' wants to hurt Fang Jia... No, it''s still beneficial to her, but I will impose a few restrictions on that Soul so that it would never hurt her.'' Lian smiled. "Also..." Fang Jia hesitated. "Please speak freely." Lian smiled. "I would like to know if my small fluffball is alright..." Fang Jia confessed. She really missed that little Foxie. ... She spent her time with Lian, who taught her Forging. Jia was incredibly gifted in the art, not only shocking the Elders, but Lian also felt a bit inferior, which never happened to her before. She would teach her well and give her lots of good things so she could grow well. As for the Fox Village... If they dared to approach, she would destroy them. Her Cultivation might be suppressed, but she still had the strength of a Mahayana Cultivator. Chapter 109 – Finally Finished and Pouting Aiko "Yes, sign here." Grandpa Lin was just finishing the contracts with the Blood Fox. He was still left speechless by the fact that she acted like a normal Fox and not a Demonic Fox. "With this, they are your right and left hand, companions, fighters, whatever you want them to be." Grandpa Lin said gently towards Aiko. Aiko nodded, seemingly happy. She finally had some slav- *Cough* companions that she could use to rob- *Cough* alleviate wealth from others. Aiko hummed happily. The Blood Fox was likewise happy since she didn''t need to spend her time in the Forbidden Zone. The Umbra Fox... was not very thrilled. She was still scared of the Vicious Cub and what she might do to her. Elder Punisher explained to them who and what the Vicious Cub is. At first, she admired the Vicious Cub, but later fear caught up to her mind. ''She did what with the Formation Flags?!'' She shivered, but still agreed to be on her team. ''It''s better to be on the same team than to accidentally go against her...'' She tried to convince herself really, really hard. Aiko stared at the duo when a message popped in front of her. [Individual Passion Fox joined as your companion and is eligible for Servant Items.] [Individual Umbra Fox joined as your companion and is eligible for Servant Items.] She glanced at the message before dismissing it. She would look through it later, not now, as she needed to finish the training. Likewise, she didn''t want to be stifled here for too long and she also wanted to explore the outside world, which she couldn''t for now. "It is finished, you can now train together or whatever. BUT, for now, you will come with me to clear the basic training!" Grandpa Lin picked up Aiko who was dozing off. As she was picked up, by instinct, she stored that bed before Grandpa Lin could do anything. Grandpa Lin stared dumbfoundedly at the Vicious Cub, but soon shook his head and took her away. The duo that was left there staring at each other. The Umbra Fox was scared to keep following, but the same thing couldn''t be said for the Blood Fox. ''I need to stick closer to her~'' She hummed to herself as she followed Elder Punisher. Aiko didn''t move much after she was picked up, she clearly could feel the difference between their classes, so it was pointless to struggle. ... "First is swimming. There are several ways you can swim that won''t make sound, but they each have their own flaws." Grandpa Lin said. "The first thing you need to do, is coat your tail in thick Qi so it doesn''t get wet and weigh you down, this is especially important when you get more of them." Grandpa Lin explained. He didn''t have a tail, but that didn''t mean he didn''t know how to train Foxes. Aiko nodded, but she didn''t know how to do that. "Blood Fox." Grandpa Lin nodded towards her to get closer. "I believe you have some kind of Armour Ability, right?" Grandpa Lin smiled. "That is correct, Elder Punisher." Blood Fox was respectful, but kept her edge since she didn''t like how Elder Punisher treated Aiko. "Conjure it, so that she can see it. It''s similar to the Qi coating." Grandpa Lin nodded, not minding her attitude, she was after all a Demonic Fox. The Blood Fox conjured the Armour, but Aiko couldn''t see how she did that. Grandpa Lin noticed her blank expression and sighed. It didn''t seem like the Vicious Cub was very perceptive when it came to natural Qi. Grandpa Lin released his pressure, making the Blood Fox back off, but now the flow of Qi was visible to the naked eye and Aiko could observe it. "Now watch closely." Grandpa Lin gathered the stream of Qi and a faint barrier appeared around his arm close to his skin. "Ooooo." Aiko observed it curiously. *Nudge Nudge* "It feels like I''m touching some kind of metal..." Aiko spoke her thoughts aloud. "The more Qi you gather into the Qi Barrier, the stronger the barrier is, but it is not advised as it wastes a lot of Qi for very little defence. This barrier is mostly used to repel natural elements or, coating something you don''t want to get dirty." Grandpa Lin explained liking the Vicious Cub''s curiosity. "I see..." Aiko focused on her Beast Core and released some Energy from it. A torrent formed around her, coating her body, but she was not as skilled as Grandpa Lin and she was constantly losing her Beast Core Energy. "It''s not very efficient..." Aiko frowned. Grandpa Lin smiled. It was good enough that she could create the barrier, but she also noticed that it was not very good for Foxes, as their Beast Core Energy was different to his. "It''s not that bad..." The Blood Fox said, forming a similar barrier to that of Elder Punishers. Grandpa Lin staggered, she was barely leaking any Qi from this barrier. ''Is this really her first time?'' He was confused. Aiko glared at the Blood Fox, she couldn''t believe she was outdone by her. How could they be her servants when she was worse than them?! ''Oi system, help me!'' Aiko yelled at her system. [Do you wish to acquire [Qi Manipulation] for 1,000,000 Skill Points?] *PFT* Aiko almost coughed up blood. ''I told you to help me, not ridicule me! I don''t have that much!'' Aiko cried out in her mind. [Do you wish to acquire [Basic Qi Sense] for 10,000 Skill Points?] Aiko choked. ''You shitty asshole! Jerk! Meanie! You are doing this on purpose!'' Aiko cried, but she didn''t want to use her last [Ability Coupon] on [Qi Manipulation] nor a [Skill Coupon] for [Basic Qi Sense], since she had 9,364 Skill Points. Aiko looked upset, which pleased Grandpa Lin as he would be able to guess her emotions, unlike those Stoic Foxes where he had to try hard and guess. "It''s fine, it''s your first time trying this." Grandpa Lin tried to soothe Aiko, but one girl had a different idea. "It''s also the first time for me, Elder Punisher." The Blood Fox pouted. *Grrrrr* Aiko growled at the Blood Fox, Aiko''s fur stood straight and she glared at the Blood Fox. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The Blood Fox hummed, avoiding Aiko''s gaze. *Whack* "Auch." Aiko held her head, glaring at Grandpa Lin, who whacked her head. "It''s bad to be jealous of others." Grandpa Lin reprimanded her, but he felt a stinging feeling on his back. He turned around to see the Passion Fox glaring daggers at him. ''What in the world is wrong with them...'' Grandpa Lin couldn''t understand why the Passion Fox would do that when he tried to help her. Grandpa Lin coughed awkwardly. "Keep practising the Qi coating." He left this strange place and walked towards the training grounds the Umbra Fox was using for her guidance. ... The Blood Fox stared at Aiko who was still glaring at him. "Are you alright?" The Blood Fox was concerned. "Hmpf." Aiko huffed at her, annoyed that she did it so easily. The Blood Fox approached the pouting Aiko and gently caressed her head where it hurt, because of her Divine Ability she was able to soothe Aiko''s pain. Aiko still pouted at her but didn''t reject the petting as it felt quite good. "Rest for now and I will help you with the Qi coating." The Blood Fox was gentle with Aiko, since she drove those voices away. Aiko snorted, but didn''t reject her as she couldn''t be outdone by her servant, but she was curious... ''I wonder what her menu looks like...'' Aiko looked through her system. [ Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 500 - 500 (Adjustable 500 - 500 -> 0 - 1,000) Species: [Shadow Fennec Fox (Female, Juvenile, Single-Tail)] Species: [Moon Fennec Fox (Female, Juvenile, Single-Tail)] Age: 2.60/2,000 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Peak)], [Dream Beast Kitsune(Awakened)] Bloodline: [Moon Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)] Beast Rank: Magical Beast Level: 90 (3rd Evolution) Profession: [Opportunistic Kleptomaniac (Apprentice)] Sub-Profession: [Inscription Apprentice (1st Low-Grade Inscription Cultivator)], Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], [Little Princess], [Shadow Thief], [Master of Sex Toys], [Gourmand], [Explorer], [Trickster], [Mischievous Juvenile], [Filthy RICH Den Master], [Juve-barian], [Tail Hunter], [Bath Enjoyer], [Closet Pervert], [Devourer of Vitality], [Bane of Immortal], [One Who makes Immortal Faint], [Glutton], [Walking Runic Encyclopedia], [Backdoor Destroyer] Cultivation Technique: [Blood Tyrant Scripture], [Moon Goddess Scripture] Karma Companion: [Mei (Affection: 19,864)] (You need to increase affection to see more) Companion: [Passion Fox (Affection: 64,346)] Servant: [Umbra Fox (Affection: Terrified of you)] Elemental Spirit: [Seed of ####; Nurtured 63,144/100,000] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement)(*1-2.5 Lunar Enhancement) HP: 96,279|96,279 (250pH & 0.4%pH) ST: 98,897|98,897 (250pH & 0.4%pH) Vitality: 49,278|49,278 (25pH & 0.4%pH)(1pH - Gourmand) Vigour: 51,896 Beast Cores(50%): 20,000 (52,060) Moonlight Qi: 54,948 Toughness: 48,957 Strength: 48,158 Agility: 52,652*2 Dexterity: 49,791*1.5 Mind: 69,661*1.5 Insight: 32,070 Soul: 33,060 Beauty: 270,011*1.55 Luck: 69,421*1.02 Stat Points: 11,458 Skill Points: 10,864 -> 9,364 Elemental Affinity: [Moon - 0], [Shadow - 2], [Earth - 8], [Soul''s Affection: 1] Martial Arts: [Lightness Technique] Martial Ability: [The Ever Shaping Cauldron: - ; -/-], [Heavenly Suppression Technique(Prototype, Incomplete)] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####], [Soul Palace], [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)], [Moon''s Eyes], [Moon''s Crust] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered], [(Removed)Lunar Bath: Mastered], [Earthen Walk: Mastered], [Appraisal: Lv.2], [(New)Lunar Nurturing Meditation: Lv.1], [(New)Assimilate (Shadows)], Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.3], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Lunar Enhancement: Mastered], [Agility Mastery: Mastered], [Intention Perception: Mastered], [Basic Presence Concealment: Lv.Mastered], [Universal Recovery: Lv.4], [Divine Calligraphy: Lv.2] Skills: [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Lacerate: Mastered], [(Removed)Sprint: Mastered], [Quick Double Jump: Mastered], [(Removed)Camouflage: Mastered], [(Removed)Meditation: Mastered], [(Removed)Nurture: Mastered], [Sleeping: Lv.1] Passive Skills: [(Removed)Stealth: Mastered], [Prehensile Tail: Mastered->Prehensile Mastery: Lv.1], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Thermal Regulation: Lv.2], [Demonic Intimidation: Lv.2], [Linguistics: Mastered], [Swimming: Lv.2], [Enhanced Climbing: Mastered], [Enhanced Basic Senses: Mastered], [Enhanced Mind: Mastered], [Picturesque Beauty: Lv.2], [Four Leaf Clover: Lv.2], [Assassin Mastery: Mastered], [Dexterous Fingers: Mastered], [Inscription Mastery: Mastered], [Alchemy Mastery: Lv.2], Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], [Blessing of N¨¹wa], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x14], [Skill Coupon x2], [Skill Combination Coupon x2], [Cultivation Gift], [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Crystal 25,000]x2, [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Stone 100,000]x2, [Sub-Profession Coupon x2], [Divine Ability Gift], [Sub-Profession Coupon(Servant)], [Cultivation Gift(Servant)], [Ability Coupon], [Bloodline Gift], [Bloodline Gift(Servant)], [Ability Combination Coupon x2], [Profession Coupon], [Karma Bound], [Black Inscription Master Token], [Essence of ####] ] [Companion: [Passion Fox (Affection: 64,346)]] ''What the fuck?!'' Aiko was startled when she saw that ridiculous number. [It is possible to view your Servant [Passion Fox].] Aiko clicked at the Passion Fox and the menu appeared before her. [ Name: Passion Fox Species: [Unknown Spirit Fox(Female, Adult, Two-Tails)] Age: 34/1,000 Bloodline: [Fiend Fox(Awakened)], [####] Beast Rank: Magical Beast(Pseudo) Title: [Princess of ####], [Enchantress] Companion: [Aiko], [Umbra Fox] Stats: (*1.05 Blood Enhancement)(*2 Tail Enhancement) HP: 81,332|81,332 ST: 81,332|81,332 Vitality: 20,333|20,333 Vigour: 20,333 Beast Core(80%): 10,000 (21,000) Blood Qi: 21,000 Toughness: 20,333 Strength: 20,333 Agility: 20,333 Dexterity: 20,333 Mind: 203 (Recovering) Insight: -1 Soul: 11,100 Beauty: 703,330 Luck: -1 Elemental Affinity: [Blood - 2] Divine Ability: [Crimson Incarnation], [####], [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)] Ability: [Crimson Armour], [Crimson Spear] Passive Ability: [Blood Enhancement] Blessings: [Blessing of ####] ] Aiko stared at it blankly. [Insight: -1] [It is impossible to determine the learning speed.] Aiko cursed in her mind, not only was her insight in the negatives, but so was her luck! ''Does that mean she has heavenly luck or some shit like that?!'' Aiko stared at the gently smiling Blood Fox. ''Not to mention, her fucking [Blood Enhancement] can always be on! This is just unfair!'' Aiko cried out in her mind. ''This whole thing is unfair!'' Aiko sobbed quietly. Aiko glanced at Blood Fox''s tails. ''At least those tails are 9/10.'' Aiko was so upset to the point that she lowered the rating by 2 points! She would never admit that she wanted to sleep inside those tails! The Blood Fox caught Aiko staring at her tails and asked gently. "Would you like to have a nap?" "No." Aiko pouted, but she was already sitting on her tails. *Poof* "Definitely not." Aiko was still pouting, but her body was already sinking into Blood Fox''s tails and she slowly drifted to sleep. ... The Blood Fox stared at Aiko, ''What a weird Fox.'' but she didn''t mind Aiko being like this. As long as she wanted to be with her, she didn''t mind this kind of thing. She didn''t need to scream her mind out trying to silence those voices. Not to mention, Aiko was also very soft and lovable, so she just treated her as something small and cute that she needed to spoil and take care of. The Blood Fox looked away, there were quite a few observers, but she just ignored all of them. She was not interested in those weaklings. She grasped with her hands. She didn''t believe that Aiko was unscathed when she hugged her so strongly, but Aiko was unaffected and only said that it was too strong... The Blood Fox stared at the peacefully sleeping Fox and wondered how strong she was to be able to shrug her off like that... Chapter 110 – Training is both good and bad… Aiko woke up and was met with a disapproving look from Grandpa Lin, but she didn''t care. It was too demoralizing when someone was able to do something the first time, yet she would have to work so hard to do the same. Aiko stood up and practised the Qi barrier for a week straight with the blood fox. Well, the Blood Fox just kept staring at her while she had to work her ass off. She did somewhat succeed with only 1 Beast Core Energy consumption per second, instead of the previous hundreds per second. Grandpa Li didn''t praise her and immediately moved back to the training. "Now that you know Qi coating, we can advance to swimming." Grandpa Lin pointed at the lake where she previously swam. Aiko nodded, but she kept in mind that he didn''t praise her, for later. "Now we teach two styles of swimming, but only one is completely silent." Grandpa Lin undressed the ornaments on his body but still kept his black suit which covered his whole body. "Let me show you." He jumped into the water without making any ripples and kept himself submerged until he reached the other side. "Whoa." Even Aiko''s sensitive ears didn''t pick any kind of sound other than the first barely audible splash. Grandpa Lin submerged himself again and swam back to the starting shore. "This is the first technique, it''s completely silent, but you have to keep the Qi coating going and hold your breath. At higher Cultivation stages it''s not that hard, but it is also more difficult to suppress your Energy." Grandpa Lin explained. "Now for the second one." Grandpa Lin swam forward, but it was a strange sight. His head didn''t bob up and down, but stayed even and the ripples he created vanished less than a hands length from his body. It kind of felt like the surrounding water was heavier than further away from him. ''I can still hear the water ripples.'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. Grandpa Lin returned. "As you can see it''s much easier like this, but it is not completely silent unlike the previous one, so you have to be careful about being heard." Grandpa Lin commanded Aiko to show him the Qi coating again and then made her swim with the second technique. "You are still too slow, but you are improving." Grandpa Lin wasn''t one to praise, but when he did, it was worthy of such praise. ''Obviously.'' Aiko scoffed at him in her mind as she watched the ridiculous growth of her Skill. [Swimming: Lv.2->3] [Swimming: Lv.3->4] [Swimming: Lv.4->5] [Swimming: Lv.5->6] [Swimming: Lv.6->7] ... [Swimming: Lv.9->Mastered] [Swimming: Mastered] v [Improved Swimming] for 10 Skill Points or [Silent Swimming] for 5 Skill Points or [Speed Swimming] for 5 Skill Points Aiko chose the [Silent Swimming] Skill since she didn''t want to deal with the kind of training where she has to swim in cold water, while still managing her Qi coating. She truly didn''t like this... wet feeling. [Silent Swimming: Lv.1->2] [Silent Swimming: Lv.2->3] [Silent Swimming: Lv.3->4] ''This is just crazy...'' She didn''t like how she was trained, but the system would beg to differ, since the amount of experience she gained was just not comparable to when she was climbing or training other things. [Silent Swimming: Mastered] v [Shadow Swimming] for 200 ''Oh?'' Aiko was surprised as you would get at least 2 options, one was just an improved version while another was a radical change, but this time she didn''t get that? ''Is it something to do with restrictions like the [Lacerate]?'' Aiko thought, but she still purchased the [Shadow Swimming]. ''Oh! It''s a Passive Ability, nice! Improvements~!'' Aiko hummed happily as her presence thinned. Previously she would make unconscious splashes, but those were now suppressed by her new Passive Ability, making Aiko barely audible. ''Ho.'' Grandpa Lin was surprised, since this kind of mastery was good enough to reach the real Assassination Training. And it took her only a month! "Come back." Grandpa Lin told her and Aiko swam back. ... The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "Next up is the boulder jumping stage." He pointed at the boulders in their muddy field, which Aiko remembered as being easy. "You were too slow, so I will teach you." Grandpa Lin glanced at Aiko. Aiko didn''t say a thing, if she could speed up her jumps, her double jumps would become even faster, which was definitely a good thing. "Let''s see..." Grandpa Lin narrowed his eyes and jumped on the first boulder, but before he completely landed, his body already moved onto the second boulder and then the third, passing the course in the blink of an eye. Aiko felt that there was something familiar about the way he moved, but she just couldn''t pinpoint what that was. Grandpa Lin returned seeing the frowning Aiko and smiled. "This is called [Lightness Technique]." "Of course! That''s what that was!" Aiko immediately turned her head at him. Grandpa Lin was taken aback. "You know what that was?" "Yes!" Aiko smiled happily. "Then why didn''t you use it!" Grandpa Lin sternly reprimanded Aiko. Aiko sniffed. "I never used it in Human form!" She defended herself. Grandpa Lin rolled his eyes but didn''t say anything about it as it would be easier to teach her if she already knew this technique. "Okay." He nodded. "I will demonstrate this again, but a bit slower so that you can see how the energy moves inside my body." Grandpa Lin said and once again let out his Qi. The space was slightly distorted from the constant movement of his internal Qi, but Aiko could clearly see how it moved, and thus it was easy to recreate. Aiko tried to follow Grandpa Lin with her own [Lightness Technique], but she was too slow compared to him. ''She didn''t lie when she said she knew it, but she is quite awkward, limiting the speed of the Technique.'' He narrowed his eyes. "Do the boulders again." Grandpa Lin told her as he shot forward, clearing the boulder obstacle within a single breath. Aiko was shocked by the speed, but still tried to follow him. She jumped on the first boulder, everything was fine, so she continued... *Slip* *Splash* Aiko slipped and landed in the mud. She had an unsightly expression as the mud was not as nice as it was in the Pillars training ground. She moved out of the mud, but most of her body was covered by it. Grandpa Lin swiped his hand, removing the mud from the Vicious Cub. "The reason why you slipped is that you made yourself too light." Grandpa Lin explained. "While normally this is not an issue since you would be able to reach higher speeds, that is not the case for slippery obstacles like these smooth stones, if you don''t have proper weight behind your steps it is incredibly easy to slip." Grandpa Lin gestured. "Now do it again, but don''t activate the [Lightness Technique] too much so you can keep your grip." Grandpa Lin pushed Aiko back to the starting line. A week later, Aiko was able to clear the obstacle without much issue. "Good, good. You managed to clear it in 20 breaths, which is passable." Grandpa Lin moved to another obstacle. Aiko noted once again that he didn''t properly praise her and walked behind him. ''Nicely shaped rear... I can stuff at least 3 flags in there.'' Aiko nodded to herself and a chill went down Grandpa Lin''s spine. He turned around to see who caused it, but could only see a silly Fox staring at him. He felt unwell. ''Is someone targeting me from afar?'' He was a bit afraid that someone powerful sneaked inside this Fox Village. "Next up is the climbing." Grandpa Lin gestured. "You were able to clear the rope once quite nicely, so let''s skip that one and move to the artificial mountain." Aiko stopped in front of the artificial mountain, looking at the peak. It was as intimidating as she remembered. "Now, climbing is all about positioning your body close to the mountain and looking for firm footholds so you could do this." Grandpa Lin demonstrated his insane... IS THAT EVEN CONSIDERED CLIMBING?! HE IS JUST JUMPING AROUND! Aiko was upset, seeing Grandpa Lin fooling around like that. He jumped back down next to Aiko, landing silently. "Now it''s your turn." Grandpa Lin smiled gently. "I beg your fucking pardon?! How am I supposed to fucking do that!?" Aiko felt wronged on so many levels. This was pretty much a 90¡ã angle! How was she supposed to do that?! Aiko stared at Grandpa Lin speechlessly, judging him with her sight. Grandpa Lin coughed awkwardly. "Start climbing." Aiko rolled her eyes but listened. She slowly climbed up. "Keep your body close to the mountain!" "Stop flapping your arms!" "You are supposed to jump that one!" Aiko felt annoyed listening to him, but she still climbed again and again. Unbeknown to her, a quarter of a year passed before she barely passed this stage. Aiko huffed annoyed, even more so since for some fucking reason she was not able to upgrade her [Enhanced Climbing] so she got stuck on this stage for god knows how long! "Next up is the tree branch jumping obstacle." Grandpa Lin walked forward and Aiko followed behind him. ''Who said anything about 3 Flags, even 5 wouldn''t be enough!'' Aiko''s burning gaze locked on his cheeks and Grandpa Lin shivered again. He turned around again, but he could only see the Vicious Cub staring at his- "Bad! Don''t even think about that!" Grandpa Lin immediately scolded her. He wouldn''t lose his anal virginity taken by one of the Vicious Cubs infamous flag rampages! Aiko snorted, looking away, but the moment he walked forward she would stare again. They finally arrived at the tree jumping obstacle, but Aiko didn''t need to be taught on this one as she already knew the [Lightness Technique] and with her [Moon''s Eyes]... She was easily able to clear this thing, even when she had to take a slight detour. "You have improved!" Grandpa Lin praised and moved towards another obstacle. ''Poor praise, another flag noted.'' Aiko silently noted in her mind and followed Grandpa Lin... "This is the tightrope walking obstacle." Grandpa Lin pointed at that thin wire. "You already learned Qi coating, so this should also be easy for you." Aiko slowly nodded. She was proficient in Qi barriers now, so she was able to quickly gather that energy in her soles, but she didn''t stop there. She also used her [Lightness Technique], which allowed her to pass this much quicker as she was much lighter, so the balancing act didn''t matter to her. Grandpa Lin narrowed his eyes but didn''t say anything, the real deal was much longer and couldn''t be bypassed like this, but strictly speaking she was able to pass this obstacle without issue. "The last one is the mud crawling, but..." Grandpa Lin narrowed his eyes. "You already cleared that one, so just crawl a few times to get familiar again and you will be able to take your first few solo missions before being taught by your seniors." Grandpa Lin commented. Aiko didn''t really want to crawl under there again, but she also didn''t want to stay there any longer, lest he comes up with something crazy again, so she obediently crawled a few times. Chapter 111 - Mission and Outfit Chapter 111 - Mission and Outfit Aiko arrived in front of the Peak Elder. "Did she really clear everything?" The Peak Elder asked, doubting the Vicious Cub. "That is correct, some were just passable, but passable is good enough for her to take the solo mission and go around the world." Grandpa Lin kept kneeling. "Vicious Cub." The Peak Elder spoke gently. "You are now a 1st Stage Assassin, the more missions you complete and the higher grade they are, will determine: your position, rate of advancement, and what kind of rewards you can obtain." Aiko didn''t like that nickname, but she didn''t say anything and nodded. "Go, go." The Peak Elder shooed her away and Aiko rolled her eyes. It was obvious what she wanted to do. "Can I take my companions?" Aiko asked. "No. The first ten missions must be done alone, to make certain you can both handle yourself and protect them." The Peak Elder paused for a moment. "If you don''t care about your position, you can just pick the close and easy missions." Aiko thought about it a few times and she didn''t really care about those things, so she would take this opportunity to go on some nearby missions. ... The Blood Fox kept hugging Aiko, and refusing to let go as if she was a tick taking its first meal after years of waiting. She didn''t want to separate from her, as this half year was blissful and quiet. "I won''t pick any missions that are too far away." Aiko tried to soothe the Blood Fox, but she still refused to let go. Aiko waited until the Blood Fox let her go, at last. "Come back soon." Blood Fox nuzzled into Aiko one last time. She would have to ask someone close to Aiko about what she likes so she could tie her fluffy serenity closer to herself. Aiko sighed. "Of course. I will." Aiko could still vividly remember those soft tails. She was definitely planning sleep in them again. ... "Seriously..." Aiko rushed towards the Shadows Bulletin Board Hall. The building was small on the outside, but on the inside, it was quite spacious. There were rows after rows of papers stuck to the walls, pillars... ceiling? Aiko felt a bit overwhelmed. "You!" A shadow appeared in front of Aiko. Aiko screamed internally as she was startled. "Are you here to take missions?!" He seemed impatient, so Aiko nodded. "Good fucking heavens! Finally! Finally!" He prayed loudly, startling Aiko even more. "What kind of missions would you like?" He asked in a gentle and attentive voice. "Close to here and short ones." Aiko didn''t mind his sudden change, as she didn''t feel as energetic as before. "Got it." He immediately rushed around the room, picking up several missions. "Please come here." He said this as he landed behind the counter, which was littered with papers. Aiko stared at those papers. Those seemed like they were mission papers, but because they ran out of space, they didn''t even bother putting them up. "There are multiple missions in nearby towns. They are still a few hundred miles away, but that shouldn''t pose any difficulty to you." He flipped a few pages. "You are here to prove yourself, right? Do you care about the grading or...?" He asked Aiko gently. "That is correct. I need to finish 10 missions before I can go with my team. I don''t care about the grading or rating or whatever." Aiko shook her head. He nodded. "There are 3 missions in one town. One is high grade and two are low grade. Normally I wouldn''t give them together, but since you want to finish your solo missions as soon as possible, I can make an exception." He nodded to himself again and suddenly asked. "How is Elder Punisher doing these days?" "Asking to have his rosebud deflowered." Aiko murmured absent-mindedly while looking at the missions. "... What?" He stared blankly at Aiko. "What?" Aiko stared back at him, puzzled. "Ass virginity?" He asked, unsure if he heard her right. "What?" This time, Aiko stared at him blankly. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. "Nothing... must''ve been my imagination. So how is he?" He''s brows twitched, but he asked again. "Cruel and strict." Aiko snorted. "So he is doing well..." He sighed. He also got tender love from the Elder Punisher. Aiko knew that kind of expression. "You have suffered." "You too." He gently smiled and a thread of understanding formed between them. "There are other towns with multiple missions, but those are rather far away, so you probably aren''t interested since you want to stay as close as possible." He smiled. "I''m the Libra Fox." "Libra Fox?" Aiko tilted her head. "Well... it was supposed to be Librarian Fox, but... well, this isn''t a library." He shook his head. "It might as well be..." Aiko looked at the piles and piles of missions, but no one was in sight. "They are indulgent bastards..." He cursed them openly, not worried about being heard. "Yup. So about the missions..." Aiko pointed at them. "Ah right..." He made an apologetic face. "The first, and most important one is an assassination mission. You are to kill this bastard who is trying to incite harsher harassment towards us. He is currently in the mayor''s mansion." "The second one is getting information from the gossip in the Drunken Water Inn." He then added. "It needs to be something substantial, like if the nearby Sects are having parties with each other or if someone has a crush on another. Anything that we can use to blackmail or affect them." "The last one..." He paused. It was obvious he didn''t want to read it. "I know... I don''t really want to do that mission, but it''s simple and counts." Aiko shook her head. "Steal this Cultivator''s... panties..." He blushed. "Ahem. It''s also written that, just confirming their colour alone is good enough, so if you don''t need the whole rating and just want to finish the mission... yeah..." He didn''t know what to say about this. "That''s fine. Is there any time limit?" Aiko asked. "Only the high grade one has... a month." He browsed through them. "Yup, that''s it, just that one, the others don''t have a time limit, but it''s better if you return soon as I still have a few more. But once you get back with a few missions under your belt you can take them to quickly clear this chore." He nodded. "Got it~, Thank you~!" Aiko smiled sweetly, blinding him. "S-s-sure, come again." He blushed, avoiding Aiko''s gaze. Aiko left the Hall without looking back, now that she had a mission she would visit Mei, she hadn''t seen her since she started her training proper after all, and leave after that. ... "Mei~!" Aiko tried to jump at Mei but was avoided. "Stinky little rascal, you still remember me?" Mei glared at the pouting Aiko, although she was still happy to see her after half a year. "Of course I do, but that Elder was really mean and strict." Aiko spilt her aggrieved heart on Mei. Mei gently patted Aiko. "Sure, sure, I bet." Mei teased Aiko. "It''s the truth." Aiko softly glared at Mei and used her double jump to tackle her. "Gotcha~, hehe." Aiko smiled foolishly. Mei was startled as Aiko was much more proficient in her movement. It was much smoother than before. ''He has been training her well...'' Mei thought and Elder Punisher''s image slightly improved. "So, why are you here?" Mei played with Aiko''s hair. "Going on a mission outside, so I just wanted to tell ya." Aiko smiled mischievously. "What kind of mission?" Mei was slightly interested. "Assassination, gossip gathering, panty observation." Aiko said passively. Mei nodded until she heard the last one. "Observation?" She glared at Aiko. ''What do you mean by observation?! What kind of dirty mission are you taking?!'' Mei felt irritated, even more so since there was an odd scent on Aiko, which made Mei displeased. "They were in the same place and I don''t want to bother with the solo mission, so I just took them." Aiko shrugged, nuzzling into Mei''s belly. "Stop." Mei said with slight laughter in her voice. It was too ticklish for her. "So you came to tell me you are leaving me and going to explore the outside world without me..." Mei pretended to be hurt, so she could watch Aiko''s expression. Aiko didn''t play by the rules and nibbled Mei''s hand, startling her. "What are you-?" Mei was confused, but there was a strange ticklish sensation, Aiko giggled. Mei glared at her, she didn''t like this rebellious side of Aiko. "Come back soon." She hmpfed away from Aiko''s gaze. Aiko felt slightly bad, but that was washed away soon after she heard her next line. "Here, take this and be careful." Mei said somewhat gently as she handed Aiko a small Storage Ring. Aiko probed it and found quite a few Pill Bottles. "The instructions and what they do are written on the underside of the bottle, don''t cherish them, use them when needed and I will replenish them for you." Mei said, staring at the attentive, yet happy Aiko. "Okay!" Aiko beamed happily, which made Mei avoid her brightness. Aiko took this opportunity to give her a peck on the cheek before disappearing from this abode. "Seriously..." Mei sighed, gently rubbing her cheek. "You should''ve visited more often." Mei sulked alone in the room. ... Aiko traversed towards the gate that led out of the Fox Village. "Halt." The guard stopped Aiko. "Why are you leaving?" "Got some assassination missions." Aiko replied, curious about this huge, ripped Fox. "Token." "Here." Aiko placed the Assassination Token into his hands. He looked surprised. "Where is your Assassination Uniform?" He was confused. At first, he didn''t believe that this little Fox was telling the truth, since a lot of Foxes were just too horny to stay inside the Village, so they would often sneak outside to "play" with Humans. Likewise, he was suspicious since this little one didn''t have the slu- *Cough* proper Assassination Uniform. So he immediately placed her into the ''Slut that wants to play with humans'' category. "Oh..." Aiko looked embarrassed. "I didn''t think they had a dress code, most of them had just black clothes..." "But yours are white." The guard pointed at the obvious. Aiko nodded shyly, this was truly not a good outfit to go outside in, since this was too bright and eye-catching. "I will come back later." Aiko took the Token from his hands and rushed back. The guard sighed, but he had a smile on his lips. This little one was nice and polite and he liked her. Normally he was supposed to report this little Fox for not wearing the proper dress code, but since she wasn''t all that bad, he ignored this little error. ... Aiko rushed back towards the Peak, startling the guards. "You already finished?!" He was dumbfounded. "No, the guard at the gate warned me about the dress code." The guard flicked his own forehead. "Right! I completely forgot about that, since you normally get the Assassination Uniform once you completed the basic training." He looked at her in understanding. "Go, go, so you can finish quickly, but don''t bicker with the Clothier too much. He is an old prideful bastard who wields enough influence to make your life difficult." He gently pushed and warned the Vicious Cub. She was one of the few that the guard actually liked, since the little fox was one of the only Foxes here that didn''t look at him as a living fuck toy. He hoped that there would be more Foxes like this, but alas, his dreams were never fulfilled and he continued to suffer sexual harassment left and right. Chapter 112 - The Clothier... is my Disciple?! Aiko paused. "Where is that Clothier?" "You just need to-" The guard explained the direction and emphasized that she shouldn''t anger that Forge Master. Aiko nodded and rushed away after giving a "Thank you~!" towards the guard. The guard shook his head but returned to his duty, feeling slightly happier. ... Aiko arrived at the house of the Clothier and waited outside. She was already used to the fact that everyone had very sharp senses, so she didn''t need to knock. The doors opened and the elderly guy glanced at the little Fox. "Visitor?" He asked with a slow and grumpy tone. "I heard that I need an Assassination Uniform to go out." Aiko gestured. "That is indeed true." He slowly nodded. "Come inside, I will look around and see if I have one that fits your size." Aiko followed him inside, but once she saw the interior, she froze up. There were lingerie, bodysuits, leotards and so on, hung or littered around the depraved room. She had quite a bad feeling about this... "Here, this should be your size." The Clothier gave Aiko a bodysuit that was a size too small for her. Aiko picked up the questionable fabric and looked at the smiling Clothier speechlessly. "What the fuck is this?" Aiko''s eyes bulged as she felt like this was some kind of bad dream. The Clothier was startled at her rough words, but he was already too old and unable to advance, so his sharp edges were already dulled. He didn''t mind this little Fox talking like that. "It''s a bodysuit." The Clothier said expressionlessly. "... I can see that." Aiko stared at him like he was some kind of idiot. "But this is clearly a size smaller than what I need." "It''s supposed to hug your body tightly." The Clothier didn''t mind the little Fox''s sharp gaze and calmly explained. "This is still a size too small." Aiko said and the Clothier nodded. "This clearly doesn''t have any room inside." Aiko stared at him with an expressionless face. The Clothier didn''t find any issue with that sentence and he nodded again. "Are you an idiot?! No, you are an idiot! Where are you supposed to hide the weapons if it''s so tight!?" Aiko glared at him. The Clothier was angry at the little Fox''s words, but he was stunned during the last sentence. He found out that he couldn''t refute that. "And why is this part detachable when we don''t have to go to the toilet?!" Aiko kept questioning him. "Likewise this part! Why would you need a layer of cloth over your chest, only to make it detachable?! That''s where the most important organs are, it should be a single piece!" Aiko glared at the Clothier, who shrunk back once he realized he couldn''t refute her. "But these are my masterpieces!" The Clothier raised his voice, feeling wronged. "Bullshit! No matter how you look at it, this is just a poor excuse for a sex product!" Aiko scolded him, completely throwing the ''don''t anger him'' out of the window. "Then could you make anything better?!" He yelled at the daring little Fox. "Of course!" While Aiko didn''t mind that it was a bodysuit. She minded a lot of other things, like the detachable parts and the lack of space. "The legs should be baggy!" Aiko proclaimed. "That would make a lot of noise and get in the way!" The Clothier defended his creation. "So shallow!" Aiko pointed at him, making him speechless. "What are we?" Aiko gestured at him and herself. "Foxes." The Clothier answered and Aiko almost staggered. "Assassins! We are Assassin! What do we need?" Aiko readjusted her pace and questioned him again. "Easy access to seduce our foes!" The Clothier proclaimed with the same vigour as the little Fox. Aiko almost coughed up blood. "Wrong! We need weapons, hidden weapons, storage for intel or bodies!" Aiko demonstrated. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "When you assassinate someone, you can just shove his body into the Storage Pouch and be done with it! Nobody will know or hear anything!" Aiko triumphantly raised her fist. "Ooooh~!" The Clothier clapped. "It is true that if we could make some pockets where we could place Storage Pouches, it would allow us to store bodies in there." He nodded enthusiastically. "But we can just make a belt and-" "Shallow!" Aiko reprimanded him again and he shrunk back. "If they see the Storage Pouches, they will go after them! But if you hide them under the fabric?" Aiko smirked and his eyes widened. "That''s true, if they can''t see it, it''s harder to grab or cut, you would have to strip someone to find those Storage Pouches." The Clothier nodded vigorously, understanding what this little Fox meant. Aiko nodded seriously. "Good disciple, good disciple." "Who are you calling disciple?!" He snapped out of his daze and glared at the little daring Fox who was seeking death. "Of course it''s you! Your thinking is too shallow, do you want to stay stuck as you are or rise to greatness!?" Aiko stepped on the stool to make herself more valiant. She would bullshit herself out of this so she didn''t need to wear that uncomfortably small bodysuit. This froze him in place. His Cultivation path relied on his creations to advance, but he currently hit a bottleneck. A Wise Elder from the previous Village gave him many blueprints and skimpy outfits that had greatly fuelled his imagination, but that could get him only so far. Those were not his own creations and even then the usage remained questionable, but he wouldn''t let others question him as those were still his prized creations! "Now back to the legs!" Aiko kept striking the iron whilst it was hot. The Clothier stared at her. "Make the legs baggy, but on the sides of the thighs, going from the hips to around the lowest point of the thigh, create a hole. This long hole will serve as the room for Storage Pouches. You can sew them on the inside, hidden from the naked eyes and since Assassins keep their bodies low, it''s easy to access!" Aiko demonstrated on one of the... less questionable pieces of clothing. "But if you make it too baggy, it will be difficult to reach when you are fighting." The Clothier liked that idea since it would allow him to stare at those juicy thighs while allowing him to keep the practical side of things. "Simple! Thigh straps! Those can be sewn onto the Storage Pouches, allowing you to strap it onto the thighs, locking it in place!" Aiko proudly proclaimed. She now had easy access to the rocks in her Storage Pouches and they wouldn''t wobble when she moved quickly. Moreover, they wouldn''t be able to steal those Storage Pouches from her, since they would be hidden. "Oh! That can work." The Clothier''s mind worked quickly. Aiko stared at the old grandpa, who was thinking quite quickly. It was the generic lusty-eyed geezer, who would just gaze, but never touch. She could use him until his lifespan depleted, since he was easy to deal with. "What about the centre piece?" He pointed at the torso. "Scrap the layered fabric, it should be one piece and also make it less tight and a slightly thicker fabric." Aiko gestured at a nearby creation. "But the thin fabric allows you to gather Qi easier." The Clothier rebuked it. "But it also increases the risk of being hurt, if it''s a whole piece and slightly thicker..." Aiko narrowed her eyes. "Then you can just include scale armour under it, making it that much more difficult for your enemies to kill you." Aiko remembered that guard at the main gate leading outside the Sect. He had strange scale armour that stuck close to his body, but that low profile armour intrigued Aiko and she thought that she would create or buy some kind of scale armour in the future. She just didn''t expect that it would be used in this instance as defensive material against the outrageously thin and tight bodysuit... His eyes widened like lightbulbs. There was no one who didn''t like this kind of design, but whenever an Assassin was killed, they would be cut in those places. If he removed the removable parts and made it a little thicker with more room inside it, it would allow him to sewn scales on the inside for protection. He nodded and nodded. "Not bad idea, what about arms?" "Just reduce the tightness to allow the muscles to rest. If it''s too tight, your muscles will never rest and you will have problems, but don''t make it as one piece!" Aiko warned. "The sleeve part will be locked in with your middle finger and on the inside, there will be gloves tied to it. You can fight without them or swiftly equip them. Since they would be tied to the edge of the sleeve, you wouldn''t need to worry about losing them, thus saving you future work of remaking them, unlike those parts which can be easily lost." Aiko points at the questionable detachable parts. The Clothier''s eyes brightened. Foxes constantly lost the detachable parts, to the point that he spent the majority of his time making replacement pieces. "The head part should have a hoodie and a mask, preferably non-detachable so it shares the same Inscriptions." Aiko noticed that those suits had quite the interesting Inscriptions, so it was better if it was a complete set. "Indeed, it will be a lot easier if we just create one Inscription instead of needing to do each part separately." He nodded in acknowledgement. "Moreover, that also means they will have a hard time losing them, so the only thing you will be worried about is creating more of them and repairing the old ones whenever possible." Aiko pointed at the benefits. He was impressed by this little Fox. "I will finish your bodysuit in around 3 days, so you will have to stay inside for the time being." He nodded slowly and indulged in his perverse thoughts, already imagining those beautiful thighs up in the open. Aiko smiled wryly. "You should also include some kind of buttons to close the hole." "Why?" He was puzzled and slightly angered. He didn''t want those beautiful thighs to be hidden. "Because if you are trying to hide, you don''t need thick peach thighs to ruin your cover." Aiko pointed out the obvious, but with this, she would be completely covered. All she needed was a cloak and she wouldn''t mind the new bodysuit at all. He nodded and Aiko smiled. ''It seems like he is very gullible, good. This will make things easier if I don''t like something.'' Aiko was very pleased by this and was looking for their future cooperation. ... She left the messy house and returned to Blood Fox. The Blood Fox was surprised at first, but soon stuck close to Aiko. Aiko didn''t mind since it didn''t hinder her movement and she could practice some inscriptions in the meantime as she had neglected them in favour of assassination training. The three days came and went by, so she returned to the house to check on the progress, only to find out that no one was there. She was puzzled, but she thought that there might''ve been some kind of issue, that kept him out of the house, so she returned every day. Only after 10 days, she encountered someone in the house, but it was truly a strange sight. "Disciple greets Master!" A very youthful Fox was looking at her in adoration. Aiko was disturbed by this and couldn''t help but ask. "Who the hell are you?" "The Clothier?" He felt hurt from her scrutinizing gaze. "What the fuck?!" Aiko was flabbergasted. She stared at him again and again, but she just couldn''t imagine him as the same person... Chapter 113 – Discussion and Irritated Mei Aiko still stared at that young guy. "I am the Clothier! How can you forget me, Master?!" He felt so incredibly wronged. "Bullshit! He was an old bastard!" Aiko retorted. "I was able to advance in my Cultivation, because of you!" He retorted back. Aiko slowed down her advances and observed him. He looked like he was in his mid-twenties. Black hair with blue eyes that were striking. His eyebrows were thin, his lips were large and his nose was sharp, but without a sharp tip. He had a well-chiselled body and stood tall at around 180-185cm. The thing was... he didn''t have a tail or Fox''s ears. "Master, I already told you that I advanced into the Holy Spirit Beast Rank!" He felt so wronged, yet it didn''t dampen the excitement for his newfound strength. "Shouldn''t you like... lose your strength?" Aiko stared at him up and down. "I did not obtain my Dantian yet, I will have to wait for Sacred Beast Rank." A sense of frustration drifted from him. "So this is not a real Human Form?" Aiko asked as she observed him. "No it''s still a pseudo body, but I keep my tail and ears hidden since there is not much room inside and I always end up making a mess with them out." He gestured towards a bracelet around his wrist and took it off. A fluffy tail appeared behind him whirling, knocking things around. Aiko was startled when the small tornado appeared. His hair colour also changed from black to something very, very light green. ''7/10... no wait!'' Aiko blinked a few times. "Stop! You are making a mess!" She frowned at him. "My apologies..." His large fluffy ears dropped low, before disappearing due to the bracelet. "Amazing... where can I get such a bracelet?" Aiko asked since she went to the Human Towns... there was a need to taste some good food! Unfortunately, the last time she met Humans, she was captured because of her race. She didn''t want to risk a repeat of that. "You can just ask Peak Elder, since you are going on a mission she should lend you one." The Clothier said slowly, but it looked like he was not entirely sure about this. Aiko nodded it would be beneficial if she could obtain such a bracelet. "I will do that." "Right. Here is the outfit, Master." The Clothier kneeled presenting Aiko with the Assassination Uniform. Aiko smiled happily and stretched her hand only to freeze, a sudden question popped in her mind. ''How did he know what kind of proportions I have?'' She took a step back and observed him. The Clothier was sweating. ''Surely Master doesn''t dislike this outfit?'' He glanced at his Master who was staring at him warily. "Is something the matter, Master?" He asked softly, but his heart quivered. If his Master didn''t like this outfit what would he do?! "How do you know my proportions?" Aiko asked cautiously. The Clothier sighed in relief that it was not his work that creeped her out. "The pseudo transformation has very limited body types. Other than your height not much will change between Foxes. There are slight adjustments for the..." *Cough* "Developed Foxes, but other than that there isn''t much to adjust." He spoke sincerely not lying to his Master. Aiko nodded she noticed that pretty much every Fox had an hourglass figure and only their Fox parts and... goodies differed. Aiko stared at him a bit more before taking the Assassination Uniform into her hands. It was very soft, pleasing to the touch, but she noticed the Inscription was not completely imbued into the bodysuit and could be removed. "Why is the Inscription like this?" Aiko asked staring at him, but still pleased about the soft feeling. "The Inscription Cultivators refused to imbue it with Runes, so I took it upon myself to print a few Runes. They can be removed easily so if you find anyone who is willing to imbue it..." He trailed his words, but his Master understood. Aiko nodded. "Good, once I have the resources for it, I will Inscribe it." Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. The Clothier stiffened. "Master is an Inscription Cultivator?" He asked with wide eyes. "Yes." Aiko nodded. "Master with a Black Token at that." Aiko smiled proudly leaving the Clothier completely speechless. "You are amazing Master!" He praised his Master with sincerity since he couldn''t bear those old prideful fools who would always rip him off or introduce questionable Inscriptions upon the bodysuits. "Of course." Aiko puffed her small chest with pride and asked him. "By the way, what is this made out of? It''s much softer than anything inside this place." The last time Aiko was here she touched many of those pieces of clothing, but none were as soft and pleasing to the touch as what she was holding. "That is Spider thread from the Nightmare Spider." He replied with pride and a smile on his face. "Nightmare Spider thread?" Aiko tilted her head, she didn''t quite like the name. "This thread is very durable and black in colour by nature, so I didn''t need to dye it. This also means that even if you use [Clean] or wash it, it will never lose colour!" He smiled. "And to add to that, if someone tried to restrain you there is a chance they could experience a brief nightmare giving Master an opening to escape or even slay the restrainer." "Ohhhhh." Aiko nodded, she didn''t like the name, but she did like the effects. "Thank you for the Assassination Uniform, do I have to pay anything or...?" Aiko asked, while she did like this bodysuit, she didn''t like the idea of owing him a favour. "Master doesn''t need to pay! Inspiration is enough for this lowly one!" He bowed. "Then I will support you." Aiko placed a couple of hundred Spirit Stones which were placed in the Storage Pouches, leaving her with exactly 200,000 Spirit Stones. He stared at his nonchalant Master who just pulled several hundred Spirit Stones in front of him and his mind blanked. This was more than enough to pay for those threads ten times over, as Spirit Stones were incredibly rare on this continent. "I thank Master, from the bottom of my heart!" He prostrated himself and bowed several times. Aiko was uncomfortable at this display but didn''t say anything as she was more interested in the bodysuit. "Then I will be going." Aiko smiled she wanted to test this bodysuit as soon as possible. "Do you need my help, Master?" He smiled innocently but shrunk back once Aiko glared at him. She stormed outside leaving him alone. "Alas, Master has such fiery temperament." He shook his head. "But..." He stared at the littered Spirit Stones. "I should clean them up as soon as possible lest someone tries to steal them!" He was really happy he had a wealthy Master. He didn''t regret this decision at all! ... Aiko arrived at Grandmaster''s Abode. "You are back?" Mei stared at the happy Aiko. "Were those panties that good?" Mei teased Aiko. Aiko pouted. "Shush! I''m just here to put on my Assassination Uniform." Mei''s expression darkened. ''I told those old bastards not to give her those slutty clothes.'' Aiko brushed the new Assassination Uniform when she felt a gaze from Mei. "What''s wrong?" Aiko asked seeing the strange expression on Mei''s face. "You don''t have to wear that." Mei said gently. "That''s too bad, but I have already spent too much time coming up with this design and bullshitting my way out of that questionable one." Aiko shook her head, since she already ''negotiated'' this kind of outfit she would naturally use it. Mei was shocked and observed the outfit again. ''It''s made out of Nightmare Spider Silk?!'' She was greatly shocked as that material was rather rare, and precious. She kept staring at Aiko who was trying to dress up, but it felt strange... ''Where are the detachable parts? Why is it so loose?'' Her mind couldn''t comprehend it when it clicked for her. ''Did she say she designed this one?'' Mei couldn''t believe it. "Do you need help?" Mei asked amused and the one leg hopping Aiko. "I''m fine, ugh!" Aiko was struggling, but she wouldn''t allow Mei to get close. Firstly because she had her own pride and believed she could put it on by herself and secondly she didn''t believe that Mei wouldn''t rub it in her face each and every time she tried to wear clothes. Mei didn''t say anything as she enjoyed the show of Aiko rolling around trying to get inside the Assassination Uniform. ... 3 hours later. "Got it!" Aiko triumphantly raised her fists, but she felt strange. "You are wearing it the wrong way." Mei pointed at the obvious and Aiko blushed. "No way!" She tried to retort, but once she noticed the hoodie which was supposed to be on her back was in front of her... she just blushed and avoided Mei''s amused expression. "Should I help you?" Mei smiled teasingly. "No!" Aiko pouted, she didn''t want to be teased like this... "I will help you." Mei smiled staring at the retreating Aiko. "You don''t need to!" Aiko stepped back until she stumbled, but she didn''t hit the ground as she was suspended in the air. "Huh? Huh?" Aiko flailed her body as she was very unfamiliar with this situation. "Stop or I will drop you." Mei threatened as what Aiko was doing drained her greatly. "Then drop me!" Aiko protested and wiggled even more. Mei came closer with a mischievous smile and whispered into Aiko''s ear. "Then should I kiss you?" Aiko immediately stiffened as that voice tickled her ear. Her mouth almost immediately crossed into the ''x'' symbol and she was dead quiet. Mei felt both amused and annoyed. ''What''s so wrong about a kiss from me?'' She was slightly hurt by Aiko''s reaction and vowed to tease her more in the future until she accepted her. Mei fiddled with the Assassination Uniform. It was slightly difficult even for her as it was a single piece, but she also appreciated the fact that it had a lot more room than those Assassination Uniforms she saw on the other assassins. It took her about half an hour to dress Aiko properly. She felt both satisfied and annoyed. ''I don''t like the fact that the middle part is a bodysuit.'' For some reason, Mei hated the sight of Aiko''s body in a tight bodysuit... or maybe that others would see it? Mei shook her head as she was distracted. "Agh!" Aiko was dropped to the ground, which startled both of them. Aiko looked like she was wronged and before Mei could say anything she stormed outside. "Well..." Mei frowned, she was suddenly even more irritated than before, but she just couldn''t put her finger on it. ... Aiko rushed back to the Shadows Peak to meet the Peak Elder. She wasn''t stopped as she tried to use her Abilities to the fullest bypassing almost everyone. "Peak Elder!" Aiko barged into the room as she was too excited. This Assassination Uniform did not only improve her stealth capabilities but also her Abilities. Aiko stiffened. She remembered what happened the last time and she immediately closed the door. The Peak Elder was amused by the little Vicious Cub''s antics and glanced at Sect Leader. "Come in." "Peak Elder!" Aiko barged in again but paused once she saw Sect Leader. "Sect Leader." Aiko politely simulated the cupped fists as greetings. Sect Leader felt good about this, but the Peak Elder had quite a few black lines on her forehead. "What do you need." Her previous good mood was ruined in a single moment... Chapter 114 - Nice Air and Grandpa "I would like to borrow one of those bracelets like the Clothier has." Aiko was honest with her wants. The Peak Elder paused, but before she could say anything, the Sect Leader indulged her. "That is but a simple matter. I will also give you this talisman. You can contact me when something unexpected happens outside." The Sect Leader already knew about the fact she was going into ''that'' town on a mission. "Thank you, Sect Leader." Aiko''s smile bloomed, stunning both of them. The Sect Leader clicked her tongue. ''We don''t have any high-grade Recognition Concealing Bracelets, I just hope this one will be enough.'' She was concerned that her beauty couldn''t be hidden. The Sect Leader placed those treasured artifacts in front of Aiko. Aiko took the talisman with interest, her eyes shining, but the Sect Leader stopped her thoughts. "We only have a few of those, so don''t waste them." Aiko pouted, seeing the Sect Leader read her thoughts. She just wanted a couple of them, alright? "Yes, Sect Leader." She could only concede. The Sect Leader smiled, ''One was worse than the other'' she thought. "Now leave." The Sect Leader shooed her away. Aiko pouted but left. She got what she wanted, so she had to be satisfied for the time being. ... Aiko dashed towards the main gate, stopping in front of the still huge and ripped Fox. "Back again?" He asked, appraising her outfit, assuming it to be a new version of the Assassin Uniform. He really liked this one much more than the normal one, since it outlined the middle part better. Those new separate parts obscured the proportions of the limbs, but with this single piece, he could appreciate the wearers core physique much more easily. "Not bad." He praised her outfit, not only for its obvious practicality, but also its lack of detachable parts, so he didn''t need to worry that he would get flashed by the little fox. "I know, it took a while." Aiko agreed that it was nice, now she just needed those scales for armour and everything would be in place. He raised an eyebrow at that sentence, but still asked. "Is this the new Assassination Uniform?" He hoped it would be. "I don''t know." Aiko shook her head. "This was specially made for me." This greatly surprised the guard, but he didn''t sound her out. "Token." Aiko placed every Token she has into her hand. He almost coughed up blood when he saw the [Black Inscription Master Token]. He once again stared at Aiko up and down and wondered if she was really that capable... "How long will you be outside?" He asked as he noted things down on a Jade Slip. "I don''t know, I have 17 days for the mission, but I don''t know how long it will take me to go into the Blessed Mountain Town." Aiko didn''t know how to answer that, as it was her first mission outside. He nodded slowly. "I will write down two months, so you have plenty of time to return just in case something unexpected happens, but try not to delay too much." He warned her. "I intend to be quick, but I also intend to taste good food, so I will temporarily suspend the mission." Aiko salivated, she wondered what kind of good food they had. "Good food?" He narrowed his eyes and this little Fox once again slipped into the slut territory. "Yeah, I really want to taste fish or something similar and exotic since I have only tasted ''simple'' meat till now." Aiko frowned, thinking, it was so far away from here it should be close to the ocean... right? He was startled, coughing awkwardly. He didn''t expect this little Fox to be a glutton and not- "They don''t have fish." He already visited that town and they didn''t have any at that time. Aiko''s ears dropped. She sighed sadly. "Thank you for telling me, can I go now?" Seeing her in low spirit, he wanted to comfort her, but he was all muscles and not much of a brain for comfort. "Take care outside, don''t trust Humans." "That''s natural." A sharp glint passed through Aiko''s eyes and he shivered. "See ya." Aiko waved at him. He felt much better with such a cheerful, yet deadly Fox around him. He wondered if he could woo her over, since he didn''t have a Companion. Most Foxes would fear him for his huge build and thick muscles, but this little one didn''t seem to mind and there was even a hint of admiration in her eyes. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ... Aiko left the Fox Village. There was a sense of strangeness in the air, but that was probably only because she spent too much time inside the Village. She walked around slowly, enjoying the breeze and air that felt much cleaner than inside the Fox Village. She liked the outside so much more. The birds were chirping and the Forest concealing the Village was very lush, yet Aiko could spot countless Arrays littered around. Luckily, none of them reacted. She could feel a warm current from her Sect Token, probably preventing the Arrays from targeting her in the first place. Aiko was even more interested in the Token as the clothing feature was already appealing, but if she could create a Token that could bypass Arrays... that could be very beneficial in the future. Aiko smiled and slowly picked up the pace. She had limited time to reach that town and should hurry up, lest she arrive too late. She felt a bit burdened while in her pseudo-human form as she was much slower than in her Fox form. She was really tempted to transform, but remembering her shame from when she tried to wear these clothes... she didn''t want to experience it again. Aiko rushed with her [Sprint]. She was looking forward to the delicacies inside the town. Strangely enough, she ran for a few hours, but she still didn''t encounter any Beasts. She was unaware that even when her Aura was suppressed by the pseudo-human form she still was a genuine Magical Beast, but one with the Energy of Spirit Beast, so none dared to approach her. ... Finally, Aiko reached the plains. It took her 5 days to leave the forest, this was considered quite fast, but once she entered the open plains her speed sharply dropped. ''There is no shade.'' Aiko frowned as her speed halved. Should she transform into her Fox form? She thought about it for a while. She was guided by a small compass towards the city. This kind of compass was very cheap to make and thus was given to Foxes during missions so that they wouldn''t get lost, but naturally, they didn''t have a compass to lead them back to the Fox Village. Aiko was deep in thought, but soon conceded her embarrassment in favour of speed. *Poof* A small Fox rushed through the plains like a bullet. Her speed was not comparable, even when considering the fact she was not in a shade. Aiko felt the feeling of liberation as her sluggish body was no more. She used her [Quick Double Jump] to rush forward even faster. This time no Beast approached her, not because they could feel her, but because her speed was now comparable to that of an almost middle-stage Spirit Beast. Aiko hummed, dashing through the plains as a small Fox. ... She arrived in the city in a mere 10 days. She was incredibly quick for how ''weak'' she was, but she only had 2 days to locate and kill her target... she could still delay a little! Aiko hummed happily until it came to wearing clothes. Aiko pulled out her Assassination Uniform only to pause. ''How am I going to visit yummy places with those clothes...?'' Aiko didn''t think that through. She transformed and tapped her Sect Token. She was clothed in white, but that was the problem... ''Too eye-catching...'' Aiko thought. She turned into Fox and utilized her stealth capabilities to the maximum to sneak inside the Town. It was quite a large town, not as large as the place she was sold in, but large enough that she could get lost. She moved silently in the shadows, observing the state of this place. It was somewhat wealthy city as there were no old or deteriorating buildings. "Buns! Buns for 3 coins!" "Warm porridge! Only 15 coins!" The stalls were lively, filled with customers savouring the food. Aiko drooled and her eyes sparkled, while it couldn''t compare to that fragrant meat, it was still good enough for a taste. Aiko immediately redoubled her efforts trying to find a clothing shop. There were plenty of large shops with beautiful clothing, but that was not what she was looking for. She was looking for simple clothes so that she could enjoy her food in peace. Fortunately for her, she found a very deserted building with very humble, but still nice-looking clothing inside. She sneaked inside, completely unaware that the shopkeeper had already noticed her even with all of her stealth Abilities, but he didn''t move. He stared with some interest at what this little Fox would do. Aiko went behind shelves and transformed, tapping her Sect Token to clothe herself. "Hello!" Aiko approached the counter looking at the shopkeeper. She didn''t forget to wear the bracelet to conceal herself. The shopkeeper stared at her amused, as that bracelet couldn''t conceal her under his eyes. "Welcome, what can I do for you?" He placed a gentle smile on his old lips. "I would like some nice yet inconspicuous clothing, Grandpa." Aiko said with a gentle smile. The shopkeeper was taken aback by her address and it only deepened his curiosity. "What would you like that for?" While he didn''t mind little Foxes, he liked this town. He wouldn''t let them invade and destroy this place. "I want to eat tasty buns in peace and that porridge." Aiko drooled again, but realizing she was in the presence of someone else she quickly gulped it down. The grandpa stared at her speechless. This was the first time he encountered such a strange Fox. "How about this one?" He gestured to a nearby dress. "A bit too gaudy..." Aiko didn''t like it. His likeness towards this little one deepened. "But others won''t like you if you won''t wear nice things." He teased her. "Why should others like me?" Aiko frowned. "I''m not here for others, I''m here for food." She softly glared at him and he laughed. "Come here." He beckoned this strange Fox. "How about this one?" Even before Aiko approached he placed completely casual clothing in front of her. They were still nicer than most clothing in this place, but not as gaudy as what he previously pointed at. "Hmmmm..." Aiko quite liked this one as it still retained some prettiness. "How much is it?" Aiko asked. "Just a coin." The shopkeeper said dismissively, while he didn''t dislike her, he also completely didn''t like her and thus didn''t want to form a karmic relationship with her. Aiko browsed her Storage Pouch and placed a coin on the table. He stared at it dumbfounded. "That is a Black Gold Coin." He said slowly. Aiko tilted her head. "But you wanted a coin?" "Just give me a gold coin and shoo." He shook his head sighing. "Oh..." Aiko felt embarrassed. "I only have those." Her face was dyed red. The shopkeeper almost banged his face on the counter. "What?" Aiko couldn''t bear his gaze and looked away. "Listen, little- girl. 1 Black Gold Coin is 100 Gold Coins. 1 Gold Coin is 100 Silver Coins. 1 Silver Coin is 100 Bronze Coins." He almost made a slip of tongue from the shock, but he was still able to explain it. Aiko nodded. "I wanted 1 Gold Coin." He explained slowly. "Oh..." Aiko felt even worse when he said it so slowly. He shook his head. "Here." He quickly exchanged the black gold coin for more appropriate coinage, making sure there were plenty of Bronze Coins for the Foolish Fox to use. "If you can help it only use Bronze Coins, alright?" He smiled gently. He never encountered such an ignorant Fox, but he didn''t dislike that. Chapter 115 – Foodie and Shameless Shadow Guards Aiko felt so stupid for not checking the currency, but it couldn''t be helped, she was so excited about food and visiting the town that she completely forgot about it. Aiko fiddled with the clothes, reflecting on her excitement. "Thank you." Aiko thanked the shopkeeper and he smiled at her. "Be careful around here." He warned her. "I will be." Aiko smiled and left the shop. The shopkeeper returned to his lazy demeanour. ''She is probably here because of him. The Mayor will be happy when he finally disappears.'' He sighed, but he didn''t expect the Fox Village to take such a long time... ... Aiko went to a nearby forest to dress up, fortunately, these clothes were much better in terms of ease of use. It didn''t take that long before Aiko could enter the Town once again. "Halt." A guard stopped her. "Yes?" Aiko asked innocently, charming the guard. "1 S-silver to enter the Town." The guard stuttered. Aiko nodded gently and placed 1 Silver into his hand. ... It was as lively as a few moments ago when she was sneaking around. Aiko was staring left and right and an alluring smell drifted from everywhere, making it difficult to pick and choose. There were buns, soups, porridges, breads, roasted meats, dried meats... anything that you could imagine they would have. Aiko couldn''t decide where to start first, so she went to the first stall. "Hello~, I would like 4 buns." Aiko smiled, blinding the young stall owner. "Here, that will be 12 coins." He smiled back at her. Aiko took the buns but noticed there was one more. She stared at him. "That one is on the house." He blushed, not meeting her eye. Aiko nodded, she liked free stuff. She bit into the bun. It was very soft and filled with meat. The meat quality was alright, but paired with the bun it was delicious. The second bun was... vegetables... Aiko somehow managed to munch that down, but she didn''t enjoy it much... Others were likewise either meat or vegetables, so Aiko had to vow to herself to remind them to give her only meat buns next time, as she didn''t like the vegetable ones. The next stall was one that served a fragrant soup. It had a light pinkish colour and a few petals drifted on top of it. Aiko was curious and slightly mesmerized. She didn''t know why the petals were in there and if they tasted any good. "Little Miss, would you like to taste this Lotus Soup?" The old grandma gently smiled at the young girl. Aiko looked at her, she was the classic kind of grandma who would stuff you full of food. "How does it taste?" Aiko was curious, but not curious enough to have a taste, so she would rather ask about the taste than then have to swallow something not tasty. She would have to be careful as wasting food is bad. "It has a light taste, perfect after a heavy meal." She smiled explaining. "Oh." Aiko nodded. "In that case, I will try the meaty food first and return here for a taste." Aiko smiled. The grandma didn''t say anything and returned to her work. Aiko went to a nearby stall with roasted meat. "20 pieces please." Aiko smiled, smelling the fragrant meat. The stall owner was slightly surprised when he heard the number. Glancing at the little girl, he said somewhat sternly. "I don''t have meat for lone children." She was too cute to completely kick away, but he would still dismiss any orphans that would want to try his meat. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Aiko glanced at him. It seemed that the meat was spoiled. Aiko went to another nearby stall. It was roasted meat again, but this time it smelled of garlic. At first she didn''t want to try it since her nose was irritated by the smell, but since the previous meat was spoiled... She didn''t have any options left, as the others weren''t as nice or fragrant as these two stalls. "I would like to try one piece." Aiko asked the stall owner. "Alright, that will be 5 coins." The stall owner smiled. He already saw what happened in the neighbouring stall and he didn''t agree with his attitude. How can he treat something so small and cute so harshly... "Here." Aiko placed 5 coins into his hand and exchanged them for the meat. *Munch* Aiko''s invisible ears twitched. This meaty thing was delicious! She devoured the meat on the wooden stick and turned around. "A wuf lihe to haf mof!" (I would like to have more!) Aiko''s eyes sparkled. "How many?" The stall owner smiled from ear to ear, seeing her enthusiasm. Aiko gestured 20 with her tiny hands. He laughed. "That will be 100 coins or 1 silver, Miss." Aiko placed the one Silver into the small basket and waited for her meat, still munching the rest in her mouth. ... Aiko travelled around the city eating from every stall and soon a group of people followed her. They would tail her and watch her eat, yet they had no idea why they did it themselves. They were just happy that she was happy! There were also a few bad Humans between them, but they were quickly suplexed by the others and Aiko was unaware of this happening as she was too engrossed with her food. Of course, it would be completely different if they had any murderous intentions, as it would be picked by her [Intention Perception]. ... Arrived in front of her target which was ''Drunken Water Inn''. It was very lively inside and there weren''t many seats free, but that didn''t discourage Aiko as she cared more about quickly finishing, since there were too many Humans stuffed inside this somewhat small place. It had a very rustic feeling, but nothing was worn down or creaking, everything was clean and spotless. At least the basic hygiene was alright... Aiko entered and almost immediately attracted the attention of half of the people inside the inn, staring at her with their attentive gazes which gave her a scare. "Oi, you bastards! You know the rules!" The Innkeeper glared at them and they all avoided his piercing gaze. "My apologies, Miss. They might be ruffians, but they like cu- *Cough*. Would you like to have a seat?" The Shopkeeper changed his sentence when he felt almost everyone glaring at him, so he gently smiled and beckoned to the cute little girl. Aiko had her tongue-tied and didn''t speak. She instead gave a nod before immediately hearing a bunch of the nearby patrons falling from their chairs. ''This place is too strange and scary!'' Aiko cried inwardly, but she would finish this mission one way or another. He moved her closer to the main counter since he could oversee her and pacify the others. Aiko didn''t mind and was looking forward to the food. ... "Did you hear about the princesses?" One guy spoke somewhat loudly. "Which ones?" Another guy stared at him. "From Golden Flowing River." He said somewhat softly. "Oh?" Others felt interested. "The Warring Kingdom?" They asked if they remembered correctly. "Yeah. That King already purged one Kingdom, but what is more shocking is that he is yet to stop!" He shivered. "I hope his influence won''t reach here." "That''s unlikely. It''s too far, but what''s with the princesses?" He asked since that question wasn''t answered. "Ah, right! Those princesses all ran away towards some of the 8th or 7th Ranked Kingdoms, but for some reason, they weren''t deported back and there are even talks about marriages!" The guy shocked the others. """What?!""" They stared at him speechlessly. "It''s true! I saw one in nearby Empire!" Another guy chimed in. The room quietened as if everyone thought about something. "I want my own princess." One guy murmured. "You said it, did you see those massive-" Aiko ignored the upcoming conversation from that part of the room and perked her ears towards the upper part. "Have you heard that yet another Senior Brother was almost crippled because he proposed to Saintess?" A somewhat feminine voice spoke slowly. "I heard about that, but I also heard that the Saintess is already betrothed." A masculine voice mused. "Oh?" The somewhat feminine voice was interested. "To whom?" "Coin." The masculine voice gaggled. "Tsk. Here you bastard." There was a heavy thud. "My, my~. Thanks. I heard that he was a prince from 1st Rank Empire." "Hiss! Seriously?! Which one?" The feminine voice was startled. "Han Li." He spoke with a sneer. "The Han Empire eh?" The feminine voice mused. "So I still have a chance." "You have not given up yet?" The masculine voice was startled. "Of course not! Have you seen the Saintess? The temperament with that body, it would be a sin if I didn''t pursue her!" The feminine voice sounded rough. There was a sigh. "Sure, sure, just don''t get castrated like the other guys." He snorted at him. "Hmpf! As if they are my match!" ... Aiko returned to her food, it was soup, followed by whole chicken. So it took her quite a while to finish. She paid her bills and left the Inn without looking back. She would go for the Lotus Soup and carry on the assassination mission as she had only 1 day left to kill him. ... Aiko went outside the Town. It was already night. The Lotus Soup was indeed light, but a bit too light for Aiko''s taste. She went inside the forest and undressed picking her Assassination Uniform. She frowned a few times. A battle was ahead, a battle about how well she could wear this thing... She slowly got inside that Assassination Uniform, but the first time it was the wrong side. The mask was nowhere to be seen and the hood was in front of her. Aiko frowned and wanted to cry, but she suppressed that feeling and tried again... This time it was upside down... The next time it was sideways! Aiko was furious and only on the 26th try she was finally able to wear the goddamn outfit! Aiko snorted coldly, but then she noticed something. It was morning! ''Oh no! I don''t have much time!'' Aiko was unaware that she spent 6 and a half hours wearing that outfit. She rushed towards the Town with her stealth Abilities at maximum capacity. She bypassed the guards and dashed on top of the rooftops towards the Mayor''s Mansion. It was hard to miss as it had 2 huge lions on the front gate which stared intimidatingly at the passerby. Aiko jumped a few times, bypassing the walls and hidden guards before arriving at the top of the main wall overlooking the Mansion. It was... quiet, eerily so. Aiko slowly jumped down, moving in the shadows until she encountered a few Assassins? Or Guards? Shadow guards? Whatever they were Aiko sneaked up on them, wondering what they were doing. Only to pause since she saw huge tiddies on that piece of parchment and they were-! ''Ugh.'' Aiko wanted to vomit from that disgusting sight. Chapter 116 - Mansion and Mission Target She left that place with disgust to explore other areas. There was no eyes on her, so she was curious on the sheer size of this place. It was a somewhat well-lit place, but instead of torches, they used some kind of Inscribed Paper Lamps. Aiko was curious about the Inscription, so she got close to it. Funnily enough, that Inscription was completely butchered and would drain the main source of energy rather quickly. It was inefficient and very wasteful, not to mention there were so many of them that Aiko couldn''t help, but shake her head. She moved to a nearby room. It was a storage room with a lot of old swords. For some reason, some of those swords gave of a sense of intimacy, but Aiko didn''t enter as there might''ve been traps and she didn''t have enough time to find/disarm all of them. Aiko sneaked around. Most places were still lively and full of laughter, so Aiko ignored those spots for the time being as she believe that her assassination target wouldn''t be spending time laughing with others. Aiko found another room that was filled to the brim with many kinds of colourful fabric rolls. She touched a few out of curiosity, but soon lost her interest as they were not as good as her outfit, nor even as good as the Sect Token outfit. Aiko passed the nearby rooms, instinctively arriving in the kitchen. *Sniff Sniff* ''It smells really nice, even better than the Inn food...'' Aiko drooled. Making her way inside, she took it upon herself to savou-*Cough* test their foods in case they were spoiled. *Munch Munch* Aiko didn''t notice that she almost finished all the best parts before hearing footsteps closing in. Dashing out of the room, she moved to a different place. This time she found a guy tied on a chair trashing about, with a female in alluring clothes looking at him. "What a strange kink..." Aiko said the quiet part out loud. "It''s not a kink." A voice behind her chimed in, disagreeing. Aiko jumped away, picking up rocks and hurling them at top speed towards that voice. That person was amused and blocked the rocks effortlessly... at least that''s what he thought. *Ding Ding Ding* "Agh! Ugh!" He cried out, not expecting those ordinary rocks to be packing such a punch. "Stop! Stop!" He pleaded with the little Fox, startling her. That person didn''t have any murderous intent towards her when he previously said that, but Aiko was too startled to care about that and just wanted to beat him up for it! One has to know that her hiding Skills were amazing! "Eh? Grandpa?" Aiko was stunned to see that the person was the grandpa from the clothing shop. "Auch..." He rubbed his red hands. "Seriously, how did you manage that?" He asked, seeing his red hands still twitching. "It''s just a few rocks." Aiko said guardedly. He chuckled. "Sure, sure, anyway, the target is inside, so finish him off as soon as possible." Aiko was stunned and paused. She long realised he was her target, but thought that he was just into that sort of thing. "He isn''t." The grandpa said chuckling. He couldn''t believe this little Fox. "Now go, you probably don''t have much time, considering a foodie like you rushed in here so fast." He shook his head, staring at Aiko. "I will be waiting at the Main room, so please do visit." He left, leaving the confused Aiko alone. Aiko went inside the room silently. That pretty miss still didn''t hear her and continued to stare at him. Aiko sneaked behind her, but she wasn''t found out. ''That guy must be a weirdo... stalker... or something.'' Aiko couldn''t understand how she was found out. She even used the bracelet again, yet it felt like he was staring at her tail... Aiko placed her hand on that person. "Kya!" She jumped up from fright. She then noticed the little girl and sighed in relief. "I will leave you to it, I want to change clothes." She bowed towards Aiko and left. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Aiko was even more confused than before, but since she had only an hour to finish... she appreciated this easy delivery. Aiko paused. ''Should I use the Talisman to contact her? This feels a bit too fishy.'' Aiko pondered on it, she still had plenty of time for a quick call. She picked up the talisman and poured some energy into it. The talisman hummed and the voice drifted from it. "Vicious Cub?" The soft voice asked. "Sect Leader?" Aiko asked in return. "Did something happen?" The Sect Leader asked with concern. "Yeah, this situation is suspicious..." Aiko explained in detail about the situation, leaving the fact she was eating out under the wraps. "I see... I didn''t expect that old fool to be so sensible." The Sect Leader sighed. "I was friends with him in the past, but we drifted apart. I didn''t expect him to still help me after such a long time." She then paused. "He had good feelings for me, but be on guard, as those feelings were for me and not for you. He probably didn''t expect that other Foxes would be sent." Aiko nodded. "Very well." She wouldn''t let her guard down even if the Sect Leader told her. She wasn''t gullible enough to believe others on first sight. "The Talisman can be used a few more times since our conversation was short and you are quite close to the Fox Village but don''t call again if it''s not urgent." The Sect Leader then hung up on Aiko. Aiko stared at the pissed human male and ''stabbed'' him with [Lacerate], ending his life in one strike. Aiko then left the room, wondering if she should approach the main building. Eventually, her curiosity got the best of her and she went there. It was not like she was in any kind of danger since she still had [Jaws of ####], which would allow her to escape. She approached the main building silently. "Come, come inside." The grandpa said gently startling the other party inside. "Who are you talking to, Immortal?" The Mayor asked. He was also a Cultivator, but he couldn''t see through him, so he chose to play the mortal role. He was unsure, confused and unsettled. This person told him that, one of his guests would be killed and that it would be wise to lure him away, so that he wouldn''t get implicated. So he did just that. He ordered his daughter to lure him away, while she was unwilling, she still was a filial child and listened to him. ''I hope nothing wrong happened to her.'' He sighed. ... Aiko peeked inside. There was an old gentleman on the main seat with gently coloured clothing. Next to him on the side was the grandpa. There was nobody else inside, just the two of them. Aiko could feel the breath of living around, those were probably the Shadow Guards. Aiko entered silently, startling the gentleman in the main seat. "I wondered if you would run away." The grandpa teased. "I have considered it." Aiko didn''t conceal it, as she felt that this grandpa was very perceptive. He chuckled happily. "Come, sit down, don''t stand on ceremony." Aiko glanced at the gentleman on the main seat, but he didn''t say anything, so she sat down. "Finished with your work?" The grandpa asked. "Almost, but why did you want to see me?" She asked him. "I had good feelings with the little sweetie. How is she doing?" The grandpa asked, but he didn''t say her name. "She is doing fine, I think. I''m not around her all that much, but from what I have seen she was doing fine." Aiko said. She would naturally not say her title of a Sect Leader. "Good." He nodded happily. "Is that all?" Aiko asked, but then someone entered. "Father." A pretty Miss bowed towards the guy in the main seat. "Jing... you have suffered." The gentleman smiled bitterly. "It''s nothing, father. I''m well and unhurt." She kept bowing. The gentleman knew that his daughter didn''t like him for this order, but it had to be done. He just hoped that their relationship wouldn''t drift too far apart after this incident. Aiko stared at her, she liked her previous clothes much more as they were very interesting, and alluring, yet not showing much. "Hello again." Aiko smiled and interrupted them. The young Miss was startled and looked up, seeing the Assassin who startled her so much her heart stopped for a moment. "Welcome to our humble home." She bowed again, not wanting to show off arrogance or offend the little one in anyway. She couldn''t feel the presence of this little assassin when she entered the room. Not to mention, she was right behind her moments ago and she had absolutely no idea until contact was made. This meant that this little one was incredibly powerful and dangerous. "You say humble, but you burn so many resources to maintain those Paper Lamps." Aiko shook her head. The gentleman suddenly paused and looked at the little girl, but before he could ask anything, Grandpa chimed in. "Oh? You know Inscriptions?" He asked gently. "Yeah, but those things are so wasteful, whoever made them wanted this family to go broke." Aiko answered quickly but she was not really interested in the inner workings, so she hoped she could avoid this. "I see..." The gentleman suddenly spoke. They hired a 2nd Grade Inscription Cultivator to create those lamps for them to display their wealth, but he didn''t expect they would burn so many Spirit Stones. It seems that his sense of wrongness came from those Paper Lamps. "Oho? Do you have a Token?" The Grandpa mused. He was looking for an Inscription Pupil. "Here." Aiko dismissed his gaze and gave him the [Black Inscription Master Token]. *Pfft* He spat his tea seeing that black token and it was not even Grade 1, but a Grade 3 Black Token! That meant she was an Inscription Master! He stared her up and down, but he couldn''t guess her age as Beasts had different ageing physiques compared to Humans, but seeing her so small and undeveloped, he guessed that she was still very young. He coughed. "This is a bit unexpected." The gentleman frowned. He was willing to hire her to fix those paper lamps, but he couldn''t afford to hire a 3rd-grade Inscription Cultivator, not to mention a Black Ranked one. "How about it? Do you want to have a look at the Paper Lamps?" The grandpa nudged her. He liked Chen Hai as he was one of the few who didn''t hunt Beasts indiscriminately, so he didn''t mind to ask for help in his stead. "Hmmm..." Aiko thought about it. "There are too many of them. I can''t resolve it in a short period of time, not to mention you don''t have anything that would move me enough that I would want to stay here." Aiko shrugged, she was more interested in the Miss as she felt familiar... "Ah!" Aiko suddenly exclaimed and she looked like she just swallowed a shit. The grandpa was startled but took interest, meanwhile, Chen Jing shivered for some reason. She felt like this little Assassin was even more dangerous than she expected. Meanwhile, Aiko had an unsightly expression as this Miss was her target for stealing underwear. Why did it have to be her?! Why it couldn''t be anyone else?! She didn''t want to deal with her at all and only was interested in her previous clothes! Announcement! For those who are wondering what is currently happening and why there are no updates. My story was hit with a report and I''m currently solving it for the past few days with the moderator. I had to re-read everything and all the comments to find counter evidence and dispute the claims, but if it comes to it, this story might not exist. As such those who like this story, it can still be googled as this is not the only page where you can read it! If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Furthermore, even if this claim is solved in positive light. (Which will be as the accusation is completely baseless) If it comes to it, I might delete it from this webpage as my mental health and constant running around doctors wears me down and I don''t need more troubles from others. Of course, I would make notice and keep this story up for another month on this page for everyone to catch up and read the final notice, so if they would want to, they could still find it and not wonder why one of their liked stories disappeared. Chapter 117 – Shame and Deal "What''s wrong, little one?" The grandpa glanced at the little Fox and smirked. "Nothing." Aiko looked away, not meeting his eye. "Nothing? Then she can leave, right?" The grandpa teased. "Well..." Aiko was flustered as she just couldn''t say the mission out loud. "Do you have any business with her?" He asked, amused at her reaction. "Yes..." Aiko confessed, but not completely, as that was too embarrassing. "Then go with her and finish it." The grandpa shooed the little Fox away. He also winked at Chen Jing that everything was alright. Aiko left with Chen Jing, leaving the two behind. "Will my daughter be alright?" Chen Hai asked the Immortal. "She doesn''t have any malicious intent." The grandpa simply said. "I see..." Even if that Assassin didn''t have malicious intent towards her daughter, he still felt uneasy. "Now, let''s talk about the incoming Sect recruitment." The grandpa said, narrowing his eyes. ... They walked into another guest room. Chen Jing felt uneasy as the little Assassin''s eyes pierced her body. "What do you need from me?" Chen Jing turned, she wanted to run away as soon as possible as she was too scared to be alone with her. Aiko couldn''t say it out loud as she was too embarrassed, but it had to be done. "My mission is to get the colour of your underwear or the underwear itself." Aiko said with a straight face, but her Soul was still dyed red from shame. Chen Jing blushed and glared at this hateful Assassin. "It''s the truth!" Aiko cried out, she now realised that that mission should be done in secret and not be asked aloud, but she still wanted to see those alluring clothes again if she ever wanted them later down the line. Chen Jing was blushing, but seeing the blushing little Assassin, she suddenly didn''t feel as embarrassed. "Usually a person would first invite me for dinner and build positive rapport before asking for ''favours''." Chen Jing teased the little Assassin as revenge for embarrassing her. "W-well, I''m n-not really interested in those kinds of things. It was just a mission, but the previous clothing would be the favour..." Aiko''s mind spun as she said incoherent sentences. Chen Jing at this point felt much better, as it was fun seeing her reactions. "So now you even want my clothing, huh?" Chen Jing smirked, teasing her more. "W-well... I thought they were pretty nice..." Aiko murmured. "Indeed they are nice to wear for your partners, but it''s embarrassing when others see you..." She stared at the little Assassin fidgeting, but she couldn''t bring herself to hate this little oddie. "I''m sorry." Aiko''s head dropped, she felt like she was reprimanded by Mei. Chen Jing stared at her strangely. ''Why is someone so timid an Assassin?'' She couldn''t understand the thought of her employer. "Why do you need that underwear?" Chen Jing asked again. "For the mission, but colours are enough, as I wouldn''t feel good if I were to give someone else your underwear." Aiko said slowly, but still couldn''t meet her eye. Chen Jing felt some likeness towards her honesty. "Just pick some colours." She shrugged. "That''s fine, since I know they were white." Aiko blurted out. "What?" Chen Jing narrowed her eyes, wondering if she heard correctly. "What?" Aiko played innocent as she realised she said something wrong again. Chen Jing stared at the sweating little Assassin. "Let''s go back." They returned to the main hall. ""Finished?"" The duo asked in sync. "Yes, Father, we are finished." Chen Jing gently bowed. "What did she need?" The grandpa asked. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Aiko and Chen Jing sat down and both of them sipped tea. "She wanted my underwear." Chen Jing said expressionlessly, this was her revenge for that little Assassin playing innocent at that time. *PFFFT* *Cough**Cough**Cough* Aiko choked on the tea when she heard her say that. Chen Hai''s face darkened, but he couldn''t act as this little Assassin was just too terrifying, meanwhile, Grandpa was laughing his guts out. "And here I thought that the Fox Village improved." He wiped the tears that were forming in the corner of his eyes. Aiko finished coughing and stared blankly. "That''s just wishful thinking." She shook her head as that Village was full of degenerates. "Hmmm..." He caressed his short beard. Chen Jing at this time had her ears perked up. "Fox?" She stared at the little Assassin, but couldn''t find anything about her that resembled a Fox. Her father likewise paused. He pieced the pieces of information together and it clicked. That dead guest was abusing his position to incite others to attack the Fox Village, he just didn''t expect that the Fox Village would retaliate so strongly. Chen Jing kept staring at Aiko trying to find the tail or anything that would make her into Fox. Aiko felt burdened by that gaze and tried to ignore it to the best of her abilities, but she still felt awkward. "I mean, I did chastise some, but it doesn''t seem to be helping all that much..." Aiko frowned as some tea was still stuck in her throat. The grandpa didn''t say anything about that and watched Chen Jing''s burning gaze. "How about you remove your trinket so she can see your features?" The grandpa gestured. "No." Aiko immediately denied it. She is still being protected and her identity is shrouded for the time being, which keeps her safe. She might be an Assassin, but others will have to think twice about attacking her, even when they know she is a Fox. Because they would not know what kind of Fox she is and how important she is for the Fox Village. If she was unimportant it was fine, but if she was indispensable then those attackers would suffer greatly, and that''s where the Beast Palace comes in. They record most Beast that reaches Magical Beast Rank, or are mutated so that the Kingdoms and other superpowers don''t offend someone they shouldn''t offend. Unfortunately for them, Aiko is shrouded in mystery and the Beast Palace isn''t able to gauge her completely just yet, making Aiko safe from most sane Cultivators. "How about you stay here for a week and get familiar with Chen Jing?" The grandpa stroked his beard. "If you find her nice enough, you can allow her to see you." He proposed. Aiko thought about it a bit, there was something odd about those swords, maybe she could check them out if she fixed a few Paper Lamps? "Hmmm..." Aiko pretended to think, which fooled the father-daughter duo, but not the grandpa. "Sure. I can fix a few Paper Lamps in the meantime... of course for a price." She stared at Chen Hai. "Please name it, if I can meet your demands I will be more than happy." He smiled with a business smile. "I spotted a warehouse with strange swords, I would like to inspect them and if I like any I would like to take them." Aiko stated her demand straightforwardly, since he was also straightforward. "Warehouse?" Chen Hai was unsure about which one she meant. "Can you locate that warehouse again?" He couldn''t promise anything, since it would be bad if it was the main warehouse where their wares were stored. "Sure." Aiko sipped her tea, waiting for them to get ready and follow her. ... "Here it is." Aiko pointed at the abandoned warehouse. Chen Hai frowned, he felt quite bad if she wanted rubbish as payment. "Are you sure? Those swords were abandoned by craftsmen since they didn''t fulfill the requirements or broke during the process." He explained slowly, while he did want this little one to fix the Paper Lamps as it was consuming 20% of his overall expenses, at the same time, he would feel bad for ripping her off. "It''s fine, I won''t be staying here to fix everything, so this payment is just right." Aiko didn''t mind, even when they stared at her like she was pitiful and chose the wrong reward. "Interesting." The grandpa said, slowly smiling at the little Fox. Chen Hai still had some misgivings when she wanted his daughter''s underwear, but seeing her come forward to fix his issues without burdening him further... the previous misgiving was slowly erased and gratitude replaced it. Chen Jing had her eyes sparkle. "Can you really fix the Paper Lamps?!" She was excited as she tried to help her father by fixing some, but she just broke them and they no longer worked. Her father didn''t mind this, as he loved his filial child and would give her anything that was within his power. "Can." Aiko affirmed. "Can I look inside, while you get Inscription Tools?" Aiko asked Chen Hai. Chen Hai nodded. "I will get them for you, but the quality might be low." The quality was low, but he couldn''t say it out loud as it would question his wealth, which he didn''t like. "No problem." Aiko didn''t mind, as she didn''t want to expose what looked like pricey equipment in her rings. "Can I watch, please?" Chen Jing pleads with puppy eyes. Her father wanted to stop her, but he was a step late. "I don''t mind." Aiko didn''t mind, as others liked to watch her Inscribe... now she wondered how her Teachers were doing. Maybe she should visit them later? Aiko sighed in her mind, but since she was allowed to go inside, she opened the warehouse doors. "Are you looking for something specific?" The grandpa asked as this little Fox piqued his curiosity. "I don''t know." Aiko said honestly, as that feeling of familiarity was very, very weak. She walked around the warehouse, picking swords that felt like they were talking to her. Others were watching this with strange expressions. They didn''t understand why she picked up the most haggard and broken swords. ''This one too~.'' ''Don''t forget this one.'' Aiko was incredibly happy as those voices returned and guided her more precisely around the broken swords. She was easily able to pick up the swords she wanted without much time wasted. She stored them in her Storage Ring and there was no longer a sense of familiarity in this warehouse. Aiko felt satisfied and returned to the Guest Hall for another tea, while servants rushed around her to get her the tools. "How many Inscriptions do you know?" Chen Jing was more curious than apprehensive towards the little Assassin, of course, it would be a different matter if the little Assassin didn''t know Inscriptions. "Not many." Aiko shook her head. She didn''t know many Inscriptions, but she knew a lot of Runes, which offset her lack of knowledge about Inscriptions. ''Well, I still know a few dozen more complicated Inscriptions, as I don''t need to know the simple ones.'' Aiko didn''t need to know the simple ones, as they were mostly pieced by one or two Runes with a single connection. This was much easier than Inscriptions with multiple Runes with multiple connections. The Tools were in front of her. They were pretty shabby and she would have to work hard to use them, but it wouldn''t expose her wealth, which was the most important thing, As she didn''t feel like she was powerful enough to protect it in the event that it was exposed. She picked up the Inscription Pen to familiarise herself and start the work. Chapter 118 – Want her as Master and Aiko scammed by Assassins! *Scribble Scribble* *Staaaaare~* Never mind! Aiko did dislike her staring at her so much! It was like she was trying to burn holes in her body with that gaze, but whenever Aiko would try to glance at her or ask her, she would look away! Aiko erased the previous Inscriptions and applied her own. Some Paper Lamps couldn''t be re-Inscribed, as the person who previously inscribed them made the grooves too deep, which meant that Aiko couldn''t scrape away the previous grooves. "Why are you placing those Paper Lamps there?" Chen Jing asked, not understanding the meaning of her actions. "Because they can''t be re-Inscribed." Aiko said flatly. "Why?" Chen Jing asked. Her voice dripped with curiosity. "The grooves are too deep, even if I tried to erase the previous Inscription, I don''t have the room necessary to carve a new one." Aiko shook her head. "Oh..." Chen Jing nodded obediently. Aiko continued working for the rest of the day. The work went faster than she expected, as the Paper Lamps were made out of paper and it was easy to create grooves in them. It WOULD be possible to Inscribe the Runes as is, without needing the grooves, but in that case, during rains or humid environments it might mess up the Inscription as the Inscription Ink was very cheap and of low quality. The grooves would help to keep it in place even in case it would slightly liquefy, preserving its effects. "But I heard that you can just Inscribe directly-..." Chen Jing was about to continue before she was stopped by the Little Assassin''s questionable gaze, as if she was trying to tell her ''Are you stupid?''. Chen Jing blushed slightly and coughed awkwardly. "I''m very new to Inscriptions, so I don''t understand much..." She confessed. "You can''t directly Inscribe it as is, the Inscription Ink is cheap and would be washed away." Aiko said dismissively, making Chen Jing even more embarrassed. Aiko finished Inscribing for the day and went to meet Chen Hai. ... "I will be leaving and I will come back tomorrow." Aiko said slowly, but firmly, not giving him an opportunity to say no. "Very well, our doors are open if you wish to return." Chen Hai was not upset nor did he hold any negative emotions towards this little Assassin. Outside the fact that she picked such dubious missions... "Thank you." Aiko left the room immediately. "How many Paper Lamps she fixed again?" Chen Hai asked his Shadow Guard. "12, Master." The Shadow Guard replied politely. "12..." Chen Hai tapped the table. "Remind me how many Paper Lamps was the previous Inscription Cultivator able to do." "He made over 200 of them, Master." The Shadow Guard didn''t know how to properly answer, so he told him the number of all Paper Lamps Inscribed by that Inscription Cultivator. "And in a day?" He stopped his tapping and supported his chin with his hand. "2, Master." The Shadow Guard suddenly paused. "So you did see the abnormality too." He mused. "This slave is useless and asks Master for punishment." The Shadow Guard prostrated, pleading. "No need. Have you tested the new Paper Lamps?" He asked while stroking his chin. "We only tested one... Master." The Shadow Guard confessed. "And?" Chen Hai asked, curious about the results. "That''s... we don''t know if we measured it correctly, Master." The Shadow Guard felt his body weakening from fear. "Just say it." He impatiently pushed the Shadow Guard. "Even if we had 200 of those new Paper Lamps. The consumption would be the same as 1 old Paper Lamp." The Shadow Guard shuddered as if this was not the case for the other Paper Lamps he would be heavily punished. "WHAT?!" Chen Hai jumped out of his seat, slamming his hands on the table. "Is that the truth?!" He glared at the Shadow Guard. "This lowly slave doesn''t dare to lie to Master." He kowtowed repeatedly and the wooden floor kept making a cracking sound. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. "Take me there." He urged his Shadow Guard. He wanted to see the new Paper Lamps. ... "Art! This is Art!" He laughed like a maniac, not believing that this beautiful engraving was possible, but it was in front of him and he had to believe it. "Butler, tell me the report again!" He laughed heartily. "Yes, Master." He bowed gracefully. "These new Paper Lamps, while consuming next to nothing as they gather the ambient Qi, are also slightly brighter compared to the old ones. The Qi Gathering is not invasive and during the running, I have invited a few Cultivators to Cultivate next to the Paper Lamps." He paused. "This was to make sure that the ambient Qi wouldn''t drop, making advancements more difficult." He repeated the report. "What we found out was that not only did it not affect their Meditation, but the Paper Lamp would also dim if the Cultivator consumed too much ambient Qi. This means that it''s safe to place these around the Seclusion Wing, saving us even more money that we would have to spend maintaining the Blazing Torches." The Butler repeated the rest. "Incredible! Simply incredible! Our Clan can rise like this easily, as we will be able to save so many Spirit Stones. We can then buy more Spiritual Treasures to adjust the Seclusion Wing, making it richer in Qi, speeding our advancements!" He laughed again. "If she returns make sure to cater to her every need! If she is bullied in our Town and I hear you didn''t step in..." He glared at them. "You don''t have to return to this Mansion." """Yes, Master!""" Everyone said in unison. "Chen Jing." Chen Hai gently looked at his daughter. "Yes, father?" Che Jing was also excited to hear the Butler''s report. "Do you still like Inscriptions?" He smiled at his daughter. "Yes!" She replied without hesitation. "Then make sure she recognizes you as her Disciple!" He chuckled. Chen Jing was shocked and taken aback since her father would not allow other Inscription Masters to take her as a Disciple. "Can I?" She asked, unsure if her Father was joking. "Can, you can! I will help you with it! But we have limited resources until next month, so it''s impossible to shower her with gifts." He shook his head sadly at the lack of resources. That kind of Master would be a godsend to his daughter. Screw the fact she is a Fox, she is much better than those old lecherous geezers that are Inscription Master, but at best with Grey Tokens. Chen Jing beamed. "I will do my best, Father!" She hugged her father happily. ... Aiko left the town. The feeling of being watched only intensified, but fortunately it was not like on the Shadows Peak where she didn''t know their location. There were a total of 5 assailants hiding in the Shadows. Aiko ran with average speed into the forest, allowing them to catch up. They slowly emerged from the Shadows blocking Aiko''s path. Aiko appraised them with her senses, but no matter how she looked at them... ''Why are they so weak...?'' The Assassins appraised the little girl. They smirked as it would be easy to kill her as she was not even as fast as they were. Aiko didn''t really have any emotions since they were too weak, yet so sure of themselves that it made her confused. She didn''t understand where that confidence was coming from. She was unaware that [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)], would allow her to mask her beast energy for everyone under Nascent Soul, unfortunately for them, they were only Early/Middle stage Golden Core Cultivators. They wouldn''t be able to see through her, unlike the Shopkeeper (Grandpa). The first one unsheathed his daggers and dashed towards Aiko. Aiko was on alert as her senses warned her about the daggers. She shouldn''t touch them. Aiko picked up a nearby rock and... *Ding* A crisp sound of a rock hitting someone''s head. "Agh!" He stumbled backwards, startling the other Assassins. They all drew weapons and rushed at the little girl who was courting death. They were never humiliated like this before and they would not have this! Aiko was not trained in her human body for combat. She didn''t know how to properly block or disarm as such her only functioning way of defending herself would be rocks if she didn''t want to turn into a Fox and reveal herself. She threw one rock after another and soon this turned into stalemate. They might not be as powerful as Aiko, but they were highly trained Assassins. They could defend themselves from the rocks with some difficulty and they were waiting for her to tire out, so they could finish her without the risk of getting their heads slammed with rocks. Unfortunately for them, they kept defending and defending, but the only party that was tiring out were the Assassins in front of Aiko, as Aiko had inhuman stamina even in her pseudo-human form. *Clang* *Crack* Over time Aiko was able to crack their weapons with the sheer force of her rocks, making the Assassins flustered. *Ding* Aiko was finally able to hit one Assassin on the head and he immediately passed out. Fear rose in the other Assassin as the spine-chilling sound of rocks hitting that Assassin''s head spread. They didn''t want to end up like he did, they didn''t want to die because of a rock! They frantically defended, some even taking out throwing knives and trying to hit the girl with them. Unfortunately for them, Aiko was in top condition when it came to stamina, while they were already tired. Those knives either missed her or were too slow to hit her to begin with. So she was able to avoid all the surrounding danger. *Ding* Another Assassin was knocked- no, killed. She actually killed that one, but now that she looked at his body, it was obvious why, as he was too skinny to protect his body from rocks that felt like cannonballs. *Ding* Aiko ''disposed'' of the other Assassins and breathed in relief. Those daggers and knives were seriously dangerous as they made even her hair stand straight. Aiko approached the Assassins. She wondered if they had any goodies on them or if she could find some kind of hint as to where they came from. The first one was the dead Assassin. He didn''t have anything on him, not even Pouch, tokens, money, nothing. Aiko frowned. This was probably what Assassin was like, but it still upset her that she had to deal with them and not even get any kind of reward. Aiko clicked her tongue and walked towards another dead assassin. This time he had 5 Silver Coins. ''Fuck! I got scammed!'' Aiko cried out. If she knew they were so poor she wouldn''t throw rocks casually, worrying about damaging treasures on their bodies. Aiko felt like she was wronged for this, so she stood up and walked towards another Assassin. This one was out cold and she couldn''t sense any movement from him. She rummaged through his robes, but yet again there was nothing. Suddenly her senses warned her of danger behind her so she jumped sideways. A knife passed through where she just stood. One Assassin was conscious and looking at her like she was some kind of monster. Aiko frowned and picked up a nearby rock to throw it at him. *Ding* Another satisfying crunching sound and he was dead just like that. Aiko sighed but staggered. There was some pain in her right-hand pinkie. She looked at it and her pupils constricted. Her finger was slowly turning green and there was a very slight cut on the tip of her finger... Chapter 119 – Poisoned Aiko walked away and hid in nearby bushes as she slid down, leaning against a tree. Aiko breathed slowly and explored the ring from Mei. There were many bottles with detailed descriptions, so Aiko went through one and another, finally finding the Universal Antidote Pill. This was a 3rd Grade Pill from precious materials that could detoxify many poisons. Aiko licked it, to taste test it, as she didn''t like bitter things. Surprisingly it was not bitter at all and it had a gentle smell of Mei still on it. Aiko munched it, but before she could bite into it for proper taste, it melted in her mouth. The feeling of exhaustion and her body numbing was suppressed by the mellow taste. Aiko felt much better, but also sleepy, so she found herself in a small hole, transforming into a Fox and sleeping there. ... Aiko woke up. Her injured paw was numb, but she felt better. Transforming back into her Human form, she noticed that her hand was still green and small veins travelled up her forearm, stopping in the middle of the upper limb. Aiko sighed, while those veins didn''t look all that bad, it still would be troublesome if Mei saw her like this. ''It''s better to return later...'' Aiko thought, she was more scared about Mei than Blood Fox running amok. Aiko picked up the contact Talisman. For some reason, it was already shining. "Sect Leader?" Aiko asked slowly. "Where are you?" The Sect Leader asked with a barely noticeable tinge of concern in her voice. Only the Sect Leader knew how scary the Jade Fox was when upset and that demon was currently sitting in front of her with a terrifying expression... "In a forest near the Town." Aiko said slowly, as she still felt somewhat tired. "You were supposed to be back already..." The Sect Leader frowned, seeing the Jade Fox''s face darkening as they continued. "I should still have time?" Aiko asked, not understanding what they wanted. Didn''t she just take a small nap? "It''s been a month since the last time you contacted me." The Sect Leader said with some fear in her voice. "Huh?!" Aiko was shocked speechless, didn''t she spend a day in the mansion and then run away to fight? A nap wouldn''t last a full month... right? [Age: 3.08/2,000] Aiko choked. [Happy Birthday!] [You are now 3 years old!] [Please choose a gift:] [1. Meat - 300] [2. Beast Core Formation] [3. Stat and Skill Points - 300] [4. Surprise - Surprise] ''Fuck you, system!'' Aiko cried out, if she didn''t look over, she wouldn''t get her gift?! "Well..." Aiko was embarrassed by this situation. A moment of carelessness caused her to fall asleep for a month? How could she know? "I was poisoned by an Assassin and took a nap..." Aiko''s voice was barely audible as she was too shy to recount the story. *Bang* Aiko jumped from the sharp and scary sound of the talisman. ''Scary! Scary! Scary!'' The Sect Leader was crying inwardly, seeing the livid expression that Mei had. "H-how are you now?" The Sect leader stuttered from seeing the demon staring at her. "I don''t know." Aiko was not worried that Mei could hear her, since she mostly spent her time refining Herbs. "I was poisoned, so I took the 3rd Grade Antidote Pill, but then I was too sleepy and I fell asleep..." Aiko recounted it. "Now it''s just green veins and I feel slightly tired, but that''s about it." Aiko finished waiting for the response. "Can you extend the time I can stay outside? Since it would be impossible to reach the Fox Village in a matter of days." Aiko tried to bargain, since she did finish the missions, but just didn''t return in time. "That can be arranged." Mei said through the talisman, shocking Aiko. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. "Um..." Aiko didn''t know what to say. "Return once you finish the business in the town. Take your time, but return to me immediately after coming back." Mei said in a neutral voice, but little did Aiko know, she had a very scary expression. The Sect Leader was now crying, shaking like a small rabbit caught by a beast. "It shouldn''t be a problem, right? Sect Leader~" Mei smiled at the Sect Leader. The poor Sect Leader, who thought she would be able to invite Jade Fox for a nice tea, but ended up at the tip of Mei''s wrath, was shaking her head. She didn''t mind, no. She couldn''t mind, how could she? Not when the scary demon in front of her was staring at her as if she was about to be devoured. "Okay..." Aiko felt guilty for some reason. "Stay safe. If there are more Assassins... just run away." Mei said. She was still upset that Aiko was injured. "Okay." Aiko nodded obediently, Mei was too scary to go against. The Talisman hummed again and lost its glow. It seemed like it could be used one more time before it''s unusable. Aiko didn''t mind this as this was not hers but borrowed goods. Aiko sighed, how is she going to clothe herself without her right hand? ... A day later, she was clothed, panting from the amount of work she had to do to wear those clothes. She slowly walked towards the town, her Stealth Abilities at its peak. She also wore gloves to conceal the fact she was injured. The Town was like how she previously remembered, nothing much changed. She sneaked into the mansion. It was quiet, so Aiko just went into the Inscription room to finish a couple dozen more lamps before completely leaving. She also wanted to pick a few more colours of Chen Jing''s underwear and extort a bigger reward for that mission. *Scratch Scratch* *Scribble Scribble* Aiko had a hard time placing Inscriptions on the Paper Lamps, as she was missing the necessary sense of touch to make it perfect. ''This won''t work...'' Aiko frowned. She couldn''t Inscribe it properly and that Inscription was only twice as good as the old one, which was not good considering she could make it a hundred times better if she was in a good condition. Sighing, she stood up, leaving the room, meeting eye-to-eye with Chen Jing. "You are back." Chen Jing suppressed her dissatisfaction when this little Assassin left without a word. "And I''m going, once again. I can''t Inscribe properly." Aiko shook her head. "You are injured." The Grandpa said from the rooftop with a passive expression. Aiko frowned inwardly. "I will be going for the time being." She didn''t want to stay somewhere where she was watched over while being injured. Aiko dashed away, not letting them say anything. "Injured?" The indifferent/dissatisfied Chen Jing frowned. "Is she alright?" She asked the Shopkeeper. "She is not in danger, but if it''s not removed properly it will hinder her Inscription Attainment." The Grandpa said softly, feeling pity towards that little Fox, but he slowly lost interest in her, as it would be difficult to remove that poison since it progressed in that way... Chen Jing felt a bit bitter. She treated that little Assassin as someone guilty, while not knowing her situation... "Will I be able to see her again?" Chen Jing asked the Shopkeeper. "It''s possible, she has a sense of value, so she will return here for another round of Inscribing. As for how long that will take..." He shrugged, while he expected that she would return to continue Inscribing. He also didn''t expect it to be any time soon, but he wouldn''t say those words out loud, lest he would jinx it. "Oh..." She felt sad, but she couldn''t do anything about this. She would report this to her father and listen to him. ... "Hmmmm..." Chen Hai frowned. He didn''t expect this kind of development, but he still held some hope for that little Assassin in taking his daughter as Disciple. ''Even if she is injured, she still should have vast knowledge about Inscriptions. My daughter learns well, so she will be fine even if that little girl doesn''t demonstrate her skills.'' "We won''t change our attitude just because of one injury. I still wish that little one would take you as Disciple." Chen Hai said slowly. "Thank you, father." Chen Jing bowed, feeling grateful. She kind of liked the mesmerizing way she Inscribed and she wanted to learn that. Aiko dashed through the forest and once she was deep enough she removed the bracelet from the Sect Leader. She felt a little stifled after wearing it unintentionally for a whole month. Aiko didn''t want to transform into her Fox form as she needed her front paws to dash around, but she couldn''t do that. Her speed would be affected greatly and it was easier to run on her two legs after that Elder Punisher''s training. Aiko sighed, but she couldn''t do much about it- ''What if I buy a Skill that would be able to purify poisons...'' [Poison Purification] [Passive Ability] [Cost: 1,000,000,000 Skill Points] Aiko staggered and nearly spat out blood. That thing was so fucking expensive! [Basic Poison Resistance] [Passive Skill] [Cost: 5,000 Skill Points][Cost reduced due to Stealth Abilities and Titles.] ''Buy!'' Aiko thought that this was much better than nothing. She had her last Ability Coupon. She didn''t want to use it, just because she was careless. [Basic Poison Resistance] [Passive Skill] [Allows User to reduce/resist the effects of Poisons.] Aiko immediately felt the effect. She could somewhat feel her arm, but it was very sluggish and hard to control. ''It''s a noticeable difference...'' Aiko wondered if the poison in her body would allow her to level up her Skill... and she didn''t need to wait for long to figure that out. [Basic Poison Resistance: Lv.1->2] ''... Nice." Aiko nodded, she didn''t feel as exhausted as before, but it would still take her significant time to arrive at the Fox Village. She will have to be careful about other Beasts as her dominant arm was not well, so she couldn''t throw rocks at them... Aiko perked up her ears, listening to any and every little sound that was around her. Avoiding growls or huffs, so that she was not in danger. She found a small meadow along the way, so she nestled up in the tree after collecting some kind of glowing flowers with their soil. She wouldn''t be able to sleep if it glowed under her. *Rustle**Rustle* Aiko''s ears perked. There was a rustling sound some distance away from her. She listened carefully. Footsteps... they sounded like bipedal. Possibility for Humans was high. Aiko hid. She liked this place and she was able to rest with her eyes closed. This place also didn''t trigger the distaste of [Filthy RICH Den Master]... Now that she thought about it... How was she able to rest on those uncomfortable tree roots?? Aiko didn''t understand, but that was not currently important. "I''m not joking, Senior Brother!" One guy laughed. "I really found the Morning Bells! And they were even mutated! Glowing!" He sounded like he was trying to sell some kind of treasure to his Senior Brother, but he himself was unsure if those Herbs were of any use. Aiko watched blankly, fortunately, they were only at the Peak of Foundation Establishment. She could ignore them, since they wouldn''t be able to find her with her Stealth Abilities. Chapter 120 – Tie em’ up! "You said that the Herb was here!" They yet again screamed at each other, irritating Aiko. ''Why can''t they just fucking leave...'' Aiko had a headache since she had to keep her senses sharp all the way and that exhausted her mind. She just wanted to rest here, since this place didn''t trigger [Filthy RICH Den Master]. Aiko waited a bit more, looking over to her system in the meantime. [Happy Birthday!] [You are now 3 years old!] [Please choose a gift:] [1. Meat - 300] [2. Beast Core Formation] [3. Stat and Skill Points - 300] [4. Surprise - Surprise] She wanted to know what [Beast Core Formation] did, but at the same time, 300 pieces of meat were very tempting. The 300 Skill and Stat Points were pretty much useless for her since she was in the thousands, so it wouldn''t make all that much difference. The Surprise one... let''s not touch it. Previously she got the Essence of something, but the system refused to tell her what it was exactly just that she needed to prepare if she wanted to use it. Aiko pouted. Her [Appraisal] was even more useless since it only told her that it was a Vial... Aiko pondered for a while, she already had Beast Core, but maybe the Beast Core Formation would allow her to glance at some secrets on how the Beast Core works. [Beast Core Formation] [Innate Ability] [It allows the User to form a Beast Core.] Aiko blinked a few times. This was indeed a nice thing if she didn''t already have 2 Beast Cores... 2 Beast Cores... Aiko pondered upon it. What if she had 3 Beast Cores? Was that possible? It says that it allows the forming of Beast Core, but it doesn''t say she can make only one... Aiko clicked on it. [Beast Core Formation] [Please select Qi-imbued items or Spirit Stones to power this Ability.] [Required Energy: 100,000,000 Qi] Aiko was left speechless, completely forgetting that there were humans around. Her mind couldn''t wrap around how much that was, so she used one Spirit Stone to gauge it. [Required Energy: 1/100,000,000 Qi] Aiko vomited blood, feeling unwell. Once again, she was cheated by the system, it was trying to rob her blind. She was curious how much worth the Spirit Crystals have, but her heart ached too much to actually use them on this shitty system. Aiko pondered quietly. On second thought, it was not that bad of a bargain since she would finish that delicious meal in a day (System Meat), but with this, she had assured a way to expand her energy storage. She would be able to Inscribe more Runes before running out. This also allowed her to gather more [Moonlight Qi], which was needed for the [Moon''s Eyes] and [Moon''s Crust]. Especially [Moon''s Crust] since that freaking bastard of a skill, costs 1,000 [Moonlight Qi] per average use. That was just too much and she could only form 52 of those wonderful barriers. Aiko turned her senses towards the people who were still screaming at each other, it was now evening and closing in on night. Yet they didn''t stop. Aiko wondered if they were trying to attract some monsters, with how loud they were. Aiko shook her head. It was not her place to say anything... but they really grated her ears! "UGH! SHUT UP, YOU BASTARDS!" Aiko roared at them. "WHO-" *Ding* The guy who was about to scream towards her voice was put to sleep with a rock. The others stiffened. That was clearly a female voice, yet those rocks were enough to knock the Cultivators unconscious, without shattering those rocks. They felt a shiver down their spine, but it was simply too late to do anything. *Ding**Ding**Ding**Ding* They all were subdued by rocks. Aiko observed them with [Moon''s Eyes]. They were all out cold. Aiko jumped down and immediately tied all of them, lest the previous incident happen. This was an incredible chore, as she almost couldn''t use one hand, but she persevered. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. They were all tied, but now they were disturbing to her sight. She looked around, but there was not really a place where she could put them without their legs or hands sticking around. Not to mention, it would be bad if they untied those ropes and tried to take revenge on her. Aiko picked a nearby tree and used another rope to lift them up. She then tied that rope around a nearby rock so it would hang in the air. This time if they untie themselves they would make a sound while falling on the ground. She hangs one guy after another. She didn''t want to kill them since they only disturbed her and didn''t have any hostility towards her, but she also couldn''t just shoo them away, since they wouldn''t leave considering their previous conversation. Aiko sighed. This was such a bothersome task, it would be easier if they were lighter. She was strong, she could lift them up, but with one hand everything was a lot more awkward. As she was hanging the last girl, she noticed she was staring at her wordlessly. Aiko was startled for a moment but continued her craftsmanship. "You won''t kill us?" The girl asked. "Why should I?" Aiko tilted her head. "You were just making a ruckus, in a forest that is dangerous." She shook her head. "I just want to sleep, but you just stirred the trouble." "Oh..." The girl nodded slowly. "What will happen to us?" She asked, she had sharp senses and knew this strange girl didn''t want to hurt them. "As long as you behave, I will release you after a good nap." Aiko slowly nodded, a mask concealed her smile. "Okay." The girl nodded, clearly relieved. Aiko didn''t understand where that calmness was coming from... Humans were truly strange creatures. ... She returned to her little ''nest''. The girl was still staring at her with curiosity. Aiko didn''t understand why that was, but then she realized that she didn''t have the bracelet on. She equipped it and sure enough, the girl lost that interest and no longer stared at her. Aiko sighed. She should keep in mind to wear this bracelet whenever she attacks. Always finish her enemies. Not to upset Mei... so many things she had to keep in mind. Aiko closed her eyes and slept peacefully. ... "Ugh..." One guy woke up, tied up and hanged. As he was about to scream, he was kicked in the gut by his female colleague. He winced from pain as his head throbbed, he was about to scream at her when she said chilling words to him. "If you can''t keep quiet you will die." Her calmness froze his heart, he didn''t understand what she meant, but he knew who she was. She was a prodigy when it came to Cultivation and Human emotions. Yet her own emotions were hindered. She talked very little, but whenever she talked, he knew that it was a serious matter. He kept his mouth shut, only lightly groaning. The others also woke up, but seeing the loudest person in the room quietly groaning they didn''t say or make a sound. The girl narrowed her eyes. She was surprised that the usual aloof and arrogant Seniors would be so quiet. She slowly recovered her energy since she used a bit of that energy to heal her wounds, but as she didn''t have the proper Body Constitution or Qi for it, it was a very slow and tedious process. Fortunately for her, she had nothing but time on her hands. They followed suit and recovered. This took them a whole day, but they were still hanging on the tree branches. They stared at their Junior Sister for an explanation, but she just shook her head and stared somewhere. They followed her gaze to find a small black-clothed figure sleeping. That figure was asleep, but her face was distorted like she was in pain. They stared back at their Junior Sister. Couldn''t they just escape these simple ropes and finish that person? That person doesn''t seem healthy so it would be easy! She understood their thought process, but she had no intention of doing anything. She would stay still until she was released. They grinned at each other. Since that person looked injured they will have an easy time dealing with her. They ignored the fact that they were knocked out. That was because all of them thought that if she didn''t ambush them, they would not be in such a sorry state. Three of the guys tied up in the tree broke free from the rope. Aiko''s invisible ears twitched. They fell on the ground. Aiko was already looking at them with a bunch of rocks in her hand. They recovered and were about to move towards the sleeping girl on the tree when 3 rocks were already in front of them. *Pop**Pop**Pop* The loudest guy who was still tied up as he didn''t follow them was now in utter terror. His entire body spasmed as he looked at his headless colleagues. He gulped down and looked at the still-calm girl, who had her whole body lowered in submission. He breathed heavily and played dead like his Junior Sister. Aiko swept her gaze over them. She was looking for any signs of cracks on the rope or anything that could threaten her. That guy shook like a leaf in the wind, whilst the girl just shivered, neither able to fully keep their composure under that intense bloodlust. Aiko narrowed her eyes. Everything seemed normal with the two of them, outside the fact that... that guy shat himself. Fortunately, she was high enough in the trees that the smell wouldn''t reach her. This will also be their punishment for not stopping their colleagues. Aiko returned to her normal position but winced. She subconsciously used her dominant hand, which now hurt like a bitch. She still needed a rest, but with how much it hurt, it was impossible to sleep. The girl was observing her. "I have some Soothing Pills." She said slowly after thinking it over. An intense glare locked on her body. Her body shook and she lowered her head. "What do you want?" Aiko growled. "Please move me to a different tree." The girl pleads. Aiko was taken aback by her demand. This was, but a simple matter and if the Pill worked, she would be able to sleep... Aiko jumped down silently. The guy was even more terrified than before. He didn''t dare to make a sound. Aiko moved her to another tree and the girl gave Aiko her Storage Pouch. "This one is poison, that one too, this is the one." The girl helped Aiko identify the Pills. "What if this one is also a poison?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. "I don''t dare to antagonize someone who is stronger than I." The girl shook her head. "And even if it was poison, it couldn''t stop you from killing me. It''s useless for me to give you a poison, as I value my life." The girl said with determination. Aiko nodded. Licked the Pill. ''Bitter.'' Aiko frowned startling the girl. Aiko munched on the Pill with a crunch. It was bitter and her whole face scrunched up. "Blegh, so bitter..." Aiko whimpered. She will have to ask Mei for more Pills later since those from Humans were unsuitable for her tastes. The girl''s lips twitched. While those Pills weren''t of the highest quality, they were still very expensive, alright! It cost her half a year''s worth of points to buy them! She could only silently curse this prodigal person. Chapter 121 – Return Aiko returned to her tree. The bitterness slowly vanished and her arm also calmed down. She was able to sleep peacefully for 3 days straight. ... "Sob, I''m so pitiful..." The loud, but now quiet male Cultivator sobbed. He didn''t expect that little black-clothed person to be so ruthless and left him hanging on the tree for almost 4 days straight! Naturally, he needed to go to the toilet a few times, but he couldn''t... "Ugh, the smell." Aiko recoiled when she got close to him. She couldn''t bear it, her nose was too sensitive to get close to him. She moved away from him with disgust. "Please don''t leave, Fairy!" He cried out. He would flatter this little girl as much as possible just so he could be released from his suffering. His muscles are now dead stiff and he wouldn''t be able to break through the ropes without any assistance. Aiko frowned. She didn''t like him, yet it wouldn''t be right to leave him like that, so she picked up a nearby rock and hurled it towards him. "Aaa! Please don''t kill me!" He yelled. But the rock didn''t hit him. He suddenly felt like he was lighter until he crashed into the hard ground. "Ugh." He groaned, but he didn''t have a hint of hostility towards her. Aiko moved towards the girl. She could feel that the girl was stiff. "What?" Aiko asked amused. "It''s not like you smell so bad that I couldn''t approach you." The girl''s lips twitched, but she didn''t say anything, since she didn''t want to end up like that guy. Aiko untied the rope and lowered her to the ground. Aiko wordlessly collected the Storage Pouches from the dead people, but they were simply too small, only as big as a large backpack. She left those Storage Pouches, as even the Inscription on them were very simple and not worth studying. They glanced at Aiko, but they didn''t voice their opinions. She truly behaved like a prodigal Fox, but only the girl knew that she was a Fox, a fluffy one at that. Aiko left the place without looking back. The girl fumbled her dice and smiled, before leaving with the smelly guy. "You should bathe as soon as possible." The girl frowned. "Sorry..." The guy would normally be livid, but this experience dulled his sharpness and wildness. The girl nodded slowly and played with her dice once again. She nodded slowly but without a smile. "You know Divination, Junior Sister?" The loud guy was shocked. "Yes, Senior Brother." She smiled at him with a fake smile. "It would be best if your current behaviour lasted or you won''t live long." She simply said, like an Immortal looking down upon the world. "This was an eye-opener for me." The guy obediently nodded. The girl clicked her tongue. "You should be happy she was in a good mood." "Is she that bad...?" The guy didn''t want to believe it, but something inside told him that it was indeed the case. "Make sure to bring gifts the next time you go out." The girl gave him a friendly reminder. "Gifts? Why? It''s not like I will meet her..." He paused, seeing his Junior Sister giving him the side-eye. *Gulp* "Surely I won''t meet her again, right?" He felt a sudden sense of foreboding and his Junior Sister''s glance only enforced that feeling. "W-what kind of gifts should I bring?" He stuttered, he didn''t want to meet that little demon again. "Why should I tell you?" The girl rolled her eyes and didn''t talk to this blockhead any more. He sobbed quietly and walked back towards his Sect. ... Aiko dashed through the Forest. She was now fully rested, so she was able to keep her top speed, whilst being on alert. There were many dangers along the way, but since she didn''t need to engage with them, she was safe. This was a good thing for her as she realized how dangerous these forests are. If she joined the Hunting Peak, she would have to hunt such dangerous creatures and that was simply not worth it. Instead she could just scribble a few Runes on swords or other things and then sell them for spirit stone. Then use those Spirit Stones to buy Beast Cores. That way, she didn''t need to go out hunting and risking her life. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Aiko nodded, pleased at her intelligence as she arrived in front of the Sect''s gate. She completely disregarded the fact that her hand was not healthy and thus she couldn''t create as wonderful Inscriptions as before. "Halt." One guard said that, but it was a different one from that Muscular Fox, this one was scrawny and small, but still bigger than Aiko. "It''s you." The Muscular Fox returned and frowned when he saw his colleague draw his weapon at his favourite little Fox. "Scram newbie, she is one of us." "But..." The other guard frowned and didn''t budge. In front of him was clearly a Human, but before he could voice his opinion, the Muscular Fox''s muscles bulged. "Yes, yes, one of us." He nodded obediently, letting Aiko pass. "It was already reported that you would return late." The Muscular Fox nodded slowly while observing her. "Any complications?" He asked just in case. He wished he could help her just a little bit. Aiko didn''t mind his attention, she found him kind of cute, especially when he lowered himself so they were at eye level. "I was poisoned." Aiko didn''t conceal it and showed him the injured hand. He gasped and grabbed that hand, observing it closely, his face frowning and darkening. He had a hard time suppressing his bloodlust. "What happened to the assailants?" "Head popped." Aiko said without any expression, she was amused by his reaction. "Good, good. Do you have any Antidote Pills?" He asked attentively. "Yes, I did, already used it." Aiko nodded. His face darkened. "You should visit ''Medicine Cultivator''." He advised Aiko. "I will be visiting my Mate, otherwise I might get dragged away." Aiko giggled. "Since she gave me the Antidote Pills, she should know the effects and what''s happening." What kind of Grade were they?" He asked. He would give her a few 1st and 2nd Grade Antidote Pills if she didn''t have them. "3rd." Aiko said. She liked that someone cared about her so much, without any hints of them plotting something. Meanwhile, the other guard was dumbfounded. The glaring and unapproachable bodybuilder was now as tender as a sheep? If he didn''t see it, he wouldn''t believe it! And what''s with his attentive attitude?! Didn''t he always coldly glare at the sight of female Foxes?! He couldn''t understand what was happening in front of him! *Pft* He choked when he heard that those were 3rd Grade Antidote Pills. He would have to spend years of his Sect Contribution Point just to get a piece! "Good, good." He recovered somewhat, but he was bleeding internally. Who would have thought that her Mate would be so generous that she would reward her with 3rd Grade Antidote Pills. It seems that he doesn''t stand a chance against her, but he wouldn''t give up just yet! He would observe her more and slowly befriend her! "Now, go go." He said gently pushing Aiko inside the Fox Village. "You should sort out your hand as soon as possible!" He nagged her before she disappeared from his sight. He sighed shaking his head. "What do I do now..." He then turned to his newbie colleague. "If a single word spread you know what will happen... right?" The Muscular Fox smiled, terrifying the scrawny guard. He nodded like a broken doll. ... Aiko rushed back into the Shadows Peak to fulfil the missions and visit the Blood Fox. "You are back." The Libra Fox smiled. Aiko nodded slowly. "I''m indeed back and I have fulfilled all the missions." "You have stolen the underwear?" The Libra Fox raised his eyebrow. Aiko choked up. "Bastard! What do you see me as?!" "You got a complete bombshell of a Fox as a Mate. You have another 2 bombshells on your team, one even being a Demonic Fox, which are known to be just heavenly in bed. You have changed the outfit to a more alluring one and you have taken a mission about stealing underwear." He summed up his impression of this little... very red Fox. Aiko was glaring at him with a completely red face. "So what!? Are you jealous that I have Mate like that?!" She didn''t have anything to retort as she was too embarrassed to think straight. "Of course I am!" He slammed his fist on the table and all the papers flew around the room. "Do you know how jealous I am?! Those beauties are just heavenly! I want them to step on-Agh!" He was nailed in his private parts by Aiko''s fist. She couldn''t bear to listen to him any more and could only think of this solution. ... "Have you calmed down?" Aiko asked as he was still holding his little treasure. He nodded obediently. "Good. I have not stolen anything, but I got a few colours." Aiko gestured. "Oh..." He blushed from the misunderstanding. "What kind of colours?" He slowly moved to his table so he could note it down. "White, Black, and Red. The two latter ones were very fancy." Aiko answered without battling an eye and Libra Fox''s lips twitched. "Okay. What about the rumours?" He asked once he noted everything down. "Saintess- Aiko explained what she heard. "So he is still going strong in the war." Libra Fox nodded slowly. "Thank you for the report, you have also fulfilled this mission. I have already heard about the Assassination one, so you don''t have to explain." He gestured. Aiko nodded. "You were also relieved from further missions and you can now take group missions." Libra Fox suddenly said. "Oh... okay." Aiko didn''t expect this as she had another 7 missions ahead. "But, you need a supervisor, so the Elders will vote on it." Libra Fox sighed, he hoped she wouldn''t get ''that'' guy. Aiko frowned, she didn''t like it when others decided something for her. She left the Hall and went towards the Blood Fox and Umbra Fox. The Umbra Fox was still terrified, meanwhile, the Blood Fox was like a tick, attached to Aiko without any movement. "I have to visit my Mate." Aiko gestured and she could feel the Blood Fox stiffen. "We will come with you, we are a team." The Blood Fox suddenly said and Umbra Fox wanted to cry out, but she couldn''t match the viciousness of those two, so she could only obediently follow. "I''m not sure what she will say..." Aiko didn''t know what to do about this. "Don''t worry, we are a team." The Blood Fox smiled gently. Aiko nodded, there was something strange about the way she spoke and acted, but since she couldn''t put her finger on it, she decided not to mind it. "Then let''s go." Aiko smiled. ... They arrived at the Grandmaster''s abode. She was away once again, but Aiko could smell Herbs drifting from Mei''s room. "I''m back." Aiko entered the small den. Mei smiled, she liked when Aiko was obedient, but that smile didn''t last for long. She saw the Blood Fox following her like an eyesore aswell as another girl... Chapter 122 – Bickering and Plans Aiko was looking over them. She was left completely speechless. Mei glared at Blood Fox. Blood Fox smirked. It was super effective. Rinse and repeat. At first, Aiko didn''t mind this exchange as she knew that Mei didn''t like Blood Fox, but... she didn''t expect this exchange to go on for 6 hours straight! Well, at least she was able to observe the Soul of Umbra Fox, but that got old quickly, so now she is looking over to the system. [ Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 500 - 500 (Adjustable 500 - 500 -> 0 - 1,000) Species: [Shadow Fennec Fox (Female, Juvenile, Single-Tail)] Species: [Moon Fennec Fox (Female, Juvenile, Single-Tail)] Age: 3.2/2,000 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Peak)], [Dream Beast Kitsune(Awakened)] Bloodline: [Moon Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)] Beast Rank: Magical Beast Level: 98 (3rd Evolution) Profession: [Opportunistic Kleptomaniac (Apprentice)] Sub-Profession: [Inscription Apprentice (1st Low-Grade Inscription Cultivator)], Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], [Little Princess], [Shadow Thief], [Master of Sex Toys], [Gourmand], [Explorer], [Trickster], [Mischievous Juvenile], [Filthy RICH Den Master], [Juve-barian], [Tail Hunter], [Bath Enjoyer], [Closet Pervert], [Devourer of Vitality], [Bane of Immortal], [One Who makes Immortal Faint], [Glutton], [Walking Runic Encyclopedia], [Backdoor Destroyer] Cultivation Technique: [Blood Tyrant Scripture], [Moon Goddess Scripture] Karma Companion: [Mei (Affection: 19,864 -> 20,134)] Companion: [Passion Fox (Affection: 64,346)] Servant: [Umbra Fox (Affection: Terrified of you)] Elemental Spirit: [Seed of ####; 89,540/100,000] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement)(*1-2.5 Lunar Enhancement) HP: 96,279|96,279 -> 96,567|96,567 (250pH & 0.4%pH) ST: 98,897|98,897 -> 99,409|99,409 (250pH & 0.4%pH) Vitality: 49,278|49,278 -> 49,518|49,518 (25pH & 0.4%pH)(1pH - Gourmand) Vigour: 51,896 -> 52,360 Beast Cores(50%): 20,000 (52,060) Moonlight Qi: 52,060 Toughness: 48,957 -> 49,173 Strength: 48,158 -> 53,604 Agility: 52,652*2 -> 53,196*2 Dexterity: 49,791*1.5 -> 49,975*1.5 Mind: 69,661*1.5 -> 71,629*1.5 Insight: 32,070 Soul: 33,060 Beauty: 270,011*1.55 -> 347,699*1.55 Luck: 69,421*1.02 -> 80,785*1.02 Stat Points: 11,458 -> 11,482 Skill Points: 9,364 -> 9,159 -> 4,159 -> 4,183 Elemental Affinity: [Moon - 0], [Shadow - 2], [Earth - 8], [Soul''s Affection: 1] Martial Arts: [Lightness Technique] Martial Ability: [The Ever Shaping Cauldron: - ; -/-], [Heavenly Suppression Technique(Prototype, Incomplete)] Innate Ability(New): [(New)Beast Core Formation] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####], [Soul Palace (Undeveloped)], [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)], [Moon''s Eyes], [Moon''s Crust] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered], [Earthen Walk: Mastered], [Appraisal: Lv.2], [Lunar Nurturing Meditation: Lv.1], [Assimilate (Shadows)], Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.3], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Lunar Enhancement: Mastered], [Agility Mastery: Mastered], [Intention Perception: Mastered], [Basic Presence Concealment: Mastered], [Universal Recovery: Lv.4], [Divine Calligraphy: Lv.2], [Shadow Swimming: Lv.1] Skills: [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Lacerate: Mastered], [Sprint: Mastered], [Quick Double Jump: Mastered], [Camouflage: Mastered], [Sleeping: Lv.1] Passive Skills: [Stealth: Mastered], [Prehensile Mastery: Lv.1], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Thermal Regulation: Lv.2], [Demonic Intimidation: Lv.2], [Linguistics: Mastered], [Enhanced Climbing: Mastered], [Enhanced Basic Senses: Mastered], [Enhanced Mind: Mastered], [Picturesque Beauty: Lv.2], [Four Leaf Clover: Lv.2], [Assassin Mastery: Mastered], [Dexterous Fingers: Mastered], [Inscription Mastery: Mastered], [Alchemy Mastery: Lv.2], [(NEW)Basic Poison Resistance: Lv.1->Mastered] Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], [Blessing of N¨¹wa], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x14], [Skill Coupon x2], [Skill Combination Coupon x2], [Cultivation Gift], [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Crystal 25,000]x2, [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Stone 100,000]x2, [Sub-Profession Coupon x2], [Divine Ability Gift], [Sub-Profession Coupon(Servant)], [Cultivation Gift(Servant)], [Ability Coupon], [Bloodline Gift], [Bloodline Gift(Servant)], [Ability Combination Coupon x2], [Profession Coupon], [Karma Bound], [Black Inscription Master Token], [Essence of ####] Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ] She got 8 levels from this short exchange, which was great. There was a new thing: [Soul Palace (Undeveloped)] What did it mean it was undeveloped? Did it affect its function or was it simply stating that it could be upgraded? Aiko didn''t know. She would have to look through the book of Mortal Realm and see if she can find anything, but not now. Others are here with her. Her [Basic Poison Resistance] has been mastered. When Aiko looked at it, she got two options. [Basic Poison Resistance] V [Poison Resistance] or [Basic Poison Immunity* (1)] Aiko looked through them. The [Poison Resistance] was a more powerful version of the [Basic Poison Resistance], but while the name was nicer. The effect was pretty much the same just stronger. Meanwhile, the [Basic Poison Immunity* (1)], was much more interesting. It gave her greater protection over certain poisons. Aiko wondered if she should go for [Basic Poison Immunity* (1)] as that would allow her to be almost immune to certain poisons. This was definitely a good thing, but there was an asterisk on ''Immunity''. If the poison she is immune to gets mixed with other poisons, that immunity won''t work. Aiko wondered if she picked [Poison Resistance], could it become [Poison Immunity]? This would have a greater effect and maybe the asterisk would vanish? Aiko pondered on it, since those two were still fighting, she had enough time to slowly think it over. ... ''Why is she here?!'' Mei glared at the Passion Fox. She already heard that Aiko created a team with two other foxes and one of them being this this little vixen, but she didn''t expect that this little vixen would follow Aiko everywhere like a puppy starved for attention! The Passion Fox was smirking at her. She made sure to stick very close to Aiko, not only to clear the voices out of her head, but also to upset the Jade Fox, since she was still bothered by their previous exchange. The Umbra Fox was crying in the corner, she wished she could vanish this instant as they were spilling an incredible amount of energy at each other as if trying to crush each other. Naturally, Aiko was unaffected, but the same couldn''t be said about her... "What do you want?" Mei growled. "I don''t want anything." The Passion Fox smiled innocently, which upset the Jade Fox even more. She was sure that the Passion Fox was trying to do something to Aiko, but she wasn''t able to find out what it was. The only thing she found out was that the Passion Fox was very affectionate towards Aiko and that she liked to hug her for hours. Mei clicked her tongue. "Then leave." She didn''t want to deal with this situation. "As we are a team, we need time to bond together." The Passion Fox smiled, but was laughing in glee inside. "Aiko doesn''t need you. She needs to recover from the poison." Mei snorted coldly. "Poison?" The Passion Fox was confused. Mei chuckled with glee. "Oh my~, she didn''t tell you?" *Click of a tongue* "You poor little thing." The Passion Fox glared at Mei. Mei was smirking at the Passion Fox. It was super effective. ... While the silly argument intensified further, Aiko picked the [Poison Resistance] enhancement, if she upgraded it enough times, the effect might reach complete immunity. This upgrade also didn''t cost her all that much, only 100 Skill Points, since the system reduced it because of her skill set. Aiko looked forward to see if the ca- foxfight was finished, but instead she was greeted with a situation where the roles were now completely reversed. How the hell did that happen?! She sneaked next to Umbra Fox and asked her quietly. "Why are they like that?" ''Mistress don''t ask me, sob, they will glare at me if you stay close to me, sob.'' The Umbra Fox was crying inside, but she couldn''t say that. "Jade Fox told Passion Fox about your poison... are you alright?" As she was in this scary team, she had to ask, lest they would find fault with her. "I''m fine?" Aiko thought that she was fine. She took down the glove to show her she could still move her fingers properly, but... *Gasp* A loud gasp attracted everyone''s attention. Mei and Blood Fox also looked over. The Blood Fox''s eyes constricted. She couldn''t believe that she was poisoned so badly, not to mention, that it looked so vicious and painful. Mei was stunned, but then she dragged Aiko to her to check her pulse. Her pulse was stable, so she was not in any danger, but that poison worried her. She prickled Aiko with her needle to see the colour of her blood and if it flowed properly. Fortunately, there was nothing wrong with her blood, which worried her more. ''Let it not be the bones or marrow. Let it not be the bones or marrow.'' Mei chanted in her mind. If the poison settled anywhere in those two locations, she would be in trouble... She inspected it again and again, each time her face darkened more and more. ''Fuck! It''s in the bones and marrow!'' Mei''s face distorted. She never cursed so much in her life as she was just now. ''Fuuu... calm down.'' Mei''s chanted her mind sutra to calm herself. ''It''s not lost yet, the Medicine Bath can purify some of it, but the most important thing is that I need to know how it became like this.'' "How did this happen?" Mei asked as calmly as possible, but Aiko was already quivering. ''Scary, scary!'' Aiko was crying inwardly when she saw Mei''s scary face and even more once she asked. "W-well..." Aiko stuttered, she slowly explained her situation and how she felt tired and fell asleep. Mei''s face was turning blacker and blacker and even the Passion Fox and Umbra Fox were holding their foreheads. Aiko sniffled. She didn''t understand why they were looking at her like that. Mei was still chanting the sutra so that she wouldn''t flip on Aiko. She had to keep reminding herself that she was just a cu-juvenile and that she didn''t know much about the world. The fact that you had to guide the Pill properties through your body manually was common sense. Otherwise, everyone would get poisoned like Aiko. No matter how powerful the Pill is, if it''s not guided properly it''s useless to use it as it will only cause more harm. ''I will need the Detoxification Pill... at least 5th Grade, but that requires a lot of rare materials and I don''t know if I can find it on this small continent.'' Mei clicked her tongue. She was upset that she let Aiko leave the Village so soon. She should''ve insisted that she stayed for a few more years so that she could teach her everything. ''I will definitely visit that ''Elder Punisher''.'' Mei smiled sinisterly, ready to make his life miserable. ... Somewhere far away, Grandpa Lin shivered and he immediately ran away as his life depended on it. ''This location is supposed to be safe!? Why am I feeling such a bad premotion?!'' ... Aiko wanted to cry, seeing such a scary expression from Mei. "You will stay inside the Fox Village until you learn everything!" Mei harshly reprimanded Aiko. Aiko obediently nodded as she was lectured for two hours straight, which was less than before, but still a lot considering her feeble body. Aiko was constantly blinking to stay awake, but soon fell asleep while sitting down. Mei moved her on her tails. They could still somewhat accommodate her, but she was also heavier. "Is it that bad?" The Passion Fox asked, but there was no hint of playfulness in her voice, unlike before. "Yes." Mei didn''t conceal anything. "You won''t be able to leave this Village for a few dozen years." Mei snorted coldly. "That is fine. Can she be cured?" The Passion Fox was worried, her portable calmer can''t be hurt. "It''s possible, but it requires a lot of resources." Mei sighed. "You better prepare to work your ass off." Mei warned them. "That''s only natural since we are a team." The Passion Fox didn''t reject this motion. Mei smiled, the Passion Fox''s image improved ever so slightly in her mind. "I will write down the ingredients and you should try to locate them inside this Village. It''s too dangerous for you to leave." Mei gestured. "If nothing goes wrong, we should be able to pacify the poison so that it doesn''t cause any inconveniences for Aiko." Mei thought for a bit. "We should also search for a few resources so that I can make acupuncture needles." "Okay." The Passion Fox smiled, this was a sealed deal. She would help Aiko recover and improve her image in Jade Fox''s mind. It was a win-win situation. The Umbra Fox felt devastated since the Passion Fox decided something on behalf of the team... again. She didn''t want to search for the Herbs as most rare Herbs were in the possession of the old lustful geezer, she didn''t want them to see her and take a liking to her. Unfortunately, she was not a boss in this team, nor was she powerful enough to refute them, so she could only go with the flow... Chapter 123 – Alchemy Revenge Aiko woke up, the situation was even more bizarre than before. Now they were grinning and giggling at each other?! Aiko rubbed her eyes. She couldn''t understand how it got to this, but all was well as long as they went hand in hand. Yawning, she stood up, but she was caught by Mei. Aiko was still half asleep, so she was more like a stringed doll, still sluggish. Mei hugged her gently until Aiko woke up completely. "How about trying Alchemy?" Mei asked with a plan in mind. ''If she practised Alchemy, she would not only know about Herbs that could be beneficial for her if collected, but Alchemy also needs to know how to refine Pills. That means they need to control flames with precision. This precision will be important in purifying her body.'' Aiko thought about it for a moment. She still had to figure out why those pieces of swords felt familiar. Aiko fidgeted. She didn''t really want to drive away the Blood Fox and Umbra Fox, but she couldn''t talk about the system in front of them. "Leave for now." Mei gestured towards the two. "I will visit my brother for the Herbs and return tomorrow." The Passion Fox didn''t reject Jade Fox''s command this time. Aiko stared at them blankly, weren''t they at war just a moment ago? How did this happen?? They left, leaving them alone. "Mei..." Aiko didn''t know how to say she felt intimate with the swords. "Take your time." Mei said gently while sorting through some herbs. Aiko kept sitting as she still felt a bit tired. This was strange as the tiredness came in waves and she didn''t understand why, since she felt alright. Noticing Aiko''s puzzled expression, Mei said gently. "Because of the poison inside your body. There might be side effects, such as pain, tiredness, queasiness and so on." Aiko slowly nodded, this could explain everything... "Did you do something with that system again?" Mei asked, narrowing her eyes. During Aiko''s sleep, she observed her and found strange energy reducing the effects of the poison, but not purifying it. This was incredibly strange to her until she remembered about that strange system. Aiko nodded sheepishly. "I have purchased [Poison Resistance], otherwise I wouldn''t be able to move my arm." Mei sighed. This system was too powerful, she was worried that Aiko would rely on it too much, but in these instances, it was nice to have it... "What did you want to talk about then?" Mei gently stroked Aiko''s silky hair. "Well... I... feel intimate with some swords?" Aiko murmured. Mei paused for just a moment before resuming. "I see, may I see the-" She then realized that Aiko didn''t say a sword, but swords. "Swords?" "Sure." Seeing Mei puzzled, but still with a non-judgemental expression, Aiko was happy and pulled out the remains of the broken swords. Mei stared at them even more confused. Usually one would feel intimacy towards one sword that would fit their needs and could also indicate that they were developing a sword heart, but this whole situation was strange. She couldn''t understand why Aiko felt intimate towards these broken swords. "May I research these swords for a few days?" Mei asked gently. She would not deprive her little sweetie of her toys, but it was important to figure out why she felt intimate about them. It would be bad if those swords had evil spirits in them that would try to possess Aiko. "Also..." Aiko didn''t know if she should ask. "You worry too much." Mei hugged Aiko gently like a caring mother. "Just tell me your worries and I will help you." "I have this Divine Ability called [Soul Palace]." Aiko said slowly, but she could already feel Mei being stiff as a block of wood. "S-Soul Palace?" Mei stuttered, she couldn''t believe that Aiko earned that Divine Ability from legends. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. "Yeah, but it says it''s [Undeveloped]. What does that mean?" Aiko asked Mei. She couldn''t use her book to find information on it and it didn''t seem like Mei would leave her alone, so she could only ask her. "It means you have not built the Soul Palace." Mei pondered, from the snippets of her memories she pulled a bit of information. "This is long forgotten Divine Ability. It starts with the passive effect that is depleted over time. This effect protects your Soul from any kind of interference. It shrouds your Soul in a Palace and the assailant or Ability has to pass through the Palace before having any kind of effect on your Soul." "As it implies, the passive effect has been depleted and now you need to develop the proper Soul Palace that will protect you." Mei explained slowly after recovering some information bit by bit from her memory. "How do I do that?" Aiko asked. "You first need to condense your outer Soul into a Soul Foundation for the Palace." Mei paused. "It''s a bit too early for you to start doing that since your Soul is too weak, but since you will be staying in here with me, we will tackle the Souls and everything. So this might be the best opportunity for you to build at least a basic Soul Palace." Mei still didn''t understand why those Souls screamed at Aiko. When Aiko heard the ''tackle the Souls'' she shivered. She didn''t want to experience that bullying again. "It''s alright." Mei soothed Aiko. "It''s important for you to learn Alchemy first before anything. Alright?" Mei devised the plan and lured Aiko into it. Aiko nodded gently, everything was better than those ugly-looking, bullying Souls. Mei nodded, she was happy that Aiko was once again obedient. Then she sends a telepathic message to that strange ''Beast Core''. ''Can you deal with the poison?'' ''No. It''s too filthy.'' The Seed answered, while ''glaring'' daggers at Mei. ''I see... how useless.'' Mei clicked her tongue. ''You are useless! Your whole shitty family is useless! Your grandpa is useless!-'' Mei ignored the rebellious Seed, she hoped that she would be able to extract it from Aiko''s body, so she didn''t become rebellious like that Seed... Aiko was unaware of what was happening and asked Mei. "Where do I start?" She wanted to start it, lest Mei change her attitude. "Here." Mei gave Aiko a Jade Slip with the introduction to 100,000 Herbs. This didn''t have their effects when Pill concocting, but it had pictures of how they looked and what they did in their raw form. Aiko took that slip slowly, placing her mind into it. She almost fainted immediately. "S-so many of them?!" Aiko cried out. Mei felt helpless, yet she was also smirking inside. ''I had this exact same reaction.'' She giggled. "It''s just an introduction to Alchemy." She shrugged. Aiko''s soul, she had to learn countless amounts of Herbs and yet it was still considered ''just'' the introduction?! Seeing the speechless Aiko, Mei giggled with glee. ''Who told you to injure yourself.'' This was her way of taking revenge. You didn''t necessarily need to know about all 100,000 Herbs, but Mei would naturally not tell her that. "This is my cumulative knowledge, don''t give it to anyone, okay?" Mei gently caressed Aiko''s head. "A-all of this?!" Aiko was shocked. "Mm." Mei gave her a positive answer and Aiko deflated. "C-can I do something else?" Aiko was intimidated by the sheer amount of knowledge. "Sure, we can return for the Soul-" Before Mei could finish, Aiko screamed and placed her hands on Mei''s mouth. "I will do it! I will do it!!" Seeing the crying yet serious expression, Mei laughed in her mind. She gently patted Aiko. Aiko went into a nearby corner, doodling with a crestfallen expression. Mei let her play around, as this couldn''t be forced. She would let her slowly learn and explain to her anything she didn''t know. Even if she wasn''t able to refine Pills... she could still concoct some useful ones, but the most important part was the precision and flame adjustments. ''If she learns well, we will be able to slowly burn the poison in her bones...'' Mei nodded slowly. While this way was very painful, it would allow Aiko to use her hand like before. The more pressing issue was the poison in the bone marrow. She did seal it temporarily, but that is not a solution. If Aiko got too far from her, the seal would disappear and it would continue to spread. Aiko was doodling unhappily, but she knew that if she didn''t start, Mei would go with the Soul solution... Aiko was not ready for that just yet. She picked up the Jade Slip and slowly read through it. It was very difficult and slow to read, much less comprehend the information in the Jade Slip to the point that she didn''t even notice Mei left the place. ... Mei visited one familiar Forging Cultivator. "Hey! Come out!" Mei ruthlessly kicked the door several times. She chuckled. ''It seems like this bastard reinforced the doors.'' "Hey! Come out or I will kick down your door!" Mei shouted. "HAH! Try it!" A laugh drifted from inside. It was the Bronze Fox. Mei''s lips twitched. ''Just because he reinforced the door a little, he is getting haughty.'' *Kick**BOOOM* "AAAGH!" The Bronze Fox screamed as he was hit by the broken doors. "What the-Auch." The Bronze Fox didn''t understand how such beauty could be so violent. Mei walked inside his room and sat down on a chair that looked somewhat clean, this was the only chair that could be considered clean from all the others. "Look these over for me." Mei placed a few broken swords in front of him. He paused, normally she would come in and make him create Pill Cauldrons, but for some reason, she came in with broken swords today? "What do you need me to do?" The Bronze Fox didn''t understand. "Just tell me if there is anything strange about those swords." Mei snorted coldly. He shivered and touched the swords, Mei was looking over the whole process. Her powerful Divine Sense could not find any remnants of a Soul, nor any kind of Array that would tamper with Mind/Soul. She couldn''t understand why Aiko felt so intimate with this lot of gar- "Ah! A treasure!" The Bronze Fox suddenly yelled, startling Mei. "Are they?" Mei was looking at him suspiciously. The Bronze Fox ignored that gaze and explained in hopes that he could keep them. "These swords are ordinary, but the core of the sword isn''t. The core of the sword was forged with rare meteorite!" His eyes sparkled. "This meteorite has different properties depending on the amount of heat you subject it to. As such, it''s peerless material for Forging Cultivators!" His breath quickened, if he could get his hands on it, it would be a blessing! "I see..." Mei nodded slowly, she had never seen this kind of exaggerated expression from the Bronze Fox, so it must be the truth. "Let''s talk about the effects." Mei smiled like a devil and the Bronze Fox shivered. He understood that he would never see this kind of material again if he didn''t fulfil her wishes... Chapter 124 – Deals and Training "No." Mei rejected him upfront. She would not trade these materials for some shitty Cauldrons. Not to mention, this ''Forging'' prodigy was just a shitty 4th Grade Forging Cultivator, not worth her time or resources. "But you go through so many Cauldrons..." The Bronze Fox tried to negotiate. "Maybe if you forged it properly I wouldn''t need to come here so often!" At this point Mei was very upset, but this jerk always said that it was not his issue. Mei stole those swords from his hands and stored them. She will figure out what her sweetie likes about those swords first before doing anything. It was also important to get a good deal, but she was not a Forging Cultivator, so she didn''t quite get the uniqueness of this material. ''There are plenty of Herbs that can be used as bases, but there is no a universal Herb...'' Mei thought. If this material could be used universally, it would upset her even more since Herbs didn''t have that kind of property, at least according to her current knowledge. Mei stood up, leaving the Bronze Fox sobbing, that he let this opportunity go. Naturally, he couldn''t stop her, as even those specially forged doors couldn''t stop her. Mei left for the Shadows Peak. She would extort a few things from the Elder Punisher. "J-Jade Fox!" The Guard shivered. "Yes, that''s me. Is Elder Punisher inside?" Mei had a very unkind smile. "N-no, he is on a mission!" The Guard replied immediately, worrying about his life. He had already heard that the Vicious Cub was poisoned and the Jade Fox was definitely here because of that! "Tsk." Mei clicked her tongue and left. The Guard breathed a sigh of relief that he got to live another day. ... Aiko finished reading through all of those Herbs, but she could only remember a few. ''Butstalk Grass, Tittieling Flower, Iron Ball Bells.'' Aiko giggled, these were some of the easiest to memorize. Mei returned. Seeing Aiko giggling, she got close to her and caressed her head. "How many did you remember?" Mei asked gently. Aiko stiffened. She couldn''t tell Mei that she remembered those naughty names. "It''s too hard to remember." Aiko lied without batting an eye. "Hmmmm..." Mei continued to caress Aiko''s head as she saw her slowly turn redder and redder. "Are you sure you have not found anything funny?" Mei gently stroked Aiko''s silky hair. *Cough* Aiko awkwardly coughed. "Of course not!" She lied again, but her completely red face gave her away. "As long as you can remember over time, it doesn''t matter if they are funny or not, okay?" Mei smiled gently, she was much gentler than before. Aiko nodded slowly, but there were just too many of them. "I also obtained a sla- Forging Cultivator when I strolled around, so we could create that ''Massage Chair''." Mei smirked. Aiko''s eyes lit up, ignoring Mei''s strange state. "Really?! Hehe~" Aiko giggled happily, her motivation increased and she would work slightly harder on remembering those Herbs! ... The Blood Fox visited her brother. "Brother." The Blood Fox interrupted them. The team frowned, but her brother beamed happily. "Sis." He immediately hugged her. "I didn''t know you could walk around now." He looked her up and down. She was as lovely as he remembered when they were kids. The team were eyeing her up and down, but from the moment he called her ''Sis'' they curbed all their emotions. They would not lust nor glare. Their emotions were like water. They couldn''t afford to anger this Siscon, ever! "Peak Elder said that if I can keep my Bloodlust in check, I would be allowed to walk around temporarily." The Blood Fox confessed. "Good, good!" It pained him greatly that his Sis would be locked in that unsightly place, but now that she could walk around, his likeness towards that strange little ruffian increased. "She doesn''t abuse you, right?" He was talking about the little Vicious Cub. "She is good." The Blood Fox smiled. She couldn''t afford her brother going after Aiko, since she was currently injured. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "So, what would you like me to do?" He smiled like the sun, blinding everyone present. "I''m looking for these Herbs." The Blood Fox said gently and gave him a very small Jade Slip. "A Jade Slip? How rare." Zhi was surprised. He put his mind into it and browsed the Herbs. *Hiss* "Those are all rare Herbs!" Zhi looked at her in disbelief. "Did something happen to you?" The Blood Fox shook her head. "Not to me, but to my Leader." Zhi''s face distorted. "You should forget about these Herbs." He didn''t want her to look for them, since those Herbs were the possession of those bastards. The Blood Fox smiled. "Pretty please, brother? I want to explore the outside world..." The Blood Fox gave with puppy eyes, which she observed from Aiko. Zhi staggered like he was badly injured. "T-this is cheating!" He blushed, but he was really weak against that attack. "Fine! I will look for them, but promise me you won''t look for them!" While he was soft, his main goal was to protect his Sis from any danger or unsavoury practices. The Blood Fox nodded gently. Meanwhile, the whole team were left with their mouths agape, unable to comprehend what they had seen. Their leader, with a heart of steel and an indomitable will, had yielded like a thin branch to the wind?! Who would believe them?! ... The Blood Fox returned humming. "Did you find those Herbs?" Mei''s eyebrow lifted when she saw the Passion Fox humming. "Something like that." She was sure that her brother would assist her in this ordeal. Mei slowly nodded and looked over at the agonizing Aiko. She was frowning and thrashing around with the Jade Slip. It didn''t seem like she enjoyed cramming things. The Blood Fox also looked over and found it funny. "What is she doing?" She asked gently. "Learning Herbs." Mei replied passively. "She should do it slowly, otherwise she won''t remember much..." The Blood Fox proposed. "Oho?" Mei glared at the Passion Fox. "How many should she remember each day then?" She was both amused and infuriated by that statement. "10 or 20?" The Blood Fox nodded slowly. "So it would take between 10,000 and 5,000 days for her to learn it?" Mei chuckled devilishly. The Blood Fox was shocked. "How many Herbs did you make her learn?!" "Just a couple." Mei dismissed the Passion Fox''s glare. "You will overwork her." The Blood Fox pressed the issue. "She is still poisoned and weak." "Cultivators need to have knowledge about those things." Mei once again dismissed the Passion Fox. "Or are you just projecting your own miserable life onto her?" The Blood Fox scoffed at her. Mei glared at the Passion Fox. "I''m doing what is best for her!" She would have none of that. This kind of knowledge can save her life when it comes to it. "Suuuuure~" The Blood Fox mocked the Jade Fox. Mei was completely livid and she just wanted to rip this Fox apart! "Ugh! Would you two just shut up! I can''t hear my own fucking thoughts!" Aiko yelled at them. The Blood Fox and Mei who were ready to fight it out paused. They looked over at the small and cute little Fox who was stomping her feet. They glanced at each other. There was a silent consensus that they would fight this one out somewhere without Aiko. ... A month passed. Aiko was still slowly learning the Herbs. Today the Grandmaster came over. She saw the bigger Aiko and thought about training her in her human form, but once she knew about the poison, she dropped that idea. She then noticed 2 more Foxes in her ''small'' abode. ''What is the Passion Fox doing in here? And there is one more?'' She looked up and down while observing the ''little'' Black Fox. She was a beauty, hidden under those clothes. She was around 165cm in height, but her legs were considerably longer than her peers. She had Black hair and a tail, with white insides and a tail tip. Furthermore, she had a gentle, yet alluring expression. Her mouth was small, as was her nose. Her ears were of average size. Not only that, but her bosom and other proportions were those of an hourglass figure, yet she could feel that the Fox in front of her had perfect control over her body. This meant that even when she transformed into a proper Human form, she would still have that kind of body. The Grandmaster took interest in this ''little'' Black Fox. "I will be taking her with me." The Grandmaster came next to the ''little'' Black Fox, startling her. Aiko looked up. "Grandma." She smiled from ear to ear. The Grandmaster staggered this time. "I''m not that old!" She glared at the little mischievous Fox. "Okay, Grandma." Aiko nodded obediently, but her words were completely different. The Grandmaster held her head. "What''s with the Passion Fox?" She asked. She could not hear any kind of disturbance in the Passion Fox''s mind. It was strange and puzzling. "She is part of my team." Aiko replied flatly. She thought that Grandmaster already knew about it. The Grandmaster shook her head. "Rare that there is a team consisting of 3." Aiko shrugged. "You can''t take Umbra Fox." Aiko refused to give her up. "I''m not ''taking'' her, I''m training her." The Grandmaster smirked. "On that note, we have not fought in a while." The Grandmaster smiled like a devil. "I-I''m injured!" Aiko cried out. "That is alright." The Grandmaster smiled kindly and Aiko breathed a sigh of relief, but froze soon after. "It''s only natural that you train for the instances that you injure yourself." The Grandmaster nodded. "Your enemies won''t wait until you heal up, so it''s better to learn how to fight while you are injured-" The Grandmaster looked at the little Vicious Cub with amusement. Aiko hid behind Mei, looking upset and glaring at the Grandmaster. Mei''s lips twitched. "You can train the Umbra Fox." Mei said, likewise with amusement. "She needs to get stronger if she wishes to keep up with these two monsters." Mei sighed helplessly. The Umbra Fox was quivering, not because of fear, but because she knew what kind of valiant person the Grandmaster was. She was truly blessed! Not in a million years would she expect to learn from the legend herself! The Umbra Fox smiled, but didn''t miss a single beat. "Disciple greets Master." She prostrated herself. The Grandmaster was nicely surprised by the Umbra Fox''s thoughts. "I won''t go easy on you just because of some flowery words." The Grandmaster chuckled. "That is fine!" The Umbra Fox had firm eyes, surprising Grandmaster again. "In that case, I won''t hold back." The Grandmaster turned into a complete devil as she dragged the Umbra Fox away for ''training''. Aiko was looking towards them and she was waving a white napkin with teary eyes. Meanwhile, Mei was holding in her laughter. This kind of sight was too funny for her. It looked like Aiko was saying her last goodbye to a dear friend. The Blood Fox didn''t understand why Aiko was doing that, but it wouldn''t take long before she understood the Grandmaster''s terror, as she would be yet another subject to the Grandmaster''s ''soft'' regimen. Chapter 125 – Inscribing again! Another month passed. Umbra Fox always returned half-haggard and half-dead. The Blood Fox was very curious about what was happening with the Grandmaster, but not curious enough to leave Aiko''s side. ''You spoil her too much!'' Mei said telepathically while glaring at the Passion Fox. The Blood Fox ignored the Jade Fox. She would let Aiko lay or sleep on her tails whenever she wanted, since this also allowed her inner voices to calm down. It was a win-win situation for both of them, but Jade Fox didn''t think so. ''She will become a brat if you spoil her too much!'' Mei''s gaze pierced through the Passion Fox, but Passion Fox just shrugged. The Blood Fox would spoil her to stay with her, which also upset Mei. She found this hilarious as in normal combat she would not be Jade Fox''s match, but with this... this situation devolved into who could spoil Aiko better and upset the other. The Blood Fox was winning, since she didn''t need to move and only read books. Meanwhile, Mei needed to move as she was almost constantly refining Pills, which didn''t suit Aiko. Aiko finished a total of 1,000 Herbs as of today, there were 99,000 more, but she was so incredibly bored... ... The Umbra Fox returned to the Grandmaster. "You are a diligent Disciple." The Grandmaster said gently. "Thank you, Master!" The Umbra Fox bowed, incredibly happy inside her mind. "You also have good senses." The Grandmaster continued. "But that won''t be enough to keep up with them." She then poured cold water over her. "H-huh?" The Umbra Fox believed she was doing good so far. "The little one is much more powerful even when she doesn''t cultivate her strength and the Passion Fox is a natural devil when it comes to combat." The Grandmaster shook her head. "Even with my training, if you can''t develop your Bloodline, it will be useless." The Grandmaster explained her reasoning. "I see..." The Umbra Fox was startled, she believed she would be able to defeat the Vicious Fox and Passion Fox, given enough time. "Given enough time, they will naturally get stronger." The Grandmaster chuckled at her naive way of thinking. "But she is currently poisoned and the Passion Fox is also not training...?" The Umbra Fox was confused. Her peers were left already in the dust thanks to the Grandmaster''s short teaching, but she still couldn''t defeat those two? She couldn''t believe it! The Grandmaster chuckled. "Wait here." She then left and came back with a confused Aiko under her arm. "Grandma?" Aiko tilted her head. "Fight her in your human form and then you can leave once again." The Grandmaster petted Aiko''s head. "Uh... I don''t think that''s a good idea..." Aiko tried to wiggle out of it. "Or you can join our-" Before the Grandmaster could finish, Aiko was already in front of the Umbra Fox. "I will fight!" She yelped and then turned at the Umbra Fox. "My apologies, but my comfort depends on this." Aiko apologized to the Umbra Fox. "It''s not clear who will win." The Umbra Fox narrowed her eyes, upset at the fact that the Vicious Cub underestimated her. "You can start." The Grandmaster said dismissively and the Umbra Fox dashed at the Vicious Cub... but the Vicious Cub was no longer there. ''Where is she?!'' The Umbra Fox looked around cautiously, but then something hard hit her on the back of her head and she passed out. "Ah!" Aiko panicked. She didn''t think she would fall so easily! "She is alright, you can return." The Grandmaster pursed her lips, she didn''t expect this little one to be so ruthless. ''Maybe the Passion Fox is closer in strength?'' She thought. Aiko left humming, she was happy that she didn''t need to attend this training, but she was also concerned about the Umbra Fox''s wellbeing, yet this concern was short lived when weighted against the hellish thought of staying with the devil known as the Grandmaster for another second. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ... The Umbra Fox woke up with a headache and stared listlessly around. "Do you understand now?" The Grandmaster chuckled. "She doesn''t grow like a normal Fox. That is also one of the reasons why I have taken her in, since her growth will be worthwhile." She smiled. ''We also can''t allow those old bastards to take her in or our faction would be pretty much done for.'' She sighed. The Umbra Fox was much tamer than before now that her short-lived pride was shattered in a mere instant. She vowed to never stick her neck out so much and would obediently listen to the Grandmaster as this whole thing was an eye-opener for her. ''Who cares about my peers when someone younger than me is so much stronger...'' The Umbra Fox clutched her fists. "Let''s train." The Grandmaster put down the Jade Slip and stood up with a wooden sword in her hand. "Yes." The Umbra Fox nodded and stood up. She ignored the headache and readied herself for combat. The Grandmaster delivered strikes and stabs, but the Umbra Fox was able to dodge most of them. The rest were shielded by her own wooden sword. "You flail too much, if you want to become a proper Assassin you can''t allow your enemy to injure you, or it''s game over." The Grandmaster reprimanded. "You can''t wear normal armour as the Qi imprint would make you into a light shining in the dark. You can''t use shields as they are large and heavy. You need to dodge everything and counterattack at other times." The Umbra Fox tried to jump around like a rabbit, but she would always be struck down by the Grandmaster. "Don''t jump willy-nilly, I already told you that you flail too much. Keep it to the ground. If you jump and you are not the Vicious Cub with second jump, you can''t dodge mid-air." The Grandmaster scolded her. The Umbra Fox nodded and they continued to battle, but the Grandmaster was smiling the whole way as if pleased. ... Aiko returned and plopped on those 11/10 tails. She was incredibly happy that the Blood Fox didn''t move and stood still. That could allow her to learn and rest properly, unlike some other 10/10 tails which moved all the time, because of the Herb refining. Aiko yawned and focused on learning... ... Aiko woke up again. An additional 2 months passed. She learned a total of 2,000 Herbs. This speed was not enough for her, but she couldn''t think about it for too long. "Look at what I have." A soothing voice drifted into her ears. It was Mei with a soothing expression. "What is it?" Aiko stood up and walked near Mei. The Blood Fox glared at the Jade Fox but didn''t say anything. Aiko would return soon and her tails would not feel so lon- no wait! She is not doing it because of that, but because she wants to get rid of those voices! The Blood Fox nodded to herself, clearing her delusions. Aiko sat down near Mei and stared at those strange pieces of metal for a while before it clicked. "The moving parts of the Massage Chair?!" Aiko cried out happily. Mei nodded gently, but she didn''t expect that Aiko would jump on her, hugging her. "Thank youuuu~~" Aiko hummed happily, she was so bored out of her mind and she didn''t want to use the system on this as she was trying to save up Skill Points. This situation would help her recharge her batteries and maybe she could convince Mei that ten thousa- No! Five thousand Herbs would be enough to learn! Aiko was very passionate about this whole situation, but Mei already knew that she was trying to run away from learning the Herbs. "Do you still have the blueprint?" Mei asked gently, but she then haughtily looked at the Blood Fox. The Blood Fox glared back at the Jade Fox. She would drag her to fight later that day. Aiko pulled out the blueprint. "I''m not sure how well I can do with my current... state. If I draw them too slowly, the material will crumble to dust." Aiko frowned. "At the same time, my Beast Core Energy will deplete at a faster rate, so I will have to rest a lot more." Aiko didn''t like this whole idea, but it was much better than learning Herbs. If push came to shove, she would buy some kind of Skill to quickly learn the Herbs so she could be free. At the same time, she didn''t like the idea of overly relying on the system as her points were currently limited, if she could farm her Skill Points she would not be as reluctant... Aiko picked up her Inscription Carving Pen, but it was already obvious that she would not do well, as her hand was simply too clumsy. She then had an idea. How about she carved it first and then just used the Pen to fill in the Inscription Ink? She could definitely try that. Aiko took the Inscription Carving Pen, but without ink and slowly carved into the metal... ... A week had passed and Aiko finished the first engraving. She dipped the Inscription Carving Pen in Inscription Ink and filled the grooves with it. The Inscription lit up at intervals, notifying Aiko that they work correctly and it took her only about 2 hours and 5,000 Beast Core Energy to finish that work. The Inscription worked, as this whole piece was very slippery, but it also didn''t turn to dust, so the Qi Gathering Inscription worked too. Aiko nodded in satisfaction, now she just needed... another 84 pieces... She stared at it blankly and her enthusiasm declined greatly. Aiko sighed and scrunched her face. She would meditate to recover her Beast Core Energy and fill her ''Elemental Spirit'' at the same time. It would still take a long way to create this, so she could meditate after engraving for a bit. Aiko looked over the first Inscribed piece. She noticed that Inscriptions created from engraving first and then filled with Inscription Ink were much weaker than engraving into it directly with the ink, however that didn''t make them worthless. There are not many Inscription Masters in this continent and most of them have too big of a pride to sell their stuff to everyone. If she could Inscribe the Runes and have someone fill them... Aiko smirked, she could sell a lot of them while keeping her Beast Core Energy somewhat the same. Aiko giggled sinisterly and they all looked at her, shaking their heads. ... 2 weeks passed. Aiko was getting more familiar with the engravings and grooves. She had a total of 3 finished parts out of the total of 86... which was not much, but this was a good learning experience. [Elemental Spirit: [Seed of ####; 89,540/100,000->91,220/100,000]] ''Slow... but it will get there.'' Aiko thought. She could maintain her Beast Core Energy because of the [Lunar Nurturing Meditation] Ability, but also because for some reason Mei showered her with good food. Naturally, Aiko didn''t say anything about eating in the town, as that food was nowhere near close to the divinely tasting food that Mei cooked. In these days, the Blood Fox would often glare at Mei and leave with her periodically, only for the both of them to return in a haggard state with torn clothes. Aiko smirked at them at first, but Mei slapped her head for that, so from that point onwards, she didn''t care about them and just focused on her Inscriptions... Chapter 126 – Sleeping little #### and Blood Fox joins the Fun 11 weeks passed quickly. Aiko was able to complete 14 out of 86 parts, but that was not the most important change. Elemental Spirit: [Seed of ####; 91,220/100,000->100,000/100,000; Under Evolution] Her Elemental Spirit finally reached that threshold and Aiko was waiting, wondering what would happen to it. Unfortunately, that seed had been like this for a few days already, yet there was no change. Aiko was slightly upset at this, but she couldn''t do anything about it, so she forgot about it for the time being. She could finally assemble the first 10 parts into the first massage zone. There were 8 major massage zones, simply because the others wouldn''t fit. Mei blamed this on the incompetence of the Forging Cultivators. Aiko was still happy, at least they were able to create the simple version of the Massage Chair, but it still seemed like she would have to learn Blacksmithing just to create those... delicate parts. It seemed like delicate was not in the vocabulary of the Forging Cultivators, as they even messed up some of the larger parts and had to redo them. The assembly took quite a while since the parts were quite slippery, all of them were smooth to reduce heat from friction wearing down the parts. Unsurprisingly, both Blood Fox and Umbra fox gave Aiko side-eyes when she was fighting over the parts. Aiko even caught Umbra Fox blushing for some reason, but didn''t understand why she was blushing... ... It took her a week to properly assemble them, though it was worth it, as the whole piece was moving as intended when the testing wrench was plugged in. Mei was amused by this but didn''t voice her opinion as she had never heard about that kind of chair... even though she thought it was either for torture or... ''stress'' relief. "Ah!" Aiko suddenly thought about something. "Where is the chair itself?" She looked at Mei who was trying to make herself invisible. "It''s still in the making." She replied passively. "Isn''t that... like, the easiest thing?" Aiko asked frowning. Mei coughed awkwardly. "It will take some more time." She smiled like she was hiding something... ''I can''t tell her that they made a chair for ''those'' purposes, she is still... somewhat pure.'' Mei sighed, holding her cheek. Aiko didn''t say anything, but she found it suspicious that Mei was avoiding her gaze. Fortunately for Mei, Aiko learned her lesson and would not ask or smirk about most things, as it might result in that painful slap... Aiko looked over the system. She steeled herself and clicked on the [Poison Resistance] that was already mastered. [Poison Resistance] V [Greater Poison Resistance] or [Poison Immunity* (1)] Aiko looked over the effect, there was not much change from the [Basic Poison Immunity* (1)] to the [Poison Immunity* (1)], just that it was easier to create more immunities. The [Greater Poison Resistance] was just a much more juiced-up version of the [Poison Resistance], which was nice, but the price was already 1,000 Skill Points and that was with the discount! Aiko''s heart bled as she clicked on it. Skill Points: 4,083 -> 3,083 [Greater Poison Resistance: Lv.1] Aiko now had just a little over 3,000 Skill Points. She was running dangerously low on ''funds'', at this rate she will have to pick meat, as her 4th year birthday is coming close. At the current rate, she should get 400 pieces of meat, which would allow her to reach Level 500, but that was not enough. She needed to reach that special point where she was able to choose between Demonic and Holy Beast Evolution, otherwise it would force her to Evolve the [Shadow Fennec Fox]. She did not want that just yet. Aiko munched on food from Mei. It was delicious as always and after so many weeks of eating it, there was even a slight change to her Beast Core! Beast Cores(50%->51%): 20,000 (52,060) Everything was moving along nicely, so Aiko returned to her Inscribing. There was a spring in her arm as she could move it more delicately than before, but that was still not enough to be able to Inscribe it properly. She would still have to use her newfound technique... The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ... 13 weeks passed. Aiko was able to finish 27 out of 86 parts. She was now a third of the way there, but that was not why she stopped. [Age: 4.07/2,000] She needed to wait a few days for her to get the birthday present and she was also waiting for that god-damn seed to do something! It''s been so long, yet that thing didn''t even move! Aiko was upset at this point as she was still feeding it with Energy, but it just wouldn''t budge, not a squeak from it! Aiko pouted and started to Inscribe another part. [Happy Birthday!] [You are now 4 years old!] [Please choose a gift:] [1. Meat - 400] [2. Strength-based Bloodline*] [3. Stat and Skill Points - 400] [4. Surprise - Surprise] *This will be replaced next time if not chosen Aiko clicked through it. This was interesting as this was the first thing that warned her that it would be replaced if she didn''t pick it... Aiko had zero interest in strength builds as it required head-on confrontation. Remembering the fact she was poisoned just because she got close to them, her interest pretty much turned into negatives. The number 1 was very tempting as it was 400 Levels worth of System Meat. The numbers 3 and 4 were not very good. 400 Skill Points and Stat Points could be obtained within a few pieces of System Meat, while 4th is a dubious option... Aiko chose number 1 as she needed those Skill Points and Levels for Evolutions. [Meat x14->414] Aiko nodded happily, with this she would be able to reach Level 500 without an issue, but she would need Level 600 if she wanted to go for the pick-and-choose version. She frowned slightly, she couldn''t use the meat now since that would mean she would be stuck at Level 500. First, she needs to reach Level 200 and then munch on the System Meat so it has the biggest effect, but reaching Level 200 is also an issue... Aiko frowned. She didn''t want to use her 5th birthday gift for more pieces of System Meat, but she will have to if she doesn''t reach 200 by then. ''The problem is that those foods don''t give me Levels, but they do give me Beast Core Energy.'' Aiko nodded slowly, her theory was that the meat was too low level for her, as she was already a Magical Beast. Aiko stared at the haggard duo. These days the curiosity got the best of her and the Blood Fox was training with Umbra Fox. Aiko wondered how they were doing... ... The Blood Fox smiled at Umbra Fox. "I will join you." The Umbra Fox stiffened. She couldn''t believe what she heard. This demon would train with her?! No way! "I''m looking forward to it." The Blood Fox smiled and Umbra Fox could only cry silently. ... "Oh? The little Demonic Fox wants to train with you?" The Grandmaster was surprised as she thought that the little one would not separate from Aiko. "Yes, Master..." The Umbra Fox was crestfallen, if that demon was anywhere as strong as the Vicious Cub, she would not be able to live this down! "Bring her here." The Grandmaster laughed. She could not believe it, but she welcomed it! She had not trained a Demonic Fox in such a long time, as the last time it ended in disaster... *Tsk* ''If they at least had trained them there would have been no issue, but the main Village was disgraced because one single Demonic Fox completely ploughed through their prodigies.'' The Grandmaster shook her head. Who told those prodigies to be so condescending that they would underestimate their enemy?! She could only shake her head in pity as that Fox was punished by the main Village and had to run away from it... ... The next day, the Blood Fox visited the Grandmaster with Umbra Fox. She greeted the Grandmaster politely and the Grandmaster''s image of her improved greatly. "I still can''t believe that your mind is not disturbed..." The Grandmaster looked at her in interest. "It''s all because of our little Aiko." The Blood Fox smiled gently. "''Our'' huh?" The Grandmaster smiled mischievously. "Well, what brings you here?" She asked while sipping tea. "I was interested in what Umbra Fox was doing, as her temperament changed quite quickly over time." The Blood Fox confessed. She liked this Grandmaster''s personality. "Oho?" The Grandmaster smiled from ear to ear. "Did anyone else notice?" "Both Jade Fox and Aiko noticed, but Aiko was working on the ''Massage Chair'' and Jade Fox spent her days with Herbs and Pills..." The Blood Fox sighed, but she was giggling inside as she was able to have Aiko just for herself. ''This is amusing.'' The Grandmaster was constantly probing Passion Fox''s mind on purpose, but could not find nor hear any voices. "I see... so she is still after that strange chair, huh..." The Grandmaster shook her head. "That is indeed the case." The Blood Fox smiled. "Stand up." The Grandmaster said slowly. The Blood Fox stood up. The Grandmaster clicked her tongue. "What a beauty, you will definitely attract the Immortals." She shook her head. "It''s important to get stronger before they get here, otherwise you will get taken away." The Grandmaster warned with a grave voice, after all, that was how she lost her tails, because of that bastard! The Blood Fox turned serious when she noticed that sudden change of atmosphere. "I will heed your warning, Grandmaster." She bowed. The Grandmaster smiled. "Good, good. Now show me what you got." The Grandmaster readied her sword. The Blood Fox didn''t understand what the Grandmaster meant, but she was nudged by Umbra Fox. "Grandmaster wants to see your prowess." She whispered to the Passion Fox. The Blood Fox nodded in understanding and created a spear of blood, hurling it at the Grandmaster. The Grandmaster clicked her tongue, that spear was too lousy. She parried it easily, but the Blood Fox was already in front of her. *Bang* A heavy fist landed on the Grandmaster''s sword, immediately cracking it. The Grandmaster''s smile widened. ''This little Fox is also a good seedling, how did that little monster find so many good seedlings?! I need to know!'' The Grandmaster laughed as she exchanged blows with the Passion Fox, who was just pounding on her wooden sword. She exchanged 200 moves with Passion Fox before attacking for the first time. The Passion Fox created an armour of blood around the affected area... but it was fruitless. *Whack**Crack* The armour of blood cracked with a single blow, sending the Blood Fox flying... Meanwhile, the Umbra Fox didn''t believe her own eyes. ''How... how is she so strong?!'' She couldn''t believe that the Blood Fox was able to exchange 200 moves and crack the wooden sword. Her mind couldn''t comprehend it... "She is training in pure strength. It''s only natural that she delivers heavier blows." The Grandmaster spoke to the Umbra Fox. "You specialize in speed and dodging, which means your main talent would be poisoning or impairing your opponents." She gestured. The Umbra Fox nodded a few times, but she was still distressed... Chapter 127 – Mei’s Shame ''Fuck! This fucking- Fuuuuck!'' Aiko was blankly listening to the Seed in her body. It had been cursing nonsensically for the past half a day and Aiko could no longer bear it. She couldn''t even argue with it, since that shitty Seed ignored her! [Elemental Spirit: [Seed of ####; 100,000/100,000; Under Evolution]] V [Elemental Spirit: [Seed of Life; 0/1,000,000]] ''I was supposed to fucking bloom! Yet I''m still in this fucking situation!'' The Seed continued cursing, as even her origin was slightly altered by some kind of force. Aiko stared blankly at the numbers. They got more and more insane over time... She sighed and tried to ignore the Seed, but unfortunately, she was not able to. She was desperate, so she looked through her system. [Enhanced Mind] -> [Brilliant Mind] for 1,000 Skill Points after a reduction in price. Skill Points: 3,083 -> 2,083 [Brilliant Mind: Lv.1] Aiko didn''t even care that she lost those 1,000 Skill Points, as long as she would be able to bear the fact that the Seed was still cursing in her mind. Aiko didn''t know how to make proper use of the Seed and she didn''t care. She now cursed Mei for crashing into her, which caused this whole situation. Aiko stared blankly at Mei in resentment and Mei blushed from shame. She could not meet Aiko''s eyes as she felt guilty. Aiko sighed, there was at least something good about this... [Brilliant Mind: Lv.1->2] [Brilliant Mind: Lv.2->3] [Brilliant Mind: Lv.3->4] [Brilliant Mind: Lv.4->5] ... ... [Brilliant Mind: Mastered] Aiko clicked her tongue, this shitty Seed was still somewhat useful and her mind was also much better because of this, but unfortunately, the next upgrade was impossible to get as it was locked. The System naturally didn''t tell her how to get it, so Aiko could only silently curse at it. She yawned. Now that her mind was a bit more peaceful, she went over to Mei as the haggard Blood Fox thrashed around during her sleep. It happened more than a few times already, that Aiko was sent flying across the room by the Blood Fox... Mei glanced at the sleeping little rascal and could only sigh, as the materials needed to purge that Seed were beyond her capacity. If it was a simple Seed she could just pluck it with Divine Sense, but the last time she probed that Seed she almost suffered a Soul injury. That made this whole situation much worse and she would have to prepare more things. ... Aiko returned to her work for 10 weeks straight with the seed never shutting its non-existent mouth. Most Foxes could only vaguely remember the trio of beauties, but quite a few Harem Kings still remembered those vicious flags and would never forget the Vicious Cub. Aiko had completed 37 out of 86 parts and after 10 weeks the Seed was finally silent. Aiko breathed a sigh of relief as it was finally quiet. Her mind worked much quicker, and thanks to the [Greater Poison Resistance] she was able to move her arm with much more ease. She was recovering even with her arm still looking sickly green. Mei was still worried about Aiko and her sudden recoveries. She cursed the convenience of the System on one hand and was thankful on the other. She hated seeing Aiko in pain during her sleep. She constructed similar Arrays that she used on Grandmaster and she would always power it up when Aiko was sleeping so she could recover. The Blood Fox was too useless in these situations and only stressed Mei with her gibberish. The Blood Fox would be distressed whenever she saw Aiko in pain and would bother Mei incessantly. This angered Mei and so she was prompted to upgrade the Array further until not even a single scrunch was on Aiko''s face. ... Another 40 weeks passed. Aiko finished 77 parts out of 86, just a couple more and she would be able to assemble them together and make it into a proper Massage Chair. Unfortunately for her, even to this day, Mei hadn''t brought her the frame of the Massage Chair, so she could not piece them together... Fortunately for her. It was another day for her to pick gifts for her Birthday. It''s just that she didn''t know what to pick... Stolen novel; please report. [Happy Birthday!] [You are now 5 years old!] [Please choose a gift:] [1. Meat - 500]x2 [2. Advancement in Life Stage*] [3. Stat and Skill Points - 500]x2 [4. Great Surprise - Surprise] *This will be replaced next time if not chosen Aiko was unsure what to pick. She naturally discarded the 3rd and 4th options as those were useless, but her mind lingered on the 2nd option. ''But 1,000 Levels...'' Aiko salivated at that thought. At the same time, she was thinking about advancing her life stage so that she could move better in this body. She postponed the decision for a bit to think it through. When she advanced from Cub to Juvenile, she reduced the burden on [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)] from 10 to 5, which meant that the possible next progress would be from 5 to 2.5. This would allow her to enhance her strength, the problem was that an adult body would be nice, but she didn''t necessarily need that strength. The System Meat was much more tempting as it would allow her to Evolve almost two times! Aiko frowned and clicked the first option. [Meat x414->1,414] Aiko sighed. There went her Adult body, but she got 2 Evolutions worth of Meat. She would still try to minimize the eating of her System Meat as much as possible. A good goalpost would be not to eat them until around Level 200. At that point, it would slow down too much and Aiko would not be able to Level Up quickly without the meaty snack. [Level: 98->124 (3rd Evolution)] [Beast Cores(51%->54%): 20,000 (52,060)] She didn''t progress much on her Levels during her Inscribing, but it was still good enough. As for the Beast Core Purity, that advanced nicely and she could ''laze'' around and let the Beast Core be purified over time by Mei''s cooking. ''The speed is too slow, I will wait till 150 and then eat the System Meat!'' Aiko thought while mulling over it. "Mei..." Aiko stared at Mei. "Y-yes?" Mei stuttered like she was feeling guilty of something. "There are only a few weeks remaining before I finish the parts and assemble them." Aiko stared at her with a gaze that said ''You promised me that chair.''. Mei was hit hard by that gaze. "I-it will be done soon!" She tried to push away Aiko like always. "Hmmm..." Aiko narrowed her eyes. This whole situation was suspicious. "Should I find some Forging Cultivator-" "No!" Mei interrupted Aiko and coughed awkwardly. "There is no need to inconvenience yourself with those filthy metal clankers." Mei said dismissively, but deep inside she hoped that Aiko would just forget about them. Aiko snorted. "Then where is it? A year later and I can''t see even the outline of the chair where I would put all these parts into!" Aiko glared at Mei. "It will be done in a few weeks!" Mei cried out, trying to hold Aiko back so she would not find out what had been happening behind the scenes... ... 1st visit: "Ohohoho~ Jade Fox, it''s nice to see you here." A brawny Fox laughed heartily at the picturesque beauty. "Forging Novice." Mei nodded at him. "What can I do for you?" He smiled amicably. "I need to forge these parts and this chair." Mei gave him the blueprints for him to look over and decide if he wanted to take this job. He stroked his beard. "Those small parts are impossible." He could not say his skills were lacking, as the only thing he had been doing his whole life was forging. "What about the rest?" Mei didn''t voice her opinion on his ego and listened quietly. "The larger parts should be fine, the chair too..." He narrowed his eyes and smiled. ''So even the Jade Fox needs ''those'' chairs.'' He was happy that she came to him with this request. "Good, we can discuss the materials and-" ... 2nd visit: "These parts look wrong, you will have to remake them." Mei took most of the large parts and a couple of the medium-sized, while leaving the rest to be remade. She then looked at the outline of the chair and choked up. "What the hell is that?!" She pointed at the obviously shaped protruding thing in the middle of the chair where one was supposed to sit. "That is a chair." He feigned ignorance. "Remake it!" Mei cried out with a light blush. "As you wish." He smiled. There was not a single hint of displeasure... ''So Jade Fox is used to bigger ones, this was my bad...'' He sighed inside his mind. Mei was surprised at his straightforward attitude and she felt slightly better. That was of course under the assumption that she would never find out his innermost thoughts... ... 3rd visit: "Nice..." Mei nodded. "Most of the parts are good enough, there are only 3 more to be remade." She nodded happily. She then turned towards the chair and staggered. "W-what?!" She stared at the thicker, questionable object in the middle of the seating area. ''Not quite the reaction I expected.'' The brawny Fox frowned, but then it ''dawned'' on him. ''Fuck! I forgot that there are people like the Peak Elder of the Intel Gathering Peak!'' He flicked his own forehead. "My apologies, Jade Fox. I have misunderstood your order and will remake it with no additional cost attached!" He bowed deeply towards the Jade Fox. ''I will keep your secret well, since most Foxes would be intimidated by your requirements.'' He thought in his mind. Just as she was about to scold him, he so sincerely apologized that she couldn''t really scold him harshly. "Remake it well, if it doesn''t suit my needs it will end up in your ass!" Mei threatened Aiko''s style. "I will do my best!" He bowed even deeper. Mei nodded and left, it seemed that her little servant had quite the reputation... ... 4th visit: "That''s all of them." Mei nodded. She had all the medium/large pieces for the most basic construction of the Massage Chair. She then turned towards the chair and completely froze stiff. In the middle of the chair sat a dragon-sized dildo with all the barbs and other protruding things. She was so shocked seeing it, that her mind blanked. She stood there speechlessly. ''Hehe~, what do you think?!'' He laughed in his mind. ''This is my greatest masterpiece! Designed and shaped by the most liked dragon there is!'' He patted his back again and again waiting for the Jade Fox reaction. Mei finally snapped out of it. "I-i-i-" "It''s alright." He patted her shoulder in understanding and a slight pity. "I''m discreet and keep secrets well." He gave her an encouraging thumbs up. "I just wanted a normal chair!" Mei cried out with a red face and stormed outside, leaving the brawny Fox speechless in his place. "... Fuck!" He cursed loudly, this was the most profitable business he had had in several years. His passion got the best of him and he misunderstood his client. This was the first time it happened! He couldn''t believe it! "I must quickly remake it!" He sweated buckets when he remembered her last words. ''it will end up in your ass!'' He gulped countless times, wiping his sweat. He would need to finish this chair ASAP, which was simple since he didn''t need to design the middle part... ''I better preserve the middle part for future projects.'' He was still proud of that part... ... Mei could never explain what happened to Aiko and vowed that she would do her best to keep Aiko unaware of it, so that Aiko will never find out! Chapter 128 – Disaster and Heartless Mei 9 more weeks passed, as Aiko finally finished all 86 parts. Now she just needed to assemble 70 of those parts together, which took her another 7 weeks. Beast Cores(54%->55%): 20,000 (52,060) Aiko was very happy with the progress and she even got the chair part from Mei, who was in a strange mood. Aiko was not in the mood to tease or find out about what happened, since she was looking forward to the finished Massage Chair. Aiko took 2 weeks to assemble everything properly, as some parts were misaligned and would jam together, so Aiko had to tweak everything slowly over time until it worked. She just needed to finish the padding so that the chair was not as hard and difficult to sit on. At this point, everyone was looking over to Aiko and wondered what those parts were used for, but they didn''t speak out about it since they didn''t want to disturb her. Aiko hummed as she put together the makeshift padding for testing purposes. She then looked at Mei with an odd expression. ''It''s time for my revenge...'' Aiko thought. She had not tested the Massage Chair yet and Mei was powerful enough to be a good experi- *Cough* guest, that would test it out for her. "Come sit in my chair." Aiko patted the padding and beckoned Mei. There was just something so sinister about how Aiko patted the padding and smiled at Mei. Mei shivered, but she didn''t back away, as Aiko took so many months to build this thing. She did not want to make Aiko sad. Mei gulped. She sat on the chair with some lingering fear. The others looked at her in curiosity and wondered what kind of sinister contraption this was. Aiko powered it with a single Spirit Stone, as it did not have a control panel to operate. The chair hummed. Mei stiffened as the parts moved, but... it didn''t feel all that bad? "This is not bad-" She nodded, but froze soon after as the contraption was still speeding up. "Oh..." Aiko stared blankly as it did not stop at a simple message. The whole chair soon rocked and Mei who lost her footing was glued to it. Her words turned incoherent as the sound coming from her turned into vibration from the Massage Chair. Aiko slightly panicked as it did not have a power button to turn it off. She panicked, running around the room to find the tweaking wrench. Meanwhile, the chair was jumping from side to side from the vibration and movement and soon it looked like the chair was chasing the tired duo of Umbra Fox and Blood Fox. Everyone yelped in their own way as one party was chased by a chair, another party was looking for a way to fix it and the third party was melting on the Massage Chair... Finally, Aiko found the tweaking wrench, but when she looked around the Massage Chair was nowhere to be seen!? Aiko panicked again and rushed outside. *BOOM* The forest shook as there was a loud bang coming from it. Aiko rushed towards that direction to find a few toppled trees and a Massage Chair that lost all of its power and a few parts. Mei was like a melted puddle near the chair, unable to stand up as every muscle in her body turned into jelly. Mei noticed Aiko''s approach and glared at her. Aiko hid the tweaking wrench behind her avoided Mei''s eyes and whistled innocently, but her heart was pained as the chair had to be repaired again and a few additional changes had to be implemented... ... They returned to the room. Surprisingly, the Blood Fox helped the Jade Fox move her back without uttering a word of protest. Aiko thought that they would be like fire and water, but they worked quite well together... Aiko moved the chair back to her small testing site to disassemble when she was grabbed by the Blood Fox and dragged in front of Mei. "Why are you running away?" Mei smiled devilishly. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. "I''m sorry." Aiko apologized, as this whole situation was unexpected and out of her control... Needless to say, she was scolded for many, many hours... ... Mei sighed, looking at the crestfallen Aiko and stopped her scolding. She then thought about a devilish plan that they could implement once this prototype was properly tweaked and she could use this thing for rehabilitation purposes. ''I have never expected that my pained back and shoulders would be alleviated so much after a single use...'' Mei stared at the ''Massage Chair'' with a strange glint. The more one dabbled into their field, the more their muscles stiffened. There were a few ''massage parlours'' that would take care of those needs, but those usually weren''t Cultivation-related, so it was difficult to relieve the Cultivator''s muscles as they were much harder and packed with Qi. ''Qi...!'' Mei suddenly had an epiphany when she browsed her body with Divine Sense. She noticed that clumps of Qi that were usually in her body were also dispersed. She didn''t know if it was due to the shaking or the erratic Qi flow from the Massage Chair, but she was not hurt. ''That won''t be the case for others...'' Mei narrowed her eyes. She survived this because her body was shielded by her Divine Sense and Water Qi, otherwise she would probably be disabled. ''If we could tweak the output, we could sell this as a service...'' Mei thought. Earning money through Pills was fine, but she had to work for it, but the way this thing was built, both robust and easy to maintain, allowed for a lot less work compared to the Pills. ... Aiko was fixing the chair slowly when Mei sat next to her. Aiko flinched because Mei reprimanded her just a moment ago and she was worried that she would continue. "Can you adjust the output?" Mei asked, but her gaze was sharp. Aiko gulped. "It should be possible, but I need a way to store Qi in order to do that." She didn''t want to power it with her Beast Core Energy, as that would mean someone else would have to power it for her if she wanted to have a massage. It was better to just use Spirit Stone as the fuel and store that Energy for steady release. Mei nodded lightly. "I will talk with a few Inscription Cultivators about this and you keep working on it." Mei stood up, wobbling away in a strange way. The Blood Fox and Umbra Fox looked at Mei with strange gazes, but they couldn''t voice their opinions as they feared Mei''s scolding. ... Aiko sighed and continued working on it, waiting for Mei to return with good news. Surprisingly, it did not take all that long of time for Mei to return. "Here are a few Inscriptions that can store Qi, research it well." Mei said lightly, but before Aiko could say anything, Mei already wobbled towards her bed and plopped on it. Aiko could not disturb her rest, as she would hate it herself if someone disturbed her when she needed to rest. Aiko yawned. Those tails looked delectable and she would love to sleep on them, but she couldn''t. Not when Mei was so on edge with her, because of that failure. Aiko turned towards the Inscription and read them. She now could read about 30% of the Runic Language, so she was able to decipher most of them. ''This is just a bunch of incoherent bullshit!'' Aiko slapped the paper quietly in front of her. ''The efficiency of those Inscriptions is less than what you would get from directly powering it! Aiko was upset as those Inscriptions were unusable in this instance. She needed something more concrete and something she could control it with. ''Let''s do the control panel first, since the input can''t be adjusted for now.'' Aiko thought. The curiosity and fear of the ''Massage Chair'' was slowly rising in the team. They were curious how they would end up and fearful that they wouldn''t be able to live through it... ... Aiko designed the control point, she thought about it for quite some time and ended up with a single plate with turning buttons that are marked with the intensities. These are not connected to the ''storage'', but they are connected to elaborate Qi Gathering Inscription. The more you turned the button, the more Qi gathering Inscriptions were connected and working at the same time, giving it a higher output. Aiko was not very pleased that she couldn''t come up with a Qi Storage solution, but she couldn''t help it. There was just not enough knowledge about it... Mei was overlooking Aiko, curious about her progress, when she saw that monstrosity of an Inscription and she choked. It was not about how large it was, but how many Qi Gathering Inscriptions were written on it and tied together. "It might cause Qi atmosphere deficiency." Mei warned. "I know." Aiko likewise was not optimistic about it, but she already had something in mind. "Why not use that Array, the one which extracted the Qi out of things? Can''t we put Spirit Stone inside and replenish the ambient Qi with it?" Aiko asked, hoping for salvation with this thing. Mei thought about it for a while. "It''s very inefficient." She didn''t like that idea since it would cost them a lot. "I think we should be fine up to 3rd ''gear''." Aiko said slowly. "That''s about 1/10th of the strength it displayed with the Spirit Stone." Aiko slowly nodded. Mei thought about it. "Are you sure? I don''t think it will be that easy..." She didn''t believe it wouldn''t cause any ambient Qi issues. Aiko shrugged and continued working on the control panel. ... A week had passed and Aiko had finished with the tweaks alongside the control panel. This one was much more fun than anything she had done before, as she had to come up with her own little Inscriptions on the fly for certain things. "Mei it''s done!" Aiko smiled. Mei''s lips twitched, if only she was able to exert that much enthusiasm towards Alchemy then she would be happier, as it would ease her work in curing Aiko. Aiko was not aware of Mei''s inner devilish thoughts and polished the control panel so it looked a bit nicer to the eye. ''Since she ''harmed'' me. I can use this opportunity to make her learn more about Herbs.'' Mei thought and smirked at Aiko. Aiko shivered for some reason, but when she looked around, there was only Mei inside the room. ''It couldn''t be from Mei... I apologized and I am even obediently listening to her.'' Aiko shook her head and placed the control panel in front of Mei. "It''s done." Aiko smiled lightly. "Good. Since you have finished, you can return to learn more Herbs while I get someone to test this." Mei smiled ''gently''. Aiko stiffened. "But there is a need for a fixer if something goes wrong." Aiko tried to wiggle her way out of this but was immediately shut down by Mei. "That is alright, you can learn Herbs in the meantime before they arrive." Mei smiled generously, but Aiko was already crying inside. ''This heartless mean Fox!'' Aiko had a betrayed expression, as if someone had stole her candies right in front of her eyes. Mei gently stroked Aiko''s hair. This was truly soothing on her nerves. "Make sure that everything is in order, as the guest won''t be as generous as me if it malfunctions again." Mei smiled like the devil and Aiko sobbed at her inevitable fate. Chapter 129 – Grandmaster likes Aiko was learning from the Jade Slip when the guest arrived. To no one''s surprise, that guest was the Grandmaster. Aiko gulped nervously, she knew the Grandmaster''s temperament and was worried that she would get dragged away by the Grandmaster for ''training'' if the chair does not function properly. Aiko stared at Mei with pleading eyes, but she was ignored. She could only hope that the Grandmaster was in a good mood. Mei was happy inside seeing the distressed look that she was given by Aiko and smirked. "This can relieve some of your symptoms, so Aiko will be improving this once she finishes my training, but till then please do give us feedback on what needs to be changed or improved." Mei was polite to the Grandmaster since she already had plans for her too. The Grandmaster laughed. "I can still read your mind, you little rascal." The Grandmaster petted Mei and Mei glared at the Grandmaster. She laughed even more and said gently. "Is that the strange chair you were talking about?" She inspected it, but could not find the ''usual features''. "That would be correct," Mei said. "Please sit down for the time being." Mei beckoned her. The Grandmaster smiled and let Mei lead her by the nose, she wondered what exact plans she had prepared and why would she introduce her to such a curious thing. She sat down and the crestfallen Aiko moved to the control panel. She set it up in the first gear. "Oh?" The Grandmaster was pleasantly surprised. "I did not think you were building something so amusing." She did not dislike the vibration coming from this chair compared to other chairs. Aiko didn''t expect such a lax reaction and turned it up to the second gear. "Oh, it also moves?" The Grandmaster tilted her head and relaxed a bit more. Aiko''s lips twitched, she didn''t expect the Grandmaster to be like this and turned it to the third gear. She could now notice that the ambient Qi was getting sucked into the Massage Chair. ''So the third gear is the limit if we don''t find a place with higher Qi density...'' Aiko thought. "Oh, this is nice." The Grandmaster could finally feel the moving parts properly and she felt a bit relieved. Aiko was upset, the reaction from Mei might''ve been a bit extreme, but Aiko could tell she enjoyed it a lot more. "Don''t be sad, it''s still a novel idea." The Grandmaster tried to soothe Aiko, but that made her even more upset. "Fuck! Alright, I don''t care about the training any more! I will have you acknowledge my work!" Aiko cursed loudly and pulled out a Spirit Stone. The Grandmaster stared at her in interest, unaware that it took many, many months to build and tweak this Massage Chair. Aiko slammed the Spirit Stone into the Massage Chair port and it got sucked. "Oh? You can boost the inten-" Soon the Grandmaster''s voice turned incoherent from the vibration. Aiko laughed like a maniac. "HAHAHA, serves you right! I will have you know that you can use Spirit Stones and Qi Gathering Inscriptions at the same time! So the final intensity is even greater than what Mei experienced!" If one saw this situation, they would think that it was some kind of torture device. Why? It made strange noises and it was hopping on the legs. Surprisingly, unlike before, what happened to Mei, this time it just hopped in place. Aiko was puzzled since this had higher intensity by around 15%, but it still wouldn''t run away like previously... What was going on? After half an hour, the Massage Chair depleted its power source and stopped wobbling. The Grandmaster was still glued to it and she was even half asleep. The Grandmaster yawned cutely and stood up with a slight wobble. Aiko was beyond shocked as even her all-powerful expe-*Cough* guest, named Mei, had trouble with the lesser version, but the Grandmaster just shrugged it off. "This was an amazing experience." It was rare for her to praise something that much. "I would definitely want to experience it again, but it seems like a few parts came loose at the end." Aiko checked the Massage Chair. It''s not like they came loose, but they were broken off! ''So much work...'' Aiko cried inwardly. The Grandmaster stretched instinctively, as she would always do. Her body was in bad shape, but this time she was shocked. "Huh?" The Grandmaster had a puzzled expression. She did not have this expression for decades or maybe even centuries! "Good isn''t it?" Mei smiled like a true Fox. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. The Grandmaster likewise smiled like a true Fox. "Let''s talk about business." She immediately knew the benefits of this thing. Not only did it alleviate the shoulder pain from practising the sword, but even certain clumps of unmoving Qi were dispersed! It was a far cry to say that it was effective on someone like the Grandmaster, but considering that this was just a prototype, it was amazing and held a lot of potential! Mei smiled. "Let''s go over there." She gestured at Grandmaster while glancing at Aiko. Aiko had a sobbing expression as she was collecting the broken pieces and both of them felt inwardly guilty about it. *Cough* "Yeah, let''s do that." The Grandmaster nodded awkwardly. ... "It''s simple, you provide protection and we will provide the Massage Chair for you." Mei cut to the case, since her mind could be read anyway. The Grandmaster nodded. "This is indeed something I would like to do again, it eased my muscles a bit more than other things and the Heavenly Massage Parlour is not even half as effective as this prototype." She commented. "Would you like to check my body?" Mei smiled. "Oh? Are you saying it has an even more amazing effect?" The Grandmaster narrowed her eyes. Mei didn''t say anything and stretched her wrist towards the Grandmaster. The Grandmaster took it and slowly probed her body. She was confused. "I did not know you had a technique that kept your body from building up Qi clumps..." The Grandmaster frowned, but she was interested in such a technique. "I do not have." Mei smiled at the Grandmaster. The Grandmaster paused to think and then her eyes widened. "Don''t tell me." "That is correct. It was that ''Massage Chair''." Mei smiled from ear to ear. The Grandmaster laughed. "Alright, tell me the terms." ... They returned to Aiko, both smiling. Aiko glared at them, but they just chuckled. "I believe that your main customer will be the Foxes from the Muscle Peak. They might even worship you for this novel ''Relaxer''." The Grandmaster chuckled. "We will be in your care, Grandmaster." Mei smiled like a true Fox. So what if that muscle peak would worship them? Could they compare to the Grandmaster''s might? No. So there was no need to cater to them. The Grandmaster chuckled again, reading her mind. "Sure, sure, but keep in mind that I will be going away quite often so I can''t keep you under protection all the time." "That is alright, we are only open when Grandmaster is around~" Mei hummed mischievously. The Grandmaster shook her head and left. She was itching to train as some of those stiff muscles were too relaxed. Mei turned towards the sobbing Aiko and came close to her. She gently hugged Aiko, nuzzling her head into her neck. Aiko''s muscles stiffened and she tried to get away from Mei, but Mei wouldn''t let her. "You did an exceptional job." Mei whispered. It was rare for her to acknowledge others. "Hmpf." Aiko was happy that she had her craft acknowledged, but at the same time upset that it was destroyed so soon. Mei rested on Aiko for a while. "Tell me what parts are broken and I will get another Forging Cultivator to create the pieces." Mei said gently. Aiko gave her the parts that were broken, since they could be reused once you burned away the Inscription Ink. This was only possible since the Inscription Ink was there for a short period of time, otherwise, it would be impossible to remake it without needing purification and other things. Mei gently caressed Aiko''s head. She got the Grandmaster in her pockets and she could improve their relationship further, allowing her to get, yet another loyal sla-*Cough* guardian for them. ... Mei returned to the Forging ''Novice''. "Forging Adept." Mei finally acknowledged his rank. He smiled tiredly. He dodged the cannonball with his exceptional craftsmanship last time. He was barely able to please this devil the last time and he felt like today would be even harder than before... "What can I do for you, Jade Fox?" The Metal Fox asked. "I need you to redo these parts." Mei placed the parts in front of him. "Anything else?" He didn''t believe that was it... "Nothing." Mei shook her head. "Okay, come back tomorrow and it will be done." He nodded slowly, he could push the other works back since it would be bad if he let the Jade Fox wait. Mei lifted her eyebrow when she heard the time, but she didn''t voice her inner thoughts. She nodded gently and left the place. The Metal Fox sighed. He never had such a difficult customer before, but he could also feel he was improving at his craft much faster than before, so he wouldn''t complain about it. ... "Alright." The Grandmaster stretched and smiled at the haggard duo. "You are improving splendidly." "Thank you, Grandmaster." The Umbra Fox bowed, while Blood Fox only nodded. They had their fair share of troubles, but they could only voice one thing in their minds. ''Aiko is a monster!'' The Blood Fox at first thought that Aiko was just a harmless cutie, but she never came back as haggard as they did, from what Mei told them. They already knew that the Grandmaster didn''t pull her punches, which meant she was just that strong. They both were slightly upset at her strength as they were both much older than Aiko, yet Aiko was much, much stronger than the duo combined. "There is no need to feel like that, when it comes to technique you are leagues ahead of the Vicious Cub." The Grandmaster smiled and comforted them. "Does it matter when she can just overwhelm us with strength?" The Blood Fox scoffed lightly, but she was still happy that the Grandmaster tried to comfort them. The Umbra Fox shook her head. The Passion Fox would always pick a beef with the Grandmaster, making their training even more difficult than it already was... Did she hate the Passion Fox for it? Not really, she could feel her improvements much more clearly, so in a way, she was thankful towards the Passion Fox. She could not afford to antagonize her idol... "You still have energy? Good." The Grandmaster snickered. "In position, we will continue fighting till you collapse." The Blood Fox didn''t wait for the signal and rushed at the Grandmaster with her fists coated in Blood Armour. This was the new technique that allowed her to protect her fists and even deliver fatal blows by injecting her opponents with her blood and then solidifying it to cause some disastrous damage. The Umbra Fox reduced her presence and emptied her mind. She scurried around looking for an opening to strike the Grandmaster. She waited patiently in the shadows of nearby trees, ready to strike. She saw her opening when Passion Fox used multiple Blood Spears in close quarters with the Grandmaster. The Grandmaster parried the spears, but the Umbra Fox was already behind her. She struck at the Grandmaster''s back with the intent to pierce. Unfortunately, she was blocked by the wooden scabbard. She was not discouraged as she previously set up a trap with flying daggers. It was activated by the Grandmaster when she blocked that strike, but the Grandmaster was much quicker than the slow-moving daggers. She dodged them with ease, only for her to meet up with the Passion Fox fist. The Grandmaster narrowed her eyes. The Passion Fox used her Blood Armour to endure the trap in order to get a hit on her. She praised her decisive nature, but this was not enough on the battlefield. The Grandmaster kicked the Passion Fox away and struck the Umbra Fox with the hilt of her wooden sword. "This will be all for today." The Grandmaster smiled happily. The Blood Fox laughed. "You have finally used your legs." For them, this was a great accomplishment as the Grandmaster had barely moved since the beginning, but over time she was forced to use more and more parts of her body to fight them. This pleased them greatly as they fell asleep with newfound accomplishment and pride. The Grandmaster shook her head and used her Divine Sense to move them away, back into her abode... Chapter 130 – Beauty through the roof! Aiko was learning Herbs and looking at the unconscious duo. She could only sigh and shake her head at the sight before returning to the Jade Slip. The next day, she repaired a few more parts of the Massage Chair as well as tweaking some of it''s features, but since Mei said that the power from the Qi Gathering Arrays were sufficient enough, Aiko decided to not tweak it further. "Mei..." Aiko looked wronged and sad. "It''s beneficial for you to learn it." Mei said gently, but Aiko wanted to cry. She was learning at an incredibly slow pace and did not want to remember the Herbs, as there was an absurd amount of them to memorize! ''The system...'' Aiko couldn''t bear it any longer, she would spend her dwindling Skill Points to help her out of this predicament. ''I still have plenty of System Meat, so it will be fine even if I spend them willy-nilly.'' Aiko consoled herself. [Enhanced Memory] - 100 Skill Points Aiko felt strange when she saw how little it cost. [Perfect Memory] - 10,000 Skill Points Aiko narrowed her eyes, she liked the perfect memory skill option despite it being a hundred times more expensive than the cheap one. As such, she was willing to save up and buy it. ''I will wait a few months to get more Levels naturally, so I won''t waste the System Meat too much.'' Aiko thought. "You are free to learn for 3 months since the Grandmaster is going away." Mei suddenly said, causing Aiko to be distracted from her thoughts. ''3 months, huh...'' Aiko nodded slowly. She would bear with this for 3 more months before chewing down on the System Meat. ... It was an idle 3 months as the whole team spent their time either sparing with each other or learning from books that they found around the abode. Aiko was looking at the system with a strange expression. [Level: 124->135 (3rd Evolution)] ''So little...'' Aiko clicked her tongue, it seemed like she would have to use the System Meat now... [ Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 500 - 500 (Adjustable 500 - 500 -> 0 - 1,000) Species: [Shadow Fennec Fox (Female, Juvenile, Single-Tail)] Species: [Moon Fennec Fox (Female, Juvenile, Single-Tail)] Age: 5.72/2,000 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Peak)], [Dream Beast Kitsune(Awakened)] Bloodline: [Moon Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)] Beast Rank: Magical Beast Level: 98->135 (3rd Evolution) Profession: [Opportunistic Kleptomaniac (Apprentice)] Sub-Profession: [Inscription Apprentice (1st Low-Grade Inscription Cultivator)], Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], [Little Princess], [Shadow Thief], [Master of Sex Toys], [Gourmand], [Explorer], [Trickster], [Mischievous Juvenile], [Filthy RICH Den Master], [Juve-barian], [Tail Hunter], [Bath Enjoyer], [Closet Pervert], [Devourer of Vitality], [Bane of Immortal], [One Who makes Immortal Faint], [Glutton], [Walking Runic Encyclopedia], [Backdoor Destroyer] Cultivation Technique: [Blood Tyrant Scripture], [Moon Goddess Scripture] Karma Companion: [Mei (Affection: 20,134->21,456)] Companion: [Passion Fox (Affection: 64,346->76,453)] Servant: [Umbra Fox (Affection: Admires your might, but is still terrified of you)] Elemental Spirit: [Seed of ####; 89,540/100,000->100,000/100,000; Under Evolution] -> [Seed of Life; 68,760/1,000,000] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement)(*1-2.5 Lunar Enhancement) HP: 96,567|96,567 -> 101,369|101,369 (250pH & 0.4%pH) ST: 99,409|99,409 -> 105,247|105,247 (250pH & 0.4%pH) Vitality: 49,518|49,518 -> 52,363|52,363 (25pH & 0.4%pH)(1pH - Gourmand) Vigour: 52,360 -> 56,241 Beast Cores(50%->56%): 20,000 (52,060) Moonlight Qi: 52,060 Toughness: 49,173 -> 51,907 Strength: 53,604 -> 57,633 Agility: 53,196*2 -> 57,447*2 Dexterity: 49,975*1.5 -> 52,561*1.5 Mind: 71,629*1.5 -> 82,466*2 Insight: 32,070 Soul: 33,060 Beauty: 347,699*1.55 -> 458,991*1.55 Luck: 80,785*1.02 -> 94,286*1.02 Stat Points: 11,482 -> 11,749 -> 11,857 Skill Points: 4,183 -> 2,083 -> 2,350 -> 2,458 Elemental Affinity: [Moon - 0], [Shadow - 2], [Earth - 8], [Soul''s Affection: 1] Martial Arts: [Lightness Technique] Martial Ability: [The Ever Shaping Cauldron: - ; -/-], [Heavenly Suppression Technique(Prototype, Incomplete)] Innate Ability: [Beast Core Formation] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####], [Soul Palace (Undeveloped)], [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)], [Moon''s Eyes], [Moon''s Crust] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered], [Earthen Walk: Mastered], [Appraisal: Lv.2], [Lunar Nurturing Meditation: Lv.1->2], [Assimilate (Shadows)], Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.3], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Lunar Enhancement: Mastered], [Agility Mastery: Mastered], [Intention Perception: Mastered], [Basic Presence Concealment: Mastered], [Universal Recovery: Lv.4], [Divine Calligraphy: Lv.2], [Shadow Swimming: Lv.1] Skills: [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Lacerate: Mastered], [Sprint: Mastered], [Quick Double Jump: Mastered], [Camouflage: Mastered], [Sleeping: Lv.1->2] Passive Skills: [Stealth: Mastered], [Prehensile Mastery: Lv.1], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Thermal Regulation: Lv.2], [Demonic Intimidation: Lv.2], [Linguistics: Mastered], [Enhanced Climbing: Mastered], [Enhanced Basic Senses: Mastered], [Enhanced Mind: Mastered->Brilliant Mind: Lv.1->Mastered], [Picturesque Beauty: Lv.2], [Four Leaf Clover: Lv.2], [Assassin Mastery: Mastered], [Dexterous Fingers: Mastered], [Inscription Mastery: Mastered], [Alchemy Mastery: Lv.2], [Poison Resistance: Lv.1->Mastered->Greater Poison Resistance: Lv.1->Mastered] Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], [Blessing of N¨¹wa], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x14->1,414], [Skill Coupon x2], [Skill Combination Coupon x2], [Cultivation Gift], [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Crystal 25,000]x2, [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Stone 100,000]x2, [Sub-Profession Coupon x2], [Divine Ability Gift], [Sub-Profession Coupon(Servant)], [Cultivation Gift(Servant)], [Ability Coupon], [Bloodline Gift], [Bloodline Gift(Servant)], [Ability Combination Coupon x2], [Profession Coupon], [Karma Bound], [Black Inscription Master Token], [Essence of ####] ] She sneaked into the forest carefully, so that others wouldn''t notice her. ''Here should be good enough, it''s not like I will be Evolving right now.'' Aiko thought and pulled out the System Meat. *Munch* [Level Gained] [Level Gained] [Level Gained] ... [Level: 169] [You can Evolve into [Rare] Beast] [Levelling further will allow you to Evolve into [Epic] Beast.] ''????'' Aiko didn''t understand what was happening. ''Wasn''t that supposed to be around Level 180?'' She continued munching. *Munch* [Level Gained] [Level Gained] ... [Level: 225] [You can Evolve into [Epic] Beast] [Levelling further will allow you to Evolve into [Unique] Beast.] ''Did I get some sort of Ability that reduced the necessary Level milestone for Evolutions?'' Aiko tilted her head and thought further. ''I don''t see anything that would allow me to do that...'' She shook her head, feeling melancholic and decided to not overthink it. *Munch* [Level Gained] [Level Gained] ... [Level: 282] [You can Evolve into [Unique] Beast] [Levelling further will allow you to Evolve into [Holy/Demonic] Beast.] ''Almost there...'' Aiko smiled happily. This reduction was an unexpected gain, but a very welcome one. [Level: 564] Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. [You can Evolve into [Holy/Demonic] Beast] [Levelling further will allow you to Evolve into [####] Beast.] ''My heart bleeds...'' Aiko thought to herself again, even with the reduction to the Level milestones, she still had to consume an abundant amount of System Meat... [Meat x1,414->985] ''I still have plenty of System Meat, hmm...'' Aiko thought for a moment before one intrusive thought whispered inside her head. ''I wonder what is beyond [Holy/Demonic] Beast...'' She really wanted to know! But... but so much System Meat would be used! One sane thought drifted into her mind. ''We don''t know how much it will cost to reach the next Evolution Tree, let''s postpone it until we have a way to farm Levels.'' Aiko struggled for a bit before putting the System Meat down and listened to her sane thoughts. [Level: 135->564 (3rd Evolution)] [Stat Points: 11,857 -> 54,217] [Skill Points: 2,458 -> 44,818] Aiko nodded happily, she obtained plenty of Skill Points that could be used for future conveniences as well as keeping the rest of the System Meat for one more Evolution if she so desires. ''But I will have to wait for the Evolution, since they are always chaotic...'' Aiko sighed. [Perfect Memory] [Passive Ability] [User can remember everything on the first time they read or do something.] [Skill Points: 44,818 -> 34,818] ''It still pains me that I have to watch those numbers go down so sharply...'' Aiko sighed. She then looked over the system and choked. [ Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 500 - 500 (Adjustable 500 - 500 -> 0 - 1,000) Species: [Shadow Fennec Fox (Female, Juvenile, Single-Tail)] Species: [Moon Fennec Fox (Female, Juvenile, Single-Tail)] Age: 5.72/2,000 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Peak)], [Dream Beast Kitsune(Awakened)] Bloodline: [Moon Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)] Beast Rank: Magical Beast Level: 135->564 (3rd Evolution) Profession: [Opportunistic Kleptomaniac (Apprentice)] Sub-Profession: [Inscription Apprentice (1st Low-Grade Inscription Cultivator)], Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], [Little Princess], [Shadow Thief], [Master of Sex Toys], [Gourmand], [Explorer], [Trickster], [Mischievous Juvenile], [Filthy RICH Den Master], [Juve-barian], [Tail Hunter], [Bath Enjoyer], [Closet Pervert], [Devourer of Vitality], [Bane of Immortal], [One Who makes Immortal Faint], [Glutton], [Walking Runic Encyclopedia], [Backdoor Destroyer] Cultivation Technique: [Blood Tyrant Scripture], [Moon Goddess Scripture] Karma Companion: [Mei (Affection: 21,456)] Companion: [Passion Fox (Affection: 76,453)] Servant: [Umbra Fox (Affection: Admires your might, but is still terrified of you)] Elemental Spirit: [Seed of Life; 68,760/1,000,000] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement)(*1-2.5 Lunar Enhancement) HP: 101,369|101,369 -> 101,369|116,813 (250pH & 0.4%pH) ST: 105,247|105,247 -> 105,247|132,703 (250pH & 0.4%pH) Vitality: 52,363|52,363 -> 52,363|65,233 (25pH & 0.4%pH)(1pH - Gourmand) Vigour: 56,241 -> 81,123 Beast Cores(56%): 20,000 (52,060) Moonlight Qi: 52,060 Toughness: 51,907 -> 63,490 Strength: 57,633 -> 84,231 Agility: 57,447*2 -> 86,619*2 Dexterity: 52,561*1.5 -> 62,428*1.5 Mind: 82,466*2 -> 188,000*2 Insight: 32,070 Soul: 33,060 Beauty: 458,991*1.55 -> 1,729,260*1.55 Luck: 94,286*1.02 -> 230,708*1.02 Stat Points: 11,857 -> 54,217 Skill Points: 2,458 -> 44,818 -> 34,818 Elemental Affinity: [Moon - 0], [Shadow - 2], [Earth - 8], [Soul''s Affection: 1] Martial Arts: [Lightness Technique] Martial Ability: [The Ever Shaping Cauldron: - ; -/-], [Heavenly Suppression Technique(Prototype, Incomplete)] Innate Ability: [Beast Core Formation] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####], [Soul Palace (Undeveloped)], [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)], [Moon''s Eyes], [Moon''s Crust] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered], [Earthen Walk: Mastered], [Appraisal: Lv.2], [Lunar Nurturing Meditation: Lv.2], [Assimilate (Shadows)], Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.3], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Lunar Enhancement: Mastered], [Agility Mastery: Mastered], [Intention Perception: Mastered], [Basic Presence Concealment: Mastered], [Universal Recovery: Lv.4], [Divine Calligraphy: Lv.2], [Shadow Swimming: Lv.1], [(New)Perfect Memory: Lv.1] Skills: [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Lacerate: Mastered], [Sprint: Mastered], [Quick Double Jump: Mastered], [Camouflage: Mastered], [Sleeping: Lv.2] Passive Skills: [Stealth: Mastered], [Prehensile Mastery: Lv.1], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Thermal Regulation: Lv.2], [Demonic Intimidation: Lv.2], [Linguistics: Mastered], [Enhanced Climbing: Mastered], [Enhanced Basic Senses: Mastered], [Brilliant Mind: Mastered], [Picturesque Beauty: Lv.2], [Four Leaf Clover: Lv.2], [Assassin Mastery: Mastered], [Dexterous Fingers: Mastered], [Inscription Mastery: Mastered], [Alchemy Mastery: Lv.2], [Greater Poison Resistance: Mastered] Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], [Blessing of N¨¹wa], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x1,414->985], [Skill Coupon x2], [Skill Combination Coupon x2], [Cultivation Gift], [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Crystal 25,000]x2, [Storage Ring(50m3): Spirit Stone 100,000]x2, [Sub-Profession Coupon x2], [Divine Ability Gift], [Sub-Profession Coupon(Servant)], [Cultivation Gift(Servant)], [Ability Coupon], [Bloodline Gift], [Bloodline Gift(Servant)], [Ability Combination Coupon x2], [Profession Coupon], [Karma Bound], [Black Inscription Master Token], [Essence of ####] ] ''D-don''t tell me that if I change into Human form...'' Aiko''s paws quivered. [ Human form: Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement)(*1-2.5 Lunar Enhancement) HP: 116,813|116,813 (250pH & 0.4%pH) ST: 105,247|67,805 (250pH & 0.4%pH) Vitality: 52,363|65,233 (25pH & 0.4%pH)(1pH - Gourmand) Vigour: 81,123 -> 16,225 Beast Cores(56%): 20,000 (52,060) Moonlight Qi: 52,060 Toughness: 63,490 -> 12,698 Strength: 84,231 -> 16,846 Agility: 86,619*2 -> 17,324*2 Dexterity: 62,428*1.5 -> 12,486*1.5 Mind: 188,000*2 Insight: 32,070 Soul: 33,060 Beauty: 1,729,260*1.55 -> 17,292,600*1.55 Luck: 230,708*1.02 -> 692,124*1.02 ] "FUCK!" Aiko yelled out, breathing heavily. ''What do you mean beauty is in the tens of millions?! Isn''t that like a huge target on my back telling them to kidnap me?!'' Aiko cursed incessantly. She was distressed, worried, wronged. She turned back into her Fox form, which had beauty still in the millions, but it was better than her Human form. Aiko didn''t know what to do, so she would ask the all-knowing Mei! Aiko dashed back. ... "What''s wrong?" Mei asked seeing the huffing Aiko who returned from sneaking outside. "..." Aiko didn''t know how to say it, but Mei already narrowed her eyes. "What did you eat to make your fur so much more pleasant to look at?" Mei was taken aback by how nice Aiko''s fur looked, but she still had enough restraint to not pet it immediately. "Oopsie?" Aiko looked away shyly. Mei''s brows twitched. ''What do you mean by oopsie?! How can you make an oopsie and return with brand new, pristine fur?!'' Mei scolded Aiko in her mind but kept her Stoic expression. "Well..." Aiko came closer to Mei, unknowingly tempting her. Aiko nuzzled into Mei due to distress. While Mei''s heart was pained by this, her fur already charmed her mind. She gently petted Aiko to her heart''s content. Aiko sighed quietly, this was not a bad treatment, but she needed a solution for that ridiculously high Beauty stat. She didn''t check the Evolution Tree from the distr- Wait the Evolution Tree! ''This can help me!'' Aiko hoped sincerely. ''This would allow me to revert to Level 1, which means all that Beauty would go poof!'' Aiko''s eyes shined brightly. [Evolution Tree:] [Holy/Demonic] [Nightmare Fennec Fox] [Darkness Fennec Fox] [True Moon Fennec Fox] [Dream Moon Fennec Fox] ''So little to choose from...'' Aiko frowned. [Nightmare Fennec Fox] [Unique Rarity] [Fox that brings nightmares to its opponents. She is very stealthy especially during the night or in the shade. Darkness wraps around her like a friend always ready to help.] ''I can''t take that one...'' Aiko shook her head. [Darkness Fennec Fox] [Epic Rarity] [Fox that is the embodiment of Darkness. She is the Darkness itself and thus doesn''t need help from it. She sees how Darkness sees and acts as Darkness acts.] ''Again, can''t take this one...'' Aiko sighed. [True Moon Fennec Fox] [#### Rarity] [####] ''...'' Aiko stared at it blankly. [Dream Moon Fennec Fox] [Unique Rarity] [Fox that brings dreams from the Moonlight. She observes like the Moon''s rays and brings people pleasant dreams. She is kind and very perceptive, even when she lacks emotions.] ''I really don''t want this one...'' Aiko sighed. ''That means I will have to take the [True Moon Fennec Fox]...'' [True Moon Fennec Fox] [#### Rarity] [####] [Requirements: Bathe in the rays of the Moon for 3,000,000 consecutive days. Nurture a Moon Palace Core Purity of at least 80% During Evolution, the User needs to be bathed in the rays of the Full Moon] [Hidden Requirements: Nurture Moon Stone x#### ####] [Stats Requirements: Mind: 1,000,000+ Soul: 100,000+ Beauty: 5,000,000+ Luck: 100,000+] [Title Requirements: Something about the Moon. Something about Race.] Aiko stared at it blankly. This was truly a #### Rarity Evolution! But how will she manage the Mind and the other stuff?! It didn''t seem like she would be able to Evolve into this one for the time being as her mind was a measly 370,000+, while she required a million to her name! Aiko discarded that thought and she didn''t like the [Dream Moon Fennec Fox]. She could not go for the Shadow ones as it would mean she would advance in Beast Rank again and cause disaster around her. She can''t afford that expenditure! Aiko looked back at Mei as her last salvation. They would have to put their heads together and come up with something! "Mei..." Aiko whimpered. "What is it?" Mei gently kissed Aiko''s forehead. "I want to hide..." Aiko whispered. The other duo were looking at Aiko with sparkling eyes as they had never seen such beautiful fur. "Okay, I will see what I can do." Mei whispered back. Naturally, she would make it so that Aiko would not hide from her, but there was no need to tell her that. Aiko nuzzled back, happy that Mei would help her... Mei glared at the Passion Fox. "I will leave Aiko in your care for the time being." She snorted coldly. "If something happens to her, I will skin you alive!" The Blood Fox snorted back. "As if I would allow anyone to touch her." She glared especially sharply when she said ''anyone''. Mei nodded at the Passion Fox and the Passion Fox nodded back. Mei placed Aiko in her care while disappearing to meet the Sect Leader. The Blood Fox hugged the little fluffball and caressed her fur. "Amazing..." She was slowly melting from the softness of her fur. The Umbra Fox gulped. She really wanted to pet it too, but at the same time, she was worried that the Passion Fox would beat her up if she tried. She could only endure and keep a steady mind... ''But that fur...'' She shook her head. ''Nononono, let''s go train!'' The Umbra Fox left the abode to train on the Shadows Peak to calm down her emotions. Aiko was being caressed gently and she slowly drifted to sleep. ... "Hey, I need recognition inhibition artefacts." Mei barged into the Sect Leader''s room. The Sect Leader was startled at first but steadied herself. "What do you need it for?" "My Mate. Now give me some recognition inhibition artefacts." Mei asked again, but the Sect Leader could see the oddness of her voice. "Is it that bad?" The Sect Leader asked while rummaging through the ring. "She wanted to hide and I agreed." Mei didn''t say more. "Tsk. You spoil her too much." The Sect Leader was upset that no one spoiled her like this Jade Fox. "That''s my problem." Mei dismissed the Sect Leader. "Sure, sure..." The Sect Leader placed a bracelet in front of her. "We just got this, so let her test it first or let her create a copy." The Sect Leader shrugged, since she knew that the Vicious Cub was an Inscription Cultivator. Mei nodded and smiled happily. "Thank you." She could see that it was a high-quality artefact. The Sect Leader blushed and kicked Jade Fox out, otherwise, she would have jumped on her right this moment. ''It''s not easy to be a Sect Leader...'' She shook her head, sighing. ... Mei returned to the abode and found the Passion Fox sleeping with Aiko. They both were sleeping peacefully. But she was not upset to the point that she would disturb her sweetie''s rest. She would rather battle it out with the Passion Fox later and make sure she mess up her tails real good so Aiko would forget about her! Mei smiled at her plan and prepared Herbs for Pills. She sighed as she didn''t like to do this, but it was needed before they could extort money from the Foxes through the Massage Chair... Chapter 131 – Perfect Memory and Business~ Aiko yawned, clicking her teeth. She was stretching when she noticed an odd stare on her. Mei was looking at her. "What is it?" Aiko yawned again. "You slept for 3 days again." Mei''s lips twitched with worry. "Is that so?" Aiko didn''t mind that she slept a bit longer. Mei sighed. "You are worrying me, you know that?" She said that while shaking her head. Aiko looked elsewhere, she couldn''t help with her condition. "We got the bracelet." Mei places the recognition inhibition bracelet in front of Aiko. Aiko''s eyes shined as she saw the very elaborate Inscription. This was much better than what she could do! Mei noticed Aiko''s glint in her eyes, but she only smiled. "I hope you will now properly learn from the Jade Slip." Mei petted Aiko''s Fox form. Aiko nodded a few times. "I will, I will." She already has the Ability called [Perfect Memory], so there should be no problem remembering a few Herbs. Aiko transformed into her teen form, stunning everyone present. They were charmed until Aiko put on the bracelet. "This... feels odd?" Aiko said, tilting her head. Mei coughed awkwardly as if trying to hide her blush. "You are not allowed to take it off." "Of course I won''t!" Aiko was very happy with its effects. [Beauty: 17,292,600*1.55 -> #1,729,260*1.55] # Your stat was suppressed. It was over a million, which was still bad, but much better than in the tens of millions. Aiko nodded happily and hugged Mei. Mei felt strange as Aiko was much more affectionate than before and she was also prettier, so Mei had a hard time with her. She was inclined to spoil her rotten, but at the same time, she tried to control herself, so that Aiko would learn the beneficial knowledge before anything bad happened again. Mei sighed, she didn''t expect that one day, she, as the queen, would have to deal with trying to stop herself from spoiling someone. ''I have already spoiled him, but how did that end...'' Mei fell into a melancholic state. "I really like you Mei~" Aiko giggled, the bracelet was also a nice fit and she didn''t mind wearing it, unlike the bracelet from the Shadows Peak. Mei was stunned, but then smiled lazily. "It''s good that you like it. Now, go, go and learn from the Jade Slip so we can play with Herbs later." She felt a bit better. Aiko pouted after realising that her technique didn''t work and returned into the Jade Slip. She started from the beginning since she only remembered the basics, but now that she has that Ability everything will go smoothly. ... Mei observed the once again diligent Aiko, who didn''t thrash around and who quietly learned by herself. She didn''t believe she was learning, so she asked her about a few Herbs, but she was shocked. ''How can she know so many of them? Didn''t she struggled to learn just a few Herbs in a day?!'' Mei narrowed her eyes, she didn''t believe that the system would have something so miraculous that it would change her attitude... ''I wouldn''t believe in that system if I didn''t see the poison being suppressed by some mysterious energy...'' Mei shook her head. She didn''t believe many things, but she will have to start believing them over time, or something bad might happen. She let Aiko learn, while she prepared all the basic, but robust tools, so Aiko could play around with the Herbs alongside her. ''They need to be very robust, since Aiko has a tendency to slap things, saying that she is ''fixing it'' when she is upset.'' Mei giggled, remembering the palm imprint that Aiko gave to the Massage Chair when she was upset. ... 50 days passed and Aiko learned every single Herb on the Jade Slip. She looked at Mei in triumph, while Mei was frowning. ''No way she learned all the Herbs in such a short amount of time.'' MMei wanted to be open minded and believe in Aiko, yet she couldn''t do so as she believed that it was an outrageous feat. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. "I will test you and if you do well I might give you a surprise." Mei smiled, if Aiko really completed this in such a short amount of time, she would give her the first set of Alchemy equipment. ... Mei tested Aiko on the Herbs'' effects and natural habitats. Aiko was able to answer it precisely like she was reading it from the Jade Slip. Mei was shocked as it took her around a year to learn it, yet Aiko had completed it in an incomprehensibly short period of time. ''No... did she not take it seriously before?'' Mei thought and in that case, she felt even more inferior... She sighed, feeling a bit crestfallen. "Did I get something wrong?" Aiko was worried. She played around a lot of the time and learned only when she wanted to... but that Ability said she just needed to read it once and she would remember it. No way she got it wrong, right?! Mei sighed when she looked at the confused and frowning Aiko. "You got everything correctly." "Yay!" Aiko smugly cheered and Mei held her temple. "I have two things for you." She couldn''t be outdone by a junior, so she would give Aiko, her lifelong knowledge about flora. Her smile twisted. ''Let''s see how you deal with over 10,000,000 pieces of flora!'' Aiko shivered, seeing Mei''s smile. Mei coughed, seeing Aiko freeze. "Come here." "No." Aiko replied on impulse and she cried out inwardly that Mei was too scary with that smile. Mei was stunned that Aiko would reject her so quickly. "Come here." Her face softened. Aiko gulped with worry and approached her. She was sure Mei was plotting something, but she would have to deal with it when push comes to shove... ''Mei can be nice and scary at the same time...'' Aiko sobbed in her mind. In one moment, she would be served delicious food and in another, tortured with arduous amounts of knowledge. She didn''t like that! Aiko sat next to Mei, but before she could completely sit down, she was moved on Mei''s lap. Aiko stiffened, she was worried that Mei would torture her with those ''Herbal Concoctions'', they were just too bitter! "What''s wrong~?" Mei teased, seeing the scared Aiko. "Nothing." Aiko sniffled. "Then, here." Mei placed something in front of Aiko and Aiko flinched, closing her eyes and waiting for her impending doom. But nothing came? Her nose was not picking anything bitter? What''s going on? She opened her eyes slowly to find a bunch of torture tools in front of her. "These are Alchemy Tools." Mei said softly, stroking Aiko''s silky smooth hair. ''Her hair is so nice...'' Aiko looked over the tools: Shears & Sickle Caldron Tray 4 knives: {Yin; Metal and Wood. Yang; Metal and Wood} Cutting Board Mortar and Pestle She looked over to the tools one more time, but those tools were the ones that she heard about way back when she joined the Fox Village. Curiously, picking the shears, they were well-made and had a perfect grip for her even if she grew up. She had only one type of Shears and that was wooden, the sickle on the other hand, was made of metal. Aiko didn''t quite get the difference as she didn''t learn them, but she knew that Mei wouldn''t give her something average. "I will explain these tools to you a bit later." Mei smiled gently. "Here is the Jade list about Materials used on the tools if you ever need something replaced. This will work until you are a [Pill Master]." Mei said slowly. Aiko nodded, she liked them and they also looked quite robust, which was what she required as she had enough of fixing things. "Before we start anything with this, let''s talk about business." Mei smiled like the devil and Aiko shivered. "Let''s extor-*Cough* sell the usage of the chair to the Foxes in this Village and earn Spirit Stones." Mei smiled with the same vigour as when Aiko would extort someone. "The chair won''t last long if it is kept on your or Grandmaster''s setting." Aiko didn''t want to fix it every god-damn day! "That is alright as we will be only working in the first 3 gears." Mei nodded slowly, calculating it. "There are plenty of weak Foxes so we can extort a bit from them, but with the more powerful ones, we will need to use the second and third gear. As such, we will have an easier time extorting them in the open." Mei smiled. "Will they agree to it?" Aiko hoped that they wouldn''t agree, so she didn''t need to keep maintaining the chair. It was fine to use it as a recreational Massage Chair, but not so often that she would have to fix it every single god-damn day! "No." Mei said and Aiko brightened. Mei''s lips twitched at this, so she poured cold water over Aiko''s hope. "But they won''t have any other way to get these benefits~" Now she looked like a complete devil! "Is it that good?" Aiko didn''t believe that something she had done on a whim would be used like this, not to mention so beneficial that others wouldn''t mind being extorted for it. "It''s exceptional, you would not be slighted if you opened a large business with this and provided it to other races." Mei said in a serious tone, startling Aiko. "Whoa..." Aiko didn''t expect this. This meant she would get Spirit Stones, which she needed for her future Evolutions... or at least if she wanted to be safe during those Evolutions. "How do we go about this?" Aiko asked. "The Grandmaster will protect the Massage Chair with us and we just collect the Spirit Stones." Mei smiled. "That''s not all, right?" Aiko narrowed her eyes and pierced Mei with them, she didn''t believe she would do so little work. *Cough* Mei blushed. She didn''t expect she would be found out so soon. "The Grandmaster will also use that Massage Chair here and there." Mei looked away from Aiko''s narrowed eyes. "I knew it! This is punishment, right?!" Aiko cried out. "It''s not!" Mei defended herself, but it was indeed true that each time the Grandmaster would use it, it would cause the breakdown of the Massage Chair. "It''s a good idea to improve the prototype." Mei smiled, trying to soothe her. Aiko sniffled. "And who is going to create future prototypes?!" It was HER who would need to create and build those prototypes manually! "You will get 70% of the Spirit Stones." Mei continued soothing. "90%!" Aiko pressed on Mei''s shoulders with a wronged expression. "75%, I can''t do more!" Mei didn''t think Aiko would bargain so harshly. "85%! No less than that!" Aiko pushed harder on Mei''s shoulders. Mei smiled like a mischievous Fox. She slid backwards, letting Aiko fall on her in this questionable position. "80% and you can have me~" She teased Aiko, but in reality, she hoped that Aiko would still bargain as she also needed those Spirit Stones. She also knew that Aiko would not agree with her terms and would state something else that she would wan- "Okay." Aiko blushed. She had never seen a more beautiful person than Mei, so if Mei wanted to use her like this, she would also use Mei. ''Advertising is important...'' Aiko browsed Mei''s body, making her go completely stiff. Aiko smiled in acknowledgement and kissed Mei on the cheek. "Thanks for the generous business~" Then she ran away, leaving the stupefied Mei on the floor... Chapter 132 – Business and Treasures Mei blankly stared forward for a long time, she did not expect Aiko to take her on the offer. ''How did that even happen??'' Mei was confused and unsure of what Aiko was planning since she knew that Aiko had no lust for those types of activities, but she was not willing to see if she was correct! She sighed, looking outside for a while, it was the direction where Aiko disappeared. ''Good thing I took the ''Defensive Artefact''.'' Mei snorted, it would be dangerous if Aiko had it, especially with how pleasant she looked. ... Aiko strolled around thinking of a way to advertise her Massage Chair, but honestly... she didn''t want to deal with that. ''Since Mei''s body is now mine, I will just tell her to advertise with it...'' Aiko nodded slowly, she learned the Herbs and built the Massage Chair, so it was time to research more about the treasures she got previously. Aiko returned, only for Mei to grab her and drag her away. "What''s wrong?" Aiko asked. "We are opening the Massage Chair business, today." Mei smiled with a mean grin. "But I don''t have to be there for the opening and you need to advertise it yourself!" Aiko protested. "Shush. You will be with me for the repairs if anything happens." Mei already knew how to operate the control panel and she had to say that it was nice and unique, you could adjust the intensity by just turning a button. Normally, the Inscription Cultivators would create elaborate Inscriptions that you had to activate with your Qi, but this ''control panel'' could be operated even by untrained mortals. This was a novel idea for Mei, but one she didn''t want to spread. ''Humans are hateful creatures that would exploit anything, if they realise you can create artefacts which can be controlled simply by turning a knob, it would be disastrous...'' Mei sighed. Aiko felt wronged, she was willing to do anything else except for going with Mei. While yes, the bracelet was on her wrist, it still did not make her feel completely safe. She didn''t like crowded places, much less running a business. ... "That''s a tiny house..." Aiko said strangely. "We don''t need much room for the time being and as far as I remember you don''t want to create another Massage Chair right?" Mei smiled devilishly. Aiko shook her head like a rabbit in danger. "So stay next to me and you can do whatever you want, okay?" Mei stroked Aiko''s hair, currently, this was her favourite pastime. Aiko could only sigh. ... The Defensive Artefact against Poison was a very simple one. It started with a Barrier-like Inscription and then formed sentences about each poison. Aiko never heard about these Poisons, so she had to verify them with Mei. "Those are all very Low-Grade Poisons." Mei shook her head. "Don''t even think about fighting poison with poison!" And was scolded by Mei for asking... Aiko returned to the Defensive Artefact, trying to figure out why it was shaped like a snake. The Inscription looked nice on it, with all the twists and turns, but that was about it. There was no enhancing effect that Aiko could spot. She would have to test it out herself. There was a Qi Gathering Inscription, though it was a bit different than usual. It was an Inscription that had some kind of special Inscription attached to it which Aiko was unable to decipher. She put it down for the time being and turned to check out another artefact, though she would be stopped when she saw the first customer entering. ''We didn''t do any advertising! So how in the hell did someone already came to check it out?!'' Aiko cried out in her mind, being sent in deep horror when she realized that it was not just a single Fox who was waiting in line. "What the hell?!" Aiko''s inner thoughts leaked out which lead to her gathering everyone''s attention, but they decided to ignore her after a bit. Even if she had high Beauty stat, Mei had... better proportions for most Foxes... "What''s wrong?" Mei smirked. "Nothing." Aiko looked away, she would not ask about this devilish advertising. She would not be able to rest if she did it the same way Mei did it! Stolen story; please report. The first customer came up. "Jade Fox, I-" "You are a weak Fox, so you will only pay 1 Spirit Stone for 30 minutes." Mei smiled. The first customer choked. "T-that''s expensive." Aiko butted in. "But it''s discounted as you are our first customer. Normally it''s higher, so you should take this opportunity firmly into your hands." She didn''t know what kind of advertising was done, but she could make some kind of outline, observing the blushing Foxes. "I will take it!" Another Fox behind him shouted in enthusiasm. "Shut up, you bastard! I have not said I won''t take it!" Yelled the first customer. He pulled out a Spirit Stone and gave it to Mei. "Thank you for your patronage." Mei smiled, making the Fox blush and bleed from his nose. "Am I going to heaven?" "I''m already there, I can see Jade Fox, Passion Fox, Sect Leader... Ah." Some Foxes fainted, some had raging boners that they didn''t try to hide and some had nosebleeds, but they all had one thing in common... disgust from Aiko. Aiko hid around the building, but she was so shocked by what she saw that she tried to run away. "Where are you going?" A melodious voice from the depths of hell greeted her, it was the Grandmaster. "Grandma." Aiko smiled awkwardly. "Come here." The Grandmaster chuckled, reading her mind. Hell was not such a bad place. Aiko felt like crying, the Grandma''s regime was complete hell and she didn''t want to experience it when she wanted to rest and tinker with things. The Grandmaster placed Aiko on her lap and smiled. "You can continue what you were doing." It was that time of the month, the relapse. She brushed Aiko''s tail and sighed slowly. She did not see her for a bit and she became even more shining. ''It will be difficult to keep immortals away from her.'' The Grandmaster sighed. She would have to deal with those when they came, but she was in no shape to fight them. ''I can only try to scare them away if they come...'' She shook her head. Meanwhile, Aiko was relieved seeing the Array below them, it meant that the Grandmaster would not do anything to her. Aiko pulled out that nice Dagger and looked over it. The Grandmaster was also somewhat interested in seeing such an old artefact in Aiko''s hands. Aiko slowly examined it but found out she could not figure out more than 70% of the Inscriptions on it. This made her excited and conflicted, since most of the time she was able to decipher most Inscriptions, but this one was the complete opposite! She put it away for the time being, since she had enough of memorizing those Herbs, but even then she could remember the whole Inscription in her mind. She pulled out an Armour with a dense, yet strange Inscription. She did not have enough knowledge previously, but she noticed now that it was complete gibberish! Once Aiko tried cursive Rune writing during the Massage Chair development it opened a whole new world for her, but now seeing the previously ''exciting'' Armour turn into complete gibberish, she was crestfallen. "This is an excellent Armour." The Grandmaster praised. She had similar Armour in her collection, but it was still in pristine condition. ''What do you mean ''an excellent Armour''?! This is complete gibberish, the cursive is plain wrong, the connections doesn''t make any sense, there is no Qi Gathering Inscription-'' Aiko paused her gentle cursing, as she couldn''t truly curse the Grandmaster lest she wants to experience that hellish training once again. ''Where is the Qi Gathering Formation??'' Aiko looked up and down, but could not find it. "This Armour saps your Qi to power itself, as such the Inscription is dormant for most of the time." The Grandmaster explained as she already tested her own Armour and she could feel her Qi leaving her body. Aiko''s eyes shined, she did not have enough research material for dormant Inscriptions, as most Inscription Cultivators would just create Qi Gathering Inscriptions. She looked over the Armour one more time. The cursive was bad, but there were a few novel ideas. There was an Inscription that attached itself to the User''s Golden Core and sucked on its Qi. She couldn''t use that part, for obvious reasons, but she could understand the inner workings and how it did those things. Aiko sighed, satisfied with her knowledge, she put away the Armour since it was still heavy. Aiko revised the Armour a few more times in her mind before pulling the last treasure that she had. The Broken Relic. This was pretty ancient... it even attracted the Grandmaster''s interest. "If you ever happen to not need this, I will exchange it with my treasures." The Grandmaster said slowly but with a firm voice. This was a priceless relic for anyone who wished to ascend from this world, as you needed to be way beyond the Nascent Soul in Cultivation, but the Heavenly Lightning was still the same and merciless. This protection could buy countries if it appeared on auction... Aiko stared at Grandmaster in wonder. She did not expect the Grandmaster to say that. Aiko turned back to the Broken Relic and looked at it slowly, if it was so treasured by the Grandmaster, then this thing must not be simple... Yet Aiko could not decipher it! This language was older than the Inscription she was used to, she knew only a few words from what looked like millions. Aiko was not discouraged, her interest was piqued. Especially when she read the word ''Storage''. Could it be that Qi Storage she was looking forward to? Or some kind of Storage for different Qi? Aiko could not wait to find out, but unfortunately... "We are done for today." Mei sighed tiredly, those Foxes were too enthusiastic about this whole thing, but tomorrow should be calmer... "How much did we get?" Aiko asked with narrowed eyes. "Just 180 Spirit Stones, but that was because I lowered the prices for today." Mei shrugged. The Grandmaster staggered. When she was young, she was happy with 1 Spirit Stone per month, yet these little monsters had already made over a dozen years'' worth of Spirit Stone, but they still dared to call it low! The Grandmaster stared at the Jade Fox. "What is it~?" Mei teased the Grandmaster, since she knew that kind of expression. "I will have to train it out of you." The Grandmaster threatened. "Oh? Grandma needs to take a walk?" Mei stuck out her tongue playfully. "You little vixen!" The Grandmaster laughed, she was never insulted in such a way, yet she didn''t mind it as much. She was in a good mood since she was not in pain. ''Yes! Fight! Fight!'' Aiko''s eyes shined, if they were taken away by each other, she would be able to rest and laze around with the Inscriptions. "Naturally, we would take her with us." The Grandmaster petted Aiko. "Indeed." Mei nodded, she also didn''t like Aiko''s enthusiasm when they were bickering about training. Aiko immediately turned crestfallen. She didn''t believe those two would be so free that they would be able to drag her with them. "It''s better if she joins us." Mei chuckled like the devil. "Indeed, it seems like she has too much energy." The Grandmaster likewise smiled like the devil. Aiko cried in her mind. She could not believe that those two would gang up on her, how free were they?! Unbeknownst to her, this would not be the last time someone would gang up on her... Chapter 133 – Testing the Inscription Aiko pouted and played with the Snake Artefact. She would love to try the effects if she created such an artefact herself. Aiko noticed that both of them were still bickering, so she had to wait her turn before proceeding with her plans. Unfortunately, she would not be able to leave the Grandmaster''s lap for a few days. As such, she didn''t know if she would be allowed to create anything, since she was still studying things... An hour later they finally finished their bickering. "Can I create Inscriptions?" Aiko asked them. "Sure, I don''t mind." The Grandmaster immediately replied. She liked to watch other people create things, but Forging Cultivators didn''t like others watching them. The Pill Cultivators... you could only see them place those things into the Pill Furnace, so it was hard to imagine what was happening without experiencing the process yourself. The Talisman Cultivators were likewise hard-pressed as it was just writing, there was no true art in it for her. As for the Inscription Cultivators, they did not mind others observing their Inscription process as it was hard to understand what they were engraving, yet at the same time, the engraving process was extremely pleasant to watch and it felt like a true piece of art. "Don''t overdo it." Mei said gently, worried about Aiko''s arm. "I''m fine, but I will need... a few test subjects." Aiko stared at Mei unblinking. "W-why are you staring at me?" Mei had a bad feeling for some reason. "For no reason." Aiko said, but she still kept staring at Mei. *Cough* "What do you need test subjects for?" Mei awkwardly looked away. "I want to test if I can recreate this Artefact." Aiko pointed at the little snake badge. "The Poison Defensive Artefact, huh..." Mei nodded slowly. "That''s easy then, this is a Low-Grade Defensive tool, so we just need to use 1st Grade Antidote Pills, if it were to fail." Mei thought about it. "Alright, I think I have some Antidote Pills for some specific poisons, so you are allowed to work with those." Mei wrote them down. Aiko nodded slowly while looking through them, fortunately, she was able to decipher those types of poisons on the Snake Badge. "Do you want to engrave it on a simple piece of metal or do you need something sturdy that lasts long?" Mei asked, noting down things. "I just want to test it so it will end up like the Massage Chair. Just a prototype." Aiko answered slowly. "Okay, I still have some metal plates as leftovers from the Massage Chair, so you can use them." Mei said and placed plates from her Storage Ring in front of Aiko. "I will also need my engraving tools since I still can''t use my arm properly." Aiko stared at her courier, which was called Mei. Mei''s lips twitched from Aiko''s gaze. "It''s a Cultivator''s virtue to keep their tools on hand at all times!" Mei glared at Aiko, but still left for the abode. Aiko observed the Snake Badge again, there were a few Poisons she could not decipher, but that was alright. She first needed to know if she could even recreate that effect, before getting excited and creating the Universal-Grand-Anti-Poison-Heavenly-Artefact. Mei returned with Aiko''s tools. "Thank you~" Aiko smiled and Mei coughed lightly. The Grandmaster narrowed her eyes, smiling at the exchange. And thus, Aiko started working on the engraving until the morning sun came. The Foxes lined up and Mei extor-Cough charged the ''appropriate'' customer fee for using the Massage Chair. A week passed by and Aiko finally was finished with the small Anti-Poison Inscription. It was more elaborate than she initially thought so it took longer, but once she got the hang of it she also created another one with cursive Runes. It looked almost the same, the latter one was just more pleasing to look at. "What are the differences?" The Grandmaster asked curiously, as she could not understand what Aiko was thinking. "I don''t know, that''s why I need the test subjects." Aiko shook her head. "Hmmm..." The Grandmaster didn''t say anything and waited for the Jade Fox. Mei returned from another day and placed Spirit Stones in front of Aiko. "Your cut." Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Aiko browsed it, inside were 5,600 Spirit Stones. Aiko nodded slowly. It was nice to have a steady income of Spirit Stones. "Here, they are finished." Aiko placed the plates in front of Mei. "2 of them?" Mei asked about the Poisons. "No, it''s one Poison, but 2 different techniques." Aiko shook her head. "This one? The Night Rose Poison?" Mei asked so she could prepare the Antidotes. "Yes, that one." Aiko nodded, now she would have to wait for her first test. Mei nodded. "I will give a discount to anyone who is willing to test it out, how many test subjects do you need?" "10 should be enough. If it works, we will go for 100 afterwards." Aiko said. "Okay." Mei would not help Aiko with this, as she wished that Aiko would be able to use this to learn more about the nature of people in this world. She needed to understand that people would fake their illnesses just so they could discredit her... Unfortunately for her, this so called lesson of hers would be for naught, as Aiko didn''t care about what others would do. She just wanted some feedback on the makeshift Inscription if it even worked. ... A week passed again and Aiko received 2,000 Spirit Stones from Mei. "Finished?" Aiko asked, surprised that they would be willing to take poison just for a discount. "It was quite a significant discount, so many jumped on the option. While most powerful Foxes were reluctant, they eventually gave in after 80 tests were conducted, with no participant being poisoned, some participants even benefitted from the test." Mei shrugged. "Benefitted?" Aiko picked up a very interesting wording from Mei. "Yes, those who used this plate were able to nourish their body, but the chance was very low, only 2/50 were able to profit from it and even then those two were twins." Mei sighed, too few test subjects meant the numbers wouldn''t be as accurate. Aiko nodded curiously since what Mei showed her was the cursive one. Did it really have a beneficial effect? Aiko needed to conduct more tests. "I will try to engrave different Poisons and then we will increase the scale to 1,000 test subjects." Aiko said to Mei. "I will deduct your cut of Spirit Stones for the testing." Mei said lightly. "It''s fine, keep the Spirit Stones until the test is over." Aiko didn''t need those spirit stones, as they were not that important. She only cared about the results of those tests, so she would take this as paying Mei for her service. "That''s fine by me." Mei did not reject this notion. While she would have liked to push the Spirit Stones on Aiko so that she would owe her, she still accepted it as she would become quite wealthy from it. She will get more opportunities to shackle Aiko, they already have a Karmic relationship, so she doesn''t need to worry about Aiko suddenly leaving her. ''But I want to develop a deeper Karmic relationship so that I know where Aiko is at all times and how she is faring.'' Mei slowly nodded in her mind. ... 20 weeks passed and the Massage Chair was still functioning without any hiccups. This made Aiko incredibly happy, as she didn''t need to repair it. At this moment, Mei returned from overseeing the business. "I have the results." Mei said gently. She moved Aiko on her lap and hugged her, pulling out the Bamboo Slip. "Out of 1,100 test subjects for each Defensive Inscription... 5 of them were poisoned and 12 benefitted. Surprisingly, one of the poisoned ones was also one of those who benefitted." Mei still couldn''t believe that guy. Aiko was likewise surprised and asked. "Does he have some special Bloodline?" "Yes." Mei nodded. "His Bloodlines strengthens Poisons, so that might be the reason the Poison worked on him." "Right! The dosage. If it''s too much, it might overwhelm the Inscription." Aiko nodded. "But I don''t know how to strengthen the Inscription further." She frowned. "It''s fine, we can figure it out over time~" Mei soothed Aiko. "How about we try Alchemy for a few months?" Mei would love her little swee- Servant to do Alchemy with her. Aiko thought about it, she was stuck with this Inscription, but she still wished to finish it. With no way to complete it, it would be better if she changed the pace for the time being and learn something else so that she could come up with some kind of idea and fix her issue... Aiko nodded. "Let''s do that." Mei was stunned, she thought she had heard incorrectly. "You will really try Alchemy?" Mei stared at Aiko up and down and wondered what possessed her. "I don''t like learning things, but I didn''t say I dislike creating things." Aiko pouted. Mei laughed and hugged Aiko happily, this would make the curing process so much easier and thus it would allow her to find lower Grade Herbs which would work in the same way as high Grade Herbs. Mei was ready to start with Aiko right this instance, but waited a few more days for her to finish with the Massage Chair business. That''s when the incident happened... ... "Why are you looking like that, Mei?" Aiko tilted her head. It was rare to see Mei be so disgusted. "The Massage Chair was stained by one of our clients." The disgusted expression only deepened. Aiko made a similar disgusted expression. "I did not have time to test it for myself..." Aiko sobbed. "I know, she is banned until she is able to pay for the damages, but it would be better if we didn''t use that Massage Chair for ourselves..." Mei shook her head. "That is indeed the case." Aiko wholeheartedly agreed. She did not wish to use the same thing that someone stained. "Should I go to the Forging Adept for more parts?" Mei asked. "No... it would take too much time to recreate." Aiko shook her head. "What about Grandma, does she still want to use that chair?" Aiko asked, just in case. "No." Mei shook her head. "Thought so..." Aiko sighed. "What will we do now?" "We can only close the business completely until you finish the Massage Chair that the Grandmaster can use." Mei sighed, it was such a good business, but so quickly ruined... Aiko nodded slowly. "Next time we will cover the chair with waxed fabric, which will make it waterproof, so the only thing we will need to change is the padding and waxed fabric." Aiko said. "That is a good idea." Mei nodded, like this, there would be less opposition to using the Massage Chairs that were stained. "Of course, we will have our own little private Massage Chair for our use." Aiko finished with that. "That would be good. Maybe a few of them so that we don''t clash when we want to use it." Mei still could remember that blissful feeling when her stiff muscles relaxed. "Let''s do that." Aiko nodded. "About Alchemy, do we have everything?" Aiko glanced at Mei. "I have prepared more than enough Herbs for you to learn, I will slowly teach you over time. It''s not good if you rush it." Mei said much more gently than before. She was ecstatic that Aiko wished to practise Alchemy! Aiko nodded. She was happy that Mei prepared everything, as she didn''t want to bother with other people... ... "We put an end to their business, Mistress." A Fox knelt in front of another far more beautiful Fox. "Good. She dared to open such a dubious business that would put her at risk! It''s better that it''s closed. She doesn''t need anything else in her life other than me!" The Fox proclaimed while huffing. She could still remember that shocked expression, when she told her that information. That shocked expression made her wet and wanting. She planned to slowly sap her sanity until she became a beautiful and obedient pet that would warm her bed... Chapter 134 – System Rewards and Alchemy [Happy Birthday!] [You are now 6 years old!] [Please choose a gift:] [1. Meat - 600] [2. Bloodline Book*] [3. Stat and Skill Points - 600] [4. Surprise - Surprise] Aiko stared at the shameless system. If she hadn''t checked her age again, she would have been robbed of her birthday gift! She didn''t like the fact that the system would conceal it from her. ''It''s even more important since the second option is a one-time-only kind of thing.'' Aiko nodded slowly, but she was still glaring at the system''s translucent panel. Aiko picked the Second option, with that she would be able to slowly but carefully change her Bloodlines to what she wanted. She did not expect that it would have all the information inside, but she should be able to find the Bloodline Tree that she liked. [Receive a reward for reaching Level 450?] [Servant Mark] [Your servants will be loyal to you, if they try to betray you or harm you in any way, their ''Blessing/s'' will be forcibly withdrawn, alongside the knowledge received from the User.] [Receive a reward for reaching Level 500?] [Ancestral Shop] [You will be able to buy things lost in time.] [Receive a reward for reaching Level 550?] [Servant Shop] [You can buy various things for your servants.] The only thing she cared about was the Ancestral Shop, since the others were of no use to her. She didn''t have any servants and didn''t want to test it on Mei... ''Thinking about how few Skill Points I have makes me worry about my future...'' Aiko whined in her mind, she didn''t like the fact that almost everything used Skill Points. She had a limited supply of them, yet needed so many of them. [Ancestral Shop] [Number of Items: Unknown] [Search: - ] ''So it''s like that?'' Aiko nodded slowly, she probably had to search for what she wanted to find. ''I hope I don''t need the exact name of the thing I''m looking for...'' Aiko sighed. "Are you ready?" Mei asked, interrupting Aiko''s thinking. "Yes." That thing could wait, Aiko had different troubles incoming. ''Even if I know all the Herbs, working with them is a completely different matter!'' Aiko felt like it was not a good idea to take these lessons. Mei smiled. "Don''t worry, we have enough Herbs to play around with." She smiled so much that a chill went down Aiko''s spine. It was obvious that Aiko would not be left alone until she mastered Alchemy! "Let''s start with the simple Qi Recovery Pill. It''s a 1st Grade Pill that can be used on Beasts at the Beast Rank, but only for Foxes since we have a much smaller Beast Core compared to other Beasts." Mei explained slowly. "The main ingredient is Weeping Vine." Mei picked up an ugly Vine with an ugly face. It was a brown vine with tiny green stems on it. Its face was old and constantly frowning, but unmoving. It was around 30 cm in length. Aiko had a really bad feeling about this... "Now, you need to cut off all these tiny stems, they will poison the Pill if you do it incorrectly." Mei skilfully cut off all the unnecessary stems, leaving Aiko staring at her technique in admiration. Aiko nodded in understanding. "I will try my best." She picked up a Weeping Vine, but fortunately it didn''t scream at her. She tried to demonstrate her skill but cut into the vine itself when trying to cut the 3rd stem, thus ruining the whole Herb. Aiko frowned, it was much more difficult than she expected and even when she tried to copy the technique Mei showed, her body just wouldn''t listen to her properly. "It''s fine." Mei stroked Aiko''s hair. "Practice makes perfect." She placed another Weeping Vine in front of her. ... Aiko practised this for a week until she was able to remove all the stems from the Herb, but even then there were tiny parts of the stems that were stuck to the Vine. Unfortunately for Aiko, if she tried to remove them completely, like Mei, she would ruin the Herb, as she was not as skilled as Mei. The engraving was much easier since the material didn''t move away from her each time she tried to engrave it, unlike this Herb that wiggled and moved about. "This Herb is the Green Leaf Flower." Mei picked up a flower whose petals consisted only of normal leaves. "The urge to eat is because this Herb is packed with Qi." Mei explained when she saw the drooling Aiko. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "We need to cut off the leaves in a certain way so that they preserve the Qi inside them." She explained slowly, but her hands were already moving, stripping the flower of its green leaves. Aiko was shocked at the ease of Mei stripping the Herb, but she was not fooled by it this time. She would slowly and carefully do her best while hoping that she wouldn''t waste too many Herbs in her attempts. It had to be said that Mei was extremely generous, as most Alchemists that started would only be given 20 sets of Herbs in order for them to learn one type of 1st Grade Pill. With each Grade, this amount would decrease until they would get only 1 set of herbs and therefore have to concoct the Pill without errors! As for Aiko? She spent more than 500 Weeping Vines learning how to cut them properly and even then she still wasn''t perfect. It could be considered a great waste, but Mei didn''t mind. She was happy as long as Aiko was willing to do Alchemy with her. ... Another 2 weeks passed. Aiko finally prepared all 3 Herbs for the concoction. Of course, she had to redo the first two since they had already withered by the time she finished with the third one. Around them, there were hundreds upon hundreds of wasted, withered Herbs. Yet Mei was still smiling gently. "Now we have prepared the Herbs. There are multiple ways to concoct this Pill, we will start with using the easiest one." Mei gestured. "First you preheat the Cauldron with Flames. You need this exact temperature." Mei dragged Aiko close to the Cauldron so that she could feel the heat. Aiko didn''t think this was hot enough as she thought she would be able to touch the Pill Cauldron with her bare hands, but she restrained herself and watched Mei. "Once the preheating is finished you place the Weeping Vine in and wait for 34 breaths." Mei explained whilst simultaneously counting her breaths. "Then you form this Rune and slap the Pill Cauldron gently." Mei demonstrated and what came out was a strange kind of Powder. She immediately placed it on the tray with her Divine Sense. Mei then picked another Herb counted 24 breaths and the last one was 13 breaths. The temperature and time were different each time which made Aiko''s head slightly hurt. If every Herb had a different temperature it would soon turn into a mess even with her memory! "You won''t be able to do this for the time being." Mei giggled at the dumbfounded Aiko. "Why not?" Aiko tilted her head. "Because you didn''t even awaken your Divine Sense." Mei teased Aiko by nudging her nose. Aiko frowned and massaged her nose. "Do you need Divine Sense for concoction?" It didn''t seem like one needed it... "How will you move the powders from the Pill Cauldron?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "Turn it upside down?" Aiko lifted one of her eyebrows. Wasn''t that much better than this questionable ''Sense''? Mei laughed heartily. "Then try it." She chuckled sinisterly. Aiko looked around for some tong or towel that she could use to handle the Cauldron. "So you are not completely senseless." Mei chuckled. "Even if you find something to protect you from the heat it will be useless." She shook her head. "Why?" Aiko asked. "While timing is important, most Herbs are very fragile once they are heated. If you jerk them around by the tilting, you might affect the quality. Not to mention, the impurities that would be drawn out from the Herbs could return into them or make the whole clean up messy." Mei explained slowly so that Aiko could understand. Aiko nodded. That wouldn''t be good since she didn''t like cleaning things and she didn''t have [Clean] like Mei did. "What do we do now then?" Aiko asked staring at Mei. "You will develop your Divine Sense." Mei said proudly. "How?" Aiko stared at her suspiciously. "I will nudge your mind with my own Divine Sense. This will agitate your mind and your mind will try to find a way to protect itself, thus you will develop the most crude Divine Sense there is." Mei explained. "From there we will take our time to slowly develop and nurture your Divine Sense until it''s as strong as mine." Mei ended the explanation. "Are you ready?" Mei smiled softly. "Okay." Aiko didn''t know what to expect, but she braced herself for the pain. Mei nodded and hummed. She used her Divine Sense to nudge Aiko''s mind... only to find out it was more difficult than she expected. ''What the- How is her mind so powerful?!'' Mei stared speechlessly at the innocently looking Aiko. ''I will try a bit more, but that would already be 2x more power than peers!'' Mei frowned. She used her Divine Sense to nudge Aiko''s mind again but found out her mind would just not budge... ... A month later... *Wheeze Wheeze* Mei was panting with horror. ''What kind of monster did I make my Karmic Companion?!'' She stared at Aiko in fear. Aiko''s mind is already 25 times more powerful than her peers! ''She could be considered an old monster with this kind of mind!'' She huffed. Aiko still stared innocently waiting for Mei to do her thing. She already spent more than a month with her, yet she didn''t feel any difference. "It''s done." Mei suddenly said with an exhausted expression. "Eh? Already?" Aiko asked with some worry, seeing Mei like that. "It is, but we will have to train your Divine Sense first, otherwise you will crush the ingredients." Mei shook her head. "Huh?" Aiko tilted her head and glanced at the system. There was a new stat below Mind. [Divine Sense: 18,800] Aiko didn''t know if it was good or bad, but she would listen to Mei. "What do we do first?" Aiko asked. "We need to draw out your full potential of Divine Sense and then control it." Mei said gently wiping her face with a wet towel. "Why not the other way around?" Aiko asked curiously. "Because it might hinder your growth. Your control might become too strong and limit your potential of the Divine Sense." Mei warned Aiko. Aiko nodded obediently. ''That will take a long time, you should do other things now.'' Suddenly a voice sounded in her mind. "What should I do?" Aiko asked. ''Don''t ask me. I''m just warning you that it will take a long time to draw out your full potential.'' The Seed was much gentler than previously. "The Seed said we should do something else, since it will take a long time to draw out my potential." Aiko said to Mei. ''Is that true?'' Mei asked the Seed through telepathy. She knew that Aiko''s mind was powerful, but she didn''t think it would take that long. ''It is.'' The Seed said dismissively. ''You are comparing her to the normal Foxes. You should drop that motion and treat her like Heaven''s Daughter.'' The seed warned Mei. ''Heaven''s Daughter, huh...'' Mei thought about it deeply. ''This will be troublesome...'' ''Tell me about it, but at least she is feeding me well, so I will help her later.'' The Seed sighed, but it was still willing to help Aiko. Aiko was feeding it well with high-quality nature Qi, so it couldn''t complain. Mei nodded slowly. ''Then let''s make her do something else and we will train her Divine Sense afterwards.'' She didn''t like the idea of postponing her lectures, but if it would take that long to draw out her full potential, then it wouldn''t be a bad idea for Aiko to relax... Chapter 135 – Rebuild and Divine Sense Aiko was stretched on the bed, it was nice to do nothing, but she quickly got bored... She wouldn''t be bored if she didn''t experience building the Massage Chair. She wanted to finish it again and use it, but at the same time, it would take a long time... What was even worse, was the fact that she could no longer upgrade the [Greater Poison Resistance], she needed to combine it with something else or find a way to upgrade it since she didn''t like the [Greater Poison Immunity*]. It still had that asterisk, which means it was still not complete... Aiko stared towards the horizon, she couldn''t wait like this. "Mei." Aiko turned towards Mei. "Bored?" Mei smiled. "I want to build another Massage Chair, this time just for us and I will rebuild the old one after we clean it with fire." Aiko said slowly. "Won''t it affect the Inscriptions?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "As long as the flames we use aren''t too strong it should be alright, but at the worst, I could patch up the Inscription." Aiko shrugged. "Alright, I will burn the old chair first and then I will get the parts for a new one." Mei smiled. "Thank you~" Aiko smiled from ear to ear. "In the meantime, you can learn from this." Mei placed a White Jade Slip in front of Aiko. "It''s a different colour?" Aiko tilted her head. "I could not find anything that could store all the information I wanted, so I had to come up with something." Mei shrugged. "Was it expensive?" Aiko felt bad that Mei would give her something so precious. "It''s fine." Mei left to burn the Massage Chair and Aiko looked through the White Jade Slip. "What the fuck?!" Aiko cried out and Mei smiled on the way to ''clean'' the Chair. "Why are there so many of them!?" Aiko felt miserable when she spotted the countless amount of- ''Wait. It''s not just Herbs?'' Aiko tilted her head. She browsed it again and found that it was not just Herbs, but also flora that would be dangerous to her. Other than those that could be used to poison the surroundings, there were also those that could thicken the ambient Qi and so on. ''This is pretty handy...'' Aiko nodded happily, but she would still pretend to be disgruntled in front of Mei. ''I can''t make it seem like I like it, since Mei could bring even more Jade Slips...'' Aiko didn''t want that, this Jade Slip was enough for her! Little did she know that Mei would be ecstatic if she knew that Aiko liked this, as this was the culmination of her lifelong knowledge. ... Mei returned with the Massage Chair which was still red-hot; of course she carried it with her Divine Sense. "Whoa, you didn''t hold back." Aiko nodded. "I tried to burn it properly, so there is no awful residual smell." Mei said with a disgusted look. "I had to burn it so many times to get completely rid of it." She sighed and whined to Aiko. "Thank you~!" Aiko hugged Mei happily. She will look over the Inscription if it has faded or straight-up vaporized. ... "The Inscription is still mostly intact?" Aiko looked at the old Massage Chair oddly. "Are they?" Mei asked, hugging Aiko from behind. "It''s odd since only those stained parts faded..." Aiko couldn''t understand what was happening and that made her confused. Mei narrowed her eyes but didn''t say anything. She could already form several guesses about what happened. "Well, I will just fix those parts and be done with it." Aiko shrugged. She picked up the Inscription Pen and slowly applied the Inscription Ink, but something odd happened. ''It doesn''t stick together?'' Aiko tilted her head. She picked up the Inscription Carving Pen and removed part of the Inscription Ink, then she reapplied the Ink in its place and then it finally stuck together. ''Oh... It seems like I will have to remove all the affected Inscription Ink and replace it with a new one.'' Aiko nodded slowly. This would take quite some time. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Just then, the haggard duo returned. They looked much better than previously, but still pretty awful. Aiko observed them for a while, there was a sense of danger from them, but not enough for Aiko to make her go on guard. Aiko tilted her head puzzled, she couldn''t understand that new feeling. ... 10 weeks passed and the Massage Chair was up and running. "I''m still not willing to use it." Aiko shook her head. It would have been better if she just made another one that only she and her group used... ''But it''s already been 10 weeks again and I really don''t want to spend dozens of weeks building it...'' Aiko sighed. She would start developing and nurturing her Divine Sense first. "Mei." Aiko trotted towards Mei. "What is it?" Mei smiled. "The Massage Chair is fixed, but I don''t really want to build another one right now, how about we start with the Divine Sense?" Aiko looked at Mei with puppy eyes. "Sure." While Mei was not immune to those eyes, since she also wanted to proceed with Alchemy, she did not mind Aiko''s enthusiasm. "Let''s go somewhere else for the first few tests." Mei said softly. Aiko followed Mei outside. ... "This place is deserted enough." Mei nodded and smiled at Aiko. "What do I do then?" Aiko asked with gentle eyes. "Lift that rock." Mei pointed at a small rock near them. "How do I do that?" Aiko asked for guidance. "First you need to relax your body, then empty your mind and you should see a light hue around your body. You will try to slowly control that hue with your thoughts, moving it around." Mei explained all the parts for control, but she would explain it in more details if Aiko struggled. Aiko sat down and relaxed her body. It was a good thing she got that shitty title [Filthy RICH Den Master] since it stopped her from falling asleep. Aiko meditated and meditated... and meditated. "That should be enough for today." Mei''s gentle words drifted into Aiko''s ears. Aiko didn''t think she meditated enough, but still opened her eyes. To her shock, it was already evening and they started slightly before lunch! Aiko looked at Mei with confusion and Mei giggled. "It''s difficult to empty your mind, since the more you relax it, the faster the time passes. It is similar to when you Meditate to Cultivate. The perception of the flow of time gets distorted." Mei said gently. Aiko nodded slowly. This was an unexpected variable, as she didn''t think she was even halfway through... ... The next day, she tried it again. Then again. And again. With little to no progress. ... "It''s fine." Mei consoled her. "Since your mind is stronger than your peers, it will take you longer to empty your mind." She smiled kindly not minding Aiko''s inability to grasp her Divine Sense. Aiko nodded, but she was still unhappy. She wanted to use Divine Sense soon as she felt that she wasted her time like this. Then it clicked for her. ''I will use the [Sleeping] Skill during nights!'' Aiko nodded to herself. She walked back with Mei to sleep, but instead of sleeping, she activated her Skill and patiently practised. ... 20 weeks passed and Aiko was finally able to grasp her Divine Sense. She was also close to her Birthday yet again, but that was not important. "Mei I think I grasped my Divine Sense." Aiko smiled happily. "Great." Mei smiled gently, she didn''t want to discourage Aiko as she did not know if it should take that long. Aiko''s Divine Sense was out of the norm, so it could''ve been difficult to grasp it. "Let''s go to that deserted place again and test your control." Mei guided Aiko back to that place. There was no hurry in her eyes, as days in the Immortal World were countless. "Since you can grasp your Divine Sense now try moving it." Mei gestured that rock again. Aiko sat down and meditated again. She soon saw what looked like a smooth Black Hue leaving her body. She nudged it, but it was as hard as pushing a river. Aiko opened her eyes, exhausted. Mei gently picked up Aiko and returned to their abode. Mei was slightly concerned as this was not a normal situation, she couldn''t use her knowledge to help Aiko, but she could make sure that Aiko wouldn''t get hurt. The sense of exhaustion was from over-usage of Divine Sense. That was not bad since that same thing expanded your Divine Sense and would allow one to increase their resilience towards Divine Sense. Still, if it''s used too much it could damage the mind as the mind wouldn''t be able to cope with the strain, so she must regulate Aiko''s training. Aiko fell asleep the moment Mei put her on her tails. There were 4 fluffy tails. Mei wanted to create the fifth, but it would exhaust her Soul stockpile, so she was postponing it. But even if she postponed it, it was still unbelievable growth. Most Elders were keeping their eyes on her and some even tried to placate her to become their Disciples. Mei refused all of them since they were too weak for their age. They wouldn''t be able to achieve the pinnacle of Cultivation and Mei didn''t want to bother with dead carcasses... ... "You are improving splendidly." The Grandmaster praised them. The Umbra Fox improved her hiding and throwing capabilities, while sharpening her senses. This allowed her to sneak around without being spotted by normal means, but she was still far away from evading Divine Sense... Meanwhile, the Passion Fox was a true brute. She would pound anything she couldn''t solve with her wits. She could coat her hands with Blood and shape them into different instruments. Fists, knives, blades, you name it. This allowed her to be very versatile in close combat, but she lacked ranged Abilities. Sure, she did have the [Crimson Spear], but that would weaken her in the long run. She needed something that didn''t tap into her Blood reserves, the same reserves that she used for [Crimson Armour] and her enhancements. But even with this weakness, she was power to be reckoned with. "I was thinking that the three of you should join the Rankings." The Grandmaster smirked. "Rankings?" The Passion Fox was the first one to ask. "It''s all about how powerful you are in battle. There are other Rankings, like the Alchemy Ranking or the Inscription Ranking, but this is the only one that doesn''t have a more specific name, as it''s the most important one." The Grandmaster explained and then murmured. "At least for those old fools anyway." "And we are to enter that Ranking?" The Passion Fox asked. "In a bit." The Grandmaster nodded. "You are to achieve the top 10 in your category before we resume your training." The Grandmaster gave them a goal. "T-top 10?!" The ever-silent Umbra Fox stuttered. "Yes, dear." The Grandmaster stroked the kneeling Umbra Fox''s hair. "That should be enough to give you enough experience to kick this training up a notch." While the duo had trained vigorously and without much rest, this was not ideal in normal combat. There were many enemies with different weapons and styles. The Grandmaster required them to learn those differences and adapt to them. ""We will listen, Grandmaster."" They both cupped their fists. "Tell the little one she will be joining too, but since she is injured, she can go just for the top 20." The Grandmaster was still slightly upset she was called Grandma, but not enough to be completely ruthless. "We will deliver the message!" They bowed and swayed back to the abode. Chapter 136 – Divine Sense and Stingy System "So... I have to fight?" Aiko munched on the food Mei had prepared. "Yes, Master said that it''s fine as long as you finish within the top 20." The Umbra Fox nodded. "Can we still do that while I''m developing Divine Sense?" Aiko stared at Mei, she hoped she would say she couldn''t so that she could skip this bothersome thing. "It should be fine." Mei said gently, but then asked. "Is there any time limit?" "Master didn''t say anything about a time limit." The Umbra Fox shook her head. "Good, then she will join you after she completely unlocks her Divine Sense." Mei nodded. Aiko was happy, but she would not ask why Mei said it like that. She did not know that undeveloped Divine Sense can be deadly. When one doesn''t develop Divine Sense once they awaken it, it stays in the crude form. That crude form behaves like an animal, when danger strikes it, it would retaliate. So if someone used some kind of mind-based attack Abilities it would trigger Aiko''s Divine Sense and counterattack the attacker, which would 100% be lethal considering the vast difference in power. And if that person was the disciple of someone stronger than Mei? It was better she nip this in the bud now than let it become a problem later. Mei then said. "If the Grandmaster has an issue with this, we can talk it out, but if she dares to drag Aiko away, then tell her the deal is off the table" Mei said passively, but the Umbra Fox was now more sensitive to emotions and knew that the Jade Fox was not joking. "I will deliver that message." The Umbra Fox nodded. Mei nodded back and went to Aiko. "Once you finish eating, we will return to training." She caressed Aiko''s hair. Aiko munched at her normal pace, she could not slow down since the food was too delicious, but she also didn''t want to hurry. Food was made to be savoured and not devoured. ... "Is that what she said?" The Grandmaster looked surprised. "Yes, Master." The Umbra Fox confirmed the message. "I see..." The Grandmaster nodded, she had some thoughts of dragging Aiko away if she didn''t join the fights within a week, but now she would have to change her plans. "You will train against the Passion Fox for the time being." The Grandmaster stood up and vanished. The Umbra Fox sobbed quietly, she had to deal with the terrifying Passion Fox. "Please be gentle, Junior Sister." The Umbra Fox had a pitiful expression. "I will hold back." The Blood Fox didn''t really dislike this little Fox, so she would hold back and not pound her too badly. ... "Grandmaster." Mei chuckled. "It seems like you did intend to kidnap Aiko." The Grandmaster chuckled back. "Yeah, she needs some experience, but I suppose I should first ask you?" There was a dangerous glint in Grandmaster''s eyes. "What do you think?" Mei didn''t answer and glanced at Aiko. The Grandmaster looked towards Aiko and was taken aback. "Divine Sense?" She paused. "It seems crude?" "She just awakened it." Mei nodded. "Aha, that explains everything." The Grandmaster nodded, she had her fair share of fights against those with an undeveloped Divine Sense. Needless to say, those fights were bothersome at best and deadly at worst. "Do you need any help?" "I''m not sure how to guide her since her mind is too powerful, while her Divine Sense is tough." Mei sighed. "Hmmm..." The Grandmaster probed Aiko''s Divine Sense and frowned. "Indeed, that is one hell of a Divine Sense." The Grandmaster felt danger from it. "Do you know how to proceed?" Mei asked curiously, seeing the Grandmaster to be so taken aback. "I''m not entirely sure..." The Grandmaster shook her head. This type of Divine Sense was very potent and dangerous to her, so she didn''t really want to stay here longer than necessary. Mei noticed those movements and she didn''t stop the Grandmaster from leaving. ''So it seems we will have to play the slow and steady game.'' Mei sighed, watching over Aiko. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ... A dozen days passed with little progress, but that was not important. [Happy Birthday!] [You are now 7 years old!] [Please choose a gift:] [1. Meat - 700] [2. How to obtain Bloodline 101*] [3. Stat and Skill Points - 700] [4. Surprise - Surprise] Aiko stared at the notification, there was currently no one around her, so it was fine to pull out both [Introduction to the Mortal Realm] and [Bloodline Book]. She browsed them, trying to find Bloodlines and their requirements. The [Introduction to the Mortal Realm] was more of a general book when it came to Bloodlines and didn''t have their exact requirements, just passing sentences about what was needed. Meanwhile, the [Bloodline Book] was very in-depth and gave requirements except for the secret/hidden ones. She then looked over her gifts again. She did not really need the second option since she already had a few Bloodlines. Perhaps if it was more in-depth when it came to evolutions and their dangers, she would be able to take it, but the same implied something else. She did not need the measly Stat and Skill Points, nor was she curious enough about the fourth option. [How to obtain Bloodline 101] ''That''s almost 2 Evolutions worth of System Meat- Wait! I clicked the first option!'' Aiko was shocked. [It''s better for you to have this.] The system said gently. Aiko remembered that gentle voice, but she was still upset. ''I need Levels!'' Aiko protested. [I know, little one, but you are too short-sighted. This is the better option for the long run.] ''Hmpf.'' Aiko snorted, she was clearly upset. [You will know once you have servants...] The system sighed gently and that gentle yet weak voice faded away. ''Servants...?'' Aiko paused for a moment and then it clicked. ''Right! Just because I have plenty of Bloodlines doesn''t mean my servants will have...'' ''I wonder what kind of Bloodline Mei has...'' Aiko tilted her head, but she was not curious enough to look into the system... it felt like she was doing something wrong to Mei if she did that. ''I also want to Evolve, but there are not enough resources...'' Aiko sighed. She required more Spirit Stones, but she was not really in the mood to build more Massage Chairs. ''So much stuff to do.'' She shook her head. ... Aiko returned to Mei and ate another Meal. The coming days would be rough on her since she was so easily exhausted. "We will develop your Divine Sense for 4 months and then you will have your first fight against an opponent that I will choose for you." Mei said slowly. Aiko nodded without protesting, 4 months was her limit when it came to the grind after building the Massage Chair. It felt like she should improve her control over her poisoned arm before she attempted another build. Mei gently combed Aiko''s silky hair, this was a truly soothing experience as Aiko''s hair flew freely without any tangles. ''This will change.'' Mei knew that this silky smooth hair would get messy once she got into a fight. ''We can''t cut it.'' Mei sighed. Aiko''s hair had already grown halfway down her back. It would take quite a long time to take care of when it grows even longer, and humans loved to cut the hair of Foxes since there were so many bastards that liked to collect it. But at the same time, long hair was a sign of prestige... ''I don''t want her to experience that... it was enough that I had to go through that.'' Mei sighed melancholically. Aiko didn''t say anything and just hugged Mei. She believed if she buttered Mei up enough, Mei would be nicer to her overall. Mei hugged Aiko, a bit painfully, but not enough that Aiko would mind it. They stayed like this for a bit before they went to the deserted place for training. ... 16 weeks passed, and Aiko had developed her Divine Sense to about 50%. [Divine Sense: 18,800 -> 94,000] This was good progress, but later it would slow down. ''Now she needs experience to make that progress faster.'' Mei nodded. Normally you would develop Divine Sense when facing an adversary since everything grew faster in the face of death. Your body would release the limiters, causing it to learn faster and become stronger to protect itself. ''But that is dangerous since Aiko is out of the norm, most fights would end before she could learn anything, but harder fights would be deadlier since the enemies would be using their Abilities more proficiently.'' This was a great dilemma for her, but one that she couldn''t solve. ''That duo needs to grow fast so they can be her sparing partners.'' Mei nodded slowly. ''For that, I should prepare some Pills so they can grow well...'' "Am I going to fight now?" Aiko asked. "Not yet." Mei shook her head. "Your opponent is currently outside the Fox Village, so we will have to wait." "I see..." Aiko was a bit sad since that meant she would have to wait. "Want to build our Massage Chair?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "I suppose I could start it." Aiko didn''t refuse, since she had too much time on her hands. "Okay." Mei smiled happily. "Is it still hard to move your Divine Sense?" Mei suddenly asked. "Yeah, it feels heavier each time I try to push it." Aiko frowned. ''She is still growing her Divine Sense.'' Mei had a slight headache since this current situation where Aiko looked exhausted and listless would continue, but Mei didn''t like that. ''There are some mind-nurturing Pills that I theoretically could use on Aiko, but...'' Mei sighed. It was not a good idea to rely on Pills for everything, your own hard work was the most precious one. ... The Umbra Fox barely parried the Passion Fox''s fists. Fortunately for her, the Passion Fox shaped her blood like blades, instead of the normal fist. If she used her bloody fist her daggers would already be dulled beyond recognition. The Passion Fox didn''t have as many problems since her enhancement worked in every environment, unlike the Umbra Fox''s that needed shade. She was training the Umbra Fox instead of sparring, since the Umbra Fox without her enhancements... was just too weak. The Blood Fox pounded the ground, making it quiver. The Umbra Fox didn''t stumble, as she was already used to unstable footing from the training she had done in the Shadows Peak. She would not lose her footing just because of the slight quiver. The Blood Fox frowned. She wanted to shatter the ground, but that would mean using her Blood Fists, which she didn''t want to. It would feel too unfair to do that... The training continued until evening. Both of them were panting since they depleted their Stamina at a similar rate, but Blood Fox still had more Stamina, so she helped the Umbra Fox with walking. "You are too strong, Junior Sister." The Umbra Fox sighed. "That is only because I''m allowed to keep my sanity." The Blood Fox shook her head. "... She is amazing, isn''t she?" The Umbra Fox smiled bittersweetly. She trained so hard, but she was still so much weaker compared to both Passion Fox and Vicious Cub. "You have a steady mind and you know what you lack." The Blood Fox said slowly, she was not sure how to comfort someone. "While it is indeed impossible to catch up to us, when it comes to your Peers... you are very strong." The Blood Fox commented on her prowess. "Am I?" The Umbra Fox doubted those words. "You will see." The Blood Fox had firm eyes as if she was saying ''You are strong''. The Umbra Fox felt slightly better, but only time would tell what she would become. Chapter 137 – Fight? Fight! Eh?! 10 Weeks passed. Aiko was able to Inscribe 10 parts for the Massage Chair before Mei came to her. "Your opponent has returned, so you can have your first match whenever." Naturally, Mei went around and asked about the Rankings, but since she didn''t like those, she found powerful Foxes that would spar with Aiko. ''It''s not a good thing for her if everyone wants to challenge her...'' Everyone under the 1,000 Ranking position was obliged to accept all challenges, this would eat up Aiko''s time for Alchemy and other things, which Mei didn''t like at all. ''While I do agree she needs experience like the Grandmaster said, I also do believe that she doesn''t need to bother with the Rankings for the time being...'' Mei shook her head, the Grandmaster''s intention was pure and good, however the execution left much to be desired... "Already?" Aiko completely forgot about the time, when she was Inscribing those parts. "What do you mean already? He is late." Mei clicked her tongue and Aiko slowly nodded. Mei was not in the mood to be teased, so Aiko had to be careful. "Are we going now?" Aiko asked. "En." Mei smiled. "Then I will finish a few more grooves." Aiko nodded, returning to her work. Mei sighed, this whole Divine Sense thing messed up her plans, if it went by the previous plans Aiko and she would''ve been happily making Pills, but alas, it didn''t work out as expected. ... They arrived at a small arena or rather what was supposed to be the poor excuse of a small arena, as the entire stage only consisted of a platform that was decorated with a few rocks on the rim that double up as seats. "Jade Fox." A large and Muscular Fox nodded towards them, but then he paused. "It''s you." He was surprised that it was her. He was very sad when he didn''t see her around. "It''s you." Aiko nodded, she was familiar with this Fox as he was the Fox that guarded the entrance to the Fox Village. "Do you know each other?" Mei asked softly, but there were daggers on the tips of her tongue. "He is the guard that guards the main entrance." Aiko nodded. "En." He also nodded, ignoring those daggers flying at him. "I see." Mei narrowed her eyes dangerously. She would have to investigate this Fox in the future, just in case. "So I will be sparing with this little Fox?" The Muscular Fox asked the Jade Fox. "Yes, you can probe her at first, but it shouldn''t be a problem to use 30% of your strength." Mei nodded lightly. The Muscular Fox stared dumbfounded at the Jade Fox and then at the little Fox. He couldn''t comprehend what he had just heard... What had to be said, was that he was already Spirit Beast Rank! His Beast Core capacity without including Bloodlines was 100,000 points. Meanwhile, Aiko had 20,000 points without Bloodlines. The rift was even greater once you included the debuff from [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)]. For him, he didn''t understand why he could use 30% of his strength. "Be gentle on her, since this would be her second fight that I''m overseeing." Mei smiled like a devil. "Don''t worry, I will be gentle." The Muscular Fox smiled gently. He liked this little Fox, so he couldn''t afford to injure her. Mei snorted coldly, but she needed to probe Aiko''s strength properly so that she could decide which person would fit Aiko best... as a sparing partner, that is. ... They both went on the stage. "How is your arm?" The Muscular Fox asked. Aiko was wearing a Ruqun, so it was difficult to see her arms. "It''s alright." Aiko rolled a bit of her sleeve, showing her very green-like skin. "That''s not alright!" The sight startled the Muscular Fox. "Eh." Aiko shrugged. It was fine, but what wasn''t was the fact that she didn''t know how to properly fight in Human form, except for throwing rocks. "Ready?" Mei asked both of them. "Ready!" Aiko giggled. "Wait, hold on. Shouldn''t her arm be treated?" The Muscular Fox panicked, he didn''t want to fight a patient, especially as a sparring partner. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. "Go!" Mei gestured and Aiko dashed towards the Muscular Fox. The Muscular Fox panicked, he didn''t use his Bloodline strengthening, just in case this little Fox would injure herself on his tough skin. He didn''t dodge as he didn''t believe this little Fox was that powerful, but surprisingly she was quick on her feet. "Not bad." He nodded, when it came to the speed, she was indeed fast. Aiko punched at him straight. She met his bare skin. "..." The Muscular Fox looked down, since she was so fast he expected her strength to be similar, but... ''It tickles...'' Naturally, he couldn''t say that out loud as he didn''t want to hurt her feelings, but! She was quick with her fists, but she didn''t have any technique and it only tickled him. He stared down for what was coming next, only to see the little Fox quivering with tears in the corner of her eyes. "Ugh, that was painful." He faked his injury, which even further enraged the little Fox. She ran away from him. ''I did it again...'' He sighed. He had the toughest skin in his generation, so it was natural that it would end up like this. ''But, I didn''t want to hurt her.'' He sighed, shaking his head. *Ding* There was a crisp sound of two hard objects colliding. ... ''Why isn''t he even flinching?!'' Aiko cried out in her mind. She was upset that she couldn''t do anything to him. ''Hmpf! Just you wait, bastard!'' Aiko ran away from him, leaving him dumbfounded in place. ''That''s right! Stay right there! Mama is going shopping! Shopping for pain!'' Aiko grinned weakly, she was unaware that several Foxes were looking at her curiously as they thought she would truly run away. Aiko jumped off the stage and picked up a few rocks. ''Let''s see if you can still say the same when I throw a rock at your face!'' Aiko smiled similarly to Mei, like a devil. She had done the throwing motion many times and it was much more elegant than her close combat skills. The audience stared curiously. Some chuckled, others sneered while the rest laughed. They didn''t believe that this little Fox would be able to do anything with those rocks. *Swish* The rock blasted through the air like a bullet. The audience was left speechless as the rock shattered on the Muscular Fox''s face. *Ding* There was a crisp sound of rock breaking. The Muscular Fox stared oddly at the little Fox, but then he realized... His head actually hurt! "Argh!" He touched the spot where the rocks met his skin. It was red and slightly inflamed. Aiko chuckled and a shiver went down his spine. *Ding**Ding**Ding**Ding* Aiko''s superb throwing Skills were put on display, making the peanut gallery cower in fear. They wouldn''t be able to endure even a single stray shot, so they had to hide! "Stop!" Mei was so dumbfounded by Aiko''s antics that she reacted a bit too late. Aiko titled her head. "Why? I''m still-" She grasped her arm. She once again threw with her dominant arm, but that arm was poisoned. Likewise, she didn''t realize that her Titles infused the rock with Energy, but that Energy had to come from something and gather somewhere. Naturally, her arm worked as the gathering point, but this gathering point was already old and fragile. The poison was nourished by that Energy, causing Aiko pain. She staggered, but Mei caught her in time. Meanwhile, the Muscular Fox was rolled up on the ground, hugging his head. He had an impressive 5 bumps on his head and a few on his body. He expected another rock to continue flying at him, but that didn''t happen, so he glanced at what was happening. The little Fox was not in good condition. Her breathing was shallow and she clutched her green arm. Mei fed Aiko a Pill, which calmed her poison down. Mei sighed, she was in such a sorry state... "Auch... Is she alright?" The Muscular Fox asked. "She will be fine. We will finish the other spars today so she can rest plenty." Mei sighed. "I don''t think she should fight more..." The Muscular Fox said, but seeing the Jade Fox''s glare, he trailed his words. Mei moved to the sitting space and nursed Aiko a bit, soon after Aiko returned to her rosy appearance. The peanut gallery knew who this little Fox was now, since plenty of them gossiped and seeing the Jade Fox''s closeness they knew that it could only be the Vicious Cub. ''Truly Vicious...'' They gulped, remembering those ridiculously fast rocks. ... Aiko recovered and was feeling better, but still sad that she couldn''t throw like she previously did... "There are 2 more fights, those are against your Peers, so hold back, alright?" Mei comforted Aiko, the rest of the fights will be... questionable. Aiko nodded slowly. She was feeling better, but she wouldn''t be able to withstand another Muscular Fox. "Don''t worry, your peers are much weaker than the older generation." Mei slowly caressed Aiko''s head. Aiko nodded slowly, she was doubting that statement, seeing the Muscular Fox with only some blue-purple injuries, but no blood. "Seriously." Mei sighed but still chuckled. "Hold back or you will kill them." Aiko pouted. "Fine." The peanut gallery wanted to refute those claims, but they couldn''t invade their little world, so they had to bear with it for the time being. They would be avenged soon! ... Aiko returned to the platform. In front of her was a youthful Fox, who looked kind, but he had quite the sharp eyebrows. "Junior Sister." He cupped his fists. "Ah..." Aiko panicked, but cupped her fists. "Senior Brother?" She greet-asked him. He chuckled, lightly nodding. "Let''s have a good spar." He was hurt by what the Jade Fox said, so he would use his full strength from the beginning to reclaim his pride. "Begin!" Mei announced. Aiko immediately dashed forward. The youthful Fox in front of her was smiling, but his smile didn''t last long. It was an entirely different experience when fighting someone compared to just watching them fight. He was shocked by Aiko''s speed and panicked. "Wai-" Before he could finish, Aiko nailed his right cheek with a lead hook. His cheek deformed as unimaginable pressure pressed on it. He slowly felt lighter and lighter, like he was on some kind of soft cloud. His vision moved, from staring at a cute little Fox to tasty-looking clouds. He didn''t understand what happened, but he couldn''t think for long before he passed out... Aiko had numerous question marks above her head. She didn''t understand what had just happened and... why was he so weak¡­? The peanut gallery likewise was left shocked to death. Mei massaged her temple. She thought that the difference between Aiko and her peers wouldn''t be that great, but she had greatly underestimated her. Even so, the older generation were still too powerful for her. This in turn becomes a weakness as it makes her upset and prone to acting irrationally, turning a would be sparring match into a rock-throwing contest. ''This will be a long journey.'' Mei sighed, but she didn''t mind. She was happy that Aiko was unrivalled in the same Rank, as that meant she was safe from her peers. ''I can manage the old fogeys for the time being.'' She nodded with a plan in her mind. She would still have to teach Aiko more about fighting, but that''s where the Grandmaster and Blood Fox came in. ''She doesn''t need to fight perfectly, but her form is too stiff.'' Mei noted down what she would describe to the Grandmaster... Chapter 138 – Last Fight and Souls Aiko went on the stage for her last fight, this time she was pit up against a very thin feminine looking Fox. Aiko could tell that he was a male from his scent, but from what she saw, he looked like a female. There was not even an Adam''s apple on his neck. Aiko was slightly curious about him, but realizing that there were a lot of Illusions in this Fox Village, since they are Foxes, her interest, and curiosity pretty much halted. "Junior Sister." He cupped his fists, even his demeanour was that of a female. "Ju-Senior Broster?" Aiko still wasn''t used to the greeting scheme and it didn''t help that his demeanour confused her. He giggled. "It is alright, you can call me what you are comfortable with." Aiko felt a shiver down her spine, it would be best if she didn''t call him anything and just ran away. "Please?" He took a fighting stance, but it looked strange. "Begin!" Mei announced the beginning of the fight. The peanut gallery mostly dispersed at this time, since they didn''t want to get hit by stray rocks. Aiko dashed towards him. She couldn''t use rocks, so she would just slap him away like the last one. She took a jab at him, but it missed? She went with her trusty lead hook. But when she connected it with his hand, the direction was completely twisted and she missed again. A question mark appeared above her head. She didn''t understand how such a slim and fragile-looking hand could divert her fist. This was a completely different puzzlement compared to when the Muscular Fox blocked her fists, as Aiko knew her opponent was weaker. Her right uppercut was dodged by stepping backwards. Her left jab was slightly put out of course, with his gentle hand. She couldn''t hit him at all! Aiko pulled a hidden rock and threw it at him. He performed a strange dance. Aiko was puzzled why she didn''t hear any ''Ding'', but soon she had to dodge aside as a rock blasted past her. An uncountable number of question marks appeared above her head. She couldn''t understand this situation at all! "Jade Fox." He cupped his fists and left the arena, leaving Aiko dumbfounded at the situation. Mei nodded at him, this one pleased her greatly and she would seek him out later, but first she would need to placate Aiko, since she would be feeling do-Hm? Mei arrived next to Aiko. "How are you feeling?" "Confused?" Aiko tilted her head, even her powerful mind couldn''t process what had just happened. Mei chuckled, she was happy that Aiko didn''t feel down. "How do you like him." "He is creepy, but strong." Aiko evaluated him. Mei was slightly taken aback. "Why creepy?" "His gender confuses me, I don''t like it." Aiko looked away from Mei''s attentive gaze. Mei giggled. "That''s really bad, since he will be your teacher in the future." Mei already thought about it and while the Grandmaster and Blood Fox were great when it came to close-quarter combat, it was not the case for Aiko. Mei had already realized that Aiko had little to no interest in fighting with her fists. If she didn''t like you, she would just throw rocks at you. If you got too close to her and appeared unyielding, then she would grab the nearest flag. Mei was quite happy about this, since most deaths came from close-quarter combats, but very little from ranged combats. You would always have enough time to rip a Transportation Talisman to get away. ''This is good, but she still needs something to protect herself when her enemy gets close.'' Mei stared at the departing Feminine Fox. ''He is perfect for that.'' Mei nodded at her plan. "My teacher?" Aiko frowned, but she was not all that against it, if she didn''t need to watch his feminine behaviour... something about that just went against her nature. Aiko sighed. Mei misunderstood that sigh and said. "Don''t worry it won''t be anytime soon, we still have a bit more to do and I will have to negotiate with him." Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Aiko didn''t say anything and followed Mei back to the Grandmaster''s abode. ''I will have to deal with him later...'' Aiko sighed and picked up the Inscription Carving Pen. ... 10 weeks passed... Aiko finished another 10 parts yet again. "Guess what?" Mei was really bubbly around Aiko. "What?" Aiko had a bad feeling about this... "I got Souls for you~" Mei giggled. "Fuck." Aiko spat those words and was ready to run away. "You don''t trust me?" Mei looked exceptionally pitiful, which stunned Aiko. "Well-" "It''s fine, I know you don''t like me..." Mei looked incredibly hurt. "No, that''s-" "Just go." Mei wiped a tear that was about to roll down her cheek. Aiko felt incredibly bad about Mei and she could only stay in her place. ''She helped me many times... She helped me many times... She helped me many times...'' Aiko chanted in her mind, calming herself. She would just have to face those ugly Souls. Mei hugged Aiko, but in her mind, she was laughing happily. ''I didn''t think this would work so well on her~'' She found yet another thing that she liked about Aiko. ''And here I thought she really disliked me.'' Mei giggled. "Come, come." Mei dragged Aiko into her little corner with Herbs. "You already know about the different parts of the Souls, but now we will put it into practice, since your type of Soul consumption is different." Mei commented. Aiko tilted her head. "Different? How so?" "Here." Mei pulled out a vague outline of a Soul. Aiko immediately stiffened and shielded herself from the Soul... but nothing happened? Aiko waited and waited, but nothing was happening. She peeked towards Mei. Mei was holding some strange ball that vaguely resembled a Soul. Aiko waited a bit longer before she got close to it out of curiosity. She couldn''t understand why it didn''t scream at her. She nudged it cautiously, but it didn''t move nor make a sound. Aiko was confused yet again and she stared at Mei suspiciously. Mei coughed awkwardly. "Don''t look at me like that, I''m not tricking you." *Staaaaare~* But Aiko continued staring at Mei without blinking. "Fine, I might''ve done something to the Soul, so that it wouldn''t scream at you." Mei blushed, she didn''t really like how Aiko was staring at her, like she was some kind of shameless thing. "What did you do?" Aiko asked, staring at the unmoving Soul. "Compressed it." Mei proudly said. "Compressed?" Aiko didn''t understand. "You take a Soul." Mei pulled out another Soul, this one was the ugly one. "MURDEEEEEEEER-SGKJAVGNVGHHG-......." Mei squished it again and again, until the Soul stopped screaming. "And you have a compressed Soul." Mei smiled. Aiko didn''t have any time to react and in front of her was another small Soul ball. She nudged it, expecting it to scream again, but it didn''t? "By compressing the Soul, you squish its senses. This causes the Soul to enter slumber until it passes through the Reincarnation River." Mei pointed at the compressed Souls. Aiko was curious so she took one of the Souls into her Hands. Neither did it scream nor did it try to run away. It most certainly didn''t try to curse at her as well. Aiko smiled happily, charming Mei. *Cough* Mei coughed awkwardly. "Now listen well, since this is a different way of consuming Souls you have to listen to my instructions, alright?" Mei warned. Aiko nodded obediently. "First, the compressed Soul has the advantage of having it''s layers naturally separated, but this is also a disadvantage as you will need to be extremely gentle and careful!" Mei gestured again. "Moving onto the next part, you can either dig your nails or bite into the Soul to create a crack. I would suggest the nails until you learn this part properly." Mei stabbed the outer part of the Soul with her nail. "Then you can carefully peel it. It''s a lot more fragile than it looks, especially since it was compressed, so just carefully peel the outer layer." She peeled the outer layer and munched on it. "And that''s it, the peeling and stabbing part is the hardest." She happily munched on that Soul with a light blush. Aiko nodded slowly. She used her claws to make a crack. *Shatter* The Souls dispersed and Aiko stared in shock. She applied very little to no strength, yet the Soul just popped. Mei handed her another Soul. Aiko was much more careful about stabbing it. The Soul was leaking so Aiko wanted to peel it as soon as possible. *Shatter* Aiko sniffled, these Souls are way too fragile! Mei smiled, but still handed her another Soul. She expected some losses so it didn''t pain her all that much. ... 10 Souls later Aiko managed to pierce and peel it. It was very fragile, even more than cotton candy. She placed the peeled and cracked pieces into her mouth. They melted with mint flavour, making Aiko smile inwardly. [Soul: 33,060 -> 33,061] Mei tapped her forehead in worry. "Do not get tempted by the taste." She warned Aiko in a grave voice. "Taste? Is mint flavour bad?" Aiko asked. "Mint flavour?" Mei didn''t understand. "No, suppress any blissful feelings!" "But I don''t feel all that happy?" Aiko tilted her head. "Then why did you smile while eating it??" Mei couldn''t understand. "Because it tasted like mint candy?" Aiko looked at the confused Mei. "???" Mei was completely lost. "It tastes like that...?" She could never taste the Souls, there was just a feeling of endless fulfilment and happiness that plagued her. Even when she tried this new technique she didn''t feel any taste... She stared at Aiko oddly. "So you don''t feel like eating it endlessly?" Mei asked cautiously. "No, while mint candies are good, they get boring really quickly." Aiko shook her head. Mei was taken aback and felt lost. She always had to fight this urge, insatiable urge, well most Foxes had to, yet her little sweetie didn''t have to? How strange... Aiko smiled at Mei. "I like you~" She hugged Mei gently. Mei hugged Aiko back. She was lost, but still happy that Aiko didn''t have to fight that never-ending feeling of hunger for Souls. ... Aiko sat down. [Tail Manifestation Unlocked] She stared at the system. [Manifest Tail for:] [Shadow Fennec Fox] for 10 Soul [Moon Fennec Fox] for 10 Soul Aiko stared at it for a while, she didn''t know if this was a good idea or not. "Mei, how do you manifest more tails?" Aiko asked gently. "That''s pretty simple to do, but hard to master." Mei smiled. "First you need enough Souls to create the Tail, you will know this by a feeling, but it''s not always advised to do that." Mei warned. "You will get weaker if your Soul gets too weak. Aiko nodded attentively. "Next up, you need to explore your old tails. You can strengthen them with Souls or recover them as long as they are not cut off." Mei lectured. "Like the Grandmaster?" Aiko asked. "Yes, she will need more things to recover her tails." Mei nodded. "Next up is to make a copy of your healthy tails in your mind. You then guide the Soul into that image and your tail will slowly grow out. Of course, you can speed this up by spending more Souls, but that doesn''t necessarily mean you will have a more powerful tail. Do not waste Souls just because you are impatient!" Mei caressed Aiko''s hair. "Okay?" "Okay." Aiko nodded obediently. She got only 1 Point from that Soul and she needed 10. She already knew that it would get only more expensive so she shouldn''t waste those Souls. Chapter 139 – Tails and Mei’s Vow Aiko breathed in and breathed out. She was concentrating on her tails, but no matter what she tried she could not clearly imagine them in her mind. She tried to caress her tails, but her own fluff was blocking her investigation. ''Should I shave my tails?'' Aiko thought. That would solve her issues about not being able to imagine her tails. She went to Mei to ask about this. "Are you crazy?!" Mei suddenly yelped. Aiko flinched. "Well, I can''t imagine my tails, so I need to know how they look." Aiko defended herself against that piercing gaze. "Rejected!" Mei slammed her fist on a nearby table. "But-" Aiko wanted more tails. "No! You have Divine Sense or we will shave someone else''s, but not your tails!" Mei stated clearly. "Divine Sense?" Aiko asked, she couldn''t move her Divine Sense so she couldn''t use it. "Divine Sense is not just for moving things, you can also investigate, or rather the investigation is the main thing for Divine Sense, while the manipulation is secondary." Mei shook her head. "Oh..." Aiko did not know that, she thought that Divine Sense was just for moving things. Seeing Aiko''s expression Mei massaged her temples. "It''s time for you to learn all the common sense!" It was now decided that Aiko would go into a cram school, with a ruthless teacher called Mei. ... 15 weeks later. Aiko finished her course with a painful expression. "I have only taught you the basics, why are you making that expression." Mei stared at Aiko oddly. ''You wouldn''t understand...'' Aiko shook her head and looked at the translucent panel. [Happy Birthday!] [You are now 8 years old!] [Please choose a gift:] [1. Meat - 800] [2. - ] [3. Stat and Skill Points - 800] [4. Surprise - Surprise] ''Why is the second option nothing?'' Aiko couldn''t understand. Aiko tapped her fingers on her leg, she was deeply bothered by this, but she didn''t know how to ask or express herself since the system wasn''t always listening. ''Should I go for the Surprise option?'' Aiko narrowed her eyes, but at the last second, she picked the first option. [Meat x985->1,785] ''I still don''t know what was the previous Surprise from the system.'' Aiko frowned. She sighed, it was time for more tails since she had finished this hellish course... ''Maybe later, I don''t want to do anything...'' Aiko staggered into the bed called Mei''s Tails and slept peacefully. Mei''s lips twitched. She did not expect this to happen, but she thought that Aiko would at least give her a chance to move from her current place. She was so wrong and now she had to sit next to the table since Aiko had a very bad habit... ''She would always bite me when I tried to move my tails.'' Mei sighed. She almost messed up her Pill Concoction because of this. ''Seriously this little rascal...'' Mei shook her head. ... Aiko yawned and looked through the shop. Since she could use Divine Sense to spot things and she needed it for Alchemy too, she might as well find something in the shop to help her. [Improved Divine Sense] - 1,000,000,000 Skill Points [Strengthened Divine Sense] - 1,000,000 Skill Points ''...'' Aiko stared at it blankly. She still had one [Ability Coupon], but she didn''t want to use it on this. She knew that she could improve her Divine Sense over time, so she didn''t want to waste those precious items. She was deeply bothered and unsettled. It was time to create some Inscriptions. ''I should finish that Massage Chair for us...'' Aiko thought. ''I have not tried it yet...'' Aiko cried out in her mind. She vowed to absolutely try the Massage Chair once it''s built! ... 66 weeks passed. Aiko was pretty much in a trance working on the Chair so that she couldn''t think about the Cultivation Shop and the stinky System. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Now she just required a few weeks before she finished this and 9 weeks later it was fully assembled. Aiko immediately jumped on it with the temporary padding and turned it into the first gear. "Rrrrrrrrrnraice..." (Nice...) Aiko enjoyed the vibration looking over the system again. [Happy Birthday!] [You are now 9 years old!] [Please choose a gift:] [1. Meat - 900] [2. - ] [3. Stat and Skill Points - 900] [4. Surprise - Surprise] Aiko stared at it for a while, enjoying the massage, she turned it up to the second gear since she was disturbed by the fact that the system didn''t give her a second option... yet again. She sipped from her small cup. Sometime before, she heard from Mei that they were testing Beast Core Purity again, but fortunately, the Grandmaster created a pardon for them, so Aiko wouldn''t need to bother with those things. It was definitely not because the Grandmaster wanted to sit on the Massage Chair again, definitely not! Aiko sighed. It seemed like she would have to rebuild her massage chair again and again, because of the Grandmaster. [Meat x1,785->2,685] Aiko picked the meat again, she didn''t trust the Surprise thing. ... "Mei..." Aiko came to Mei, she learned how to be more obedient in front of her so she could get more goodies from Mei. "What is it?" Mei caressed Aiko''s hair. "I want more tails..." Aiko pleaded with her eyes. "Okay, I will teach you how to investigate with your Divine Sense." Mei smiled at Aiko gently. "Thank you~!" Aiko giggled, clearly happy about this. Mei sighed and caressed Aiko''s head for a bit longer. This time, she didn''t walk with Aiko to the deserted place, but they stayed at the abode. "First thing you need to do is feel your Divine Sense again." Mei explained slowly. "Then you need to, at the same time, imagine observing your surroundings and your Divine Sense will respond to it. The better you train your Divine Sense in this, the faster reaction you will get." "Oh... so it can take days to just observe with Divine Sense?" Aiko was suddenly crestfallen. "At first, but your Divine Sense will improve in its response time over time, so you don''t need to worry too much." Mei smiled softly. Aiko nodded, she didn''t want to spend weeks on it, but it seemed like she didn''t have any other option at this point. She sat down, meditated and focused on her Divine Sense. Her perception was expanding very slowly over time until she could see things from 3rd person perspective. It was a strange feeling... "Now you need to focus and observe." Mei''s voice drifted into Aiko''s mind. Aiko breathed in and out, calming herself and focusing. Her body was in bad shape, she could see the veins and how they pulsed with poison, yet the poison could not leave her arm thanks to Mei''s soft hue that was wrapping her shoulder. It looked like the poison was terrified of this light, as it didn''t dare to approach it. Aiko felt slightly enlightened. She observed further as her vision expanded. ''Whoa... Mei is sexy...'' Aiko ''blinked'' several times when she observed Mei''s silhouette. ''I thought Mei had very little boobs, but that''s not the case...'' Aiko observed Mei''s body intently. The thin waist and perky peaks, even- "What are you observing?!" Mei''s angry voice drifted inside Aiko''s mind and Aiko coughed awkwardly. "N-nothing." Aiko blushed, she was embarrassed about being caught. Mei was cowering and likewise blushing. ''This little rascal always takes advantage of me!'' She huffed with red cheeks. Aiko moved to observe her tails... One was shrouded in endless darkness, while the other shone roughly with injuries. Yet that tail was healthy and doing well. Aiko observed the darkness again, since she had a strange feeling from it. An eye appeared from the darkness, staring at her. Aiko was startled, but curious. More and more eyes appeared. Aiko felt a shiver down her spine, she cancelled her Divine Sense. But it was a moment too late. A large eye opened, compared to the other eyes, this one was 100x bigger. The eye was cold and merciless. Aiko flinched, she felt intense pain in her mind and she closed all her senses. She was unaware that the largest eye widened even more and a barely noticeable tear slid down its corners. ... Mei noticed that abnormality a moment too late. She didn''t expect that anything could happen to Aiko in what should have been a safe environment. She moved closer to Aiko to lay her down, but Aiko''s whole body was convulsing...?! Mei gulped nervously and used her powerful Divine Sense to wrap around Aiko. Aiko''s still half-feral Divine Sense was rampaging. It was clearly terrified of something, yet Mei didn''t understand what it was, since there was only Aiko''s and Mei''s Divine Sense in here. She wrapped her Divine Sense around Aiko''s. Mei panicked greatly, there was a deep hole in Aiko''s Divine Sense. She probed it and found a completely destroyed Soul Palace. Inside the Soul Palace Aiko was rolled into a ball, shivering and crying. ''It hurts, it hurts.'' Aiko cried out continuously. Mei strengthened her Divine Sense to subdue the animalistic Divine Sense. She felt the backlash, a trickle of blood escaped her lips, but she pushed forward until Aiko''s Divine Sense calmed down, so that it would no longer hurt her. Aiko settled down, still sobbing, but no longer crying out. Mei moved close to Aiko, now that Aiko''s Divine Sense was pacified. ''It''s alright.'' Mei grasped Aiko close to her. Aiko was still shivering, exposed to the outside world. Mei soothed her mind gently, until Aiko''s mind fell asleep on Mei''s bosom with peaceful expression. Mei sighed. Wiping the trickle of blood. She was upset at Aiko ogling her body, but at the same time happy that it was able to put her to sleep. Mei''s mind was complicated. Not just because of Aiko, but about many things. She wondered if she had changed her ways before, would she have ended up with him like this? Hand to hand, sharing fortune and misfortune? But it was useless to think about those things... her faction was destroyed... That was the message from that shitty Fox. At first, Mei didn''t believe it, but over time it became more and more obvious that was the case. ''They would''ve picked me up already if my faction was still standing...'' Mei sighed. She had to face reality... Mei looked down at Aiko. She was sleeping peacefully, nuzzled into her bosom and drooling on her. Mei blushed lightly, it was not bad when someone was affectionate towards her. Aiko was both affectionate and obedient, which made Mei happy, very happy. Aiko was easy to read, she knew when Aiko was upset or happy. This was much better than her previous boy-toy who hid his feelings and she had to do her best to please him so that he would stay with her. She didn''t need to do that any more. She could just read Aiko''s expression. Mei... liked this life. Any regret from losing her people was washed away by the affection Aiko was giving her. ''Even if it''s one-sided affection where I play with her... It''s alright as long as she doesn''t push me away.'' Mei smiled melancholically. She wouldn''t allow Aiko to leave her side. She would protect her and pamper her, but without hurting her progression. It was decided by Aiko that she would be her Karmic Companion. So they should act as one... But not yet, there are still more things to do... Chapter 140 – Mei is soft Aiko woke up feeling groggy. Yet the smooth and soft feeling pressed against her cheeks was nice and inviting. Aiko rubbed her face against those soft pillows. "Are you finished?" Mei asked, her body stiff. Aiko stiffened for a moment. She looked up, Mei''s blushing expression was on full display. She then looked down at what was that soft feeling. "Hello~" Aiko greeted those soft pillows before nuzzling into them again. "Y-you!" Mei blushed furiously. She grasped Aiko''s cheek and pinched it. "Au." Aiko felt wronged and she glared at Mei. "Seriously, do you think about anything else other than taking advantage of me?!" Mei glared, but it was a soft glare compared to the angry glare. Aiko was still a bit groggy and muddle-headed. "I think about pushing you down and tying you up." Aiko blurted out. Mei blushed like a tomato. "Y-y-you." Aiko yawned and returned to sleeping on Mei. Mei was left alone with sleeping Aiko while blushing red and her mind constantly spinning. ... Aiko woke up again. She still felt tired, but that tiredness came from the poison. She was used to that one. Aiko yawned and stared at the gazing Mei. "What?" Aiko lightly blushed, for some reason she was embarrassed when she stared at Mei. "At least you have some conscience about what you have done." Mei stared at Aiko without blinking. "W-what?" Aiko looked away. "I will have you know, I have plenty of conscience!" Aiko pouted. "Uhuh... yet you were blissfully enjoying my body." Mei commented. Aiko blushed at that comment. "And rubbed my body." Mei recounted the things Aiko had done. Aiko blushed even more. "Even covering my body with-" "Aaa! Aaa!" Aiko covered Mei''s lips. Mei was satisfied by the embarrassment Aiko displayed and she let her off lightly. "How are you feeling?" Mei asked softly. "Tired, but better..." Aiko had a weary smile. Mei''s heart was pained. "You should rest for the time being." She would spoil her a little bit. "Okay." Aiko smiled and was about to settle back into Mei''s bosom. "Not there." Mei''s brows twitched. "Tsk." Aiko clicked her tongue since her plan didn''t work. Mei gently pinched Aiko''s cheek. "Little rascal." She pecked Aiko''s forehead and for some reason, Aiko felt slightly better. [You have been granted temporary blessing from [Divine Kitsune(Pseudo)]!] Aiko blinked a few times at the system, but she couldn''t really ask about this. She didn''t want to pressure Mei, but she also wanted to thank her. "Thank you..." Aiko nuzzled Mei. Mei was surprised. ''To think she could spot the strand of Divine Qi I gave her...'' Mei was very puzzled, but happy that Aiko didn''t reject that energy, as it would help her in recovering her Divine Sense and mind. Aiko yawned again, but moved to Mei''s tails. She would sleep there for a few days. ... "I''m bored..." Aiko was hugging Mei''s waist, trying to plead with her. "What do you want to do?" Mei narrowed her eyes but didn''t push Aiko away. ''So what I saw was true...'' Aiko smiled. When she observed Mei''s body, she noticed she was much slimmer and gorgeous than what she let outside. She wore very loose clothes, so they concealed her body well. "I don''t know, I don''t want to build another Massage Chair and I''m too exhausted to work on anything else..." Aiko sighed. "How about taking some missions in ''that'' peak?" Mei snorted coldly when she said ''that peak''. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. "Hmmmm..." Aiko looked towards the Umbra Fox and Blood Fox. "I''m always ready, Mistress." The Umbra Fox bowed towards the Vicious Cub. "I could stretch my legs." The Blood Fox smiled, especially at Mei. Mei glared back but didn''t say anything. If Aiko went with those two, she would be safe... as long as they didn''t do anything dangerous. Aiko stared at the frowning Mei. "I will wait a bit." Her eyes were saying, ''You can prepare anything and I will take it with me''. "Okay." Mei smiled, feeling a bit better that Aiko was willing to take anything with her just so she could feel reassured. ... "Here are the Pills, some talismans, a few defensive artefacts and the Recognition Concealing Bands." Mei put forward all the pieces. Aiko blinked several times, in front of her was a whole mountain of things. "And remember, when you take any Pills-" Mei tried to lecture Aiko, but was cut short. "You have to circulate the Pill energy for the best effect." Aiko stuck out her tongue. Mei slapped Aiko''s butt and glared at her. "If you return with another poison in your body, you won''t be allowed to leave my side!" Aiko glared back and massaged her buttocks. The Umbra Fox giggled, but when Aiko snapped at her, she immediately straightened her back with a perfect poker face. Aiko observed her for a while, unblinking. The Umbra Fox had the perfect poker face, like she had never giggled. Aiko snorted unhappily, but that poker face was too good, she would leave the Umbra Fox alone for the time being. "Anything else I should take?" Aiko asked. "Should I help you dress up?" Mei smiled teasingly. "No." An immediate reply from Aiko. But soon after, she remembered that awful situation where she spent so many hours trying to wear the Assassination Uniform... "Yes... please help me." She immediately caved in. The team was surprised and they giggled at Aiko. Aiko blushed, she didn''t want to be helped, but that thing was too difficult to wear! Mei teasingly smiled. "Come here." "Hmpf." Aiko snorted, but she still came close to Mei. The others left them alone, while they did want to know how Aiko looked, considering she was a doll before... but they weren''t curious enough to incite the Jade Fox''s wrath, so they would just leave for the time being. Aiko tapped the Sect Token to undress. Mei nodded happily as there were no scars on Aiko''s body, it would be troublesome if she had to prepare anti-scar cream... that would cost a whole fortune. The Herbs were just too expensive... Aiko took off the Recognition Inhibition Bracelet. Mei was once again stunned. ''She will definitely attract Immortals...'' She clicked her tongue, but still marvelled at the idea of having the most gorgeous m- Mei shook her head. She helped dress Aiko up, so that she could explore the outside world a bit more. She then called the duo inside. "Aiko is the most important being, if she is injured in any way... you know what will happen, right?" Mei smiled while releasing her pressure. The Umbra Fox immediately caved. She could vaguely understand how powerful her Master was, but she was shocked when she realized that her Master was still weaker than the Jade Fox! The Blood Fox didn''t cave in. She released her own pressure, combatting Mei''s. She would not cave in, as she needed to confront Mei about Aiko. Mei nodded, satisfied. While the Umbra Fox did cave in, she still was willing to fight. She was upset at the Passion Fox''s eyes, but those eyes were of no harm to Aiko, so she would let it pass for the time being. Little did she know she would regret this later on... ... The team moved from the Grandmaster''s abode towards the Shadows Peak. They were all excited about the mission they would take. The Guard greeted them enthusiastically. He had a bit of a hard time recognizing the Vicious Fox, but he didn''t ask why. He knew that some Assassins used Recognition Blocking bracelets, so he assumed that was it. They went into the Shadows Bulletin Board Hall. There she met the Libra Fox. He stared at them up and down. "The Recognition Inhibition Bracelets improved greatly." He nodded gently. Aiko didn''t say anything and asked. "Do you have any interesting, yet easy missions?" The Libra Fox paused. He glanced at the team, he was made aware that the Vicious Cub was poisoned, by none other than the Jade Fox. He would pick them some easy mission, but if it was a boring mission... ''I don''t want to be visited by Jade Fox again, just to get bullied by her... although it wasn''t all that bad- Wait no! I don''t swing that way!'' He shook his head. "There are none?" Aiko thought that was his answer and she looked sad. "No, there are, I was just thinking about something." He smiled gently. "About M-Jade Fox?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. He choked. "N-no, please come with me." He hurriedly ran behind his table, like the table was some kind of Divine Being that would protect him from all harm. "What do you have?" Aiko asked. "The most interesting mission is... the investigation of princesses from the fallen kingdom." The Libra Fox recited the description. "Princesses from the fallen kingdom?" Aiko tilted her head. "Yeah, here." He showed Aiko the pictures. Aiko''s eyes widened. "It''s them!" She snorted. "Do you know them?" The Libra Fox was surprised. "Briefly, they are not good." Aiko shook her head. "Well, if possible it would be best to just assassinate them all, since they are causing trouble, but that is rather difficult since all of them managed to embed themselves in large empires." He discouraged the Vicious Cub from trying to assassinate them. Aiko nodded slowly. "We will just gather information." She was not interested in killing as her Ability was restricted, but she could still sneak around and cause trouble to others. "Very well." He nodded happily and signed this mission under the Vicious Fox''s team. They immediately left the room and went towards the Sect''s main gates. ... "Junior Brother." The Mirage Fox greeted him with cupped hands. "Senior Brother." The Libra Fox likewise greeted him in a similar fashion, but he was less polite. "What can I do for you?" "I''m here for the mission about the princesses." He licked his lips. He was looking forward to savouring those princesses before killing them. "That mission has been taken, Senior Brother." The Libra Fox shook his head. What bad luck befell the Vicious Cub, now she will have this stalker pursuing her. "Who took it?" The Mirage Fox narrowed his eyes. "The new team." He was not allowed to name the team, but he also couldn''t refuse this Senior, otherwise his life would get difficult. So he had to placate him with something. "The odd team with 3 female members, huh." The Mirage Fox licked his lips. The Libra Fox cursed. This damned Fox only knew how to stalk and take advantage of female foxes. He would always slip his hand through folds and gaps, using his techniques to take them to the brink, but refusing to take them over the edge until they plead for it themselves. The Libra Fox vowed to contact the Vicious Cub before she fell under his spell. Nobody was aware that this would be one of the turning points for this Fox Village, one that would cause great harm to everyone present... except for a certain group of Foxes. ... Aiko was in front of the Main Gate. The Muscular Fox was reviewing the Mission and all of their Tokens. "This is the first time I have seen a Demonic Fox be allowed to leave Village without an Elder attending." He smiled, maybe things were changing for the better? Aiko shrugged. "She is strong, so you should be careful." She tried to tease him. "Like you?" He teased back and Aiko pouted. They were unaware that the Blood Fox was staring at them with a dangerous glint in her eyes... Chapter 141 – Outside Air Aiko left the Fox Village with her team. It was a quiet morning, yet they all felt better. "Is the air inside the Fox Village polluted?" Asked the Blood Fox. "I wonder about that too." Aiko nodded, she felt much better outside the Fox Village than inside. It was just this constant feeling of strangeness that gnawed at her slowly when she was inside the Fox Village. The Umbra Fox was silent, she had a similar opinion, but she was still too scared of the Vicious Cub. That was one of the reasons she accepted this mission. She wanted to understand the Vicious Cub better, so she could understand why she feared her so much. The Forest was silent, they walked slowly. There was no time limit, so there was no need to hurry, added to that, they all enjoyed this clean air. ... They didn''t take any paths, but they still went in the general direction in order to reach their goal. They were all powerful Beasts, some just more than others. Aiko moved a bit slower than the duo, she still felt a bit sleepy from the poison, but not sleepy enough to the point that she wanted to lie down. "Where are we going first?" The Blood Fox asked Aiko. "To the prosperous Waterfall City. Part of the Divine Pond Empire." Aiko talked slowly. "Strange names..." The Blood Fox commented. "Tell me about it..." Aiko also thought that they had the strangest naming scheme on this continent. "Anyway, don''t get used to this too much, since we will eventually leave." Mei already told Aiko that this was a small place compared to the main world. She did not understand how there can be multiple worlds, but she didn''t question Mei. She was powerful and saw many things, so it wouldn''t be a stretch to say that she had experienced another world. Aiko was very much looking forward to this, she wondered if those worlds would be any different to this one... They arrived in front of a road. "Should we take it?" The Blood Fox tested Aiko. "I don''t like meeting others, let''s stay inside the forest for the time being..." She paused. "Keep your senses sharp, just in case a Beast is tailing us." The duo nodded, while they didn''t agree with walking in the forest, the prerequisite of keeping their senses sharp made them more willing to follow Aiko. Their mission wasn''t the princesses, but Aiko. They would scold her for bad decisions so she could learn well and not endanger others. It would be good enough if Aiko learned most of those things on this journey when things were still peaceful and not many humans would be interested in them. They had the Recognition Inhibition Bracelets and Aiko had 2 of them. So they were pretty much safe from weaker Cultivators and the stronger ones wouldn''t be interested in them, since each Human Cultivator had a limited number of ''positions'' they could let their Beasts occupy. And if they were foolish enough to go beyond it, then loosing their mind was one of best outcomes, with full on soul dispersal being the worst. ... "There is something sweet smelling." Aiko sniffed something delicious. The Umbra Fox was the first one to talk. "Let''s go around it." "I agree." The Blood Fox agreed with the Umbra Fox. Aiko felt sad she couldn''t find out what smelled so good, but she wouldn''t go against the team, since they wanted to go around and the Umbra Fox even talked, Aiko would listen to them. The duo was surprised that Aiko gave up so soon, since usually she would insist on finding out what and why it smelled so good. Yet this time she didn''t even make a sound and followed their lead. "Aren''t you curious?" The Blood Fox nudged Aiko. "I''m dying of curiosity." Aiko didn''t conceal it, but she still pouted. "Then why didn''t you order us to go there?" The Blood Fox wrapped her hand around Aiko''s waist very naturally to support her walking. "Because you didn''t want to go there." Aiko shook her head. "I''m no longer alone outside, so it''s important to listen to all sides." She commented. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! The duo nodded. They felt safer knowing that Aiko had plenty of common sense to spare for them and would listen to them in times of need. "Anyway." Aiko walked forward slowly. "Why didn''t you want to walk inside the forest?" Aiko asked so she could distract herself from that sweet smell. "Because there are other Beasts." The Umbra Fox said. "We have the smallest Beast Cores out of all of them, so it''s difficult to contend with other Beast of the same Rank." She explained her reasoning. Aiko knew that they had smaller Beast Cores, but she didn''t know the difference any more than that. She was never really curious about it, since the only Beasts she met were the horned horse with his friends and that lazy lizard. She should visit their village again soon... "We will stick to roads when we are further from the Fox Village." Aiko somewhat understood their worries, but they were still in the vicinity of the Fox Village, so it was relatively safe. She also wanted to avoid encounters with humans, since they are quite... ''resourceful'' when it came to weapons. Aiko massaged her arm and the duo understood Aiko a bit better. They would do their best to avoid humans until Aiko wished to meet them. The Umbra Fox stared strangely at Aiko, she never imagined that Aiko was just another Fox worried about Humans. The more she unwrapped Aiko, the more she knew about her and how similar they were. ''Outside of being terrifyingly strong, she is not much different from me...'' She thought. She had hatred for both Foxes and Humans, but she despised Humans more and that''s why she settled in the Fox Village. ... They walked out of the forest. It was still quiet and peaceful. There were very little to no Beast around them and where they were, those Beasts were herbivores, so as long as they didn''t agitate them, they were safe from them. "It''s nice when it''s peaceful." Aiko commented, looking at the Beasts that were around them. "These are gentle Beasts, we were lucky that we didn''t run into carnivores." The Umbra Fox talked a bit more than before, but she still liked to keep quiet and observe the duo. "I''m a bit hungry, but since they are not hostile, we can just ignore them." The Blood Fox was no longer the insane Demonic Beast that would hunt anything in her path, thanks to Aiko. So she could differentiate between food and not food easily. "We can hunt later. We have been travelling for a few days already, so let''s find a place to nest nearby and rest." Aiko commented. She was now rather weary from the poison. They nodded. While they didn''t need to sleep all that much, they slowed down quite a bit because of Aiko. So it would be better to rest and pick up the pace once again. ... There was a small meadow nearby with a few large trees. They all nestled close to each other. The Blood Fox and Umbra Fox took their turns guarding, while Aiko slept throughout the night so she could recover. It was an eerily peaceful night, but nothing happened to them. The next day, their pace improved greatly. "Are you really alright?" The Blood Fox asked, seeing the energetic Aiko, unlike the haggard and exhausted Aiko. "I don''t know." Aiko didn''t know why she changed so much. "I feel much better sleeping outside." She tilted her head. This night was the most peaceful one and it was definitely not because she stole the Blood Fox''s tails, yet at the same time it was strange... ''I never rested so well when I was inside the Fox Village...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. This was not normal. They travelled towards a nearby city. They would have to follow the roads now and travel on foot, but Aiko still didn''t want to give up on the forest. So they stayed inside the forest, but kept the dirt path in sight. ... They travelled like this for two months until the scenery changed. They did meet a few peddlers and horse-driven carts, but since they walked inside the forest, they didn''t meet face to face. "A proper rock path..." The Umbra Fox was slightly surprised. She read about Empires on this continent and the one that they were heading towards was considered the richest of them all. ''Even so, it''s still strange that they would spend so much money on mere rock paths...'' She thought. It was unusual for the emperor to do so much for his people. Not to mention, this endeavour was extremely expensive since they had to deliver those rocks here, smash them and create a road out of them. Aiko marvelled at this road. While it did lack compared to the Fox Village main road, which was nicely decorated with slabs of stone, this had its own charm. "Let''s use the road, it will help us go faster." Aiko hummed and walked towards the road. The duo looked at each other and shook their heads. Convenience always won Aiko over. They followed Aiko on that rocky road. It was so much nicer to travel on compared to the grime of the dirt or forest paths, but this convenience meant that they would start to meet many more humans. Fortunately, because of their outfits, none dared to approach them, which was a relief for Aiko. She didn''t want to engage with other Humans, they weren''t worth much in her eyes, outside of their exploitative nature. ... A month passed. They arrived in front of a smaller town. It didn''t have an official name, like most small towns. They listened to gossip while walking through the town. They heard that they were close to Jade Pond City, which then had a direct road towards their goal. Furthermore, they also heard that the people thought the prince had gone insane for favouring that witch from the fallen kingdom. ''That must be the princess...'' The team thought. This made matters much easier, as juicy gossip was a good source of information. Was it reliable? No, but gossip had to start from somewhere, so while they wouldn''t believe them completely... Likewise, they wouldn''t ignore them completely. It was important to listen well. Aiko stared at the Villagers, oddly enough there were only old and haggard males and females. She could not see any children running around. She found this odd, but she didn''t care enough that she would go around and ask. The team was unaware that large sects were watching over small Villages and taking the children so they could reach ''immortality'', but most of them ended up as a handyman, doing basic chores and duties for the Sect. Why take children and not adults? Children are naive and easily swayed. This allows the Sect to easily manipulate them with words like. ''If you work hard you will be able to join the Sect'' and ''If you Cultivate properly you will be able to reach the heavens!'' type of bullshit. Of course, most families didn''t want to separate, but there was an unspoken rule that if they didn''t obey, their whole family would fall ill and perish from this world. So all Human mortals were obedient in front of the faces of those mighty ''Immortals''. This was the way of the world. Mortals couldn''t beat Immortals, so they could only bow their heads. Without power, you were nobody and with power, you were still nobody because there was always someone stronger that would make you bow your head. Chapter 142 – Jade Pond City They arrived in front of the Jade Pond city. This was a large city, much larger than the other towns they saw from a distance. Even the capital city that Aiko saw when she was with the Princess paled in comparison. "Halt, pay your fee if you wish to enter Jade Pond City." The guard stopped the caravan in front. Aiko stared around. There was a line of people, waiting for their turn to enter the city. Aiko paused. She suddenly didn''t want to visit this city... The duo knew her emotions and didn''t force her to enter, they would just wait and listen to her orders. They waited in line like others. Aiko didn''t like to be in crowds, but fortunately, they had hoods, covering their heads. Humans tend to distance themselves from mysterious people. "Halt, the fee is 5 Silver Coins per person." The guard said. They were respectful, but stern in their conduct. Aiko paid them without saying a word. The guard nodded at them and let them enter without any issues. Aiko was slightly surprised, she expected something to go wrong, but so far this was a smooth sailing journey. They walked through the City. It was well-paved and decorated. There were hanging paper lamps above their heads on ropes. Most buildings were two stories, with the paper lamps being strung slightly below the second story. They all marvelled at the sight. "Should we pick an inn?" The Umbra Fox was the first one to talk. "We will see..." Aiko said slowly. She was not interested in Inns, as those were always crowded. She didn''t like that, but if she wanted to sleep under a roof, she would have to find an Inn. They walked around. There were many delicacies and vendors shouting loudly. They tasted a bit of the delicacies over here and there. It was a nice and peaceful atmosphere. Unfortunately, that was short lived... "You dare to reject us?!" A loud voice shattered the peaceful atmosphere. "Here we go..." Aiko sighed, rolling her eyes. "Let''s go somewhere else." She was not interested in any young Masters/Misses. It would be a bother to engage with them and they would have to spend a lot of time solving the issue afterwards. Aiko walked through the darker alleyways. There were hoodlums everywhere, but they ignored her team. ''Seems like they still have some sense of danger, as they are ignoring us.'' Aiko nodded slowly. They arrived at the other side of the darker valley. Looking around, they found a quiet and deserted Inn. "Let''s go there." Aiko pointed at the deserted Inn. The duo nodded, but didn''t say anything. It was better for Aiko to learn from experience than for them to constantly tell her about it. Aiko entered the place, taking her hood off as a basic courtesy. The youth behind the counter eyed them up and down before ignoring them. Aiko likewise ignored him. She never liked rude bastards to begin with. The main hall was decorated with small trees, but on closer inspection, those trees weren''t alive. They were pieced together from small wooden splints and painted, yet they didn''t look odd or unnatural. Aiko stared at them curiously. "What do you think?" An Elderly man asked Aiko with a gentle smile on his lips. "They are cute, I never expected that someone could use wooden splints to make a tree out of them. A genuine-looking tree." Aiko nodded slowly, she was still observing the tree. The Elderly man smiled from ear to ear. This was his work and he always liked the praise, but this was one of the few instances when someone figured out his way. "Are you staying guests?" He asked politely, unlike that youth. "We are still thinking about it since the service is subpar, but it''s very quiet in here. I''m willing to ignore it." Aiko nodded slowly, moving to another tree. "We have quite the steep prices, so not many visitors come here, most of them are Cultivators and almost all of them like peaceful and quiet surroundings." The Elderly man explained. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. "Oh." Aiko nodded, not perturbed at all. "The usual price would be one Black Gold Coin a night, but since you are gentle and pretty Young Miss, I will lower it for you to half a Black Gold Coin a night." He liked this Young Miss who didn''t make a fuss. "Are there any large rooms, where we all can sleep together?" Aiko asked. The Elderly man looked at the servants behind the Young Miss. He smiled taking a guess at her intentions. ''Oh, these youths, sneaking away just to enjoy some pleasures.'' He smiled amicably. "Of course, but even with this discount it would be two Black Gold Coins." He sighed. Two Black Gold Coins appeared in front of his sight. He thought he was dreaming, but then a sweet voice snapped him out of it. "Are you not going to take them?" Aiko asked, but she was still polite since she did like Elderly people. "My apologies." He received the money and went behind the counter. *Slap**Thud* There was a crisp slap behind the counter. "Bastard, I told you to serve guests well!" He whispered to the youth, but Aiko''s team could hear him. "How was I supposed to know they are-" *Slap* "No excuses, you brat! I''m always losing customers because of you! If she wasn''t good-natured, my Inn would''ve been destroyed like the last time!" He cursed the youth and kept slapping him until the youth ran away into the backrooms. Aiko was still staring at the trees. She was more fascinated by the trees than the events happening around her. The duo looked oddly at the Elderly man and he coughed awkwardly. "My apologies for his discourtesy. He is young and stupid, I hope you can forgive him." He bowed towards the duo. The duo felt like they were dreaming. Aiko just pulled out so much money without batting an eye. They thought she would be taught a lesson about the coins and prices, but they didn''t expect it would end up like this. The duo was completely unaware that Aiko was already lectured and that she would rather not experience it again... The room was prepared and the Elderly man guided them to their room. It was a huge room on the topmost floor. The bed was large and looked fluffy, there were many Beast hides placed around like carpets. They all looked high-quality and well-maintained. This whole room screamed rich Young Master. Aiko nodded, she had simple cloth shoes since she didn''t like the usual wooden shoes that other Foxes wore. It was easy to take them off and test the Beasts'' hides. "Oh, nice." Aiko nodded happily. "Please enjoy yourselves. If you wish to eat anything, please look at the menu on the table and ring the bell. We will take your order and deliver it as soon as possible." He bowed respectfully. "Mmmm." Aiko nodded gently. She was truly a beautiful Young Miss. He wondered from which family she came, but he wouldn''t question it. If she wants to hide in here, then he will let her. If she wants to play around, he will naturally let her. She has the money and he provides such services, so there was no issue. Everything would change if he knew that they were Foxes, but since he couldn''t see through their disguise, he served them like he would serve any other Human Cultivator. ... Aiko took off the coat, revealing the tight uniform. There was still not much to see since she didn''t mature, but that didn''t mean she was ugly. The duo likewise took off their coats. The Blood Fox had a similar uniform to Aiko, but the bulges were apparent on her tight-fitted clothes. Her milky thighs would peek through the slits here and there, adding even more allure to her already alluring body. Meanwhile, the Umbra Fox was much more slender compared to the Blood Fox, yet her peaks were significant under her clothes. Her thin waist invited gazes, while her wide hips invited trouble. Aiko stared at them unblinking and there was a single thought coursing through her mind. ''Why does everyone have tits?!'' She was slightly upset that she looked like a boy, if it wasn''t for her face. Seeing the upset, yet pouting expression from Aiko they giggled. Aiko snorted coldly, looking away. The Blood Fox came close to Aiko. "You will grow in time." She gently caressed Aiko''s hair. "Hmpf." Aiko pouted, but she still enjoyed the gentle hands on her head. "Are we really going to sleep together?" The Umbra Fox asked Aiko. "It''s cheaper than each having a separate room, it''s also safer in case of an attack, so there is just no reason not to share." Aiko explained her reasoning. The Umbra Fox breathed a sigh of relief and didn''t ask further. Normally one would order this room for ''that'' kind of thing, but she was happy that Aiko was still oblivious to those sorts of things. ''It would be nice, If her innocence lasted forever.'' She thought. She knew that this situation wouldn''t last forever and eventually, Aiko would be interested in those sorts of things. The Umbra Fox would have to steel her mind when the time came, but she was now much closer to Aiko and understood her better, so she was not as scared as before. [Your Servant [Umbra Fox] changed her ways!] Aiko glanced at the system. [Servant: [Umbra Fox (Affection: Admires your might and likes you a little)]] Aiko nodded slowly, it was a good thing that the Umbra Fox was slowly changing, she was worried that the Umbra Fox would still be too scared to meet eye to eye. ''Fortunately, that''s not the case.'' Aiko smiled. She would cuddle the Blood Fox''s tails today, but maybe one day she would test the Umbra Fox''s tail. ''...'' Aiko paused, staring at the Umbra Fox up and down. "I will find a few Souls for you, so you can create another tail." She couldn''t sleep on her if she had only a single tail. ''I hate growing up, I take up too much space...'' Aiko cursed gently. ''Mistress wants to reward me with Souls?!'' The Umbra Fox was shocked and suddenly felt bad. ''I have been avoiding her, when she was so nice and gentle with me...'' She felt awful for being scared just because of some unfounded rumours. Her Mistress was a complete sweetheart and she vowed to protect her! [Your Servant [Umbra Fox] changed her ways!] [Servant: [Umbra Fox (Affection: Admires your might and likes you a lot)]] "..." Aiko stared speechlessly at the system and then at the lightly blushing Umbra Fox. That dolt was humming happily while cleaning the coats from dirt and residues. Aiko rolled her body on the bed, catching Blood Fox''s tails and sleeping peacefully. ... "Don''t you mind that the Mistress..." The Umbra Fox didn''t know how to explain this situation without coming off as rude. "She saved me, it''s only natural I belong to her." The Blood Fox said it with a straight face, but the Umbra Fox blushed at her sudden confession. "Y-y-y-you and her...?" She gestured, but she looked like a young girl who had just found out someone in an indecent act. "Isn''t she the cutest?" The Blood Fox stared gently at the sleeping Aiko and caressed her head. The Umbra Fox was completely speechless and burning red. She thought that the Blood Fox let Aiko do those things because of the Jade Fox, but now she figured out that was not the case?! What in the world is going on with the Blood Fox and Aiko?? She blushed imagining all kinds of obscene scenarios. She shook her head several times, she was deeply bothered that her buddies back in the barracks had lovers... she wanted one too, but without the worry of being corrupted. The Umbra Fox envied these two''s passionate love... What a cute misunderstanding she was having. Chapter 143 – Peacefulness was restored Aiko slept well throughout the night... or at least that''s what she hoped for. A very noisy customer had visited the quiet Inn and was causing trouble outside. The sounds were muffled and they couldn''t tell what he was screaming about, but it was still pretty bad on Aiko''s ears. She stood up with a blank expression. The duo looked slightly worried since they couldn''t feel Aiko''s presence at all. Aiko walked to the door and left the room, her team hurriedly followed her. ... "What do you mean that the Heavenly Suite is already taken?! Do you know who I am?!" The Youth was screaming at the Elderly man. The Elderly man sighed silently, it was tough to live in this city with bastards like these in charge. "I''m-" As he was about to brag about his lineage the Elderly man spotted a small girl with black clothes approach. Her expression was dark and unsettling, yet he couldn''t feel her presence at all. She easily bypassed all the guards, like she was never there to begin with. That little girl from the Heavenly Suite slammed her fist into his balls, making him twist in pain and stop what he was saying. Aiko easily picked him up and threw him with all her might before the guards could do anything. *Swish**BOOM* The body flew through the air without stopping, leaving the Inn and breaking the stalls outside until stopping in the middle of the building across the road. The youth''s guards were startled by what just happened. They pulled their weapons at Aiko, but they suddenly lost all their strength and collapsed on the ground. "I will leave them to you." The Umbra Fox smiled gently, yet sinisterly. The Blood Fox smiled in a kind manner and picked one guard after another throwing them in similar fashion outside. The Elderly man recovered a few breaths later, and wiped his sweat Aiko walked away emotionlessly and went back into her room. ... Aiko yawned, but couldn''t find her favourite tails. She was completely ignorant of the fact that her team had helped her to dispose of the bodies. Aiko was looking around trying to find her tailbed when the doors opened. Her team came back to the room and Aiko moved like a ghost and wrapped around Blood Fox''s tail. The Blood Fox almost yelped from being startled. She was wearing the Recognition Inhibition Bracelet, so her tails were hidden, yet Aiko could accurately find them. It felt like she had some kind of taildar that would allow her to locate any and all nice tails... Aiko rubbed on those tails and fell asleep promptly. The Blood Fox sighed, while the Umbra Fox giggled. "Mistress is quite the handful." The Umbra Fox sighed, but she was still smiling. "Tell me about it, when we entered the Village she would always haunt my tail..." The Blood Fox shook her head and moved to the bed since Aiko was no longer as light as she was before. "It''s still amazing since we even have these bracelets." The Umbra Fox fiddled with her bracelet. The Blood Fox didn''t say anything, like she was already used to Aiko''s abnormality. ... Aiko woke up somewhat rested. She was still wrapped around those tails, unmoving. She sighed slowly, she felt like she had forgotten something... Aiko got up and washed her face since a lot of fur would be stuck to her from the Blood Fox. After cleaning up she picked up the menu, looking through it. The Blood Fox looked towards Aiko. She was wearing a long loose shirt for sleep. That shirt was baggy, but for some reason it hugged her body well, revealing her curves and tempting anyone present. "I wish I had such a nice body..." The Umbra Fox murmured. She had pyjamas on her. She was much more slender than the Blood Fox, but she still had significant curves. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The Umbra Fox pouted unhappily when she saw the Blood Fox smirking. "Do you want something?" Aiko asked, staring at them oddly. They reminded her slightly of the battles between Mei and Blood Fox, just less destructive. "Does it have anything interesting?" The Blood Fox asked looking at Aiko. "Not really, but I would like to taste some of them." Aiko shook her head, but her stomach still rumbled. Her team chuckled and Aiko slightly blushed. "I can''t help it, my appetite is returning..." Aiko mumbled in her defence. Her team laughed and the Blood Fox lazily came close to Aiko, hugging her from the side and leaning on her. She studied the menu slowly while the Umbra Fox blushed like a teen girl. ''H-h-how obscene!'' She was looking at the duo, Aiko still had her black clothes on since she didn''t want to risk embarrassing herself, but the Blood Fox had that loose long shirt on her. That shirt slowly slipped from her shoulders, revealing part of her ample bosom. The Umbra Fox screamed in her mind until Aiko turned towards her. "What do you want to eat?" Aiko asked after seeing the strange, yet blushing Fox. "I will look through it." The Umbra Fox stabilized her mind and took the menu from Aiko. She browsed it, but nothing really attracted her attention. "I''m good." She said slowly. "We will have to hunt later, you know that right?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. "I will take it upon myself, Mistress." She elegantly bowed. Aiko rolled her eyes. She liked her attitude, but not that way of addressing her, yet she could do nothing about it since Umbra Fox had insisted and insisted until Aiko eventually caved in. The Umbra Fox smiled innocently at Aiko. ... "Here is your food, dear guests." The Elderly man brought them their food without mentioning any additional payment. He was impressed that they dared to do that to the Mayor''s son, yet they also still lived through the night. They were a force to be reckoned with and he would not dare to instigate them with his pettiness lest he wants to end up like that young master. Aiko smelled the food, it was subpar compared to Mei''s cooking, but much better compared to the stall foods. Aiko gave him a gold coin as a tip and munched on the food. The Blood Fox munched nearby. She was enjoying her food happily and slowly, since it''s been quite a long time since she last ate human food. The Umbra Fox watched over them, leaving periodically. The Blood Fox frowned at this, but didn''t say anything to Aiko. Aiko would cause a much bigger mess if she knew that the Mayor was sending assassins after them. ... Aiko finished her food and felt much more energised than before, so she stood up and stretched. The Blood Fox copied Aiko''s movement, but... *Bounce Bounce* Aiko''s face darkened as those formidable peaks had minds of their own and that pissed off Aiko. She really, really wanted to slap them, but restrained herself with some difficulty. The Blood Fox was part of her team, she couldn''t act on her impulses since they would be spending a lot of time together- *Bounce**Slap* "Ah..." Aiko was startled and so was the Blood Fox. Aiko blushed a deep red as her inner devil acted on her impulse. Meanwhile, the Blood Fox was laughing loudly at the little tomato. She hugged Aiko and soothed her. ''How cute.'' The Blood Fox thought. She was much happier about this reaction, since the usual reaction was someone trying to grope them. This difference pleased her greatly. Aiko sighed unhappily, she was being suffocated by them, but her shame would not allow her to slap them away. ... The Blood Fox was dressing up. Every single move from her was alluring and tempting... Tempting Aiko to slap those annoying jiggly milkbags. Aiko snorted coldly and left the room. The Blood Fox laughed and got dressed, before meeting up with her. Aiko nodded happily as those annoying jugs were restrained by the assassin''s uniform. ... "Leaving already?" The Elderly man smiled with slight sadness as this lucrative business opportunity was coming to an end. "Yeah, this is not our final destination." Aiko nodded. They would return here later, but for now, they had to continue on their journey. They left the Inn, meeting up with the Umbra Fox. "Are we leaving?" She asked. Aiko nodded gently and led the way, they were almost at their destination. ... A month passed without anything major happening. It felt strange that it was so peaceful... so very strange. Aiko looked around, but could not spot anything out of the ordinary outside of the fact that it was too quiet. They could not feel any Beasts, no matter how far they stretched out their senses. "We are in front of the capital, so maybe...?" The Umbra Fox said gently, but she didn''t believe what she had said for a second. The team frowned, but they still entered the main gate. ... "Master, are we going to follow them?" One of the team members of the Mirage Fox asked. "Their mission is pretty simple, but let us make their journey much easier, that way they will lower their guards. We can then seek them out and I will charm the Vicious Cub. I have no desire for the others, I only seek the Jade Fox." He said slowly. When the Jade Fox was visiting the Shadows Peak to rattle the brain of the Libra Fox, he had the honour to gaze at her body and from that point onwards, he had held the desire to possess it. ''It''s said the Jade Fox is obsessed with the Vicious Cub, so if I charm her, that would mean that I have the key to her mind and body as well.'' He smiled from ear to ear and his team members shivered. ... "Master..." One team member asked after slaughtering the surrounding Beasts. "What is it?" The Mirage Fox frowned. It was so difficult to keep up with them. ''The Elder said that they would be muddleheaded for a few weeks, but they recovered way too quickly! Especially that Demonic Fox!'' He didn''t believe for a moment that the Demonic Fox would be able to clear the residual smell off her so quickly. "They angered the Mayor..." The team member whined, that the whole team was a walking disaster that attracted endless troubles and he was forced to clean it since his Master ordered it. A vein popped up on the Mirage Fox''s forehead. He was really upset that they were so high maintenance. He would have to seek to join them as soon as possible so that he could start the charming process. ... "Master..." One team member approached his Master cautiously. "WHAT IS IT THIS TIME?!" He yelled from his irritation. "T-they have left the city and are heading towards the capital." He was shaking like a leaf in the wind. "FUCK!" He cursed. He was still cleaning up the disaster with the Mayor from this shitty town, yet those rascals left without saying anything?! The Mirage Fox was so incredibly upset that his hand joints popped. "How is the cleaning process? Who is tailing them?" He asked in a grave voice. "The Thunder Disaster Fox is tailing them. The clean up is almost done, too." He replied respectfully, he no longer felt any desire towards the team as they were just too much trouble for their worth... More veins popped on his forehead. "Finish it today, we are pursuing them!" He ordered his team and swiftly cleaned up the rest of the Human Cultivator assassins. Chapter 144 – The Capital Aiko entered the capital without any issue. The main roads were built out of marble, while sidewalks were from normal stone slabs. It was completely different from the previous city, as in this city everything looked expensive. The walls of every building were well maintained and the deeper into the capital you went, the more glorious the surroundings were. Aiko stared around curiously, while they did get glances from passers-by, it was just that, a glance. They didn''t try to engage with them nor stare at them openly. The people of the capital knew Cultivators well, those bastards would punish them for the simplest mistakes and they called the punishment ''an honour that they are being educated''. It was all one big joke to the mortals, but they didn''t have the strength to push back against the Immortals. They couldn''t use most artefacts, they didn''t have a strengthened body or longer lifespan. They just had to wait for their impending death by either time, Immortals or Beasts. The people tried to live in harmony, but the more one advanced their Cultivation, the better things they expected. Soon the Cultivators were punishing the greatest cooks or singers for not performing better or ageing on them. Like this, a rift was created. The people could no longer sate the Immortals with their crafts, so Immortals had to pick up those crafts. Singing, Calligraphy, Tea Ceremony and so on, were taken up by the Immortals. This caused the landscape to change. Mortals were no longer allowed in the heart of the cities. They could only live on the edges, while Immortals occupied the most prestigious locations. Mortals hated Immortals, but Immortals didn''t care. Mortals had no real strength over them, outside of monarchs. The Monarchs were mortals, but they were smart, very smart. Coupled with the Karma of the Empire, they could stand next to Immortals. They were able to negotiate with Immortals, since Immortals needed new blood for their Sects and for possessing new bodies so they could increase their lifespan. The simple deal allowed Humans to mostly live in peace. The Immortals would take care of any Beast Stampedes. Some even took care of starvation, but those were few and far between. Cultivators mostly cared about monsters, since they could sell their bodies which were full of precious materials or tame them to sell them as Tamed Beasts. Aiko walked around. She smelled Humans all around her and very few Cultivators. She was now accustomed to smelling the Qi in Human bodies. As long as they didn''t try to suppress it or conceal it in any way, Aiko would be able to sniff them out. Aiko walked around the stalls, curiously looking at them. Some had trinkets, while others had nice ornamental Jades, but this kind of Jade was useless as it either didn''t hold any Qi or could not be Inscribed/engraved. Aiko soon got bored of those tasteless trinkets. She had plenty of time, so she didn''t hurry and looked everywhere. Most Human stalls were useless, but it did give her some inspiration if she wanted to create them themselves. ''I could also decorate the Massage Chair.'' Aiko thought. The current Massage Chair was pretty bare bones and not very appealing. Sure, it did its job really, really well, but that was useless since higher stage Cultivators cared about aesthetics way too much. Aiko clicked her tongue. If she wanted to run a business in the future, she would have to decorate everything, in order to make everything appealing and come up with new ways to attract higher-stage Cultivators. ''Let''s just hire someone that will do that for me...'' Aiko blankly looked at the horizon. If you can''t make something yourself, just throw money at it and it will solve itself in due time. Aiko walked towards the heart of the Capital, called the Heavenly Divine Lake. ... The scenery slightly altered. There was no longer marble under their feet, but a very basic Jade. The walls were no longer somewhat white, but white. The point where the scenery changed was quite striking, since if you looked behind you could see the old marble and white-ish walls. They didn''t try to blend it in. It felt like they were declaring ''This is a different world, stay away!''. Aiko shook her head. She looked towards the stalls on the ''new'' streets. These stalls were still operated by Mortals, but some of them were Cultivators. Those Cultivators were really weak and if Aiko didn''t focus she wouldn''t guess they were Cultivators. She walked towards the nearby stall. People eyed her more openly now, but nobody dared to say anything, mostly because of her attendants, who had sharp eyes. Those eyes scared people as they felt they would die if they engaged with the Young Miss. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Aiko sighed. These trinkets were much better, but still far cry from something she would be willing to use. She walked towards another stall, this one had masks. Aiko curiously picked a few and traced its grooves. They were uneven and poorly made, but the design itself was really nice. "What do you think?" Aiko placed a Fox mask in front of her face. "It looks good for concealment." The Blood Fox nodded. "I think this would better suit you, Mistress." The Umbra Fox pointed at the Demon Mask. Aiko looked at the mask and immediately snapped her face at the Umbra Fox. The Umbra Fox naturally and with fluid movements avoided Aiko''s piercing and questioning gaze. Seeing that she wouldn''t be able to question this ruffian, she gave up and placed the mask down with a pout. She pouted for a good half an hour before she found something more interesting than causing trouble for the Umbra Fox. "The Inscription Palace?" Aiko tilted her head. She was curious about this place, so she entered it. The place was filled with Cultivators. They were bustling and haggling with the employees of this place. Aiko curiously went around observing things. She didn''t find anything nice that she would like, but that didn''t stop her from enjoying the craftsmanship. Some had captivating designs, while others felt completely foreign. Aiko''s curiosity was drawn here and there, so she walked leisurely around the Inscription Palace. At this point, more people observed her. How she moved and behaved. How she inspected and expressed. They were curious and gloating about this little Young Miss who was ignorant about the world. One gloating employee smirked and walked towards the group of females. "Welcome, what can I do for you?" Aiko noticed his mocking expression and ignored him. "I can guide you and teach you about our humble shop." He ignored the fact that he was ignored. "This one is an Inscription Pen made out of rare Ice Metal, while this one is an Inscription Carving Pen made out of rare Ghost Wood." Aiko listened half-heartedly, but lost interest soon after. She was not interested in dumb people who thought it was a good idea to have an Inscription Pen, that was supposed to be used in paper and fabric, made out of metal and the Ice element! That thing was completely useless since the Inscription Pen radiated Ice Qi, that kind of Qi would easily freeze paper and fabric, damaging it at best and ripping/destroying the product at worst! And the Inscription Carving Pen made out of Ghost Wood was even more useless! Not only would it not carve any grooves into the metal, but it would even degrade the metal and rob it out of its Qi! Those two were completely useless Inscription Tools, yet this bastard thought they were some kind of treasure?! The people gloated at them for ignoring the employee. They were here to watch a good show. "Young Miss, it would be wise to listen to him, he knows his craft." One spectator chuckled with glee. Aiko glanced at him. He had pretty much peasant clothes, his weapons were worn down and he was an old shrivelled fossil. Aiko smirked at him like she was staring at some kind of homeless person. "Here, maybe you will be able to finally wash yourself when you leave this building." Aiko smiled and rolled a Black Gold Coin to his feet. The spectators around that person were holding in laughter. Aiko ignored all of them afterwards, but that employee was still stuck to her. "Could you leave us alone, we can''t have a productive conversation with your lacking brain." Aiko dismissed him coldly. The people rolled their eyes, but they also were happy inside. That employee would gloat at them when they didn''t have enough money. It was nice to see someone put him down like that. Aiko walked around some more with that annoying bug on her tail. She observed everything and glanced around if she missed anything, but she spotted something interesting. High up on the wall in the back of the shop was an extremely mesmerising Inscription Carving Pen. It was well-designed and Aiko had the desire to try it out, but it was too far away and high up. The employee snorted. "That is not something a nobody should touch." Aiko nodded. "That''s right and that''s why you should return to sorting this rubbish and leave us alone." Aiko pointed at the surrounding products. "G-garbage?!" The employee was startled by this little Young Miss and glared at her. "These products-" Aiko nailed his balls with a straight punch. The spectators shivered and covered themselves just in case she would go on a rampage, but that didn''t happen. Aiko took out an expensive handkerchief and wiped her hand with it like she was wiping something disgusting. She then threw that handkerchief away like it was not hers, to begin with. Aiko turned towards the stairs, she was curious about what was upstairs, but not curious enough to actually walk there. She didn''t like stairs today... "Customer, I will have to ask you to leave." Another employee came forward, staring at Aiko. Aiko stared back, unblinking. "You can just clean up the rubbish and don''t say it''s our fault when you did nothing to stop this shit from polluting the air inside this shop." Aiko snorted coldly at the self-righteous employee. "There are high-quality products." The Employee spoke slowly. "And we employees are highly trained to satisfy our customers." "So what?" Aiko tilted her head. "Just because you say garbage is a treasure, I have to believe it? Just because you say you are highly trained should I ignore the fact you are harassing others?" Aiko shook her head, the more she interacted with Humans, the stupider they were. Foxes might be complete degenerates, but at least she can hold some resemblance of conversation... "There are high-quality products forged by great Forging Cultivators." Another employee tried to defuse the situation, but Aiko would have none of it. "Oh yeah? Then tell me what''s so good about this rubbish." Aiko pointed at a nearby Inscription Pen. The Employee sighed, shaking his head. He would have to educate this little Young Miss and send her home before she causes more trouble. "This is well crafted-" "Rubbish, now tell me what is supposed to do." Aiko cut him short. "It cleanly creates grooves and removes imperfections in the metal." The Employee said, he was trying hard not to blow up. "Aha." Aiko chuckled. "Have you heard that, customers? A WOODEN Inscription Pen that can affect metal! What a treasure! You can use it ONE time before it''s unusable!" Aiko snorted coldly. "Customer-" The Employee tried to warn Aiko. "And this thing." Aiko pointed at the Inscription Carving Pen that was held by a beauty. "While the craftsmanship is passable, the metal used will cause your hands to shrivel and turn old!" Aiko shook her head. That beauty was observing the commotion partially and observed the Young Miss closely, she was quite likeable and spoke some truth, but when she heard that the Inscription Carving Pen in her hands would shrivel them. She was stunned and gently yet swiftly placed it back on the small pedestal. "And this, Ghost Wood, not only would it not engrave the metal, but it would also degrade it and rob it of its Qi!" Aiko barraged those bastards until the manager came... Chapter 145 – Manager and yet another Token The manager came from his retreat. He inspected the situation. One of his employees was foaming from his mouth. Another one was being scolded by a Young Miss. The customers were giggling, watching the show unfold. Aiko sniffed and her nose was hit by a powerful wave of QI "You! How do you teach your employees?! And what''s with these rubbish products that you are trying to portray as treasures!?" Aiko immediately went into scolding mode on that powerful person. The middle-aged gentleman was startled, he didn''t expect to be scolded by a young girl the moment he came from his retreat. "What are you trying to say?" He narrowed his eyes dangerously. "You have shitty harassers in your shop that are trying to scam customers of their money." Aiko summed it up. He frowned. He was unaware something like that was happening. "Do you have any evidence?" He asked the Young Miss. He could swipe this situation under the rug if this Young Miss didn''t have any evidence. "Tell us again what you told me." Aiko stared at the employee. "That''s-" The employee hesitated and went pale, he didn''t want to talk about it. Aiko snorted coldly. "You don''t dare to admit that you had lied, but you dare to hide under the skirt of an old fossil?" Aiko shook her head. The peanut gallery chuckled at this and the employee blushed in shame. She stepped closer to the foaming guy and picked him up with one hand. The customers and employees stiffened. They didn''t expect that this little girl was also a Cultivator. They thought about the whole situation and was reminded on how haughty she was. Pausing, a cold sweat ran down their spines as they realized that this little girl was a not so simple Young Miss. Aiko slapped him across the cheeks a few times, waking him up. "W-what?" He shuddered, staring at the devil that almost made him impotent. "Be a dear and tell me what you know about this thing." Aiko pointed at the nearby Inscription Pen. That employee wanted to cry, but he couldn''t do so in front of so many customers. It would anger the manager and he absolutely couldn''t afford that. Though unbeknownst to him, his manager was standing behind him. "This is..." He slowly described the Inscription Pen to the best of his abilities so it would sell. "See, boss?" Aiko stared at the manager, huffing. This uncle wanted to play with her, but he just kicked a metal plate. The manager had an unsightly expression. The employees shivered, specially the guy who enthusiastically presented the product. "Who taught you that?" The Manager narrowed his eyes dangerously. The employee didn''t answer and glanced at the person who refused to speak when Aiko told him to. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?" The Manager was angered badly, but he didn''t explode since there were too many eyes on him. "No..." He didn''t meet the manager''s eyes, knowing what would happen next. "Great!" The Manager gathered his Qi and crippled the cowardly bastard. "Get lost, bastard!" He then turned towards the employees. "And you lot, if you don''t introduce our products properly... you will end up sharing his fate or worse!" He threatened them. Aiko ignored this and was staring at the Inscription Carving Pen high on the wall. "Dear guest." The Manager turned towards them. "How may I help you? Are you looking for something specific?" He found it odd that this girl was so nonchalant about this whole situation and he thought that he should approach this person carefully. "I''m interested in that Inscription Carving Pen." Aiko pointed at the wall. "My apologies, but that one is not for sale." The Manager bowed, cursing in his mind that she picked their treasure. "I''m not interested in buying it. I''m only interested in the design." Aiko said passively. "Design? Are you perhaps a Forging Master?" He asked carefully, but he was still taken aback. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Aiko shook her head and the Manager breathed a sigh of relief, but that was premature. "I''m an Inscription Cultivator." The peanut gallery was taken aback, looking at the Young Miss. Inscription Cultivator and so young!? There is no way, right...? "May I see your Token?" The Manager asked. He had a very bad premonition. If that premonition was correct, he would have to quickly correct his attitude towards this guest. "Sure." Aiko rummaged through her [Storage Ring] and pulled out a Black Token. *Hiss!* The customers and employees all took a step back, taking a sharp breath in. They couldn''t believe their eyes. They all had the same thought. ''Black Inscription Apprentice!'' The Manager''s hand quivered. He took the Black Token and looked at it. Even if he didn''t read what was inside the token, he already knew this was an Inscription Master Token, a 3rd Rank Token at that. He gently pressed the Token and information flew into his mind. Not only was this guest a Black Inscription Master, but she was also a Fox protected by the Inscription Association! If he laid his hands on her or slighted her in any way, his head would roll! He would need to appease her to the best of his abilities, so today''s event wouldn''t reach their ears! He looked at the little ''Young Miss''. The Manager gauged her age to be around 10 years old, but it was too vague for him to confirm it. That meant that this little girl reached not only a stage where she could converse with humans, but also 3rd stage Inscription Cultivator and all of that was within 10 years! This wasn''t a prodigy, this was heaven-defying! His sweat dripped. The customers saw his unsightly expression and started to gossip. Those gossip reached his ears, snapping him from his daze. "My apologies esteemed Inscription Master. I have been rude to you, please forgive me!" He bowed towards Aiko. The peanut gallery fell completely silent, like their brain short-circuited. They couldn''t process the information that they heard at all. This little Young Miss was an Inscription Master? This little girl?? No way in hell that was the truth! They didn''t dare to admit the first part, not to mention they wouldn''t dare to admit the Black Token part! "Manager... Are you sure that-" Before another customer could question it, he was blasted out of the shop. This was an obvious message for them. ''It is real.'' They gulped and watched the small Young Miss converse with the Manager. "If you would like to view our second floor, I could guide you." He bowed like a gentleman. Aiko thought about it. "Can I see and try that one?" Aiko pointed at the Inscription Carving Pen on the wall. "As long as you do not wish to buy it." His attitude changed completely and he was trying his best to butter her up. "We also have a number of Pens from the same Forging Cultivator, if you would be interested in viewing those?" "Sure!" Aiko nodded happily. "I would also like to sit and have some tea." Aiko smiled again, she would not move if she didn''t have to. She then extended her hand. "Of course, I will arrange it." The Manager nodded happily, but he didn''t understand the last gesture. "My Token." Aiko narrowed her eyes. "Pardon me." The Manager smiled with a silly grin and returned her the Token. Aiko stored the token and waited for her refreshments. She didn''t expect the Manager to pull a table with chairs and a brewing set from his storage ring. It felt like he was prepared for this kind of situation and that it was not the first time something like this happened. "Please?" He gestured to the Young Miss to sit. The Umbra Fox moved next to the brewing set and slowly made tea for her Mistress. The Manager was puzzled at first since he expected that those two to be mere guards, but seeing her skilful preparation of the tea he wiped the sweat on his forehead. It seems he was still underestimating them. He immediately stormed away onto the second floor to get the Inscription Pens and Carving Pens for this Young Miss. The smell of the tea soon spread throughout the shop. The customers were even more interested in this mysterious Young Miss. They wondered where she came from and what she was planning to do in the Capital. Unfortunately for them, they couldn''t ask, they were too scared of the Manager and the mysterious guards behind the Young Miss. ... The manager returned with about 20 display boxes, with each having some kind of Inscription Pen or Carving Pen. Aiko glanced at them and sorted them by: Interested - Bland There were only 3 interesting ones. The First one was a well-decorated Inscription Pen. It was well decorated, but it also was decorated in such a way that even if you dirty it with an Inscription Ink, it would be easy to wipe off. The Second one had an intriguing Ink reservoir. The Third one was great for handling. Aiko scribbled on a piece of paper that the Manager bought her. Her skills is on full display. The customers were mesmerised by her fluid movements, but they felt something was amiss, like she wasn''t displaying her full potential. Aiko placed down each one of those Inscription tools. She liked the last one since it allowed her to draw at 80% of her potential, which would also significantly speed up the Massage Chair production. "I like this one, how much is it?" Aiko asked. "That would be 10,000 Spirit Stones." He gave her a steep discount so she could afford it and so he could also please her with it. He gave her a [Storage Ring] so she could transfer the Spirit Stones over. Aiko placed the Spirit Stones inside without batting an eye and glanced at the Inscription Carving Pen on the wall. The Manager understood and placed the Inscription Carving Pen in front of her. Aiko took it and immediately felt the difference. "This is an exceptional Inscription Carving Pen." Aiko nodded slowly, she was impressed. She could easily use 100% of her abilities even when she was poisoned. She played with the Pen like it was some kind of toy. Both the audience and the Manager were silent, seeing the completely fluid movements without any hiccups. They were so taken in that they didn''t notice that a special person entered the Inscription Palace. He observed what was happening and tilted his head. He didn''t remember this Young girl who was using his Inscription Carving Pen, but he knew someone similar. That one was a mischievous little Fox that liked to shock people and play pranks on them. He smiled from ear to ear, but didn''t say anything. He joined the crowd. Watching the show. ... Aiko played with the Inscription Carving Pen for quite some time, until she was completely satisfied. She placed it down and sighed. "It''s unfortunate that I can''t have this." She was greatly touched by the ease of control that the Inscription Carving Pen allowed. "Do you want it?" A Young Master smiled at the Vicious Cub. "I can give it to you." He smiled towards the group. Everyone was taken aback and they expected the Manager to fly into a fit of rage, but compared to what they expected, they were completely shocked by what he said. "This lowly one greets the Inscription Saint!" He bowed so hard that his forehead almost touched the ground. Aiko looked over at the commotion and paused. A handsome Youth was walking towards her. Both Umbra Fox and Blood Fox were on guard, but both for different reasons... Chapter 146 – Peeping Pervert The Handsome Youth walked towards the Vicious Cub. "Ah!" Aiko suddenly realised who it was. "It''s that peeping pervert!" The Handsome Youth staggered and the peanut gallery was left speechless. They just heard that he was an Inscription Saint. It''s one of the most revered Ranks you could have. Yet this little girl would insult him in front of the crowd. They waited for her to be killed¡­ The Handsome Youth staggered. He softly glared at the smiling, mischievous little Fox. "Who taught you that?" Aiko smiled. "You, weren''t you peeping at us when we were in our courtyard?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. Mei told her there was someone who was spying on them, but she was unable to figure out who. Aiko believed there was only one person that could possibly do that. The peanut gallery gulped and slowly dispersed. He coughed awkwardly. "You were imagining things." "Was I?" Aiko tilted her head. "You can just swear on Heaven and Earth that you didn''t." Aiko giggled like a mischievous little Fox. The peanut gallery had started running away, as even though they liked to watch a show, it was completely different when their lives were on the line! He choked. "So, how do you like that Inscription Carving Pen?" He elegantly changed the topic so he wouldn''t get embarrassed by this Fox. Aiko smirked. "Will you give me the Inscription Carving Pen if I tell you?" She was not done with her games. "Sure, but only if you let me check your pulse." He narrowed his eyes. Now Aiko was the one who was completely stunned. Her mind blanked as she couldn''t comprehend what he just said. "You will just give it to me?" She had so many question marks above her head. He narrowed his eyes. Even though her Assassination Uniform concealed her arms well, it couldn''t completely hide the abnormalities. He wanted to know if he was right or not, since if he was right, it would complicate everything he was working towards. "Yes." He smiled suspiciously. The duo didn''t like him, especially the Blood Fox, since she knew him from the time they were visiting the Inscription Association. "Hmmmm..." Aiko thought about it. This guy was a closet pervert, for sure. She would be in danger if he continued to spy on her, so maybe if she satisfied his interest... he would leave her alone? "The handling is-" Aiko narrated her experience in great detail and praised the design. He extended his hand. Aiko didn''t really want to give him her hand, but she really wanted this Inscription Carving Pen. She extended her hand and his fingers slithered under her gloves. Aiko shivered and frowned at him, but he was deep in thought. He had an extremely unsightly expression the moment he saw her green skin. Injecting a bit of his Divine Sense with Qi into Aiko''s veins, he was able to find the sorry state her whole arm was in. What was even more concerning was the poison used, as he was familiar with this type of poison. He was currently hunting down the people who created and distributed this vile poison. This poison was not simple. It would hinder the motor functions of the arm, crippling the Inscription Cultivators. They wouldn''t die from it, but their arm would never be able to wield an Inscription Pen again, which was as good as death for them. The poison was very diluted, which surprised him. ''What did she do to cause this...?'' He didn''t understand, but what he understood was that because of this dilution, she was able to keep some sense in her arm. There was also a faint energy suppressing that poison, but he knew he shouldn¡¯t ask about that. "Let''s talk somewhere else." He smiled gently at the team, but his eyes told them that it was not an invitation they could refuse. "I want roasted meat." Aiko immediately demanded food. She thought that since this guy was so wealthy, he wouldn''t mind giving her some high-quality food. His lips twitched, but he didn''t refuse. "Sure. Manager Du, please prepare a room for us." The Manager Du didn''t say anything and immediately ran away to prepare the room. He could not delay this and had to do his utmost to serve his master so he would excuse his rude behaviour and his employee''s conduct. ... Aiko stared at him. "How old are you?" She was really curious. He staggered again and glared at the Vicious Cub. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Aiko shrugged and looked away. He shook his head and led the way for the group. "Please have a seat." He pointed in front of him at the comfortable half-couch. Aiko sat down, staring at him. "What did you do to cause the poison to end up like that?" He turned serious and asked the Vicious Cub. This information was extremely important for his research in saving his people from this vicious poison. "I took a Pill from my Mate." Aiko shifted her body, she didn''t want to tell him the fact that she didn''t circulate the Pill inside her body. He supported his chin with the top of his hands. He was deep in thought. "What kind of Pill was it and was it created by Jade Fox?" He asked another question. "I believe that was enough." The Blood Fox stepped in, she didn''t like him. The Handsome Youth stared at the Fox, but realised she was actually a Demonic Fox! His eyes widened as he didn''t believe what he just saw. "I need that information." He suppressed his curiosity and said flatly. "We will naturally sell you that information." The Blood Fox smiled like a fox. He sighed. He was relieved that they would tell him and he had a lot of money, so there was no need to be stingy. "You can state your price." The Handsome Youth said readily. "We need these Herbs." The Blood Fox placed a small Jade Slip in front of him. He browsed them and narrowed his eyes. He then glanced at the Vicious Cub. "It is as you have guessed." The Blood Fox said without a change in expression. His body visibly stiffened. If he thought what the Passion Fox thought... that would mean these Herbs are necessary for the cure for the Poison. "Can I get the prescription?" He asked. "No." The Blood Fox shook her head. "You will have to negotiate with Jade Fox." She dumped all those responsibilities on her. Somewhere far away, a beautiful Fox sneezed and cursed silently. "No problem. We don''t have all the Herbs, but we do have most of them. We will discuss the handover later." He pushed the Jade Slip back towards the Passion Fox. "We will also negotiate about the missing Herbs since I need the information." The Blood Fox nodded with a fox''s smile. "It''s a pleasure doing business with you." He scoffed at this cunning Fox. "So, how did it turn into that?" "I used this Pill." Aiko said and placed a small Jade Bottle. He touched those Pills. "Pinnacle of Perfect Quality!" His eyes widened into lightbulbs. ''No wonder she was able to dilute that poison!'' He understood that the Jade Fox was very resourceful and doting. "She also didn''t circulate the Pill." The Blood Fox suddenly said. "Hey!" Aiko yelled at her. "You promised it was our secret!" Aiko felt wronged. "She also slept right after taking it." The Umbra Fox added. "hey..." Aiko sobbed, her ears dropped low. "you promised you wouldn''t tell..." She sniffled. The Blood Fox felt bad looking at the completely crestfallen Aiko, meanwhile, the Umbra Fox was left dumbfounded. ''So she can also make those expressions...'' She was less and less terrified of this little cutie. The Blood Fox soothed Aiko and played with her hair. The Handsome Youth''s lips twitched and his inner thoughts almost leaked and caused disaster. ''It''s a good thing I didn''t say that even a child knows the basics and what they should do with the Pills...'' He wiped the non-existent sweat on his forehead. The Food arrived. Aiko''s ears were still low, but they did twitch when she smelled the food. Aiko picked up the nearby chopstick, but she used it as a spear and stabbed the roasted and well-cut meat. *Munch* She munched on it, still in her sorry state. The Handsome Youth suppressed a chuckle, seeing that comical display. He coughed gently. "Did anything else happen?" He already observed that energy, but that energy didn''t do anything to the poison other than stop it from spreading. Aiko shook her head, since those rats had already told on her, she had nothing else to hide. He chuckled at the Vicious Cub''s wronged expression and said. "There is more meat, so eat well." He glanced at the Passion Fox and she nodded at him. They both left the room, leaving the Umbra Fox with Aiko. The Umbra Fox didn''t know what to do, seeing the dejected Aiko. She was happy that the Passion Fox joined the team, since she was extremely caring about Aiko and did most things for her. The Umbra Fox was pretty much excluded from the group if it was not for her hunting skills. The Umbra Fox sighed gently. She stared at the little Vicious Cub munching on food and wondered. ''Why was I so scared of her, to begin with...?'' She didn''t understand when she got so scared. She found her cute and lovable at first, but once she heard the rumours, everything turned upside down. ''Why did I believe those rumours...?'' The Umbra Fox was not like that before, but suddenly she was? She couldn''t understand herself. The Umbra Fox sneaked behind the Vicious Cub. Aiko was far from vicious and The Umbra Fox couldn''t wrap her head around that nickname. ''Just because she skewered a few assholes, she got that nickname...?'' She tilted her head, now that her mind was clear, something was not adding up. ''I will have to investigate more.'' She thought. She didn''t realise that she was already playing with Aiko''s hair. Aiko''s hair was truly addicting when it came to the smoothness. ... They returned. The Blood Fox was smiling happily, while the Handsome Youth looked like he lost his Soul. "All Foxes are Demons in disguise..." He murmured quietly, but the team picked it up. Aiko looked at the smiling Blood Fox and tilted her head. She wondered what the Blood Fox did to make that guy suffer so much. The Blood Fox wanted to return to caressing Aiko''s head, but found an intruder on her turf. The Umbra Fox could feel a piercing gaze on her and turned to the right. The Blood Fox was glaring at her hands that were caressing that smooth hair. The Umbra Fox coughed awkwardly and stepped away. She was unaware of what her hands were doing till now. The Blood Fox smiled happily as she was able to return to her rightful place and play with Aiko''s hair. Aiko finished the food and stared at the duo. It was strange to see them go hand in hand, since the Umbra Fox was very reclusive when it came to interactions. Yet now it seemed that the Umbra Fox and Blood Fox got along well. This was a relief for Aiko as she was worried they might fight like Mei with the Blood Fox, but it didn''t seem like that was the case. Less work for her was good and she was happy she got such a competent team... Although she would appreciate it if they didn''t caress her hair so much! Aiko picked up a piece of bread and chomped on it. She looked like a cute hamster to others. "Anyway. How long will you be staying?" The Handsome Youth suddenly asked. "I don''t know." Aiko said. "We will engrave your name on the Inscription Carving Pen so you can unite with it." The Handsome Youth said. "Aiko." Aiko said. The Handsome Youth smiled. "Of course." He wanted to use her nickname to tease her, but it would be bad if the Inscription Carving Pen was unwilling to pair with her because of that. That thing cost him a whole fortune to obtain, so he had to handle it carefully. Chapter 147 – Investigation Aiko and her team left the Inscription Palace. She would get her Inscription Carving Pen in a few days, but that''s not why they came here. ''We need to investigate the princess.'' The Princess was in this Capital, so they had to gather information and strike when the opportunity was right. "Should we find an Inn?" The Blood Fox asked. Aiko paused, but soon agreed. "Sure, I will leave it to you. Umbra Fox and I will look around for gossip or any kind of easily obtainable information. You can find us once you book an Inn." Aiko gave her a ring with 10,000 Spirit Stones and 10,000 Black Gold Coins. The Blood Fox wanted to say that it was too much when she glanced inside, but Aiko was nowhere to be found... ... *Sigh* An audible sigh escaped her lips. "It seems like I will have to look around for a quiet, yet lavish Inn." The Blood Fox shook her head. She walked around with her Recognition Inhibition Bracelet, but that didn''t stop people from looking at her. This was different from the outer regions, as the people in here would openly stare at her, yet those brave bastards were merely at the Qi Gathering stage. The Blood Fox snorted coldly, releasing a bit of her monstrous bloodlust and suddenly no longer were there any lecherous gazes that befall her. She shook her head at those cowardly bastards and walked away from the scene. The people shivered and vowed to learn more about Cultivation since it felt like they would lose their heads if they didn''t. ... Meanwhile, Umbra Fox blended with the walking groups of Humans. They were completely oblivious that someone was walking with them, as the Umbra Fox was very slim and barely noticeable. There were rumours here and there, but most of them were about the womanising prince and not about the princesses. It seems that all information about them was suppressed by the royalty. She sighed, but still stayed with the group, maybe she would be able to find out more if she walked a little further. ... Aiko jumped on the rooftops, unlike the Umbra Fox and Blood Fox she didn''t like walking among Humans. Her ears were also more powerful and sensitive to sound, so even if she was up on the rooftops, she was still able to hear everyone below her clearly. This was one of the advantages of her current species and she liked that very much, as she didn''t need to mingle with them but watch them from shadows. ''This way, this way.'' ''You should steal that treasure.'' Both of those familiar voices sounded much gentler and sweeter than before. Aiko smiled and indulged herself in the guidance of the Darkness. She came across a pretty-looking princess and her body stiffened. ''That is the treasure.'' ''You need to extract it from her.'' Aiko was stunned, seeing the familiar princess from that banquet. That haughty thing was now looking very docile and obedient. She felt like she was dreaming about the wrong person, but that was not the most important thing. ''What do you mean by treasure?'' Aiko couldn''t understand. ''You have it on you!'' ''Take out the vial with the liquid. If it hums, you found the treasure.'' Aiko tilted her head and pulled out all the vials with liquid, but only one gently hummed. ''It''s the vial that I stole when I was in that kingdom...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. It seemed like this vial was more important than she expected. ''Does that mean that some of this liquid is in her?'' Aiko asked as this vial was only 1/10th full. ''Yes, yes.'' ''That is correct, but you will need a Blood Cultivator to extract it.'' They answered her dutifully and Aiko nodded gently. It seems she will have to seek the Blood Fox''s help. Aiko got closer to them to remember their scent. There were plenty of hidden guards around, but they were low-stage Cultivators, so she was able to come over, take a sniff and leave. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ... She sighed. There were so many scents, but it was amazing that she was able to cut off some of them and sniff out her companions. Aiko creeps up behind the Blood Fox, who is arguing with an Innkeeper. "What''s wrong?" Aiko asked, scaring the Innkeeper shitless. "There are no Inns that are willing to take our money." The Blood Fox sighed. Before the Innkeeper could say anything, Aiko said. "That''s fine, let''s go. They are losing money, not us." Aiko grabbed her hand and dragged her outside and into a nearby alley. "What are you planning?" The Blood Fox asked gently. "How good are you at manipulating non-Cultivators blood?" Aiko suddenly asked, scaring the Blood Fox a little. "W-what do you need that for?" She didn''t want Aiko to turn into a Demonic Fox like she did. "There is a treasure in someone''s body and I need to extract it and separate it from her blood." Aiko didn''t conceal she depended on the Blood Fox''s help. "You don''t intend to torture her?" The Blood Fox asked with some worry. "No." Aiko shook her head. "Do you like their blood?" She asked a different question. "No." Aiko''s eyebrows twitched. "..." The Blood Fox stared at her strangely. "..." Aiko stared back at her. "You are not possessed?" She asked cautiously. "What?" Aiko stared at her like she was some kind of idiot. "Nothing." The Blood Fox sighed in relief. This would be the first sign of falling into the Demonic Fox category completely, so she was very nervous and cautious. She didn''t want Aiko to end up like she did. "So can you extract things from someone else''s blood?" Aiko asked again. "As long as they are not Cultivators I can forcibly extract it, but if they are Cultivators it will be more difficult." The Blood Fox confessed. "She wasn''t a Cultivator, so it''s not a problem, but there are many guards." Aiko frowned. "Can you do it quickly or do you need time?" She asked the Blood Fox. "It will take time since I don''t know what I''m extracting. If it''s something hard like metal, it would be somewhat quick." The Blood Fox with confidence. "It''s liquid." Aiko frowned. The Blood Fox likewise frowned. "In that case, we need to kidnap that person, so I can take my time." Aiko thought about it. "That might not be possible, but let''s first find the Umbra Fox." "Okay." The Blood Fox didn''t ask questions and followed Aiko onto the rooftops. While the Blood Fox wasn''t really stealthy, she was good enough for most mortals and low-stage Cultivators. The higher stage Cultivators ones only glanced at her. Sometimes they would do it when they hurried somewhere, so it was not an uncommon sight. ... They were able to meet the Umbra Fox promptly. "How is it?" Aiko asked. "There are some rumours about the prince, but most of them are about his debaucherous journeys and his tastes." She had a disgusted expression on her face. She was sick and tired of hearing about the length of his manhood and how well it was shaped and that it-Ugh. "You have suffered." Aiko gently soothed the Umbra Fox. She sniffled a little and hugged Aiko. Rumours could be so revolting... ... "Have you calmed down?" Aiko asked the Umbra Fox. "Yeah." She nodded, feeling a little sorry for Aiko. "I have found the princess." Aiko said. The Umbra Fox choked. She spent so much time searching for rumours or anyone who could tell her about them, yet she failed miserably. Now her Mistress casually brought the news to her, which made her even more miserable. "There are a few issues." Aiko said, ignoring the abnormal state of the Umbra Fox. "The first thing is that there are always guards around her, which is not bad per se, but if they call more of them it will be an endless downpour of guards coming after us." "Why do we need to care about that?" The Umbra Fox was puzzled. "Ah, right. I forgot to mention she has treasure on her that I want." Aiko said. "It''s in her body and will be extracted by Blood Fox." Aiko said. "Mistress..." The Umbra Fox was worried that Aiko was falling into the Demonic Fox''s path. "No, I''m not possessed. I don''t like blood and I don''t want to torture her." Aiko rolled her eyes when she saw the Umbra Fox''s puppy eyes. "But if anything is whispering sweet words to you, you should tell us." The Umbra Fox said gravely. "Sure, sure." Aiko waved her away and both of them narrowed their eyes. "So, we need to make some kind of plan about this." Aiko said gravely. They all nodded, but still noted that Aiko was dismissive about whispering voices. "Can we lure them out?" The Umbra Fox asked. "Unlikely, we don''t have anything that the princess might want." Aiko shook her head. They all fell deep into thought. "I heard she is favoured by the prince, how about invading them during their ''time'' and extracting it?" The Umbra Fox asked. "Wouldn''t there be guards during that time?" The Blood Fox was concerned. "There shouldn''t be, rumours indicated that there was a scandal between the prince and his female guards and now they are barred from entering when he is doing ''that''." The Umbra Fox said gently. "We will have to investigate more." Aiko said. She didn''t want to risk anything. The duo nodded, they would slowly investigate the ins and outs of this place. "Where will we live?" The Blood Fox asked, not because of herself, but because she knew that Aiko wouldn''t be able to sleep without a nice ''bed''. "We will return to the Inscription Palace and ask him for accommodation. We will have to wait for the Inscription Carving Pen anyway, so we might as well be there when it''s finished and leave right after." Aiko slowly nodded. "It will also give us protection against them if anything happens, since I don''t believe the royal family will be able to do anything to them." Aiko smirked. The duo nodded again, this was indeed a good idea as the Handsome Youth was quite fond of- Wait not! This was a bad idea! They wanted to refute Aiko, but she was already jumping towards the Inscription Palace. This was terrible news for them and they hurried forward. "We need to stop her!" The Umbra Fox said, while she liked his handsomeness, she found something odd and off-putting about him, so she didn''t want Aiko to reunite with him. "You don''t have to tell me!" The Blood Fox frowned and sped up, she was much faster than the Umbra Fox since she had two tails and [Blood Enhancement]. Yet, she was unable to catch up to Aiko. Aiko was simply too quick on her feet and they could only lag behind. ... Aiko landed in front of the Inscription Palace and went inside. Nobody noticed her and she went by the smell to find that Inscription Saint! "I''m here to ask for a small favour." Aiko barged in, but stiffened soon after. The Handsome Youth also looked completely stunned, as he didn''t expect someone to barge in. He currently had nothing on him! Aiko awkwardly coughed as she saw water dripping from him, but before she could close the door, her team appeared behind her. Oh, god... Chapter 148 – Allowed and Gentle Lady The duo looked at the awkward Aiko and the completely naked Inscription Saint. "This is what happens when you don''t knock." He tried to sound tough, but that red face was not doing him any favours. The Blood Fox chuckled. "Don''t worry, there is not much to see." She said sarcastically. The Umbra Fox nodded slowly, even the smallest ones back on the Shadows Peak were bigger. He choked at those words. "Get out, you ungrateful children!" "We are of similar age." The Blood Fox chuckled but closed the door so he couldn''t poison Aiko''s eyes. The two stared at the awkward little Aiko. Aiko coughed and walked away into the nearby waiting room, but her ears were red. She didn''t expect that bastard to have a bath in the middle of the day! She sat down and snatched some snacks from the table to munch on something, so she could calm down. The duo didn''t like her reaction, but at least she wasn''t ogling him with lust. They would have to fight him if that was the case. ... Half an hour later he came into the room, spotting them. "You are still here?" He thought that they would storm away. "We need some accommodation before we finish the mission." Aiko said slowly, but soon after she stuffed her cheeks with more snacks. His lips twitched. "And that''s why you barged into my room?" He stared at the small Fox, who was avoiding his gaze. "What kind of bastard bathes during the day..." Aiko clicked her tongue and munched on another snack. He paused, but glared at her soon after. He was upset that he was disturbed when he was taking a nice bath. "What is your mission?" He asked passively. "Investigate the Princess." Aiko didn''t conceal it, since he couldn''t really stop them. "The one from the fallen kingdom?" He narrowed his eyes. "Yup." Aiko nodded. He fell into deep thought. "Do you know what''s wrong with her?" He probed. "No, but I want her treasure and information." Aiko said. "Treasure..." He tapped the nearby table with the tea tray. ''If she had some kind of treasure on her, it would explain a lot of those odd situations, but I could not see where that treasure is...'' He stared at the little Fox, trying to probe for more information from her etiquette, but she was so engrossed in eating that she ignored him. "If you can meet her, what will you do?" He suddenly asked. "Extract that treasure." Aiko said with a smile. "You don''t want to kill her?" He narrowed his eyes. "Too much work." Aiko shook her head. Sure, the mission was an investigation and she could kill her, but that was just too much work. She wanted that treasure and investigation could be done afterwards. "Alright. I''m going into the palace tomorrow, so you can join me, but I wish to appraise the treasure." He said. "As long as you don''t take it from me, I have no issue with that." Aiko said. "That will depend on its rarity." He said slowly. "Then you can forget about it." Aiko shrugged nonchalantly. "Do you believe you can come and go into the palace?" He scoffed. "Yes." Aiko smiled gently and munched on another snack. He stiffened, he couldn''t understand where this confidence was coming from. "Fine!" He ruffled his hair. He couldn''t figure out where that treasure was or how it was used, so it was better to at least know what kind of treasure that was. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Aiko smiled gently. "Don''t forget to swear on Heaven and Earth." *PFFT* He was sipping his tea when Aiko said that sentence and he sprayed his tea around the room. "Ew." Aiko said, hiding from the spraying tea. *Cough Cough* "You little rascal, you really are taking advantage of me!" He cursed her. "What''s there to take advantage of?" Aiko stuck out her tongue, angering him in the process. "I will have you know that I''m dubbed as the most handsome Inscription Cultivator!" He defended himself from Aiko''s gaze. "Those people must''ve lost their minds!" Aiko exclaimed. "Oh right, maybe they couldn''t evaluate everything..." Aiko stared at a certain place on his body. "You shameless little-!" He glared at the mischievous little Fox. "What?" Aiko tilted her head. "Oh?" She made an expression like she understood. "You invited them into the bath so that they could thoroughly evaluate you, right..." Aiko nodded like she nailed the reason for such a high evaluation. He turned completely red and threw his cup at Aiko, but he didn''t use his full strength. Yes, he was angered badly, but that didn''t mean he could take it out on someone who could possibly surpass him. That was just asking for trouble, but that also didn''t mean he would take it lying down! "Come here, you rascal! You need some basic education on etiquette!" He proclaimed righteously. When Aiko heard the word ''education'' she immediately booked it away from him. To his surprise she was pretty quick, but nothing he couldn''t catch. "You can also follow." He smiled sinisterly. "The more students, the better." The duo wanted to beat him up, but when they saw his speed surpassed Aiko¡¯s even without using Runes or anything visible... They were concerned about Aiko''s mouth. ... "Lady Liu, my apologies for interrupting your rest." The Handsome Youth smiled at the elderly lady. "Isn''t that little Chen boy?" She smiled gently. "Yes." He cupped his hands. "And who is that little cutie?" She narrowed her eyes. "You know that I taught you not to kidnap children." She had a stern expression. "She is a rascal that is cooperating with me, but her mouth is..." He didn''t know how to correctly describe it. "Grandma save me! He is a bad person!" Aiko struggled the moment she met her eyes. Lady Liu giggled. "Come here." "Lady Liu..." The Handsome Youth was concerned that she would be deceived by this little rascal. Aiko skipped a few steps and grasped Lady Liu''s sleeve. "You are very cute." Aiko suddenly said. She liked the kind-looking elderly the most. Lady Liu smiled. "I don''t see any issue with her. Sure, she could use some etiquette, but she is quite lovable." Lady Liu caressed Aiko''s hair. She looked very old, her hair was white and she had a small and fragile build. Yet her body was exuding an air of nobleness that couldn''t be ignored. "How long will you be staying here?" She gently pinched the little girl''s cheek. "For a few days." Aiko had trouble speaking, but she didn''t mind that, as this person looked kinder than that Chen Youth. "Hmmm... There is not much time." She shook her head. "Where are you going next?" She asked with a smile. "To the Heavenly Mountain Empire." Aiko smiled back. She was completely oblivious to the fact that she sealed the deal with the devil. "Then you can come with us, right, Chen boy?" She smiled towards the Youth. He didn''t want to leave this place, but since his teacher said so, he could only oblige. "Of course, Lady Liu." "Good. We will take our first etiquette class." She said. "Unfortunately, I don''t know much about Foxes, so I can only teach you the Human etiquette and body language." The team stiffened and went on guard, but Lady Liu just giggled. "The way you walk indicates that there is something heavy behind you." She gestured. "But you don''t have anything like that on your back, so you could only be a Beast." She then said slowly. "The only ones that obtain a human form so soon are the Foxes, and this little cutie here must be very talented to get one so soon." She stared at the little Fox. "Oh..." Aiko was taken aback that there were other ways to be found out. The duo was still on guard. "I mean no harm. I like Foxes for their fluffy tails." She said with a smile. "If you were a lizard..." She narrowed her eyes, remembering that rascal. "You would have a harder time with me, but I''m ultimately a Human, I can''t hurt you." She giggled. "You are not a Cultivator?" Aiko tilted her head. "En." She smiled and petted the little Fox. "But your face..." Aiko stared at it for a long time, but she couldn''t find any wrinkles on her face. "If you take care of your body properly, it will reward you." She smiled. "So that hair isn''t a fashion choice?" Aiko stared at her white hair that reached the ground. "Of course not." She laughed. "That''s the only thing I can''t control and it would be troublesome to colour it every few months." She liked this outspoken girl, so she would like to help her. "I see..." Aiko nodded. "But it''s still oddly pretty?" Aiko didn''t understand, but that hair was oddly alluring with her demeanour. "That is because of etiquette." She giggled. "If I do this..." "Old ha-" Aiko stopped herself this time from saying the word hag, but she was so shocked by the sudden change of air and visage that it almost slipped out of her mouth. Lady Liu laughed loudly, this little cutie would be fun to teach, she liked the fact that she was an honest girl. She wondered how she would talk if she was angered, but considering that little Chen had to bring this little Fox to her, that would mean it was pretty bad. ... "Now, little Chen, you can go." She dismissed him as she was more interested in the young blood. "They are still-" He tried to warn his teacher, but he only got a glare in return. "They won''t hurt me." She sighed, shaking her head. "I have no hostile intentions. Beasts, unlike Humans, are very sensitive to those things. They have no need to harm me since I''m not a threat or not directly endangering them." She explained her reasoning. "Which reminds me you will need more-" "Ahaha, look at the time Lady Liu. My apologies, but I will have to excuse myself as I still have some work to do." He made up an excuse since he didn''t want to go through those hellish etiquette lessons again. Lady Liu sighed. "You were much cuter when you were younger." She shook her head, but still waved him away. Lady Liu now had these cuties to teach, which more than made up for the lack of their interest. She... often felt lonely, so she taught others to fill up that void, but it was simply not enough. After a few classes with her, the people tried to distance themselves from her, saying that was enough to appear noble. She could only sigh and let them go, since she wasn''t a Cultivator, she couldn''t contend with them or make them stay. They did promise to visit her later, but later for Cultivators might mean a few dozen years. She couldn''t live that long... Lady Liu was an unfortunate Soul who was stuck in this vicious cycle, unable to break through and escape it. Chapter 149 – Cute Lady and Royalty "En, you are doing well." Lady Liu praised the Blood Fox, as she had the body and perseverance to learn from her. The Umbra Fox was too stiff and Aiko would often get too exhausted, but none of them tried to escape from Lady Liu. Why? "You are not bad, but if you do this, then-" She would slowly explain everything and if they struggled she would slowly guide them forward, unlike other teachers who went by ''feeling''. This change was a breath of fresh air, providing a new learning experience for the trio. Thus increasing their favourability of Lady Liu more and more, especially because she was a woman, unlike a certain closet pervert. They didn''t need to worry about her trying to pursue their Aiko, so they felt safe and in turn more willing to be taught. "My apologies, Lady Liu. Today we have an appointment with the Royal Family." The Chen Youth bowed towards his teacher. "Really?" She narrowed her eyes. "It''s true, we want that treasure, so he was bringing us inside." Aiko said slowly. "But you should hide just in case." She was concerned that she would get hurt, since she wasn''t a Cultivator. She saw the concern and she was surprised as most Cultivators wouldn''t care about mortals, not to mention Beasts. "Then I will spend time in little Chen''s study." She smiled gently, caressing Aiko''s head. She realised how ''outspoken'' Aiko was and couldn''t help, but giggle. This gentle-looking girl was speaking like those fishermen and sailors. It was a completely different image to that of the gentle, young-looking Miss she appeared to be on first glance. The Chen Youth was also surprised, he didn''t expect this group to like humans, but to go so far as to warn them... He would have to re-evaluate this group again since it was an important part of his plan. Later, right now he has to survive the meeting with the Royal family. He was worried that Aiko''s mouth might enrage them. "Here is the Token for the Study, Lady Liu." He readily handed her the Access Token that protected his study with countless Inscriptions. You could even say that the whole study was one big sturdy safe that would survive a few hits from a Body Integration Cultivator, but it was impervious to anything below Void Amalgamation Stage. "Be careful, little Chen." Lady Liu smiled gently. "And you too, girls. That perverted prince might take a liking to you, don''t drink or eat anything that he offers you!" She warned them, as she was used to those kinds of things. That was also the reason why she couldn''t Cultivate. She didn''t wish those girls to be slighted by some 3rd rate Royalty, especially when they had the perseverance to keep up with her lessons. "We will be careful." The Team cupped their hands towards Lady Liu and left the place. She likewise moved to the Study, where she sat down and prepared some fragrant tea, then rested. Her age was catching up to her and it was much harder to hold her lesson, but she would still persevere and teach them well. Those girls were like the last shining lights at the end of her life. She will savour it and teach them well, so they could shine even brighter than before. She won''t be able to see their shine once they are fully matured, but she would still watch over them from beyond... ... Aiko left with her team towards the Royal Palace. It was a grand palace that would make one sigh in awe, but at the same time... it was too big. The roads were too wide, the decoration was too lavish. Maintaining this place would cost so, so many resources that Aiko didn''t like it. She preferred tight and smaller palaces since you were not overwhelmed, but you could still display your wealth through paintings and relics on displays. Aiko sighed. Humans loved to waste resources on such lavish things, but at the same time, the common people who were the blood of the country were squeezed dry and slowly killed. Aiko didn''t understand this thought process. If the lowest people prospered, there would be even more things for the Royalty to brag about, but it appeared that there was a wide and deep chasm between them... like the Royalty tried to distance themselves from their people. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. They arrived at their destination and Aiko got out of the cart. The ride was clunky and uncomfortable. Her butt hurt from all the vibration and uneven slabs. She sighed, her group was in a similar fashion, but the worst was the Blood Fox. "Are you alright?" Aiko came close to her, hugging her gently. "I will be fine soon." The Blood Fox smiled, but cursed her motion sickness internally. This had happened before, but not as severely. She could only sigh and bear with it, since Aiko wanted that treasure. "We can come back later if you don''t feel well." Aiko didn''t like that treasure more than her companions, so she didn''t mind postponing her plans. "It is alright." The Blood Fox was touched by this and gently caressed Aiko, before moving with the group. Aiko was concerned about the Blood Fox so she stuck close to her. The Handsome Youth didn''t think that the little Fox was so caring about her team. It seemed like he would have to curb the Royalty himself, or she might flip out and slaughter them. He sighed at the amount of work he had to do, since these little rascals appeared, not to mention he couldn''t just kick them out since his Teacher was fond of them. What a struggle! ... Surprisingly, the conversation with Royalty went smoothly. The Emperor was even overjoyed to see them, but he still shut his sons up, so that they wouldn''t make any improper remarks towards the group that followed the Inscription Saint. They moved places to a smaller ballroom, where they hosted food and drinks. Aiko was curious about the taste, so she munched on a few of them, but... [You have been poisoned.] [The poison was nullified by your treasure.] When they spoke about the Poison with Lady Liu, Aiko took out the Snake Badge, which helped against low-grade Poisons. Now she could enjoy the food, without the risk of being affected, but she still warned her team with her gaze. Only the Inscription Saint and Aiko ate. This slightly upset the Emperor, but he also knew that those two might be retainers and it would be a great insult for those servants to eat with their masters. "You have a good taste in servants." One Prince raised his cup to honour the Inscription Saint''s taste. Those two beauties truly ignited his loin-cloth, but fortunately, they were sitting down with comfortable yet loose clothes, so nobody would be able to know about it. The Inscription Saint frowned, but didn''t say anything. He raised his cup since it would be rude not to do so. But on the other hand, he didn''t need to humour his words and could ignore them. This displayed that he still honoured the Royal family, but didn''t agree with the sentiment. Allowing both parties to keep their face without any issues. Aiko was bored and just tasted the food. While most Humans would never notice the taste of these poisons, but Aiko was not Human, after a few different dishes she noticed one peculiar taste that just didn''t fit the food. She lost all appetite because of it and only glanced at the pretty dancers here and there. Yet those dancers were likewise uninteresting. After a single day of etiquette training, Aiko realised that there is more to the body than it appears at a single glance. The way people moved and behaved had great importance for the subconscious and after seeing Lady Liu''s short dance she was convinced that these girls were complete amateurs! Aiko lost interest and only chatted with the Inscription Saint here and there, but that got old quickly too... The Chen Youth realised that Aiko was bottling up a lot of pent-up feelings and coughed lightly. "Your Majesty, I heard that one of your sons is afflicted with a ''peculiar'' condition." The Chen Youth said slowly. "That is indeed the case, Saint." The Emperor sighed, but then he paused. "You wouldn''t happen to know why?" The Emperor narrowed his eyes, he didn''t believe that the Inscription Saint would change the topic just because his group was bored. Little did he know that was really it. The Chen Youth just didn''t want the little Fox to blow up, so he didn''t need to take care of the aftermath. "I know a little, but my companion knows more." He cupped his fists. ''I do??'' Aiko was completely caught off-guard. She didn''t expect him to just push her forward. She coughed awkwardly, but she was still able to carry herself with some air of nobility. The Emperor appraised the little girl. It was obvious she was learning etiquette, but she was not that bad, maybe he could convince her to become a concubine to one of his sons... "Your Majesty, does the prince happen to favour one person, when he previously favoured many?" Aiko asked vaguely, but everyone in the room understood her words. The Emperor was suddenly enlightened. It was true that his stupid son had too many concubines, but lately, he was only interested in a single princess... ''I thought he changed, but did something happen to him to favour that girl...?'' His thought process sped up and he looked at the Young Miss in a new light. ''She is too smart for my sons.'' Sigh. ''If only they learned as well as this Young Miss.'' He lamented in his mind. "That would be the case." The Emperor nodded readily, he was now more worried about his image than his son. He was worried that the curse his son was inflicted with would spread. Aiko nodded slowly, but reassured the Emperor. "Everything will be alright as long as others would not favour ''that'' person, your Majesty." Aiko said slowly, but with firmness in her eyes. The Emperor heard the oddity. He gestured for all regular servants and attendants, to leave and only continued when they had done so. "Is that the fault of ''that'' person?" The Emperor was talking about the princess from the fallen Kingdom. "That I do not know, It might be. It might not be. We can only say more after meeting them, your Majesty." Aiko shook her head. The Emperor was deep in thought for a moment. He didn''t want this Young Miss to meet them, so her image of Royalty wouldn''t change. He still had some hopes about bringing her into the Harem, but if she saw that side without being shackled... She would surely reject him. The Emperor sighed. He was looking forward to beautiful children, but his face and health were more important, so he scrapped that idea. "Notify them and bring them to my study." The Emperor commanded his personal servants and they dispersed to fulfil the Emperor''s orders. Aiko nodded gently, she was impressed by the servants'' conduct. They were much better than the servants that were previously around them and served their food. Aiko sipped the tea and waited for them to be called... Chapter 150 – Treasure on her body Unfortunately, that sipping didn''t last long, as the Emperor moved them to his study. Aiko pouted along the way. She enjoyed that tea quite a bit since that was the only thing that was not poisoned. Naturally, the Inscription Saint had an unsightly expression since he stole a piece of Aiko''s food to bully her, only to realise that it was poisoned. He wouldn''t raise an issue for the time being since Aiko was not affected, but if they tried to pull something else¡­ he would teach them a lesson. The Palace was lavish beyond belief. Almost everything was sprinkled with gold or made out of gold. Aiko found this ridiculous. While the golden decorations looked nice, the finale of the scenery was disastrous. It felt like they were trying to demonstrate their wealth a bit too much, and all those things clashed with each other. Aiko noted down in her mind about decorating, so that she would be careful about it and not make it overly lavish, lest she wants it to end up like this. Aiko truly thought that this was the problem of too many lavish things, but it was simply a foolish decoration from a foolish Emperor. If it was rearranged properly, then the already glorious Palace would become even more mesmerising. Aiko sneezed. There was light pollen in the air when they were travelling to the study. At first, she didn''t think much about it, but the vial in her hidden pocket hummed gently. This meant that this pollen had something to do with the vial. She didn''t try to find out why for the time being. They will be meeting the duo soon, so she didn''t need to. The only thing she had to care about is: How to extract the treasure from her. The Attitude of the emperor towards his sons. She already knew that with a bit of speech and some reassurance from the Chen boy, she would be able to extract it without much issue. The thing she didn''t know, would be his attitude. It seemed like he treasured his sons who were at the banquet, but at the same time, he didn''t treasure them the same way. As such, Aiko hoped that he didn''t treasure this maggot too much so that the extraction would go without a hitch. Aiko was prompted by the Emperor to sit down. He pointed somewhere isolated, but Aiko would never listen to him, so she sat down near the Inscription Saint. She could see the Emperor''s lips twitch for a moment, but he didn''t raise any issues with Aiko. It seemed like the Emperor couldn''t truly go against the Inscription Saint. Aiko noted this down, too, so she could use him to her advantage. Of course, if he tried to bully her she would tell on him and Lady Liu would be able to deal with him. Aiko was quite astonished by Lady Liu''s might, since she was able to scold a Saint, even when she was a mortal. This was very funny to her. The Inscription Saint was pretty much a destructive force to be reckoned with, but in Lady Liu''s hands, the Inscription Saint was just a pitiful boy being scolded... Now that Aiko thought about it, there was something amiss with their relationship. She had already heard from Lady Liu that most Cultivators are vain in nature, yet this Chen boy was obsessed with Lady Liu and was willing to do anything for her... Moreover, his age didn''t fit his achievements and from what she heard, the Inscription Association was quite the new force, yet none of the other Sects or groups dared to offend it. Aiko was lost in thought when the duo finally arrived. She could feel a burning gaze on her, so she lifted her head. The prince was looking at her like he was obsessed with something. Aiko didn''t like that kind of gaze and her face turned ugly, but before she could say anything, the Emperor spoke. "Sit down." It was a stern voice, without much love, but Aiko could tell it was just a facade. ''Take the treasure, take it.'' ''Extraction seems possible, but you will have to fight.'' Aiko thought about it, she was unaware that Chen boy was looking at her strangely. It felt like he was able to hear those voices... Aiko stared at the princess next to the prince. She was truly a beauty, but there was something odd about her beauty. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. She glanced at the Emperor one more time. He was still looking at the prince with his own expression. Aiko thought that they might be talking through eyes, but that would be ridiculous¡­ "Please inspect my foolish son." The Emperor said sternly, yet gently. Aiko was confused about their relationship, but she didn''t ask, nor was she interested in hearing it. The prince was not her target, but she would still humour the Emperor until the prince had done something unsavoury. It had to be said that because of the Recognition Inhibition Bracelets, it was hard to gauge Aiko''s Cultivation or strength. Normally, Immortals would have a strange air about them that pretty much sang, "I''m an Immortal." but that was not the case for Aiko. She felt more down to earth, similar to other mortals. That was also why the Emperor thought he could pair her with his sons. Aiko came closer to the prince, who was already glancing at her with blatant lust in his eyes. Once she came to reach for his hand, his hand slithered towards her, but... *Slap* Aiko slapped him without any resistance, but what was more incredible was that it didn''t look like Aiko slapped him. There was just the sound of slapping, his cheeks reddening, but Aiko didn''t move. She placed her hand on his hand to take a pulse. There were no clear abnormalities that Aiko could spot. The Emperor was still stunned by the sound and he was trying to figure out what had just happened. Meanwhile, the Chen Boy was suppressing his laughter with Qi. Aiko, the little rascal, was truly out of his league when it came to causing trouble, but this time he had to hand it to her for such an amazing and clean slap that he wanted her to repeat it. Aiko moved towards the princess, but the princess shrunk back. Aiko tilted her head. "Hand." Aiko said passively, but there was something chilling about her voice, like she was not playing around her silly games. The princess refused, so Aiko glanced at the Emperor. That inept Emperor was still stunned and useless since he was trying to figure out why his son''s cheek reddened. "I won''t say it twice." Aiko extended her hand. The princess ignored her. Aiko was not angry, not yet. Humans were stupid creatures, so she would take her time... it was just that she didn''t like her arrogance. A bit of bloodlust leaked from Aiko, shocking everyone present. Her bloodlust was very crude, like she came straight from a bloody battlefield. She also couldn''t control it well, so it hit everyone. The Emperor was shocked silly by this pressure. The secret guards wanted to rush in, but they found out that the Emperor''s study was completely separated from the outside world. The Princess was shaking like a leaf in the wind. The now-conscious Emperor said gravely. "Let her take your pulse." He was shocked by this little girl and any ideas about marriage were quickly extinguished. He would also make sure that his son wouldn''t play any more tricks or pranks on her. Although it already seemed a bit too late for that. ''That idiot probably already poisoned them.'' He clicked his tongue gently. The princess was swaying, but she extended her hand. Aiko moved close to her and slowly took her pulse. Her pulse... was alive? It felt strange since there were 2 heartbeats instead of one and a powerful Vital energy was coursing through her veins. But before she could investigate further, that same Vital energy rushed towards her fingers. *Stab* [-1 Vitality] Aiko''s fingers bled. It felt like she was prickled with thorns. The Chen boy was surprised, but a flash of greed passed through his eyes. He was incredibly sad he wouldn''t get this treasure... Aiko returned to her place and massaged her fingers. The Emperor was stunned once again, but he recovered quickly. "What was that?" He asked, completely confused. "That was the thing that charmed the prince." Aiko replied passively. Her fingers were covered with blood, yet there were no cuts or any kind of injury. This confused her, but she didn''t dwell on it too much. "This is a very precious and dangerous thing." The Inscription Saint suddenly said and the Emperor looked at him. "Once you taste it, it will be hard to taste something else." His meaning was obvious, once the prince tasted the taste of someone who had that strange thing in their body, they would reject anyone else. The Emperor turned sombre. "Can we remove it?" He cursed in his mind as he also almost laid his hands on her and then he would''ve been as helpless as his stupid son. Moreover, that desire for want and longing was increasing day by day, so much so that his own concubines looked so unappetizing... "It is possible, but it will take a while." The Inscription Saint said slowly, the meaning was clear. ''We will need a room with some peace and quiet to remove it.'' The Emperor understood this time, but only because he didn''t want to end up like his son. If it was harmless, he would just drive them away with his authority. Aiko still massaged her fingers with the blood, inspecting the non-existent injury. The Darkness told her a bit about it, but for Aiko, it still felt out of this world. A Vital energy that would not only be able to suppress all negative conditions of the body, but also easily charm people to do her bidding. Paired this with what Lady Liu taught her... ''Weaponized voice.'' Aiko thought. She stood up with the Inscription Saint and they were guided towards a quiet room. The secret guards immediately went to their Emperor once that restriction was removed and inspected him. Excluding the sweat, he was unharmed and they breathed a sigh of relief. Aiko sat down inside the room and the worried duo stormed to her. They inspected her fingers, cheeks, face and body. Anything they could do without undressing her. They were worried about Aiko since they already knew she could take the Grandmaster''s blows with little injuries, yet a mortal was able to injure her without leaving any actual marks?! This was shocking to them and hatred built inside their hearts. There would be no problem if she accidentally died... right? The Blood Fox thought sinisterly, her nature almost leaking through. The Inscription Saint was creating Runes out of thin air and soon the room was isolated from the outside. "The Dew of the Legendary Dew Beast." He suddenly said and his eyes shined with greed. "And that''s my treasure." Aiko said flatly. He choked before he could say anything else. "It''s very useful to me." "So is to me." Aiko lied with a straight face. "Not even in exchange for another treasure?" He asked, just to make sure. The Chen boy wanted to use this for Lady Liu, but he wouldn''t say that out loud. "No." Aiko flatly denied it. She wanted to collect that strange life liquid for herself. Chapter 151 – Yummy? And Aiko’s Terror! They stared at each other, neither of them wanted to yield to the other. "We should start the extraction while the Emperor is still playing nice." Aiko suddenly said. The Inscription Saint sighed, but didn''t stop her. It was important that they extract it now when they had time, so they could leave without needing to clean the mess that it would become if they stayed too long. The Blood Fox came to the sleeping princess, she was still weighing whether she should accidentally kill her or not. She sighed, leaving it to fate, if she survives the procedure then she survives, if she doesn''t survive then it¡¯s too bad for her... The Blood Fox placed her hand on top of her chest. It was an incredibly soft chest and she could somewhat understand why the prince was so infatuated with her. She was focusing on the flow of blood, trying to find the thing that injured Aiko. The heartbeat was very smart and it was avoiding her, but there was only so much room to hide from her. Once she scanned the whole body, she was able to find that thing quite easily. The secondary heartbeat was powerful, but not omnipotent, it couldn''t do much without blood. So the Blood Fox had done her best to isolate it in the princess¡¯s right hand. She would then just slash the hand open and extract it by force. She had no remorse if it left scars or anything of that sort. The Blood Fox didn''t like others much, but she wouldn''t go out of her way to harm others. The heartbeat was pushed into the hand in 9 hours. The hand had very little blood, but still enough that it would survive, albeit barely. "It''s almost ready, you should prepare a container for it." The Blood Fox said softly. The Chen Boy immediately pulled a precious container, but Aiko was near the Blood Fox and pulled her own vial, which already had some of that liquid. "You have that treasure on you?!" The Inscription Saint was shocked. Aiko ignored his outburst and waited for the Blood Fox to finish her work. "I will slice her middle finger so try to catch it." The Blood Fox said slowly. She felt exhausted from trying to battle something that was alive and quite powerful That would not be the case if she had unlocked her Divine Sense, unfortunately, the Demonic Foxes were prohibited from unlocking it until they were completely stable when it came to their emotions. The Blood Fox slashed the finger. A golden, yet clear blood flowed out of it. Aiko was ready to catch it, but that golden, yet clear liquid had other ideas as it stuck to the finger. "Oh you bastard, drip down already!" Aiko cursed it again and again. The clear liquid quivered. "Oh you shitty saliva, I will feed you to-" *Gulp* *Cough* Aiko choked badly and the room went silent. Especially Chen boy, as he didn''t expect that kind of outcome. The clear liquid didn''t want to enter the vial so badly that it would rather get swallowed by Aiko. [Your body has been nourished by [Primordial Chaos Dew]!] [The nourishment was postponed to not harm the User.] At first, Aiko felt discomfort in her body, like something trying to rip and twist her organs, but that feeling quickly vanished. Aiko huffed weakly. Her throat was sore and she had a hard time talking. "Are you alright?" The Umbra Fox came close to her, hand in hand with the tired Blood Fox. Aiko nodded slowly, it hurt to talk, so she would just explain herself with gestures. Meanwhile, the Chen boy was left speechless. He didn''t expect that the Dew Essence would just jump from one host to another! This was distressing and concerning, since he wanted to use this Dew to nourish Lady Liu''s body, but it doesn''t seem to be feasible... ''It jumped into the body with the greatest Vital Energy...'' He narrowed his eyes. In other words, it would be impossible to give it to Lady Liu... ''Unless this little rascal willingly surrenders it.'' He narrowed his eyes towards the Blood Fox and Umbra Fox, but quickly discarded that idea. Lady Liu would stop talking to him if he hurt these girls in any way. He would have to find another way to deal with this. He shook his head at his foolishness and stared into the horizon. The extraction was successful. They could leave after they finished with the Emperor, but... This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ''What are Cultivators doing here?'' The Chen Boy was puzzled. "Greeting Inscription Saint," They bowed and cupped their fists with respect. "And goodbye." They immediately attacked. He was slightly flustered. He was an Inscription Saint, a being that would never be slighted, but now a few old fossils in a Nascent Soul attacked him out of nowhere?! ... The Emperor sat down with his son. "Is what you are trying to say true?" "Yes, I feel more powerful from having sex with her." His son used crude words, but the Emperor was convinced. His son was not a Cultivator, yet he was able to bend the sword with his bare hands. This was surreal for the ageing Emperor. He wished for Immortality, but had no talent in Cultivation. The Emperor was looking for ways to attain Immortality, these days he even contacted the Fiendish Cul-Sects. He had great respect for those Sects, as they allowed him to learn a few secrets about Immortality. Needless to say, he was now a Fiendish Cultivator, but he still needed a way to strengthen his body before he could start consuming Vital Energy by itself, and this was the perfect opportunity. "Call the Cultivators and seize her." The Emperor ordered, he could feel the Immortality at the tips of his fingertips. "Father, we should also capture the little one." He chuckled perversely. "Why?" The Emperor tilted his head, he would rather not mess with the Inscription Saint people. "Because she has the same smell as that princess! And it''s even more potent!" He licked his lips. "Is that the truth?" The Emperor narrowed his eyes. At this point, he was slightly tempted to capture them. "Yes, father." The prince nodded obediently. The Emperor frowned, but if he could get more powerful and reach Immortality. "Contact the Ancestor!" He shouted loudly. "Capture all of them and we will brainwash them slowly!" He laughed like a maniac. If he could own the Inscription Saint, his Empire could develop to a size comparable to the mainland! ... The Inscription Saint drew a simple Rune into the air. That Rune shone softly, but the attacking Cultivators felt the breath of death. They tried to avoid it, but it still hit half of their body, obliterating them. There were even more Nascent Soul Cultivators and even a few Soul Formation Cultivators. He frowned, but another voice stopped him in track. "Inscription Saint, let''s take it outside." It was the ancestor speaking. "Will you be alright?" He asked the group. "No problem." Aiko gave the okay and smiled sinisterly. The Inscription Saint left with the ancestor, since it would be difficult to protect the little Fox''s team, while at the same time holding back enough that he wouldn''t flatten the Capital. Lady Liu liked this place, so he needed to at least try to avoid that fate. ... Aiko smiled at them from ear to ear. All of them transformed into Foxes, since they were shackled by the pseudo-human body. The Fiendish Cultivators smiled perversely at them, they already had ideas about them, but the fight came first. *Swish* *Bang* A head was immediately injured by Aiko. She didn''t want to use the Spirit Stones, since she intended to run away right after and she didn''t want to leave those Spirit Stones behind. The Fiendish Cultivators went after the Blood Fox, since she was the most treasured one. They were careful about capturing her, but that allowed the Umbra Fox to sneak around and behead a few of them with her claws. Meanwhile, Aiko was sprinting between their legs. A moment before, she took a spear and cut it into smaller pieces. Those pieces were now used as pseudo-flags. "ARGH!" "Catc-RGH!" Aiko was weaving between their legs using the short sticks as nice penetrators. The Fiendish Cultivators screamed in pain or delight, but all of them were in a similar situation. Temporarily stunned. While the duo initially shivered at Aiko''s ruthlessness, they recovered much quicker and started killing the Cultivators one after another. It turned into such a chore that they even returned to their pseudo-human forms since they were now more used to them. This allowed them to not only kill them, but also loot them. They would not leave anything precious behind and would strip them bare of their treasures. There weren''t many treasures, but they still had a couple of hundred Spirit Stones. Meanwhile, Aiko ran out of the short stick made out of the spear and glanced at nearby ornamented swords. The Fiendish Cultivators followed her gaze and shivered in dread. Aiko smiled from ear to ear in her Fox form, but for the Fiendish Cultivators, it felt like a Demon was smiling at them. "Retreat!" They called a retreat. They did want to manipulate the Emperor and harvest many, many Souls from the Human Empire, but not at the cost of their lives. Those bastards were selfish Cultivators who didn''t want to risk their lives unless necessary. Aiko snatched the first sword and dashed towards the closest Cultivator. *Slide* A painful and bone-chilling scream spread throughout the entire Capital. It had to be said that all mortals had their cheeks subconsciously clenched. The Fiendish Cultivators abandoned all reason and ran away at the top speed. That scream even alerted the Inscription Saint and ancestor. They looked over only to see dead bodies with sticks and swords sticking out of their butts. The ancestor gazed at the Inscription Saint, who was looking away, like they were not part of his group. "... Interesting taste, Inscription Saint." The ancestor murmured. "That''s not my taste!" He yelled at him. "It''s nothing to be ashamed of, I on the other hand like lizards." He proudly said. "Their scaly yet smooth bodies are perfect for good-" The Inscription Saint was completely red in the face, he didn''t want to hear about old fossils'' taste and immediately drew multiple Runes to annihilate him. He was so upset that he didn''t gauge the power correctly and flattened part of the Capital. The Runes sang powerful tunes as they created a vortex out of Qi. The ambient Qi dropped sharply and part of the city was flattened due to the turmoil. The ancestor barely blocked it, but he used a Talisman right after to teleport himself somewhere safe, otherwise he would''ve died right there. The Inscription Saint snorted coldly, but let him escape. He didn''t care about them, he was worried about Lady Liu and if she was still in his study. He also cared about the little Fox''s team, since it would be problematic if rumours spread that his team liked to target... Ahem. He moved next to the group. "Everything alright?" He asked them, even if he didn''t want to. "Everything alright." Aiko smiled in her Fox form, she still had trouble speaking. The others also nodded, they only had superficial wounds thanks to Aiko''s terror. "We will move back to the Inscription Palace and leave the Capital as soon as possible." He said. "No punishment for the prince and Emperor?" Aiko asked. "You..." He massaged his temples. "No." "Awww..." Aiko''s ears lay flat on top of her head. The Inscription Saint rolled his eyes, taking them away... Chapter 152 – Loot Division They came back to the Inscription Palace in a hurry. The Chen boy immediately barged into the study room, because he was worried about Lady Liu. Fortunately, Lady Liu was currently sleeping on the couch with a book next to her. He sighed in relief and came closer to her. He used his gentle Divine Sense to move her to a sleeping position and covered her up with a blanket. The team left him to his work and came towards the open garden with a single tree in the middle. "Let''s check the loot~." Aiko hummed happily. The duo shook their heads, but they didn''t reject such a motion. They were also looking forward to browsing those Storage Pouches. The Umbra Fox had gotten the greatest number, since she was quick with her hands. She was able to loot their bodies before they hit the ground. This efficiently allowed her to collect almost 10 times more loot than the duo combined. "You are amazing!" Aiko''s eyes shined, which burdened the Umbra Fox. "I would not be able to do it without you, Mistress." The Umbra Fox said gently. The killing was made way too easy because Aiko was terrorising them. "I agree with that." The Blood Fox nodded, this was the easiest bloodbath ever, they didn''t even get injured all that much. Aiko sighed, she liked the nimbleness of the Umbra Fox. Umbra Fox coughed. "Mistress...?" She was hesitant about something. Aiko liked this cute side of the Umbra Fox and she hoped it would last for a long time. "When will you change back into your Assassination Uniform?" The Umbra Fox asked carefully. Never mind... Aiko no longer liked Umbra Fox. She was currently in her Human Form, but dressed with the Sect Token. Aiko glared at the Umbra Fox and she avoided Aiko''s gaze. No matter how long she stared, the Umbra Fox would avoid her gaze with trained precision. Aiko snorted, the Umbra Fox was too free, maybe more training would fit her... Aiko smiled gently, but the Umbra Fox shivered. "So what did we loot?" Aiko asked her team, still smiling. The Blood Fox was happy that Aiko was smiling, since it would restrain those voices more. "I collected 900 Spirit Stones. No treasures, since all of them were destroyed with a clean strike." She suddenly stared at Aiko. Aiko choked. Yeah... that might''ve been her during her ''conquest of the flags'' period, but can you blame her? This was the simplest and easiest way to defeat her opponent! Now Aiko was the one who couldn''t meet the Blood Fox''s eyes. "It''s fine, isn''t it?" The Umbra Fox stood up for her Mistress. "We wouldn¡¯t use it anyway." She shook her head. "But we could sell it." The Blood Fox pointed at the obvious. "Do you believe that those treasures weren''t cursed, considering the amount of negative energy that they had on their bodies?" The Umbra Fox retorted. She was no longer worried about being harmed by the duo, since they were just two harmless sweethearts. "Hmmm..." The Blood Fox paused. "I have trouble detecting that kind of energy." She sighed and looked at the Umbra Fox in amazement. "That''s because you are a Demonic Beast, with sanity. It''s completely normal to not be able to detect it." The Umbra Fox smiled at the Blood Fox, but this made her wonder... "Are you good enough that you couldn''t detect any of the negative energy?" She wanted to know if the Blood Fox was lying or if she was truly all right in her mind. "Yeah... I almost got injured because I couldn''t detect the assailant, but fortunately, Aiko stabbed-" The Blood Fox awkwardly coughed and blushed. "You know." The Umbra Fox blushed, but nodded in understanding. They couldn''t really openly talk about strategies with their Mistress... since she was a bit unique with her combat style... "I know." The Umbra Fox nodded again. "But wow... how could the Elders not release you completely?" She didn''t understand. "Because it''s only a temporary thing?" The Blood Fox tilted her head, but she didn''t quite understand either. "No, no. That can''t be the reason." The Umbra Fox shook her head. "You might be the first Demonic Fox I came into contact with, but I heard many rumours about Demonic Beasts." She stared at her. Stolen story; please report. "As long as you can keep your sanity for 1/3 of the day, you would be able to leave the Exclusion Zone or whatever they call it and be free." The Umbra Fox narrowed her eyes. "But for some reason, they wanted to keep you inside..." This was suspicious and the more time they spent outside the Fox Village. The more suspicious things got. "If you think about it, it''s strange..." The Umbra Fox said. "Maybe because I have spent time inside the Grandmaster''s abode?" The Blood Fox theorised. She didn''t know this for sure, but it felt like other Elders were terrified of approaching Grandmaster''s place. Like they feared something. ''But that can''t be it. Grandmaster is incredibly nice to us and caring. I can''t imagine her as someone who would beat-... No, I can definitely imagine her beating someone...'' She rubbed the back of her head, remembering that it was the Grandmaster''s favorite target during practice. "We can investigate it later." The Umbra Fox spoke softly. While they were chatting, Aiko went through all the loot. She didn''t want to interrupt their bonding experience and only listened, but as the Umbra Fox said, there were too many strange things about the Fox Village. Fortunately for her, it will still take some time before they can return. They still have to visit the other princesses. ''And mothers~.'' ''Don''t forget their mothers...'' The Darkness said disapprovingly, like Aiko had forgotten this fact. ¡®Right... Their mothers, if their daughters had this miraculous liquid inside their bodies, it wouldn''t be a stretch to say that the mothers have it too.¡¯ Aiko wished to collect everything she could find, especially if it came to treasures. Aiko waited for them to finish and then said. "We have collected 9863 Spirit Stones." The duo smiled from ear to ear. That was a lot more than what they would be able to obtain in the Fox Village. Maybe they should hunt a few more Cultivators...? "Each of you will get 4932." Aiko snapped them out of their silly thoughts. "Do you have anything against it, Umbra Fox?" The Umbra Fox collected the most, so Aiko was a bit worried. "Just one, Mistress." She blushed gently. "Tell me." Aiko was all ears, ready to explain herself. "We have collected 9863 Spirit Stones." The Umbra Fox said and Aiko nodded. "And you have split it to 4932..." Aiko nodded again. "Mistress, that''s one short you know...?" The Umbra Fox didn''t want to say that her Mistress couldn''t count properly. Moreover, there were only 2 piles, who would get them? Mistress and the Blood Fox? Or her? Aiko was momentarily stunned. "I just placed one Spirit Stone from my Storage Ring to split it evenly?" She tilted her head. "Then... who will get those piles?" The Umbra Fox asked for clarification. "You two." Aiko didn''t understand what the Umbra Fox was hinting at. The duo was surprised. "What will you get then?" The Blood Fox was trying to be gentle with her voice, but it still quivered. "Nothing." Aiko said, puzzled by their reaction. "I can''t agree to that." The Umbra Fox immediately said. She would not agree to this kind of reward if her Mistress didn''t get anything. "We all need Spirit Stone to buy things, so I can''t agree that the Mistress would not have her share." The Umbra Fox tried to reason with Aiko. "I have 177,000 Spirit Stones." Aiko replied flatly. The Umbra Fox choked at that number and stared at Aiko in wonder. Aiko took the two Storage Pouches with the Spirit Stones and placed them in front of the duo, the meaning was clear Aiko wouldn''t take no for an answer. The Umbra Fox blushed, but received her share. Normally the Mistress or Master of the team would get 80% and they would get the rest, but Aiko was truly a strange Fox, showering them with familial affection and spoiling them with loot. She... didn''t dislike her at all and vowed to find out who was the one that spread those bad rumours about Aiko! Aiko nodded gently, she was satisfied that the duo received the Spirit Stones without checking them. Trust had been established which meant that they would have a much easier and smoother time during missions. Just then, the Inscription Saint visited them. "Are you done with the sorting?" He didn''t really want to ask, but entertained the thought anyway. "Yeah." Aiko stared at his oddity. "Are we leaving already?" She tilted her head. The Chen boy was pleasantly surprised. "Yeah, the moment Lady Liu wakes up, we are taking my ship to another country. I do not wish to burden her with current affairs." He said gently, but with a hint of tenderness in his voice. "Sure." Aiko nodded readily. "How long will it take?" She asked about the travel time. "About a month?" He thought about it. "We are in no rush towards the next Capital, I want Lady Liu to see the world a bit more..." He couldn''t bring himself to ask this little fox about the vial again and explain his reasoning. He would find another way that would not rely on others, so they wouldn''t end up like this again... Aiko nodded slowly. This would be a good experience for the duo, since Umbra Fox didn''t go to the Inscription Association with them, meaning she likely never got to experience flight on a flying ship. Meanwhile, the Blood Fox from what she heard was locked in her room all the time, so she also didn''t get to see the outside world from above the clouds. "Will there be any danger? Should we prepare?" Aiko asked him. "We will be moving slowly for safety, as I will be able to activate and maintain more Arrays on the warship." He smiled sinisterly. "Warship?" Aiko picked up a new word. "It''s similar to the ship that you boarded during your visit to the Inscription Association, but it has denser Arrays, more Protective Arrays and Qi Cannons." He summarised his warship. "It''s slower than your ship, because the Spirit Stone requirements are also higher. If we went with the normal speed, we would burn around 10 million Spirit Stones and we wouldn''t be able to activate all the Defensive Arrays." He sighed. Aiko gulped at the cost of moving that thing. She never expected it to be so high. She wanted to have her own little ship, so she could fly anywhere in the future, but it seemed like the requirements were much higher than she expected... ... {BACK IN THE FOX VILLAGE} "Grandmaster." The Jade Fox nodded. "They are moving." The Grandmaster spoke. She nibbled on another sweet apple dessert, a noble air was leaking from her. "How long will it take and what might they cause?" "They sent a group of Foxes after Aiko." The Grandmaster paused. "It''s pretty bad, since the leader likes to manipulate the Mind and Soul..." She sighed. "I see..." She nodded slowly, but she didn''t look worried at all. "Is that all?" "That''s very concerning, you know?" The Grandmaster chuckled, shaking her head. "If it goes by their rules, Aiko will be under their control..." She sighed. "You have nothing to worry about." Mei smiled alluringly. "She is not as weak as you might expect. "Did she get stronger again...?" The Grandmaster felt like it was possible. "You will see~" Mei stuck out her tongue, but the Grandmaster only laughed, not minding her antics. It seemed like Aiko rubbed off on her and she didn''t dislike that. Chapter 153 – Flying Ship and Romance in the Air Lady Liu didn''t sleep for all that long, so Aiko and her team had to board the flying ship. It was not all that large of a flying ship compared to the Fox Village''s, but it was certainly more luxurious. Pretty much everything sparkled or smelled like it was brand new. Aiko sighed at this prodigal Inscription Saint. Why prodigal? Even the hammock looked ridiculously expensive and soft! Aiko stared around her in wonder. She wanted to observe and touch everything, her eyes sparkling to no end. She ran around here and there, touching everything. While Lady Liu didn''t mind that, that was not the case for the Chen boy. He glared at the little Fox which was completely ignoring him in favour of new and shiny things. Aiko''s tail swayed from left to right gently. She was happy with her newfound toys. *Cough* There was a dry cough from the Chen boy to attract Aiko''s attention. Aiko turned her head towards him. His lips twitched as Aiko''s ears twitched and she was restlessly glancing around. Her eyes were signalling, ''Why are you disturbing me, you asshole?!''. "The Inscription Carving Pen is finished." The Chen boy said slowly and only after he finished that sentence did Aiko calm down. Well... calm down was an overstatement, it looked like Aiko was on the edge of thinking if she should divert her attention to the Inscription Carving Pen or the endless shinies around her. Lady Liu giggled at the indecisiveness of the little Aiko, but she didn''t interfere. While she did like her, she also liked the Chen boy, so she would not stand behind if it meant angering the other. Even if they tried to drag her into this dispute, she would gently excuse herself. This way, she can enjoy how both of them handle this situation. "Can I stay on the deck?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. "As long as you don''t touch anything." The Chen boy likewise narrowed his eyes. "No, can''t do." Aiko immediately rejected him. "It''s this or that." Aiko kept glancing towards the stairs, seemingly ready to run and explore the flying ship. The Chen boy''s brows twitched a few times, he could not believe this shameless little Fox. "What if I say that I will keep the Inscription Carving Pen?" He narrowed his eyes. "Then I will just explore eve-ry-where~" Aiko hummed mischievously. The Chen boy snorted coldly. "Fine, but the moment you break something, you will pay the full price." He had to agree to the previous arrangements. "Sure." Aiko readily agreed, since she was very gentle with things and they would not break on her. This was a foolproof plan that would allow her to have two things, one of which she wasn''t supposed to have. Aiko''s ears happily twitched as her tail swayed gently. It was nice not needing to completely hide her origin. "I will bring you the Pen later today." The Inscription Saint stared towards Lady Liu, who was slowly dozing off. "Sure." Aiko nodded. She completely forgot the fact that Lady Liu is rather old, even when she looks so young and gorgeous... Lady Liu was leaning on a nearby wall with her head, slightly nodding forward them. The Inscription Saint came close to her slowly and audibly so as not to startle her. "Lady Liu." His heart was pained from seeing her like this. "What is it?" She tilted her head and before she could gather more of her thoughts and ask him, she was suddenly flying. "Kya!" She yelped in surprise as the Chen boy was carrying her in his arms. "W-what-" Lady Liu was completely red in the face. She was left speechless and unable to think from this abrupt situation. The Chen boy blushed from his ears all the way to his neck. Aiko stared at them amused. "Must be nice to have a lover..." She murmured, but it was audible enough that the duo picked up on it. "We are not lovers!" She half-yelled from her embarrassment. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. "You are not convincing anyone." Aiko shook her head and her team likewise mimicked. Lady Liu turned even more red and beat the Chen boy''s shoulder. Of course, she was just a mortal, so the Chen boy relaxed his body to make sure that she wouldn''t get hurt. He was secretly smiling and praising the little Fox for the first time after a long time. This kind of help was not bad. He hoped that Lady Liu would accept him, but the more she aged, the more she distanced herself from others, of course, she didn''t distance herself consciously, at least not for others. She, however, did distance herself from him consciously. She was pained by the fact she wouldn''t live all that long and that her time would come to an end. Chen Boy didn''t care about this fact and just wanted to cherish her whole being and shower her with affection... Lady Liu knew this and was burdened by this fact. She already made peace with herself that this was just a natural cycle of life for her and she didn''t want to make Chen boy heartbroken when she died. The Chen boy didn''t care about such a fact. The only thing he cared about was Lady Liu. That was also one of the reasons he created the Inscription Association, as it was an endless funnel of money that would allow him to buy anything for her... Neither of them were willing to talk about this, since a few years back Lady Liu was incredibly angry and she cried so much that she passed out. This left the Chen boy distressed and in fear for several days until Lady Liu recovered. From that point in time, they never talked about it, but that didn''t mean the Chen boy wasn''t working towards his goal. He wanted to create a panacea that would save Lady Liu, but he hit a roadblock in Alchemy, which was one of the reasons why he was researching poisons. Maybe if he combined the strongest Positive Pill with the strongest Negative Pill he would be able to achieve his goal, but unfortunately, so far it was a fruitless endeavour... Aiko stared at their complex gazes for a bit before moving her team away from them. While she was curious about their story and struggles, she was not curious enough that she would invade their privacy... but that didn''t mean she wouldn''t try to snoop around and find something. "Here." The Chen boy pulled out the Inscription Carving Pen from his Spacial Ring. Aiko abandoned all thoughts of snooping around until she played with this little bad boy enough. The Inscription Saint sighed, seeing the giddy Aiko. Lady Liu was gripping his clothes, so he moved away from the group. He didn''t want her to be angry at him for carrying her like this. Aiko stared at the retreating duo, but she didn''t follow. "Let''s invade and occupy the deck!" Aiko proclaimed and dragged the curious duo with her. "But Mistress-" The Umbra Fox was dying of curiosity. "Shush, you are coming with me!" Aiko glanced at her and dragged them away faster. The duo was pouting at Aiko, they couldn''t enjoy the blooming romance between those two. Aiko naturally could see their desire, but she pretty much tied them up to herself. "You can watch the outside world!" Aiko exclaimed and came close to the railing. "I-it''s dangerous, Mistress..." The Umbra Fox looked incredibly worried. "It isn''t." Aiko didn''t understand what was wrong with her. "There are Arrays that would stop you from accidentally falling down. She took her hand and tried to stretch it outside the flying ship, but it was stopped by an invisible barrier. "P-please don''t do that." The Umbra Fox had teary eyes and she stood in the middle of the deck. Aiko was confused and stared at the Umbra Fox for a long time, but her expression only got more miserable. "Perhaps..." Aiko mumbled. "Are you afraid of heights?" She stared straight at the Umbra Fox. The Umbra Fox flinched. "N-no, who is scared of heights. I''m not, Mistress, you must believe me." She stared with pleading eyes that begged Aiko to ignore her blatant lies. "I don''t see any reason why that would be bad." Aiko sighed. "Especially when you can slowly work to overcome it, you know?" She tilted her head. She couldn''t understand her extreme reaction. The Umbra Fox sobbed quietly and Aiko was distressed, she moved away from the railing near the Umbra Fox. "Are you alright? Should we go inside?" Aiko gently hugged the Umbra Fox. "I''m alright, Mistress." She tried to shrug it off, but her whole body was quivering. "Alright, let''s go inside." Aiko sighed at her silly teammate. The Umbra Fox didn''t want to go inside since Aiko had such a hard time demanding access to this place, but she was left with no choice since Aiko dragged her away by force. "I''m really alright, Mistress." The Umbra Fox didn''t want Aiko''s hard labour to go to waste. "Shush." Aiko didn''t want to hear anything from the pitiful and quivering Fox. They came close to the pair, who were having a lover''s quarrel about some expensive trinkets. "Excuse me, where is our room?" Aiko interrupted them quite rudely, but neither of them minded it, as this broke the awkward bickering. "It''s left to this room. Just continue down the corridor and the next doors are yours." The Inscription Saint said gently. "Thank you." Aiko didn''t say much, but both Lady Liu and the Chen boy saw the abnormality in Umbra Fox''s eyes and body language. Lady Liu was worried about them, but she was too exhausted to go over and ask them. She would make a mental note about this and visit them once she woke up. Aiko sighed. She was worried about the Umbra Fox, who was trying to downplay it as if everything was alright... ''This will be a tough nut to crack.'' Aiko thought, looking at the still-shivering Fox. She wondered if she could help the Umbra Fox in any way, but she just could not think of anything. Aiko soon gave up and just sat on the Umbra Fox''s lap. The Umbra Fox was startled at first, she didn''t know what to do, but after a few brushes from Aiko''s swaying tails, she opened her mouth. "When did you get two tails, Mistress?" The Umbra Fox asked absent-mindedly. "I didn''t." Aiko said lightly, but the duo stiffened. ""You didn''t?"" They asked in sync, startling Aiko. "No." Aiko repeated her answer. "I have two tails because of reasons." Aiko avoided the answer for the time being. Mei was Karma-bound and the Grandmaster made a vow, so it was alright, but she would have to be careful with everyone else. She would tell them about the fact that she didn''t obtain another tail, but she wouldn''t tell them how she obtained it or what it does. Safety was first, but the trust they gathered made Aiko tell them that she didn''t obtain the second tail with her own powers. This was... a sensitive topic, not because she didn''t believe them, but because Mei told her that it was easy to search someone''s Soul for information. Aiko... wanted to avoid that at all cost, so that her team wasn''t implicated. She liked the duo quite a lot, especially the Blood Fox since she was incredibly nice to her and fulfilled Aiko''s wishes. Yeah, she was biassed, but what can you do when a beautiful elder sister is taking care of you... Chapter 154 – Helping Aiko 101 and gifts for her team The Umbra Fox was brushing the sleeping Aiko''s tail. She was much calmer now that she rested inside instead of being outside where she could see that she was high up in the sky. "Mistress is amazing..." The Umbra Fox murmured. "Just keep calling her Aiko and she might like you more." The Blood Fox suddenly said. "But... that wasn''t in the contract..." The Umbra Fox said with some sadness. "Yet it always slips on your tongue." The Blood Fox chuckled when she imagined the countless times that Umbra Fox called Aiko by her name and not as ''Mistress''. "Wouldn''t we get punished if others knew?" She asked worriedly. "Probably." The Blood Fox shrugged. "But they can''t punish us if they don''t acquire permission from Aiko." "Do you truly believe they won''t go around it...?" The Umbra Fox said pessimistically. The Blood Fox couldn''t answer that, since the more time they spend outside, the fishier things become about the Fox Village. "It would be hard to leave, since we would be hunted..." The Blood Fox murmured. "Don''t forget that Mei would eat us alive if we inconvenience her." The Umbra Fox suddenly said. "... True." The Blood Fox said with a neutral voice. She was quite happy with their current relationship and she didn''t want to ruin it. She knew that Mei would be willing to completely restrict her from meeting Aiko if she messed up. That would mess up her current situation, so she had to treat it carefully. "My bad..." The Blood Fox apologised, the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to leave that shitty Fox Village. "No worries." The Umbra Fox smiled. She was already used to the fact that the Blood Fox was pretty much an obsessive fanatic when it came to their Mistress. The only reason she didn''t step in and stop the Blood Fox was because the Blood Fox had a good reason for this. ''Although I still can''t understand how Mistress is able to calm her down...'' She couldn''t find the logic behind that, as such, there was nothing she could do about it. After all, she was not well versed in Demonic Beings and the little bits of information that she knew was from rumours and gossip. The Umbra Fox quite liked gossip since they were a good source of entertainment in her bland life. ''But that has to change...'' The Umbra Fox shouldn''t gather gossip as truthful information, as that is not very practical and similar incidents, like the one in ''that'' Capital, might arise and mess up her steady mind. She understood that the more powerful she was, the steadier her mind was, the less likely she would crash like a flying ship without Spirit Stones. The Blood Fox stared at the Umbra Fox for a long time, but after that, she sighed in relief knowing that the Umbra fox didn''t have any feelings for Aiko. ''The only issue is Mei...'' She thought. Mei was obsessed with making Aiko her servant, even when the situation was the complete opposite. The Blood Fox was crestfallen from the fact Mei was so powerful. Mei could lock her in place with just her gaze. The Blood Fox needed to unlock her Divine Sense to combat this rift. The Blood Fox believed that once she unlocked her Divine Sense, she would be able to restrain Mei¡¯s Divine Sense and defeat her... ... Aiko woke up as the duo was chatting happily. She was glad that she didn''t need to help the Umbra Fox, since she didn''t know how, but it turned out that her tail was more than enough to be used as a comforter. She yawned, but was rudely interrupted by the smiling Blood Fox. Aiko suddenly had a very bad feeling about this, like something that she didn''t like would happen... and happen it did. The Blood Fox suddenly pulled Aiko''s Assassination Uniform with a smile on her lips. Aiko had to wear it... The tactical escape plan didn''t work, since the nimble Umbra Fox was behind her, smiling at her nicely. Aiko had no way to run away if she didn''t want to hurt them. She sniffled and prepared herself for the embarrassment. ... ... ... ''It... it was surprisingly quick?'' Aiko tilted her head. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Before she knew it she was already wearing the Assassination Uniform, this was very different compared to Mei, who would tease her and take her time. The Blood Fox smiled at the Umbra Fox and they high-fived. They had the edge over Mei since they didn''t feel right to tease Aiko about this, so the time spent on the actual ''clothing'' part was much shorter. Aiko munched silently on a nearby snack of meat. She was still trying to wrap her head around it, but she just couldn''t. Why was this so much easier than when she was clothed by Mei?? She couldn''t understand and since she couldn''t understand, she stopped thinking about it. However, she still made a mental note about this for the future and she would have to ask Mei if she did it on purpose... Aiko turned towards the small table that her team prepared. She really wanted to try and create something nice, like that Snake Artefact that protected her from low-grade poison. Aiko munched a bit quicker so she could revise her materials and create a few pieces that her team could use. It would not be universal protection from all low-grade poisons, but it would be good enough for her team for the moment. Aiko moved to her table and sat down. She placed the Ink nearby and picked up the Inscription Carving Pen. ''He told me to pour a bit of my Divine Sense into it...'' Aiko hesitated, she didn''t want to break this thing... ''Let''s... just nudge it...?" Aiko was really afraid of breaking it, but the Inscription Saint told her she had to do it. During the time Lady Liu was asleep, he explained a few things about this Inscription Carving Pen. It had the ability to develop a sense of self or Spiritual Consciousness. This would allow it to improve over time by just absorbing the ambient Qi, moreover, it would eventually even acquire independent thoughts. This meant that in theory, Aiko could have her own Inscription Carving Pen that could carve without her input. Aiko''s eyes shined slightly at the thought of this discovery. This would mean that the process of creating the Massage Chairs would be greatly sped up, since the Inscription Carving Pen would make the Inscriptions on its own. ''The problem is that it needs resources to develop its thoughts and it takes quite a long time for it to mature.'' Aiko frowned at this part, she didn''t want to wait all that long, but she also knew that she was not wealthy enough to nurture it. ''Which means when I return, I will have to scale up the Massage Business.'' Aiko tapped the table as her hand seamlessly engraved Runes on a few pieces of metal that would act as the pseudo-artefact, completely forgetting about the Divine Sense thing. She used cursive, which gave it even more power. ''But it can''t be used during normal Cultivation since it robs a lot of ambient Qi...'' Aiko frowned. This was something that couldn''t be avoided and she did not have enough information about Runes, nor did she run enough tests to create a more efficient version. That was another thing she would have to do once she came back... the work was just piling up without her doing anything. She needed to improve this and that, and suddenly her work quadrupled! She was concerned that it would eat into her meditation time, which meant it was time to make the ceiling see-through! Aiko smiled from ear to ear, but somewhere far away, one gorgeous Fox shivered. She cursed the draft in the abode, not expecting that she would be soon exposed to the Moon... ... Aiko drew a few pseudo-anti-poison artefacts. "Here." And placed them in front of the duo. She filed down the edges so now it looked like prettily decorated smooth stones. The Blood Fox and the Umbra Fox touched it. They could feel that it decreased the ambient Qi quite sharply, but they could not gauge its effects. "What does this do, Mistress?" The Umbra Fox was the first to ask, as she was curious about this pretty rock. "It is the same as this, but stronger." Aiko said, pulling out the Snake Artefact. The duo stared at it. "Is this supposed to poison us?" The Blood Fox tilted her head cutely and teased Aiko. "No!" Aiko slapped the table, annoyed at the Blood Fox. "I have no idea why some idiot Forging Cultivator created it like this. It doesn''t poison you, but protect you from poison...!" Aiko shook her head, she could not understand what the maker of this piece was thinking. "Anyway, it only protects you from certain types of low-grade poisons." Aiko gestured. "So if you are not sure if you are poisoned or not it''s better to still take Pills, but when you are in a fight and you can''t take them, there is a possibility that this thing can protect you." Aiko explained. "Of course, it would be better if you didn''t get poisoned in the first place, but this thing is still only a loose safety net, it might catch you, but you can still slip through it." Aiko rambled on and on, she was not used to those adoring gazes. She used her rambling to hide her embarrassment, but her ears were already a tinge of pink and slowly turning red. Aiko coughed awkwardly. "You can place it into your pockets or somewhere where it stays close to your body, I don''t have the proper materials that would allow me to make this into an accessory, so you will have to make do with these metal pieces." Aiko explained a bit more, but choked when she saw the Blood Fox slide that pretty metallic stone into her bosom. Aiko stared there for a good while. "Won''t that slide out of her valley?" She subconsciously stated her worry. The Blood Fox giggled and stood up, those peaks shook like jelly, yet the smothered metallic stone stayed in place. ''Did it acquire Spiritual Sense already...?'' Aiko couldn''t understand, how could the Blood Fox store so many things into her bosom without losing them. She stared down, but when she compared her bumps to those massive personalities... Aiko suddenly felt angry and she also felt the need to slap them¡­ again. She coughed, looking away from the Blood Fox, lest she would get even angrier and actually slap them... again. Aiko sipped some water looking over the Umbra Fox, which was more pleasing to the eye and not overwhelming like the Blood Fox. The Umbra Fox caressed and played with the stone, curious and mesmerised by the Inscription. "Mistress..." The Umbra Fox hesitated. "Tell me, tell me." Aiko was curious about what could make her so hesitant. "How much Beast Core energy do we have to spend to power this?" The Umbra Fox blushed slightly. She didn''t want to ask this, but it was important to know so she could get prepared during fights. "I don''t understand...?" Aiko tilted her head. "It''s already working, you know?" The Umbra Fox was startled. "You don''t need to power it to make it work?" She was greatly confused. "Yeah, as long as you keep it close to your body, the Inscription Energies will invade your body and protect you from the low-grade poisons." Aiko said flatly with a raised eyebrow. "Mistress..." The Umbra Fox had tears in her eyes. "Thank you so much for giving us such an incredible treasure!" She kowtowed towards Aiko, making her flustered. "What are you doing?!" Aiko was completely flustered. "This is just a simple makeshift trinket made within a few hours, it''s not a treasure!" Aiko''s statement silenced the whole room and they could hear someone outside the door choke up... Chapter 155 – Plans and her team Aiko slammed the door open, but there was nobody there. She looked around and found the Inscription Saint massaging his nose. "What are you doing here?" Aiko asked, puzzled. "I was going to the kitchen when I heard something ridiculous." He was still massaging his nose from when the door hit him. "Can''t you open the doors in a normal way?" He glared at Aiko. Aiko just shrugged. "Not my problem, you are snooping behind a door." Aiko was not concerned about him, any decent person would not be standing behind a door, waiting to be hit by it. "Have you connected yourself with the Inscription Carving Pen?" He suddenly asked with narrowed eyes. "I forgot..." Aiko thought about it so much that that thought completely disappeared from her mind. He shook his head. "Take your time, but you should still do it soon so that the Embryo could develop further." "Embryo?" Aiko tilted her head. "It''s an undeveloped Spiritual Sense." He said lightly. "You have Sword Embryos, Fire Embryos, Treasure Embryos and so on." He yawned. "Each of them is indispensable to the Cultivators of higher Rank, as they can achieve independent thought." He explained. Aiko nodded lightly. "That is nice." She liked the idea of having an autonomous Pen, she really should nudge it as soon as possible. "What if my Divine Sense is powerful, but hard to control?" He frowned, but said slowly. "You should develop your Divine Sense more before you try it. While most Spiritual Embryos are powerful when it comes to their protection, that is not the case for Treasure Embryos, those are incredibly fragile when it comes to outside interference as even the weakest Divine Sense could wipe them out..." He sighed. "At least until they fully mature or are connected to a Cultivator, but at the former point you would already be in the Immortal World." He chuckled sadly. Aiko slowly nodded. "Is there a place where I can develop Divine Sense?" Aiko asked. "On what stage are you at?" He asked cautiously. "Fully opening my Divine Sense so it matches my mind." Aiko said slowly. He cautiously probed her with his own powerful Divine Sense. *Slap* But his Divine Sense was slapped back like it was a fly. His lips twitched, he expected her Divine Sense to be crude, but he didn''t think it would also be mischievous! He ruffled his hair, annoyed at this situation. He really wanted to teach this rascal a lesson, but with this kind of Divine Sense... it would either end up in a bad injury or destruction. "There is a training room, but I will watch over you so you don''t destroy my ship." He glared at Aiko. "Since when did I destroy anything that you owned?" Aiko snorted at his attitude. "We have that table you turned into dust, the Inscription ink you spilt. Moreover, you even cut the legs of another table." He was recounting some things she had done. Aiko coughed awkwardly. "It''s just tables, do you have to make a big deal out of it?" Aiko didn''t meet his eyes. "What about the Ink?" He narrowed his eyes, now he understood why everyone liked to tease her. It was quite entertaining... "If that brat didn''t cause trouble, would it have ended up like that?" Aiko scoffed again. "And by brat you mean yourself?" He chuckled. "Oh fuck off." Aiko growled at him, she was not a brat! He laughed. "Anyway, I will prepare some tea and we can move to the training room." He chuckled, leaving the angry Aiko behind. "Bastard! Just you wait, when you relax your body, I will stick a fucking flag into your ass!" Aiko roared behind him, but he kept laughing. Lady Liu had room just next to Aiko so she heard the whole commotion and chuckled. These girls were really cute and amusing, she liked them quite a lot, especially since they didn''t try to run away from her. She yawned again and went back to sleep, this commotion woke her up, but she didn''t mind. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. She would rest properly and visit them again to teach and play around. ''Since we are now on the ship, they have their tails out...'' She suddenly thought. ''I have never seen a Fox with such large ears.'' She really wanted to ruffle Aiko''s ears and hair, but at the same time, she was reluctant. ''Most Foxes would scoff at me if I asked them that and would leave, I hope that doesn''t happen with Aiko...'' She was concerned that she would sour their current relationship. Unfortunately, she didn''t know that was a needless worry as Aiko wouldn''t mind someone close playing with her ears. Moreover, Lady Liu was cute when she tiptoed around them, she was much more sensible than other Humans, so much so that Aiko sometimes wondered if Lady Liu was even a Human to begin with... Aiko sighed, shaking her head. She would never know Lady Liu''s past since the mind is wiped with each reincarnation, but that didn''t stop her from imagining things. Aiko returned to her room and glanced at the Inscription Carving Pen. She was really tempted to use her Divine Sense, but stopped herself since she didn''t want to damage it. The duo was still staring at her. "What is it?" Aiko stared back at them. The Blood Fox stood up and came close to Aiko. "You should conceal your skills for the time being..." "A little late for that." Aiko chuckled. "I already ran tests with these things back in the Fox Village, so most Elders already know about it." She shrugged, not concerned. The Blood Fox frowned, but didn''t continue lecturing Aiko, since it would be fruitless. She already demonstrated her skill, again and again, making it impossible to conceal it from them. The Blood Fox sat down near the Umbra Fox and they chatted happily about the treasure Aiko gave them. It might not be the highest quality treasure, but it was pretty much autonomous thanks to the fact that it was always working, no matter what they did. This greatly eased up their thoughts during combat, since they didn''t need to think about it. This type of treasure was priceless to anyone, not just Immortals, but also Mortals. They didn''t need to circulate their inner Qi/Energy to make it work. They could just use it. Unfortunately for Mortals, most of them didn''t have enough riches to buy this kind of treasure, since most Cultivators either wanted Spirit Stones or other treasures/materials. This greatly inconvenienced the Mortals, since they wouldn''t be able to keep the Spirit Stones from getting robbed, and anything with Spiritual Energy would likewise be stolen. The only type of Mortal that would be able to buy these things were large ancient families and Royalty. But even they had a hard time actually acquiring this stuff. Aiko sat down and tapped on the table. She didn''t have anything to do since she didn''t want to use her team as experimental subjects, at least not when they were far away from Mei, who could cure them if something went wrong. "How is your arm?" The Blood Fox sneaked behind Aiko and wrapped her hands around her. Aiko didn''t mind this, since they would often do this to pull her onto their laps. "Stiff, but much better than when we were in the Fox Village." Aiko said gently, thinking about it. "It''s so strange how a small change in life can affect you so greatly." Aiko hummed. "The Fox Village has too many oddities, we should be careful." The Blood Fox said and the Umbra Fox nodded in agreement. "Sure." Aiko didn''t mind that. "But I still want to restart the massage business, since it makes quite a lot of money each day." Aiko thought about it and the fact that they had line after line of customers wanting to use the Massage Chair. ''Fortunately, I won''t have to work as hard as before to create the parts...'' Aiko sighed in relief, that she was able to con this Pen out of that Inscription Idiot. "You really like this Pen." The Blood Fox suddenly said when she watched Aiko play with it. "Yeah, it allows me to Inscribe and engrave with ease." Aiko explained. "It feels like I don''t have poison in my arm when I use it." She smiled gently. The Blood Fox had a complicated expression. If she didn''t know that the Inscription Saint was after Lady Liu, she would think that he was after Aiko, considering he gave her this priceless treasure. Aiko munched on a nearby snack while the Blood Fox was deep in thought. The Umbra Fox observed all of this with a strange expression. This kind of strange triangle often came about when she watched over the Blood Fox and Aiko. It was strange how obsessive the Blood Fox was, but at the same time, she could somewhat understand it. If there was a person capable of suppressing her condition by just being in their presence. She would likewise be obsessed with them... Just... not into this severe degree. Aiko stood up. "I''m going to develop my Divine Sense, so I can pair myself with the Pen." Aiko said and moved towards the door. Divine Sense. The duo stiffened. They were forbidden from awakening it back in the Fox Village, but now they could use this situation as an excuse to "accidentally" awaken it. "Can we go with you, Mistress?" The Umbra Fox was the first one to ask, since the Divine Sense was way too convenient not to have. "Sure?" Aiko didn''t know that they wanted to develop their Divine Sense, so she readily agreed. They narrowed their eyes, but smiled sweetly at Aiko. Back in the kitchen, the Chen boy sneezed several times. He had bad premotion that his time with Lady Liu would be greatly reduced... but that was impossible. This ship was safely guarded and littered with Defensive and Offensive Inscriptions/Arrays, so it would never take all that much time to annihilate his enemies. He sighed and resumed the preparation of the tea. This was a special tea that could increase someone''s lifespan, but it was barely working on Lady Liu since she drank it too many times. He shook his head sadly at this fact, but there was nothing he could do. He already used most means to prolong her lifespan, but even the most powerful Pills increased it by just a few years, instead of hundreds... He sighed again. The time was running thin and he would have to find a solution soon, otherwise, Lady Liu would be gone once again. He didn''t think he would be able to bear that again. ''The Jade Fox is an Alchemist...'' He suddenly had an epiphany. ''Maybe I could trade some of my wealth to get a few powerful Pills from her...'' He was thinking about this, since most Alchemists were prideful assholes that didn''t want to create Pills and even if they did, it would cost you a fortune not even including half of the Pills that the Herbs would create. This was daylight robbery, but nothing he could do about it, since he wasn''t an Alchemist. He had to bow to them and shower them with treasures to obtain those Pills... ''I hope the Jade Fox still has a favourable opinion of me and is reasonable in her pricing...'' He sighed. Picking up the tray and leaving towards Lady Liu''s room. Chapter 156 – Sleeping Beast Along the way, Aiko yawned. She and her team got lost on the ship, since they didn''t know where the training room was. She looked around and checked every room, but still could not find it. What she did find however, was a very interesting room with a very large and strange stone that was held together by the ship. Aiko was curious and wanted to get closer to it when a very displeased voice drifted from behind her. "You are not supposed to be here." The Chen boy said. Aiko turned around. "Maybe if you told me where the training room was, I wouldn¡¯t need to fucking wander around!" Aiko cursed him openly. His brows twitched. "Let''s go." He didn''t really want to deal with an angry child. Aiko didn''t go with him. "What is that?" Aiko pointed towards the strange stone. "That is the Levitation Stone. You need one if you don''t want to burn a hole through your finances when you build a flying ship." He said dismissively, but Aiko was too interested to care about it. "Where do you find one?" She really wanted a floating home. "Not in this small continent." He snorted. "You would have to travel to the mainland for that." "Oh..." Aiko nodded. "How can you find them?" Aiko kept asking questions, which annoyed the Inscription Saint. "You need to find a floating island that is not occupied by lesser dragons." He didn''t want to deal with her, but Lady Liu was behind him and it would be troublesome if she reprimanded him in front of everyone. "Floating island?!" Aiko''s eyes shined, which burdened the Chen boy. There was a chuckle. "They are quite amazing when you see them up close, but lesser dragons would burn you alive if their eyes fall upon you." Lady Liu said gently. "Are they that dangerous?" Aiko asked her. "Yes, and also grumpy, so be careful." She gently caressed Aiko''s head. "I see..." Aiko nodded slowly and walked with Lady Liu to the training room. Aiko kept staring at Lady Liu. "Liu... it''s dangerous to be here with us." Aiko didn''t want to hurt her, since she couldn''t control her Divine Sense properly. Lady Liu smiled and looked at the Chen boy. He shrugged. "She will be fine. I have given her an artefact that can nullify Divine Sense temporarily." Which would give him enough time to move her out of the room if something went awry. Aiko sighed, but didn''t try to convince them. It didn''t seem they would believe her. "So I can train my Divine Sense here?" Aiko asked. "En, but only when I''m around." The Inscription Saint said flatly. Aiko nodded, this place was big enough that it should be able to hold her Divine Sense. She also noticed many Inscriptions and Arrays, which means it should be all right to train freely. ... "Stop, stop!" The Chen boy was shouting. "What''s wrong?" Aiko yawned, since she was exhausted from her own Divine Sense. "Y-you! You dare to ask when you made this mess?!" He currently had conjured a barrier around the other participants that was protecting them from the previous onslaught from Aiko. "What are you?! That Divine Sense is way too powerful for your Rank!" He couldn''t believe that he almost got injured by her Divine Sense. Aiko tilted her head and rubbed her eyes... ... 2 hours before... Aiko entered a meditative state and her Divine Sense leaked. It looked like a hunched black beast ready to pounce on anything that got too close to her, but what was more ridiculous was that the beast was observing them. The Chen boy conjured a light barrier subconsciously when the beast looked over. He was shocked by this and he was very wary when it came to this Divine Sense. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ''It''s still growing...'' He frowned. The beast was still growing in size, soon filling up the entire room. The room started to creak, which upset the beast. It thrashed around due to the limited space. ''What the fuck?!'' The Inscription Saint couldn''t help but curse when his ship started to creak and crumble. This ship cost him pretty much his entire fortune, yet this little bastard was turning it into kindling! He yelled at the bastard that was destroying the ship, but Aiko was deeply meditating. It was impossible to get through her. ''Jade Fox must be insane if she wants to nurture her!'' He sweated buckets as he felt his light barrier getting pushed back by the sheer volume of her Divine Sense. ... Aiko remembered the events and blushed slightly. "It''s not my fault you didn''t build this ship properly." Aiko murmured, but this made the Inscription Saint enraged. "What the f-" The Chen boy yelled at the bastard who destroyed his ship. "That is enough, Chen Shi." Lady Liu reprimanded him. "But... Liu Zhi..." He almost cried when she reprimanded him. "You said that this room would be able to bear her training. It''s your fault since you have underestimated her abilities." Liu Zhi reprimanded him again, it was definitely not because she was fond of those girls... definitely not. Chen Shi opened his mouth, but then closed it in silence. He couldn''t believe that he was reprimanded for something he didn''t do. Liu Zhi sighed. "Now you." She stared at Aiko. "What in the world was that?" "Pardon?" Aiko tilted her head. The confusion was written all over her face, which made the rest of the participants feel even stranger. "You don''t know what was happening?" Liu Zhi asked carefully. "I made a mess...?" Aiko had a recollection of the events, but that recollection was vastly different from what they saw. She believed that her Divine Sense went out of control and caused this mess. She was unaware that a beast formed from her Divine Sense. That beast was very grumpy and disliked being in confined spaces, which prompted him to thrash around. Liu Zhi sighed while massaging her temples. "It''s better for you not to train your Divine Sense on this ship." She comforted Chen Shi, who was almost crying over the destroyed rooms. Liu Zhi left with the heartbroken Chen Shi, leaving the team behind. She was not angry at Aiko, since it didn''t feel like she was lying or did this whole thing on purpose. Unfortunately, that didn''t mean Chen Shi was as understanding as she was, she would have to comfort him for a few days before he returned to normal... ... Aiko''s team looked at her with both fear and admiration. If the Inscription Saint didn''t protect them, they would surely die a painful death. Crushed by Aiko''s thrashing Divine Sense. Aiko noticed their gazes and felt pretty awful about this entire situation. This was all the fault of that Inscription Idiot, who was nudging her to connect with the Inscription Carving Pen! Aiko snorted coldly a few times. She was upset that he wanted to blame her, but also upset that she almost hurt her team. It was a mixed feeling that she just couldn''t suppress, so she silently went back to their room. Her team followed her. The Umbra Fox was shivering in fear, while the Blood Fox looked quite excited. Why excited? Because for some reason, those voices screamed in pain when that strange beast got big enough. It felt like those voices were being torn to pieces, slowly and painfully. This might be the root of whatever allows Aiko to suppress her condition. The Blood Fox suddenly paused and she was no longer smiling. ''That doesn''t make sense...'' She knew that Aiko hadn''t awakened her Divine Sense when she suppressed her the first time... ''Is it possible it has something to do with Aiko''s Energy?'' She thought about it. Whenever you were close to Aiko, she would subconsciously leak her Energy and smother those next to her with it. The Blood Fox was reminiscent of the first time she was tenderly attended by Aiko''s rocks. That Energy also imbued those rocks... The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes dangerously. She either has to be beaten by Aiko''s Divine Sense to shut those voices completely or... ''I will have to wait for her to mature...'' The Blood Fox thought. This was the less painful option, but that also meant that she would have to build a much different rapport than what she was currently building. ''Everything will take time.'' The Blood Fox chanted her old scripture to calm her mind. ''If I rush it, I won''t get what I want and I will have to resort to the painful option¡­'' She sighed. This was too troublesome to think about. She will have to be satisfied with her current condition and slowly change Aiko''s outlook on her... ... Aiko tapped the table slowly. She was annoyed and concerned. She stared at the Inscription Carving Pen and her irritation only increased. It got to the point that she manifested a part of her Divine Sense, shocking her team. The Divine Sense yawned, since it was exhausted like Aiko. It looked bored and tired, but it took a whiff of something and its gaze strained on a certain treasure. It nudged the Inscription Carving Pen and the Pen shivered. It played with it for a bit, finding it funny how the Pen shivered and tried to roll away from it, but he still had to fulfil the wishes of his owner. He licked that Inscription Carving Pen, creating a connection between it and Aiko. The beast snorted happily and rolled around before disappearing. ... Aiko opened her eyes. The Inscription Carving Pen was still in one piece and she even felt some kind of strange feeling towards that Pen. She was staring at it for a long time, when she realised someone was panting painfully. She looked around and found that the Blood Fox was clutching her chest like she was in extreme pain. Aiko''s heart dropped. She was so irritated that she didn''t consider the fact that she might hurt them without the Inscription Saint there to stop the rampage. She hurriedly came close to her. "I''m sorry." Aiko immediately apologised, looking incredibly sad. The Blood Fox tried to smile, but she was still in pain. "I''m alright..." She weakly replied. Aiko''s lips twitched and a tear rolled down her cheek. "I''m sorry..." She sniffled. The Blood Fox felt much better when Aiko cared about her like this, so she tried to gently pat the crying Aiko and reassure her that everything was alright. Meanwhile, the Umbra Fox was confused. She could swear that she was also crushed by that rolling beast, but the only feeling she got from it was... warm and fluffy? She didn''t understand how she could feel like that, while the Blood Fox was rolling in pain. The Umbra Fox suddenly paused like she figured it out. ''Maybe it''s because of her Demonic Nature?'' She tilted her head, but that was the only explanation she could come up with to explain this situation. She was not of a Demonic origin, at least not completely, which might have caused the difference in what they experienced... Chapter 157 – Nuzzle and Glare The Umbra Fox was deep in thought. Meanwhile, Aiko was running around sniffling. A pillow here and a blanket there, soon the Blood Fox was wrapped and comfortable, but Aiko was still restless. The Blood Fox had to pull Aiko down and hug her for her to stop running around. Naturally, Aiko didn''t fight the Blood Fox since she was a patient and she didn''t want to hurt her. The Umbra Fox snapped out of her thoughts only to see the chaos surrounding them. She tilted her head and felt a bit sad that she missed this event, but seeing Aiko sniffling near Blood Fox... it seemed that everything was back to somewhat normal days. "How are you feeling?" The Umbra Fox asked the Blood Fox. "Better, it was an experience." The Blood Fox nodded. It seems like the only way to get rid of her condition would be the romance route... ''Mei will eat me alive...'' The Blood Fox thought. ''But not if I awaken my Divine Sense.'' She narrowed her eyes and hugged Aiko till she fell asleep. ... Aiko paused, seeing the Blood Fox''s sleeping face. She was a lot cuter and harmless when she was like this... Aiko looked around, spotting the Umbra Fox. She didn''t really want to stay like this, so she pleaded with her eyes for a rescue, but the Umbra Fox just giggled and ignored her. Aiko was stunned by the Umbra Fox''s reaction, but she couldn''t do much about it, since any movement might wake up the Blood Fox. She could only sigh and quietly lay with the Blood Fox until she woke up. ... The Blood Fox stirred awake half a day later. She yawned cutely and blinked a few times. In front of her was Aiko staring at her. She blinked a few more times and rubbed her eyes, but Aiko didn''t disappear, she was still staring at her. The Blood Fox blushed and released Aiko. Aiko silently stood up, stretching, and went back to her table without a word. The Blood Fox glanced towards the Umbra Fox, but she was likewise ignored with a light blush. The Blood Fox could only sigh at the fact that everyone was silent, like she had done something immoral. She rubbed her bad bed hair a few times, straightening it. Aiko likewise had bad bed hair, but she never really cared about it. They resumed their tasks as if nothing happened... Aiko was playing with the Inscription Carving Pen. She was wondering what that connection meant or what she could do with it. Unfortunately, there was no one to answer her, she would have to wait till that Chen boy was better for her answers to come. Aiko doodled a few Runes with a happy expression, her hand worked like she imagined and her Runes were more stable and beautiful. The Blood Fox finished her hair and came close to Aiko. When she touched Aiko''s hair, she flinched, but didn''t move away. The Blood Fox was happy that she was not disliked for what she had done. She gently grasped Aiko''s hair and gently untied the knots so that the pain wouldn¡¯t disturb her during her work. The Blood Fox liked to do this to her brother, but those times were few and far between, since he was too wild and uncontainable when he was younger. ''That changed when "that" happened...'' The Blood Fox sighed, but it was pretty unavoidable circumstances. Aiko was playing with a few Runes, burning the paper here and there. She was testing the potency of the Pen when the poison did not restrict her. It was much more potent since each one of her lines was elegant and flown much better than with her old Inscription Carving Pen. ''But I still like to use the previous one more since it was my first gift...'' Aiko thought. She absent-mindedly stared forward, when a hand covered her eyes. She briefly panicked until she could see again. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. "I tried calling you, but you just ignored me." The Blood Fox pouted. "Sorry, I was thinking about something..." Aiko was apologetic... a bit too apologetic. "It''s fine." The Blood Fox caressed Aiko''s hair. "The food is ready and we are invited to eat with them." The Blood Fox delivered the message. "Okay, let''s go." Aiko nodded slowly. She stood up and was followed by her team. ... They came into the dining room. Lady Liu was already sitting down and watching over the Chen boy who was cooking. Aiko sat down near Lady Liu silently and watched him too. Her team shook their heads, but also sat down. The Inscription Saint was quick with his hands and the food was prepared in large quantities. What was even better was the fact that the smell of the food was simply divine. "You have gotten even better." Lady Liu nodded. The Chen boy blushed, but his hands didn''t stop. He would always create the most delicious and nutritious meal for her. He turned around and involuntarily frowned. Aiko mimicked his gesture in almost perfect sync. Lady Liu laughed loudly at this, she didn''t expect them to be so in sync and she was caught off guard. She immediately picked a small snack and munched on it, watching their expressions change in sync. Lady Liu was surprised that Chen Shi was able to recover so quickly. She was not aware that he hadn''t recovered, but since her stomach rumbled, his instincts prompted him to cook delicious food for her. The Inscription Saint kept glaring at Aiko as he was cooking. Meanwhile, Aiko kept stealing food and munched on it with a blissful expression, which enraged him even more. Unfortunately for him, he couldn''t blow up. He had to keep his mind steady or this Spiritual Food would be wasted alongside many precious herbs and ingredients would have to be thrown away. "This is delicious. Cook! Bring more!" Aiko munched and ordered the Inscription Saint around. "I''m not your cook!" He yelled back. "And stop eating so much! Liu Zhi is hungry!" He glared at her even more, but Aiko just brushed him off. "Taste this too, it''s good." Aiko kept placing food on her plate, but only the pieces she found delicious, so no veggies. "Eat your god-damn vegetables!" He openly cursed Aiko. "No!" Aiko rejected him with a glare and munched on even more meat. "You little-!" He was stopped by Liu Zhi. She was sneakily eating all the veggies, since too much meat was bad for her. Soon enough, the Inscription Saint was too exhausted to continue cooking and plopped down on the chair. "Finished?" Aiko said with sadness in her voice. "What do you mean finished?!" He immediately sprung out of his grave. "You have eaten 50 catties of meat!" He slammed his fists on the table. "I have never seen anyone as gluttonous as you are!" He glared at Aiko, he still held a grudge about his beautiful rooms. Aiko shrugged. "It''s on the lower side." He choked up and almost cried. That meat was precious and hard to get, yet this glutton ate almost all of it! Meanwhile, Aiko was smiling happily and for a good reason... [Beast Cores(62%->65%): 20,000 (52,060)] She was able to increase her Beast Core Purity by 3% just by eating this meat! That was incredible, as it took weeks to months to increase with Mei''s cooking. ''But the meat was also more delicious.'' Aiko gently nodded her head. She was aware that Mei didn''t have these kinds of ingredients, but what if she had... Aiko openly drooled at that thought, but the drool was stopped by Lady Liu and Blood Fox. "We will need to resume our etiquette lessons." She chuckled at the little rascal. Aiko blushed, but her stomach grumbled. Her imagination ran too wild, which made her hungry again. Lady Liu couldn''t believe her ears and laughed loudly. The Chen boy grumbled, but he had no intention of feeding her more! This little glutton would make him go bankrupt within a few days of staying with them, much less in months! [Your Title [Gourmand] upgraded to [Insatiable Gourmand]!] Aiko ignored that bad title and smiled at Lady Liu. She should be able to con a bit more meat from her. "No more." Lady Liu smiled gently. Unfortunately, Aiko forgot that Lady Liu was mostly immune to her charms, which meant that Aiko would not succeed... ... They returned to their rooms and Aiko immediately went to make Runes. She would create the snake treasure for Lady Liu too. That way, she would have some kind of protection. Aiko hummed gently as she prepared a piece of metal and slowly Inscribed that familiar set of Runes. She did it much slower, since Lady Liu was just a mortal. Aiko had to be careful about how she Inscribed it so it wouldn''t hurt her in the long run. Aiko was able to finish this in two days, just as Lady Liu came to them to invite them for lessons. "Lady Liu." Aiko ran up to her. "What is it?" Lady Liu smiled gently. "Call me Zhi." Aiko nodded gently. "I have something for you, Liu Zhi." She placed the nicely engraved metallic stone in front of her. *PFFT* The Inscription Saint nearby spat out his tea when he saw the Inscription. He choked and coughed a few times. "Isn''t that the treasure you conned from that former elder?" He was confused. "Since when could you buy them so easily??" "I made it." Aiko said without looking at him. "But I''m not sure if the decrease in ambient Qi would harm Liu Zhi." She then stared at him like he was a guinea pig. "It will decrease her lifespan, but let me see..." He snatched it from Aiko and Aiko growled at him. "This is fine." He was shocked by the craftsmanship, but fortunately, he was not a Patriarch for nought! He kept his expression the same, even with his deep shock! "Thank you." Liu Zhi gently caressed Aiko''s head. "I will keep it close to me." "It doesn''t need to be activated." The Inscription Saint suddenly added and Liu Zhi stiffened. "Huh?" She was stunned. "Didn''t you always tell me that you can''t have artefacts that work by themselves?" "Most of the time, yes" The Inscription Saint corrected her words. "This is a replica of a very old artefact, a very faithful replica, which means it naturally shares the same properties." He smiled, but scoffed right after, since he didn''t want to give this little bastard any credit. "Oh..." Liu Zhi was shocked by the fact she was holding a very precious treasure. "Thank you." She smiled gently and kissed Aiko''s forehead. "No problem." Aiko smiled gently. Her team didn''t mind the fact she gave out this gift to Lady Liu, but they would definitely be against it if she gave it to the Inscription Saint! They glared at the Inscription Saint, so that he didn''t get any ideas about Aiko, but he just shrugged, ignoring them. This upset them slightly, but they were not children. They snorted coldly at him and smiled at Lady Liu. Lady Liu stored the metallic stone in her hidden pocket. There was a strange sense of calmness washing over her. She tilted her head confused. "The old artefact was not only for poisons, but for alcohol too." The Inscription Saint suddenly said and then he smacked his forehead. "I forgot to give you an artefact that would allow you to keep a healthy body even when you drank alcohol." He cursed himself for this oversight and his dislike for the small Fox grew. "Oh." Liu Zhi was confused as to why she felt so much better, but it seemed that the years of wine built up something in her body and this pretty-looking little stone helped her? She was even happier about this gift and hugged Aiko. Now she would be able to drink without worrying about her body! Chapter 158 – Bickering Couple and More Tails! Liu Zhi was smiling happily, while the Inscription Saint looked concerned. "You are not allowed to drink too much!" He reprimanded her for the first time in front of others. Liu Zhi clicked her tongue, "You are no fun!" and pouted. Chen Shi shook his head, but he couldn''t allow her to drink too much. Lady Liu pouted and protested like a child, but she was still not allowed to drink too much alcohol. Aiko found this funny, as this side of Liu Zhi, she never saw. Liu Zhi was always refined and graceful, but this childish demeanour was likewise cute. They kept ''fighting'' over alcohol while Aiko watched them in interest. If it was anything like Mei and Blood Fox they would have already pounced on each other. Aiko even heard that the arena was always destroyed in the process! "How about seducing him?" Aiko mumbled absent-mindedly. The air froze. "What do you take me for?!" Liu Zhi glared at Aiko, but she was blushing furiously like she was wronged. Chen Shi could not say anything, since he, indeed, would cave in to her advances. "I mean, you would be able to get anything with just a bit- Au, au, au." Aiko tried to explain herself, but Lady Liu pinched her cheeks. "I''m not like that!" She kept glaring at Aiko. "Oway." Aiko agreed, even if it didn''t hurt she didn''t want Lady Liu to strain herself. Aiko conceded and let Lady Liu do anything just so she would calm down. ... They returned to their rooms and Aiko thought about it. "We should get stronger..." Aiko wanted to get stronger so that she would be able to see more of the world and bring Mei a lot of gifts for her care. ''I would not be here without the Pills and other tools she is readily giving me...'' Aiko found this behaviour strange, but she would not dwell on it too much. ''I... want to make Mei happy.'' When Mei was not fighting with Blood Fox and worked on Pills, she... looked very sad and melancholic. Aiko wanted to ask a few times, but Mei had this unapproachable air surrounding her, making it more difficult for Aiko to ask. She soon gave up and behaved more obediently in front of Mei to lighten her mood. ''But it''s not enough.'' Aiko thought that maybe if she brought things for Mei, then she would cheer up. Aiko made a mental plan about this so that when they visited the capital they would go shopping a lot. ''But in order to do that, I need more strength, to keep those gifts safe.'' Aiko suddenly thought about more tails... ''I want more tails...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes and sure enough. [ Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 500 - 500 (Adjustable 500 - 500 -> 0 - 1,000) Species: [Shadow Fennec Fox (Female, Juvenile, Single-Tail)] Species: [Moon Fennec Fox (Female, Juvenile, Single-Tail)] Age: 9.90/2,000 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Peak)], [Dream Beast Kitsune(Awakened)] Bloodline: [Moon Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)], [??? - 1/10] Beast Rank: Magical Beast Level: 564 (3rd Evolution) Profession: [Opportunistic Kleptomaniac (Apprentice)] Sub-Profession: [Inscription Apprentice (1st Low-Grade Inscription Cultivator)], Wealth(New): Spirit Crystals: 50,000; Spirit Stones: 177,599; Black Gold Coins: 189,997; Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], [Little Princess], [Shadow Thief], [Master of Sex Toys], [Gourmand->Insatiable Gourmand], [Explorer], [Trickster], [Mischievous Juvenile], [Filthy RICH Den Master], [Juve-barian], [Tail Hunter], [Bath Enjoyer], [Closet Pervert], [Devourer of Vitality], [Bane of Immortal], [One Who makes Immortal Faint], [Glutton], [Walking Runic Encyclopedia], [Backdoor Destroyer] Cultivation Technique: [Blood Tyrant Scripture], [Moon Goddess Scripture] Karma Companion: [Mei (Affection: 30,000)] Companion: [Passion Fox (Affection: 80,000)] Servant: [Umbra Fox (Affection: Admires your might and likes you a lot)] Elemental Spirit: [Seed of Life; 68,760/1,000,000->321,330/1,000,000] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement)(*1-2.5 Lunar Enhancement) HP: 116,813|116,813 -> 122,019|137,909 (250pH & 0.4%pH) ST: 132,703|132,703 -> 137,909|137,909 (250pH & 0.4%pH) Vitality: 65,233|65,233 -> 67,836|67,836 (25pH & 0.4%pH)(1%pH - Insatiable Gourmand) Vigour: 81,123 -> 83,726 Beast Cores(56%->65%): 20,000 (52,060) Moonlight Qi: 52,060 Toughness: 63,490 -> 66,093 Strength: 84,231 -> 86,834 Agility: 86,619*2 -> 89,222*2 Dexterity: 62,428*1.5 -> 65,031*1.5 Mind: 188,000*2 -> 190,603*2 Divine Sense: 18,800 -> 94,000 Insight: 32,070 Soul: 33,060 -> 33,061 Beauty: 1,729,260*1.55 -> 1,731,863*1.55 Luck: 230,708*1.02 -> 233,311*1.02 Stat Points: 54,217 Skill Points: 34,818 Elemental Affinity: [Moon - 0], [Shadow - 2], [Earth - 8], [Soul''s Affection: 1] Martial Arts: [Lightness Technique] Martial Ability: [The Ever Shaping Cauldron: - ; -/-], [Heavenly Suppression Technique(Prototype, Incomplete)] Innate Ability: [Beast Core Formation] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####], [Soul Palace (Undeveloped)], [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)], [Moon''s Eyes], [Moon''s Crust] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered], [Earthen Walk: Mastered], [Appraisal: Lv.2], [Lunar Nurturing Meditation: Lv.2->3], [Assimilate (Shadows)], Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.3], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Lunar Enhancement: Mastered], [Agility Mastery: Mastered], [Intention Perception: Mastered], [Basic Presence Concealment: Mastered], [Universal Recovery: Lv.4], [Divine Calligraphy: Lv.2], [Shadow Swimming: Lv.1], [Perfect Memory: Lv.1] Skills: [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Lacerate: Mastered], [Sprint: Mastered], [Quick Double Jump: Mastered], [Camouflage: Mastered], [Sleeping: Lv.2] Passive Skills: [Stealth: Mastered], [Prehensile Mastery: Lv.1], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Thermal Regulation: Lv.2], [Demonic Intimidation: Lv.2->5], [Linguistics: Mastered], [Enhanced Climbing: Mastered], [Enhanced Basic Senses: Mastered], [Brilliant Mind: Mastered], [Picturesque Beauty: Lv.2], [Four Leaf Clover: Lv.2], [Assassin Mastery: Mastered], [Dexterous Fingers: Mastered], [Inscription Mastery: Mastered], [Alchemy Mastery: Lv.2], [Greater Poison Resistance: Mastered] Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], [Blessing of N¨¹wa], Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x985->2,685], [Skill Coupon x2], [Skill Combination Coupon x2], [Cultivation Gift], [Sub-Profession Coupon x2], [Divine Ability Gift], [Sub-Profession Coupon(Servant)], [Cultivation Gift(Servant)], [Ability Coupon], [Bloodline Gift], [Bloodline Gift(Servant)], [Ability Combination Coupon x2], [Profession Coupon], [Karma Bound], [Black Inscription Master Token], [Essence of ####], [Bloodline Book], [How to obtain Bloodline 101] ] [Do you wish to use Souls to obtain additional tail?] ''Yes.'' [Please click on the species which should obtain that tail.] Aiko thought about it and picked the Shadow Fennec Fox. Why would she pick it? Because she was mostly in her Moon Fennec Fox form. She hoped that by choosing the Shadow Fennec Fox, she would be able to hide those tails when she was in her Moon Fennec Fox form. [Please imagine the tail that you wish to obtain.] Aiko closed her eyes and thought about it, but she immediately paused. ''Wasn''t it painful the last time?!'' Aiko suddenly didn''t want to create another tail... [Souls were already consumed, please choose the form for your tail.] ''Fucking shitty system! I will fucking curse you to the 18 Hells!'' Aiko immediately went on a cursing spree and after half an hour she stopped. She huffed in annoyance, but still strained her mind to find that information. ... Surprisingly... She didn''t need to observe her tails again. For some reason, she already had the ''blueprint'' of the tail in her mind and it was incomparably more majestic than she imagined. Aiko observed it from all angles, but the only thing she was able to assess from it was... ''How amazing...'' She liked the elaborate way the muscles in the tail moved, this allowed her even greater range of motion than her current tails! Aiko smiled happily and chose this tail, since it was jet black. There was another tail, but it was shrouded in her mind so she couldn''t use it... [100 Souls Consumed.] [Soul: 33,061 -> 32,961] Aiko was immediately shrouded in Darkness startling the duo. They had never seen such a thing before, since they never saw anyone develop their Tails in front of them. The Umbra Fox panicked, while the Blood Fox was much calmer, this effect in front of her felt familiar. "Go, notify the Inscription Saint." The Blood Fox told the Umbra Fox. "Okay." The Umbra Fox immediately dashed away without asking any questions. She was panicking too much and would be of no help to Blood Fox. The Darkness around Aiko thickened until Aiko was nowhere to be found. At this moment the Inscription Saint came. "What the fuck!" He cursed loudly, but he soon calmed down. He was the only person in here who saw a Fox add another Tail to her body, so he calmed soon after seeing that there was a shell made out of Darkness. "I thought she wasn''t a Demonic Fox?" He asked Aiko''s team. "We don''t know much about that." The Blood Fox said. She was sure that Aiko was not a Demonic Fox, but the Inscription Saint questioned them in such a grave voice that she didn''t dare to say it out loud. "Does she hear voices or anything of that sort?" He asked another question. Their faces hardened. They didn''t dare to say anything. The Inscription Saint was not dumb. "I will wait here and see how it-" A gust of wind suddenly pulled a lot of Qi towards Aiko... ... Aiko was in a half-asleep state. [Species Tail limited.] [Advancing in Evolution.] Even in this half-asleep state, Aiko cursed loudly. ''What the fuck do you mean evolving?! Do you know what this will cause?!'' Aiko cursed the system, again and again, not stopping at anything. The system ignored her completely. ''Fuck!'' Aiko had a really awful feeling about this. ... The Inscription Saint was currently shovelling piles upon piles of Spirit Stones towards Aiko. "Fuck! Fuck! Shit!" He had never cursed so much in his entire life, yet right now he was doing just that. He would never forgive this Fox if they crashed and Lady Liu got injured because of this! The Spirit Stones were consumed at a ridiculous rate and the whole ship was losing altitude. He kept cursing like crazy, but Aiko''s team joined him in shovelling the Spirit Stones towards the vortex. The Inscription Saint cried rivers of blood from his diminishing wealth and the fact they would soon crash. ... *BOOM* There were two explosions. One from the impact of the ship crashing and another from Aiko for finishing her Evolution. She finally woke up and the shell out of Darkness was destroyed. The moment she regained her complete sense. "Fuck! Shit! Shitty fucking system! What do you mean evolving?! That was not in the description!" Aiko huffed angrily, but froze when she noticed her team and Inscription Saint staring at her. "Haha..." Aiko awkwardly avoided her gaze, scratching the back of her head. The Inscription Saint was too exhausted to ask about those strange words. "Do not train, do not evolve, do not Inscribe." He named the things Aiko was not allowed to do. "Yes..." Aiko obediently agreed. The Inscription saint got up and walked towards Lady Liu''s room with worry. He walked in and Lady Liu was still sleeping. His lips twitched ever so slightly, he didn''t believe she was able to sleep through all that commotion... She checked if she was still alive and sure enough, she was still breathing. "What is it?" She rubbed her eyes. "Don''t come out for the time being, I will have to clean up the mess that the little bastard caused..." He sighed. "Don''t call her that, I feel like this whole thing is not her fault..." Her eyes shined strangely and he was shocked. "If you use it, the curse will advance!" He reprimanded her. She just smiled. "Don''t blame her too much, she is just an unfortunate chess piece like I am..." She smiled gently without a hint of sadness. "Will they... you know..." He was worried about his love. "No." She immediately denied it. "She is... very unique... as are the Sages behind her..." He slowly nodded, but stiffened soon after. "There are multiple?! Isn''t that really, really bad?!" "It isn''t, as long as we stay on this Mortal World we are protected from them." She smiled gently, but the exhaustion was showing on her face. "You shouldn''t have used it." He immediately picked her up. She didn''t fight him and let him carry her to her bed. It was important to get some rest... ... Meanwhile, Aiko was staring at her system, her lips twitching... [ Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 500 - 500 (Adjustable 500 - 500 -> 0 - 1,000) Species: [Shadow Fennec Fox (Female, Juvenile, Single-Tail)]->[Shadow Spirit Fennec Fox (Female, Juvenile, Single-True Tail)] Species: [Moon Fennec Fox (Female, Juvenile, Single-Tail)] Age: 9.90/2,000 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Peak)], [Dream Beast Kitsune(Awakened)] Bloodline: [Moon Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)], [??? - 1/10] Beast Rank: Magical Beast Level: 564->1 (3rd->4th Evolution) Profession: [Opportunistic Kleptomaniac (Apprentice)] Sub-Profession: [Inscription Apprentice (1st Low-Grade Inscription Cultivator)], Wealth: Spirit Crystals: 50,000; Spirit Stones: 177,599; Black Gold Coins: 189,997; Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], [Little Princess], [Shadow Thief], [Master of Sex Toys], [Insatiable Gourmand], [Explorer], [Trickster], [Mischievous Juvenile], [Filthy RICH Den Master], [Juve-barian], [Tail Hunter], [Bath Enjoyer], [Closet Pervert], [Devourer of Vitality], [Bane of Immortal], [One Who makes Immortal Faint], [Glutton], [Walking Runic Encyclopedia], [Backdoor Destroyer] Cultivation Technique: [Blood Tyrant Scripture], [Moon Goddess Scripture] Karma Companion: [Mei (Affection: 30,000)] Companion: [Passion Fox (Affection: 80,000)] Servant: [Umbra Fox (Affection: Admires your might and likes you a lot)] Elemental Spirit: [Seed of Life; 321,330/1,000,000] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement)(*1-2.5 Lunar Enhancement) HP: 122,019|137,909 -> 101,785|101,785 (250pH & 0.4%pH) ST: 137,909|137,909 -> 101,931|101,931 (250pH & 0.4%pH) Vitality: 67,836|67,836 -> 50,973|50,973 (25pH & 0.4%pH)(1%pH - Insatiable Gourmand) Vigour: 83,726 -> 51,119 Beast Cores(65%): 20,000 (52,080) Moonlight Qi: 52,080 Toughness: 66,093 -> 50,919 Strength: 86,834 -> 51,959 Agility: 89,222*2 -> 51,025*2 Dexterity: 65,031*1.5 -> 52,109*1.5 Mind: 190,603*2 -> 52,172*2 Divine Sense: 94,000 Insight: 32,070 -> 32,090 Soul: 33,061 -> 32,981 Beauty: 1,731,863*1.55 -> 64,887*1.55 Luck: 233,311*1.02 -> 54,304*1.02 Stat Points: 54,217 -> 54,221 Skill Points: 34,818 -> 34,822 Elemental Affinity: [Moon - 0], [Shadow - 2], [Earth - 8], [Soul''s Affection: 1] Martial Arts: [Lightness Technique] Martial Ability: [The Ever Shaping Cauldron: - ; -/-], [Heavenly Suppression Technique(Prototype, Incomplete)] Innate Ability: [Beast Core Formation] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####], [Soul Palace (Undeveloped)], [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)], [Moon''s Eyes], [Moon''s Crust] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered], [Earthen Walk: Mastered], [Appraisal: Lv.2], [Lunar Nurturing Meditation: Lv.3], [Assimilate (Shadows)], Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.3], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Lunar Enhancement: Mastered], [Agility Mastery: Mastered], [Intention Perception: Mastered], [Basic Presence Concealment: Mastered], [Universal Recovery: Lv.4], [Divine Calligraphy: Lv.2], [Shadow Swimming: Lv.1], [Perfect Memory: Lv.1] Skills: [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Lacerate: Mastered], [Sprint: Mastered], [Quick Double Jump: Mastered], [Camouflage: Mastered], [Sleeping: Lv.2] Passive Skills: [Stealth: Mastered], [Prehensile Mastery: Lv.1], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Thermal Regulation: Lv.2], [Demonic Intimidation: Lv.5], [Linguistics: Mastered], [Enhanced Climbing: Mastered], [Enhanced Basic Senses: Mastered], [Brilliant Mind: Mastered], [Picturesque Beauty: Lv.2], [Four Leaf Clover: Lv.2], [Assassin Mastery: Mastered], [Dexterous Fingers: Mastered], [Inscription Mastery: Mastered], [Alchemy Mastery: Lv.2], [Greater Poison Resistance: Mastered] Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], [Blessing of N¨¹wa], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x2,685], [Skill Coupon x2], [Skill Combination Coupon x2], [Cultivation Gift], [Sub-Profession Coupon x2], [Divine Ability Gift], [Sub-Profession Coupon(Servant)], [Cultivation Gift(Servant)], [Ability Coupon], [Bloodline Gift], [Bloodline Gift(Servant)], [Ability Combination Coupon x2], [Profession Coupon], [Karma Bound], [Black Inscription Master Token], [Essence of ####], [Bloodline Book], [How to obtain Bloodline 101] ] She did not gain a tail, but still lost those Souls. Fortunately, she did obtain an advanced species for her [Shadow Fennec Fox], which was called [Shadow Spirit Fennec Fox]. It didn''t change much other than an easier time gaining additional Tails, but what was more important is that her Level reset and as such her beauty plummeted, which meant she would have an easier time shopping! Aiko smiled happily, but felt pain in her head when she watched the trashed rooms... Chapter 159 – Kinky~ and Apology Aiko was happy that her Beauty dropped so sharply. She would finally be more invisible to the others and attract less unwanted attention. "You look ugl-" The Blood Fox almost choked Umbra Fox for her rude comment. Aiko was startled. "Do I look that bad?" It''s true that she went from millions to around a million... b-but it shouldn''t make that much of a difference! Then Aiko was enlightened. She stored away the special Recognition Inhibition Bracelet from Mei. "How about now?" Aiko asked. "It''s much better." The Blood Fox nodded. "A bit worse than how you looked previously, but good enough as long as you don''t wear that bracelet." The Blood Fox smiled and then she realised she was still choking the Umbra Fox. "Sorry..." *Cough Cough* "It''s fine." The Umbra Fox realised what she had almost done and she was grateful to the Blood Fox for this kind of help. Aiko stared at them for a bit. "I will go and apologise to them." The team was shocked and it was fully displayed on their faces. "That... hurts, you know?" Aiko made a hurt expression and the duo coughed awkwardly. "We will wait till you return." The Umbra Fox said, but she didn''t meet Aiko''s eyes. Aiko softly glared at the Umbra Fox, but there was no reaction from her. Aiko walked out of the room, leaving the two behind... "She is slowly developing into a proper Mistress." The Umbra Fox suddenly murmured. "Since she will be forbidden to do most things, she will learn etiquette quite often..." The Blood Fox was concerned. "True... Maybe in the future we can be placed on a shiny pedestal without worrying about Aiko causing trouble." The Umbra Fox didn''t share the same concern as the Blood Fox. The Blood Fox was worried that Aiko''s refined attitude would attract... unwanted attention. Meanwhile, the Umbra Fox was concerned that she would have to fight endless waves of enemies trying to belittle her Mistress for her conduct if she didn¡¯t improve... ... Aiko walked down the hallway, it was slightly tilted, which puzzled her, but she didn''t ask about it. She approached Lady Liu''s room, but it was already slightly open. Aiko silently entered, but was shocked by what she saw. Lady Liu was currently pushing down on Chen Shi with an intoxicated expression. "C''mon, just one more glass." She ground her body against his body, trying to reach the bottle of wine that he was holding. "Ugh." This was truly torture for him as he was trying his best to keep his reason and not push her down. At the same time, he had to be careful so she wouldn''t snatch the bottle out of his hand. "Liu Zhi." He breathed heavily. "Stop this at once." "Hmpf." Liu Zhi snorted and tried to grab that flask from him, in the process she burrowed his head in her bosom. *Creak* The floor under Aiko made noise and they both snapped towards her. Aiko gulped awkwardly. "My apologies for disturbing your... uhhh... happy time?" She was slowly backing away, trying to run away. Liu Zhi blinked a few times, her drunken stupor was washed away when she saw that the hazy Aiko didn''t disappear. "Oh... Uh..." Her mind was in turmoil. "It''s not how it looks." She tried to defend herself. "It''s alright." Aiko shook her head. "I shouldn''t have entered without knocking." Aiko admitted her fault and was still backing away. "It really isn''t how it looks!" She blushed red like a tomato. Aiko gazed at her. Lady Liu had flushed cheeks and parts of her dress were drenched with sweat. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. She then looked at Chen Shi. He was panting heavily, likewise with flushed cheeks. His face showed signs of being sent into heaven by two heavenly peaks and his little brother was pitching a... significantly large tent for him... Lady Liu followed her gaze. He was in bad shape, but she was incredibly embarrassed when she saw his raging volcano about to erupt. "T-this..." She was now completely red from the ears to the base of her neck. "Isn''t really how it looks." Lady Liu denied it weakly, but she was not very convincing considering her... disposition. "It''s alright, I will just close this door, so please take your time." Aiko elegantly whirled like she was taught by Lady Liu, closing the door behind her, leaving them alone. Aiko sighed in relief that the Inscription Saint was not in his right mind, or he might really cause a fuss about this... ... Back in the room, the duo calmed down. "Please move..." Chen boy begged with a hoarse voice. That voice tickled the already warm Lady Liu''s ears and some of her intoxication returned. She really wanted to tease him more, but remembering that Aiko was just behind the door, she reluctantly got down. She coughed awkwardly and sat down. The Chen boy handed her half a glass of wine and left the room to cool down. Liu Zhi was... not in the mood to taste the wine again, but the smell was simply too intoxicating and she drank all of it. "This wine is truly a sin..." She shook her head. "I will have to teach the girls not to drink this." She vowed to do that the next time they were having their little class. ... Aiko returned with a slight blush. The others stared at her with suspicion. Aiko coughed. "It''s better that we don''t¡­ disturb them for the time being..." Aiko trailed her words, but the meaning was obvious. The Umbra Fox wanted to sneak away and watch the show, but she was stopped by the Blood Fox. "How are you feeling?" She asked Aiko. "I feel alright, but I''m upset that I used Souls for more tails, but I was unable to get one!" Aiko pouted angrily. "Do you hear any voice or are you feeling bothered?" Blood Fox continued her questions. "I hear you." Aiko tilted her head. "But I''m upset that I evolved when I didn''t want to!" She pouted again. The duo''s lips twitched. They would do anything if they could evolve like Aiko did. "Come here." The Blood Fox beckoned Aiko. Aiko came close and in the meanwhile, the Blood Fox sat down and placed Aiko on her lap. "Your tail is much fluffier." She gently caressed through Aiko''s tail. Although the creation of a second tail was a failure and almost endangered their lives, the outcome still came with some... benefits. Aiko''s tail felt like it was alive and masterfully coiled around the Blood Fox''s hand, startling her. "Hehe~" Aiko giggled at that reaction. "Apparently my tail is a lot easier to control now~" Aiko hummed happily, teasing Blood Fox''s palm with the tip of her tail. The Blood Fox tried to catch that tail, but Aiko skilfully avoided her grasp. Aiko giggled, she was happy by the fact that her arsenal of mischief had expanded. The Blood Fox felt a bit upset at the fact that Aiko was able to easily avoid her, so she squished her with her embrace. Aiko giggled and wriggled away from Blood Fox. They played like this for a while until the Inscription Saint came. "While I''m still upset at everything you have caused. I''m also grateful for your rescue at that time." The Inscription Saint bowed gently. He was grateful to Aiko that she stopped them before he pounced on her like a hungry lion. Aiko giggled. "It''s fine. I previously came to apologise due to my... unstable nature." Aiko likewise elegantly bowed, surprising everyone. "What?" Aiko pouted. "It''s not like I don''t learn anything from Lady Liu." Aiko looked away. Her team laughed while the Inscription Saint felt a bit, a tiny bit better... "Anyway. Rest for today, we will explore the surroundings tomorrow. Cook a few Beasts and lift off." The Inscription Saint said his plan. Since they crashed, he might as well use this situation to explore the surroundings. One never knows what they might find... ... Aiko laid down. She was a bit tired from seeing them like that, but also... her new tail was so god-damn heavy! Aiko wanted to cry, since this stinky system caused all of this! The Blood Fox shifted close to Aiko and grasped her new tail. Even when she was not as beautiful, her tail still looked heavenly and she really wanted to properly groom it so it wouldn''t get tangled and become unsightly. She gently combed Aiko''s tail, enjoying the softness. Meanwhile, the Umbra Fox was curiously looking at them. She wondered if that tail was truly that soft... The curiosity got the best of her and she, like the Blood Fox, groomed the other tail. It was not as soft as the new tail, but it was good enough for her. She sometimes wondered if Aiko slept on their tails because they were so soft? It felt incredibly nice to the touch, so she could somewhat understand why Aiko would pursue soft and beautiful tails. The team was lost in their own thoughts and a day slowly passed by. Aiko yawned as she woke up, but she couldn''t move. Her tails were captured by the Blood Fox. Aiko felt strange as she stared at the Blood Fox. This kind of feeling was just weird and this made Aiko think... ''Is this how they feel when I use their tails as bedding...?'' Aiko tilted her head, this feeling was... she couldn''t properly describe it in words, but it was nothing good. Aiko sighed gently and petted the Blood Fox. She knew that she was at fault for always hunting her tails, but it was just too nice of a bedding that allowed her to sleep, making it hard to ignore. She already tried to sleep on the beds on this flying ship and she was able to sleep, but when she combined both the bed and Blood Fox''s tails she slept much, much better! Aiko couldn''t avoid the fact that she wanted to sleep on both of them. The Blood Fox stirred awake and yawned cutely, her ears were low and her tail lay motionlessly behind her. She blinked a few times, but soon she closed her eyes and wanted to go back to sleep. "Wait a god-damn moment!" Aiko was shocked that her inner thoughts leaked through her mouth. The Blood Fox was startled and blinked a few times. Under her was an unfamiliar tail and when she looked to where it was connected... "I''m sorry..." The Blood Fox blushed, but that tail was just too good to pass on. "Did you sleep well?" Aiko''s lips twitched at this cute behaviour. The Blood Fox sheepishly nodded her head. Aiko sighed, shaking her head. "At least tell me when you want to sleep on my tail..." Aiko was startled when she couldn''t move her tail. "But you did the same thing to me..." The Blood Fox murmured. Aiko flinched slightly and she coughed awkwardly. "I''m sorry, I will try to tell you before I jump on your tails..." Aiko avoided the Blood Fox''s gentle gaze. It was truly burdensome... Chapter 160 – A breathtaking sight and Aiko missing A few days later, after everyone rested, they left the ship. Aiko was puzzled why the ship was half burrowed in the ground and that''s when her team told her the reason. Aiko blushed and apologised to Inscription Saint again, she didn''t expect it to be this bad... Chen Shi was taking it well, since Lady Liu was around and looking quite excited. This eased his bleeding heart from the loss of wealth. Even when Aiko told him that she would pay for the damages, it was not easy to repair a flying ship¡­ Aiko didn''t run around this time, as she was somewhere far away from any waypoints that she knew, she didn¡¯t want to get lost. Her main goal was the capital, but they were not heading to the next Capital, but to the Tranquil Garden Empire''s main Capital. The Inscription Saint wanted to settle there and there was also a princess from the fallen kingdom, so Aiko didn''t refuse. Lady Liu walked around looking at everything, it had been quite a long time since the last time she went on an outing, so she had to thank Aiko for crashing the ship. Of course, she wouldn''t tell her directly, as not to encourage that kind of behaviour. She will be kinder to Aiko and that''s about it. Aiko and her team followed their lead, with the Inscription Saint around, it was safe, so there was no way they would let them get away. Lady Liu walked around the forest until they came to a flowery expanse. It was a breathtaking sight that stunned them. They didn''t expect to find something like this, considering this place was not here when they were flying around. "A good find." The Inscription Saint nodded slowly. He was exploring thousands of Li in advance on the flying ship, but could not find this place no matter how hard he tried. "Vicious Cub." He looked at Aiko. "Remember this place and when you have time, explore it on your own." This place was incredibly precious and hard to find since it could hide itself. The Inscription Saint heard bees¡¯ humming and stopped walking. "We will be returning to the boundary." He didn''t wait for anyone''s answer and grasped Lady Liu''s hand. He would guide her outside while the bees were still playing nice. Aiko didn''t know why he wanted to leave and she was reluctant to leave since it was a beautiful sight, but she would not risk it, not having the protection of the Inscription Saint could turn out bad... They walked behind them slowly as he was carefully guiding them outside, but suddenly, on one step, Aiko vanished. "FUUUUUUUC-" Aiko''s voice stabbed their ears. *Splash* The Inscription Saint looked back and could not see that little rascal. "Where is she?" He heard her scream, but could not find her. "We don''t know." The Blood Fox was a bit restless since Aiko disappeared right from her sight. "Where did she disappear?" He asked a different question. "Here." The Blood Fox pointed at a certain place, but didn''t approach it. The Inscription Saint approached it without care since he was powerful enough to save himself if something happened. There was a strange natural illusion that covered a hole in the ground, not a big hole since none of them would fit... but Aiko was thin enough that she slipped between the cracks. "We can''t destroy it haphazardly, lest it caves in completely." He sighed. "We will return to the ship where I have the Divine Sense amplifier and I will try to find her through that." The duo didn''t agree with that plan, but they couldn''t fit into that hole, so they had to follow them. They were not happy about this, but he was the most powerful person around, so they had to go along with it. This also meant that he had the highest chance of finding Aiko... ... "UUUUUUUCK-" Aiko splashed into a body of water. "Ew!" Aiko cried out since this water was freezing cold. She used her [Quick Double Jump] to get her out of the water. "C-c-cold." Aiko was freezing so she transformed back into her Fox form. "F-fuck! I-it''s still c-cold!" Aiko cursed and explored this place with her eyes. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. It was a dimly lit large cave, but thanks to her [Dark Vision], she was able to see almost everything. Aiko blinked a few times since one tunnel leading away was shrouded in dark mist that her eyes couldn''t see through, but there was also a nudging feeling that tempted her to go into that fog. She activated her [Moon''s Eyes] and sure enough, she was able to see through the fog. There was nothing dangerous about that fog, so Aiko stepped inside with her [Moon''s Eyes] active at all times. The previous tunnel turned into well ornamented walls and she was able to navigate it easily. There were also countless Inscriptions- Words on the wall. They were hard to read even for Aiko since she didn''t know many of those words. The gist of it was that there was a great evil sealed in here, but what kind of evil or what it could do... that was not written down... Aiko continued to walk as a Fox, but she could hardly see the words that were high on the wall, so she transformed back... "Dammit! I forgot the clothes back in the cave!" Aiko was so focused on trying to find a source of warmth that it completely slipped her mind. She clicked her tongue. "I will have to return for it later. She used her Sect Token to clothe herself and continued walking. Now with additional height, she was able to read those words and sentences much easier, but she still lacked the necessary knowledge about most words to make the content coherent. Soon she stopped in front of a¡­ concerning thing. "Don''t tell me it''s a maze..." In front of Aiko stretched an endless maze with endless possibilities. Aiko cursed loudly as she didn''t like mazes, for some reason they creeped her out... ... Aiko arrived at the entrance of the maze. She looked at the peak of those walls, but they were shrouded in a white mist that she could not see through. Those walls were also incredibly high, making it impossible to jump over them, whilst also being too smooth to climb or even get a grip on. But not for Aiko! With her [Quick Double Jump] and coordination, she was able to somewhat scale the wall, but. *Thunk* -1,000HP Aiko hit an invisible wall that was hidden behind the fog. She crashed down, but she was able to double jump at the last second, breaking her fall. Aiko once again cursed loudly, but there was no one to appreciate her vocabulary. "Fuck! I''m not dealing with this shit!" Aiko turned around and wanted to leave, but behind her was the same white fog that she saw above. Aiko gulped, she wanted to curse, but she had an odd feeling. And that feeling was right, since that fog was closing in on her. Aiko cursed again and jumped into the maze, since there was something creepy about this white fog... The maze was... surprisingly clean? It was all white without any blemishes or rubble, no decay could be spotted on it. ''Strange...'' Aiko thought, as previously the maze looked old and rocky, yet this white polished stone looked amazing in her eyes. Aiko walked forward. Why forward? Because behind her was the same white maze corridor! That''s right, she couldn''t see the entrance of the maze any more! Aiko sniffled softly, she wanted to stay under the Inscription Saint protection and laze around, but she ended up in deep trouble... ... She walked and walked. The room was ever so slowly darkening, but it was hard to spot, as the change was so minute that it slipped by the [Moon''s Eyes]. ... Another change occurred, but this was a noticeable one. Vines were slowly hanging down the walls and ceiling. It gave it a more creepy feeling. Aiko was startled by the change, but she didn''t know what else to do than just to walk forward. ... A moss slowly formed under her feet and around the bottom of the walls. It made moist sounds whenever Aiko stepped on it, this was also the first time she regretted not having any shoes. The sounds were alright, but the texture was revolting and she wanted to cry. "..." "..." "..." Aiko turned around when she heard some muffled noises, but there was nothing behind her. She was now very scared. She didn''t understand what was happening, her [Moon''s Eyes] nor her [Intention Perception] could pick up anything... Aiko gulped and walked forward. Now even rocks appeared and the previously pristine corridor turned into old and uninhabited ruins... if only the last part was true. "She a beauty." "She pretty." "She delectable." "She tasty?" "Very?" "Taste." "Taste." "Taste." "Taste." The strange sentences lingered in Aiko''s mind and it slowly gnawed at her sanity. She kept walking, but she subconsciously held her head, since she was starting to feel pain. "Eat." "Eat." "Eat." The words turned more concerning and Aiko started to run. "You will never be able to get that job." "What are you doing, you bastard!? Redo it!" "You are just a scum. Don''t call me ever again!" Strange sentences assaulted Aiko''s ears. She cried out as those sentences hurt more than those previous whispers. She ran even faster, but that didn''t slow those voices down, she could not lose them... ... After half an hour of those voices constantly barraging and humiliating Aiko, she finally collapsed as she couldn¡¯t keep her breathing steady. She grasped her head, since it hurt like a bitch. The white fog was slowly approaching her. If one looked extremely carefully, they might spot a face in the fog that was smiling sinisterly... ... Back on the ship, the Inscription Saint was activating the Divine Sense amplifier. From a few hundred of Li of Divine Sense, it became thousands of Li. He carefully scanned all the information he could get from the Divine Sense, but he frowned. "I can''t find her in a 2 thousand Li radius..." His frown deepened, and Aiko''s team was ready to rush outside. Lady Liu glanced at Chen Shi and he swiftly put them to sleep by drawing into the void. Lady Liu sighed. "They shouldn''t wander around." She shook her head and her eyes shone in a strange colour. "Liu Zhi..." Chen Shi said his eyes so wet they nearly teared up. "It''s alright." Liu Zhi looked tired, but she was smiling. "There is no danger to her and she will even have unexpected gains..." She chuckled. "I can''t understand why there are so many Heaven''s Sons and Daughters..." She was concerned. "Will it affect us?" He asked carefully. "If you are not seduced, it won''t affect us." She shook her head. She was not in danger since she was a Mortal, but Chen Shi was a Cultivator, which meant he would be easily affected by the Heavenly Daughters... "That won''t happen." His face hardened when he realised what she was implying. He also felt slightly hurt... Lady Liu giggled. "You never know when you might find someone more appealing~" She teased Chen Shi, but she didn''t expect such a strange reaction from him. He abruptly stood up and cornered her. He looked like a hungry beast staring at his prey. Liu Zhi subconsciously gulped and a strange feeling crept into her mind. "No." Lady Liu covered his lips. "I''m tired and we haven''t found Aiko yet!" His eyes were smiling like he achieved his purpose. He took her hands and softly said. "I will do my best then." Liu Zhi breathed a sigh of relief, but that also meant she let her guard down. Chen Shi aimed for this and gave her a light peck on her lips. Before Liu Zhi could process what happened and scold him, he was already sitting back in the chair, expanding his Divine Sense. She could only turn red from embarrassment and return to her room to cool herself down and rest. Chapter 161 – Is that… Home? Aiko was in pain, she felt awful, but a certain feeling bubbled inside her. "SHUT UP!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. The scream reverberated like a howl, a deep howl from a sleeping beast. It not only pulverised the white fog, but also all of those strange rocks, vines and moss. The corridor returned to its former white colour. Aiko unfortunately passed out after the scream. Her body lay motionlessly, but she was breathing slowly like she was sleeping. The mist didn''t dare to approach her as it was quivering in the corner of the final room, hoping that that monster wouldn''t come for him... ... Aiko woke up in an unfamiliar place. It was dark, very dark. Not even the [Dark Vision] could combat this darkness. She blinked a few times. Under her was a sea of red and above her was a sea of black. The sea of red tried to form something in front of Aiko, but it was unable to. Aiko felt... at ease here, like she was back home. She wanted to stay here, but a deep voice interrupted her curiosity. "You are too weak, you can''t stay here." That deep voice was without much emotion, but Aiko could feel concern from its voice. She wanted to call him an uncle, but her mind stopped her. There was something strange about this whole situation. "You are confused, leave for now and only come when you are stronger." The voice drifted all around her. She could not see the person or thing that talked to her. She didn''t try to find out about it and waited, soon a gentle feeling touched her Soul and she was sent out of this strange place... ... Aiko woke up, she was back in the white maze, but it was back to its pure form without any blemishes. Aiko felt good, like she slept for a long time, but her age did not progress, so it was truly just a feeling. She stretched, looking around, but she didn''t hear any voices. She was slightly upset, but when she took a step forward, the scenery completely changed. Aiko was in a large, well-decorated room. There was a pedestal in the middle of the room, but that was not the most interesting thing for Aiko. She spotted a shivering translucent being. It flinched when Aiko laid her eyes on it. It dashed towards her, Aiko was ready to fight, but... "Please spare my life, Princess!" He demonstrated the perfect dogeza. Aiko was startled by that new and unfamiliar nickname. "Were you the one that caused the whole thing?" Aiko tilted her head sinisterly. "Yes, I mean no!" He shook his head while half-crying. "This is a Natural Illusion, so I can''t change it, but if you gnaw at the mind of the ones that enter you will be able to minutely alter the look until they lose their mind." He explained while banging his head on the floor. "I have sinned, but please spare my life!" Aiko was confused as this was not a usual Soul. "What are you?" Aiko tilted her head and nudged him, he was somewhat touchable. There was a feeling of passing through, but also a feeling of resistance... "I''m a Ghost Cultivator!" He said proudly, but Aiko stared at him strangely. "What is that?" Aiko didn''t know much about Ghost Cultivators... "When you die, you have a few options." He narrated what happens when one dies. "The first one is when you have a fulfilling life, you will go into the Reincarnation River and wash all the sorrows and happiness away." "The second one would be when you die painfully, you will turn into a Vengeful Spirit." "The third one would be when you use a special Cultivation technique or when a Soul Artefact captures you." He counted on his fingers something. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. "Cultivation Techniques would allow you to stay alive during the night, but burn slowly and painfully during the day. Meanwhile, Soul Artefacts would allow you to gain a semi-freedom while keeping you safe during the day." He slowly explained and even created a tiny animated ghost that Aiko really liked. Aiko suddenly glanced into the middle of the room. "You are amazing!" He nodded, bootli- praising her. "That is one of such Artefacts, but this one was not created by Human Cultivators, it''s what we call Natural Treasure." He explained his vessel. "It is very different from man-made artefacts, by the fact that it will never deteriorate, but of course, there are limits to it. If you burden Natural Treasures too much, they will slowly deteriorate like man-made Artefacts." He pointed at the pedestal. "This is a very rare Primordial Soul Wood." He explained with endless praise. "I have been looking for it for my whole life, but my companion killed me for it, so I slowly tortured him to death." He sighed, but stiffened. "Of course, I would never do that to my Master." Aiko listened till now and froze when she heard his attitude. "Who said you are my servant?!" Aiko scoffed. "I still have not forgiven you for that maze!" She smiled sinisterly as her hair slowly turned black. The Ghost shivered like crazy. "I have sinned, I have sinned. Let me be your slave! I will do anything for you, Master!" He was very perceptive, as he lived a long time. He observed this little Fox the whole time and gauged her attitude, as long as he didn''t call her Mistress and sated her needs... he would be safe. "Slave, huh..." Aiko pondered on it. "Say..." She smiled like a devil. "How similar is your body to that of a Soul?" She still had a few unfinished businesses and one of them was with that Inscription asshole that told her only half of the story and didn''t allow her to enter that Inscription Temple. He swayed like a leaf in the wind. He knew he would get badly tortured and abused, but if he didn''t explain and agree to everything, then his thousands upon thousands of years would go to waste! "We might look similar, but we are quite different." He gestured. "For example, us Ghost Cultivators have what you call Dantian. We can cultivate like normal Cultivators... it''s just a lot harder." He sighed, but didn''t stop his explanation. "Meanwhile, Soul beings do not have Dantian, but that doesn''t mean they can''t obtain it. You could say that Soul form is the first step for you to obtain Ghost form and thus obtain Dantian." He slowly explained, since he felt like if he explained normally, he would really be badly tortured. "Can you turn back into Soul form?" Aiko asked, this was not good for her plans. "No, but I can imitate the Soul form." He told her the truth, hoping to lessen his sentence... "How good of an imitation would that be?" Aiko narrowed her eyes and he gulped nervously. "Around 80-90%?" He scratched his head. "If I can nurture my Soul, I will be able to fully imitate it." He said slowly, glancing at her. "Is that why you look so ugly?" Aiko tilted her head. His whole being was blurry, which made him inherently ugly. The Ghost Cultivator choked. He was never called ugly in his entire life, but he would have to bear it. He can''t go against her or he will be finished... The Ghost Cultivator sighed. "It is as you say, Master. If you allow me to nurture myself, I will be more pleasing to the eye." He hoped to regain his glory one day. "Okay." Aiko''s smile deepened, she had the perfect slave for her plans~. Aiko hummed happily and his bad feeling intensified. "You just have to swear on your Soul that you are my slave, you belong to me, you will never betray me and so on~" She giggled with large red eyes staring at him. A shiver went down his spine as he heard a particular legend. Most Demonic Beings had red eyes, but they were murky, from their mind being taken over. Then you had Demonic Beings that had clear red eyes, but they had deep colours. Those were the Devil Folk. Then there was the last group, only mentioned from Legend and Passing. Nobody in the Immortal World dared to slight them in any way. Not even when nobody was around them... He gulped nervously. "W-will you let me live?" He was quivering. All paths now led to death, but not just death, but total annihilation, erasure of his entire being. "That depends on how well you will perform." Aiko smiled sweetly. He gulped. "I, a lowly Ghost Cultivator, swear upon my Soul that I''m no more than a slave to the grand being in front of me. I''m but a speck of dust that will roll and settle as my Master wishes. If I do anything to harm my Master, my Soul will disperse under her rule!" A small ball of light left his body and the same happened to Aiko, but hers was more animated. Her small ball of light pulled chains made out of the blackest substance and chained the Ghost Cultivator''s small ball of light. Then both of those lights entered Aiko''s body and she could feel a faint connection, a string of life, in her body. She could feel that if she wished, he would perish without any resistance. She nodded slowly, but happily, her hair returning to her former, moon-like colour. "A wise choice." Aiko hummed. "So, how do we nurture your Soul?" Aiko was a Beast and a Fox at that, it was very easy to nurture her Soul as that was what her species specialised in. "Soul Fluid." He said simply. "Soul Fluid?" Aiko tilted her head. "It''s ermmm..." He didn''t know how much he could tell her without the Heavenly Dao making things difficult for her. "It comes from other Souls." He said simply. "Other Souls? From what part? Don''t tell me it''s from the Inner part of the Soul?" Aiko was concerned that she would have to touch the Inner part. "Nononono." He shook his head hurriedly, he didn''t expect that she would be so knowledgeable when it came to this kind of thing. "It''s the Outermost part of the Soul. Not the Outer part, but the Outermost part." He created a recreation of a Soul for Aiko to understand. "Do you see that slight hue?" He gestured at the hue that was forming around the Outer part of the Soul. Aiko nodded slowly, it was barely visible to her. "You can harvest that for Soul Fluid. It doesn''t spoil under the right conditions and you don''t have to use complex techniques to prepare it, you just need a tool to harvest it for you." He explained with fervent desire. "Not to mention, since you are not harming the Soul, it will produce the Soul Fluid till the Soul perishes or disperses! As such, you are not breaking any Dao Laws!" He smugly said. "Can I use it too?" Aiko tilted her head. "This can be used by any being that has a 3-part Soul. I have not tested it on beings with fewer parts, but there were beings with more parts that could also use it..." He discreetly glanced at his new Master. ''That includes you, Master...'' "Oh..." Aiko smiled happily. "What do we need for that tool?" Aiko wanted to take this easy route since squishing Souls would still mean she had to engage with them, but with this, she didn''t have to worry about that! Chapter 162 – Slave Number 1 Aiko asked about the materials. "That would be difficult, Master." He shook his head. "You need to be at least a Forging Emperor or Grade 5 Blacksmith to be able to create it. Not to mention it''s not really a righteous way of doing things, so most famous Forging Emperors won''t even look your way..." He sighed, feeling pity towards his new Master. "I see..." Aiko nodded slowly. "What should I call you, by the way?" Aiko tilted her head. "Ghost Cultivators do not have names, so you can call me whatever, Master." He smiled gently, but Aiko could not see that since he was too blurry. "Slave 1." Aiko nodded slowly. He choked badly, but did not protest. He still had to observe his new Master for a bit more to gauge her temperament, so it wouldn''t end up badly for him. "Yes, Master?" He bowed elegantly. "What can we take from here?" Aiko wanted to rob this place blind and then create tools to tor- test them on her new slave... He hesitated for a bit. "It''s a bit complicated to take too much from here, I would suggest waiting till you have a more powerful Soul, so that you can resist the Natural Treasure." He advised his Master. Aiko slowly nodded. "Wait, does that mean we can have the Natural Treasure?" Aiko tilted her head. He laughed happily. "Master, anything can be moved if you try hard enough!" That was his life motto and for the most part of his life, it always worked. Aiko felt a sense of kinship with him. She was very happy to have this kind of slave, so she reduced his sentence from 50 years of torture to 49 years and 359 days. Aiko smiled. "Then what can we take?" She tilted her head. "There is a melted meteorite in that special Spatial Ring." He pointed at a small ring in the corner of the bed. "You can only store materials in there, but they will slowly melt over time making it easier for you to work with them." He explained. "Well, it will only heat up some materials, so it all depends on the kind of material you will place inside, but I do not recommend placing any Mortal metals inside, Master." He advised his Master. "Why?" Aiko didn''t understand why he would single it out like that. "They will turn into steam, which will be hard to contain and work with." He gestured. "While the heat is fine for most Immortal metals or alloys, that is not the case for mortal stuff, as it has very little Qi inside that protects it from the heat that the inside of the ring is giving it. "Oh..." Aiko nodded slowly. Molten meteorite... Aiko thought about it and she really wanted to use it on her [The Ever Shaping Cauldron], but the word molten scared her too much. She would have to wait till her Divine Sense is powerful enough that she could protect her insides from being burned black. "What else can we take?" She asked Slave 1. "Naturally we have to take the Primordial Soul Wood." He pointed at it. "You can Refine it over time, just don''t make it into Array Flags or Alchemy Cutting Boards!" He warned his Master. "I wouldn''t waste it like that." Aiko''s eyes rolled at him. "Can I store it inside the Storage Ring?" Aiko asked. "No, since a Soul is attached to it, you would need a special Spatial Ring, you can''t use normal Storage Rings." He shook his head. "Oh..." Aiko nodded slowly. "What is the difference between a Storage Ring and a Spatial Ring?" Aiko was curious. "The difference is simple. Storage Ring is your everyday ring with just storage capacity. Meanwhile, the Spatial Ring is a special ring that can have additional properties. Like keeping Herbs fresh, Storing Souls, burning things and so on." He pointed at the Ring in his Master''s hand, the one that melted things. Aiko nodded slowly. "But it must be harder to create, right?" "That is correct. While you can create a Storage Ring at the stage of Forging Master, you need to be at least a Forging Ancestor or Grade 6 Blacksmith to start trying Spatial Rings." He gestured at the Rank floating in the air. Stolen story; please report. Aiko nodded slowly. It would be cool if she could have a few dozen Storage Rings so she didn''t have to carry with her anything else, but those rings. "What do you need to create Storage and Spatial Rings?" Aiko asked Slave 1. "Meteorite for Storage Rings and more precious metals for Spatial Rings depending on what you want to use it for." He gently said, but he had a hard time suppressing the chuckle that was threatening to escape his lips when he saw his Master''s shocked face. "Fuck..." Aiko cursed, which surprised the Ghost Cultivator. He was used to the fact that girls in front of him would play all cute and nice, but never did he hear a female curse so openly in front of him and without shame... "Well..." Aiko sighed. "Yes, Master?" He straightened right away. "Anything else?" She asked him. "No, with your strength it''s impossible to take anything else..." He will have a truly difficult time with this Master, since her expressions were a bit too much for his old Soul, but if he laughed he would be sent to the 18th Hells. Aiko sighed. "Let''s go..." She felt a bit sad that she couldn''t take more, but this should be good enough... "Um, Master... don''t forget the Primordial Soul Wood..." He was a bit concerned about his well-being if his Master had already forgotten to take him with her. "Right... and the clothes..." Aiko sighed again, she felt tired. She wanted to laze around and play with Lady Liu while doing nothing the rest of the day. ''Fortunately, that Inscription guy forbade me from doing anything, so I will use that as an excuse not to do anything.'' Aiko smiled and laughed sinisterly. ... Aiko arrived at the ''Maze'' yet again. "So this is the main part of the Natural Treasure?" Aiko asked Slave 1. "Yes, but we can''t take it for now." He warned his Master again so she wouldn''t get any ideas. "When we get it, what can we do with it?" Aiko asked. ''If it will still be here...'' He thought. "We can make an Illusion Defensive Formation from it, similar to what you experienced." He gestured. Aiko glared at him and he flinched, but he couldn''t hide since he had to be close to the Primordial Soul Wood, otherwise, the connection with it would break. Aiko arrived at the large cave. Her clothes were still there, so she picked them up and wanted to use her [Earthen Walk] to leave. "Aren''t you going to take that Natural Treasure?" Slave 1 asked her. "Eh? There is?" Aiko was puzzled since all she could feel was coldness. "There is." He pointed at the body of water that Aiko fell into. Aiko''s expression turned ugly. "I can bring it for you¡­? Since I''m Ghost, I''m very good against ice." He gently smiled, but Aiko couldn''t see it. "Go!" Aiko commanded and he rushed into the ''lake''. Aiko was just happy that she didn''t need to go in by herself. Soon he returned with a crystal ball in his hands. "I''m not sure what this exactly is, but with its strength, it should be something like Millennial Ice Jade?" He tilted his head and tapped it a few times. Aiko stored it in her Storage Ring and the temperature rose noticeably. "Anything else?" She was not very interested in that cold thing, but she didn''t want to miss out on any treasure. "Nothing that I know of." He shook his head. "That''s fine then." She walked into a wall and he wanted to warn her that there was nothing there, but she just phased through it. He was momentarily shocked, but¡­ Of course just because she phased through it, didn''t mean the wood would also phase through it... *Clank* The Primordial Soul Wood, the treasure sought by many was dumped on the ground like some kind of trash... "..." He blankly stared at the Wood and where his Master disappeared... Will he be truly alright with this kind of Master? ... Aiko breathed fresh air above the ground, but realised she was not holding anything. She blushed from embarrassment and used her [Earthen Walk] to return to the cave. This motion didn''t escape the Inscription Saint''s Divine Sense. He stood up abruptly. He was locked in this room with Aiko''s team, which barraged him with questions and just tried to make him spill the beans that didn''t exist. "She is back. I will pick her up and we will leave as soon as possible." He said in a neutral voice, but he could see Aiko''s team already rushing at him. He used [Drawing into the Void] to disappear from his position and Aiko''s team could only curse him loudly... ... Aiko returned to the cave and picked up the Primordial Soul Wood awkwardly. The blank stare from her Slave 1 said it all and she could not meet his gaze. She carefully used the hole where she fell through to escort that Primordial Soul Wood with the Ghost Cultivator. She was back, breathing fresh air above the ground. The Ghost Cultivator was nowhere to be seen, but soon the space ruptured and the Inscription Saint gracefully walked outside the rupture. However, the moment he spotted Aiko he almost staggered and fell. "I-i-is that Soul Wood?!" His eyes almost popped out of his eye sockets. "Nice to see you too." Aiko kicked his shin. "Auch." For such a small Fox, Aiko packed quite the kick. "Yeah, yeah. Enjoyed your adventure? Cool. We are leaving as soon as possible, there will be a stampede soon." He was still in shock from seeing that priceless treasure on her. That was good material for those that were close to death, they would be able to store their Souls inside and wait for the proper vessel to appear to occupy their bodies... He would definitely try to trade it for his treasures! He swiped his hand and another rupture appeared from his Runes. He stepped inside and waited for that little rascal to go with him. Aiko was concerned about the rupture since she didn''t like it, but seeing his pressing eyes, she had no other option, but to get inside and brace for the impact... They appeared on the other side of the rupture. Her team was already anxiously waiting for her and Aiko staggered outside. She was motion-sick from the journey and she didn''t feel like standing, so she just plopped down on the ground. Her team glared at the Inscription Saint with open hostility, believing that he treated Aiko harshly. He ignored them since he had more severe matters to attend to, like the incoming stampede. They must avoid that at all costs! He rushed out of the room that was unlocked by his Divine Sense and disappeared into the corridors without saying a word. His main goal was now to lift this flying ship that was buried in the ground! Chapter 163 – ?? Inscription Sovereign and Kinky Dream Aiko was smothered by the worried duo, she didn''t mind their worry... but that didn''t mean she was not upset by those balloons pressing on her face. She didn''t like that, since it was suffocating her. She could not hear what they were saying, since those cushions dampened their voices. Aiko slipped away from them, panting heavily. She glared at their bosoms as if they were her mortal enemy. The duo sighed in relief, it seemed Aiko was back to being Aiko. "Did he bully you?" The Blood Fox asked in apprehension. "No, the movement skill made me dizzy." Aiko sighed, she didn''t like that type of travel at all... The duo nodded slowly, but still inspected Aiko for any injuries or anything that could threaten her. "Master..." The Ghost Cultivator felt wronged. Beauties like those two used to flock to him and he could have enjoy every single one of them, but he didn''t. He coldly rejected all of them, just so that they would come crawling back again and again... He was not used to being ignored. The duo snapped towards him with a pair of piercing gazes and he flinched. It was not as bad as Aiko''s normal gaze, but it still stung his Soul. ''As expected of Foxes, they are our nemeses...'' He shrunk back. "I found this guy down there where I fell." Aiko said slowly. "It was not a pleasant experience, so he swore himself to me as slave 1." Aiko smiled innocently, but something in her words just sounded so sinister. Hearing that underlying sinister context, they didn''t ask more about him, but they would still keep their eyes on him, just in case he tried anything funny... "Master..." The Ghost sobbed. "What is it?" Aiko was annoyed at this bastard, since she was previously annoyed by those bouncing jellies... "That guy is dangerous, Master. He is an Inscription Sovereign." Slave 1 said slowly. "Inscription Sovereign?" Aiko tilted her head. "Yes. That is the highest Inscription Rank one can achieve in the Mortal World..." He said slowly. Aiko paused for a moment. He was indeed dangerous if it was not for Lady Liu. "He is also a Rune Cultivator, you should be careful about his hand movements." He warned his Master. The duo frowned. They liked this strange guy a bit more, since they were badly taken off-guard by the Inscription Saint. "I agree with him." The Blood Fox said and smiled gently at Aiko. Aiko nodded slowly. "Fine, but let''s rest first." Aiko yawned. She had enough of their yapping and just wanted to rest on a soft tai- bed, soft bed. But her eyes still stared at Blood Fox''s tails. The Blood Fox swayed them slightly to entice Aiko, but Aiko looked away and left. The duo giggled and followed her. ... Aiko immediately plopped onto the bed and yawned again. She slowly closed her eyes and slept peacefully. The duo was surprised that Aiko didn''t go after the Blood Fox''s tails, but they didn''t dwell on it too much. It would be bad for their mental health if they tried to understand Aiko''s antics. They sat down together. Now that Aiko was back, they were a lot less frantic. "What do we do now?" The Umbra Fox asked the Blood Fox. "We are going to one of our destinations, so all is good." The Blood Fox shook her head, and while she did not like his attitude, the Inscription Saint did not have a bad character... "But it''s a shocker that he is an Inscription Sovereign." The Umbra Fox murmured. "Well, I guess he is called the Inscription Saint for a reason..." "Yeah..." The Blood Fox nodded slowly. "But as long as Lady Liu is around, we are safe." "True." The Umbra Fox slowly nodded. "Are we just going to sleep too or...?" "We will rest, we didn''t rest much when we were worrying about for Aiko." The Blood Fox said with a bit of a tired voice. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. The Umbra Fox nodded slowly. "That''s fine." She was ready to keep watch while the Blood Fox slept, but the Blood Fox had a different idea. She pulled the Umbra Fox on the bed and closed her eyes. The Umbra Fox was left speechless and wanted to question her actions, but before she could do that, she was rebuked by the Blood Fox. "You wouldn''t sleep if I didn''t drag you into this soft bed." The Blood Fox said dismissively. The Umbra Fox didn''t know what to say to that, since that was the truth, so she just closed her eyes to not raise any suspicion... ... Aiko woke up once again and yawned. She had a somewhat good sleep, but it just couldn''t compare to the bedding made out of heaven-defying soft tails... She stretched her small body, she was a bit creaky from that experience and sleeping on the ground certainly did not help to improve that, but that will fix itself in a few days. Aiko looked around. The Blood Fox and Umbra Fox slept together, but Aiko could see that the Umbra Fox tried to run away even in her sleep. She wondered what the Umbra Fox was dreaming about and was curious... Suddenly her surroundings changed. She was in a well-decorated room and a lot of buzzing sounds came from the bed. Aiko stared towards the bed. The Umbra Fox was lying there moaning from pleasure. She had toys littered all around the bed. Aiko looked towards the bed again. She was there with the Umbra Fox. She looked a lot older and... ''Why can''t I have such peaks now!?'' Aiko cursed the Umbra Fox and her clone, especially her clone, since she had nice proportions when it came to boobs. Aiko wanted to reprimand the Umbra Fox, but it felt useless since she was wriggling from the pleasure, but unable to get away since her hands and feet were tied up. "Mistress! Please forgive me! You can sleep on my tails, so please let me go!" The Umbra Fox pleaded between moans. Aiko blushed furiously and the scenery shattered. She was blankly staring at the waking Umbra Fox. The Umbra Fox stared back, but when she spotted Aiko she looked away, red like a tomato. Aiko''s questions only increased, but there was no way she could ask about any of that. Firstly, those toys were not well-defined. They were very blurry and hard to describe, the only thing Aiko heard was a buzzing sound, which meant it was moving or vibrating or something. Secondly, if she asked about it, it would feel like she invaded her privacy. Even if that was not the case, Aiko felt bad that she caught the Umbra Fox in such a compromising position... But... ''I need to do something about the Mistress part...'' Aiko had a headache from that strange sight and she would have to change it, since it felt wrong... She didn''t know what was wrong, but it was better to change it now than to regret it later! The Blood Fox stirred awake from the Umbra Fox waking up. "What''s wrong?" The Blood Fox propped her head with her hand, her curved body on full display. "N-nothing!" The Umbra Fox stuttered. ''As if I can tell you what I dreamed about! You would tear me apart!'' The Umbra Fox sobbed in her mind, her dreams were truly sinful! Those dreams would cause her downfall if they were found out! Aiko coughed. "I''m bored, so let''s visit Liu Zhi." Aiko broke that strange atmosphere and the Umbra Fox smiled in relief. The Blood Fox went into the bathroom to tidy up and Aiko moved closer to the Umbra Fox. "Don''t worry, I won''t tell anyone." Aiko gave the Umbra Fox a thumbs up, but Umbra Fox stiffened. ''There is no way she knows, right??'' The Umbra Fox''s mind rolled in endless imaginations of what might happen if the Jade Fox or Blood Fox figured out what kind of dirty dreams she was having. ''There is no way she knows...'' She calmed herself down, but soon jolted. ''But what if she knows?!'' Her mind was a complete mess and she didn''t know how she should take Aiko''s motion. She sat down and hugged her knees, her wellbeing was truly in Aiko''s hands and she would suffer greatly if Aiko said anything wrong. ''Sob, I want a normal master...'' From the moment Aiko returned with that cute visage, she couldn''t help but imagine how she would look like, when she grew up. From that point on... she had one strange dream after another. ''But it was all about strange toys and nothing else...'' The Umbra Fox tilted her head. ''At least let me go all the way! Why do you have to torture me, Mistress!? Sob...'' She quietly cried in her mind, but on the outside, she looked like a lost child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Aiko giggled at her antics and petted her. "Everything is alright." The Umbra Fox sniffled. "Mistress..." She felt even worse since she imagined those things... "We will go and greet Liu Zhi soon, you should tidy up." Aiko gently pushed the Umbra Fox into the vacant bathroom. The Blood Fox looked at them strangely. "What happened?" "Nothing much, for the first time in a long time she wants to play the lazy one." Aiko lied without batting an eye. "Oh..." The Blood Fox swallowed that lie easily, since it was hard to get the Umbra Fox into the bed, but easy to make her sleep. She didn''t suspect anything since everything lined up well. "Should I do your hair?" The Blood Fox asked gently. Not wanting to be abandoned by Aiko, she would play the role of the ever-loyal maid, so that she can be next to Aiko. ''Forever and ever~'' "If you don''t mind." Aiko smiled gently. She liked this tender side of Blood Fox. The side that didn''t mercilessly pound her enemies into a ground or bloody pulp. "You will need some knuckles..." Aiko suddenly thought. "Or gauntlet." She tilted her head. Knuckles were easily stored and equipped, while gauntlets were heavy and burdensome to wear, but fully protected the whole hand with a part of the forearm. The Blood Fox tilted her head cutely. It seemed like she had never heard about knuckles. Aiko slowly explained while she was tended by and the Blood Fox nodded slowly. "That indeed sounds like the best option for me..." She liked the ease of use and versatility. Aiko nodded, she also thought, but the gauntlets were also not bad... She would buy some later so that the Blood Fox could test it out and make up her mind about her weapon of choice. "I wonder what kind of weapon the Umbra Fox will have..." Aiko swung her legs. "A whip?" The Blood Fox tilted her head. Aiko blushed when she imagined the Umbra Fox wielding a whip. "I don''t think that is a good idea..." Aiko thought seriously, but she was not aware that the Blood Fox looked at her with a strange glint in her eyes. "Now that you say it..." Aiko tilted her head. "I''m not sure what kind of weapon would fit her¡­ and throwing weapons doesn''t really count..." Aiko scrunched her face. She didn''t know what she should imagine as a weapon for that sneaky Fox. Aiko soon gave up on thinking about it as the Umbra Fox returned from the bathroom. She was tidied up and in the Assassination Uniform. The Umbra Fox had the newer version, since she was part of Aiko''s team. "Great craftsmanship." Aiko praised that Tailor guy''s attention to detail. "It is much better than the previous Assassination Uniform." The Umbra Fox nodded in acknowledgement. "Well, is everyone ready?" Aiko looked over at her team and softly asked. "En." "Yes, Mistress." They both nodded gently. Aiko smiled and opened the door, their destination was towards Liu Zhi''s room! Chapter 164 – 10 years and old ‘friend’ They arrived in front of Liu Zhi''s room, but this time Aiko didn''t forget to knock on the door. "Come in." Liu Zhi''s voice drifted from inside. Aiko and her team entered and Liu Zhi was reading a book on the sofa lazily. Liu Zhi lifted her head and smiled. "Here for lessons?" Aiko nodded slowly, she would learn from her and laze around when not learning, since this was a good opportunity to gain some weight and levels from the food. Liu Zhi stood and began her lessons. ... [Happy Birthday!] [You are now 10 years old!] [Please choose a gift:] [1. Meat - 2,000] [2. Book of Providence*] [3. Stat and Skill Points - 2,000] [4. Surprise - Surprise] Aiko salivated at those 2,000 pieces of meat, but she didn''t immediately pick it, since her sight was attracted to the Book of Providence. ''Maybe I should take it...'' It had that asterisk, which meant if she didn''t choose it now, she would never be able to obtain it again. Aiko frowned, this was a bad dilemma to fall into. On one side there were 3 Evolutions worth of meat, but on the other, there was a precious book containing knowledge... ''Ugh. I have this!'' Aiko cried out as she cursed about her indecisiveness and unfairness. Aiko scrunched her face a few times. ''Ugh! Fine!'' Aiko clicked on the second option. [You have obtained [Book of Providence]!] Aiko nodded slowly. She went into the bathroom and took out the book. [Your current Providence: 10,000 (####)] That was all that was written in the book. "FUCK!" Aiko cursed loudly. She was scammed once again! "Are you alright?" Lady Liu asked with concern. "Yeah, I just stubbed my toe, everything is alright!" Aiko lied through her teeth and turned the page. There had to be something more about this book! [Mei''s Providence: 100,000] ''Oh! It shows the providence of others!'' Aiko''s eyes shined. [####''s (Blood Fox) Providence: 1 (Declined from 10,000,000)] ''What the fuck?!'' Aiko choked at that huge number, but she tilted her head. ''What do you mean declined? Can that happen?'' Aiko couldn''t understand quite well. She looked through it more. [Umbra Fox''s Providence: 100 (Climbing)] ''At least someone has lower Providence than I do!'' Aiko was somewhat happy that she wasn''t a bottom feeder! But she still didn''t know what providence was... She sighed and scrolled the book. There were many empty pages, but then the Inscription Saint appeared. [Chen Shi''s Providence (In this life): 1,000,000] ''Fuck that''s high!'' Aiko''s eyes rolled around. ''No wonder he is how he is...'' She turned another page and when she saw the number, she almost choked to death. [Liu Zhi''s Providence: 1 (Declined from 1,000,000,000)] ''It''s declined, but that''s still too many 0s!'' Aiko''s mind spun around, she did not understand what Providence was, but she did understand that those numbers were not common! Aiko rolled a few more pages, but those names were blurred and she could not read them nor see their Providence, so she soon gave up. ''It''s not really interesting, since I don''t understand what I should be looking for... Aiko closed the book and stored it inside her inventory. She came out of the bathroom and Lady Liu was staring at her with a strange glint in her eyes. Aiko didn''t understand why Liu Zhi looked at her like that, but it was not a hostile gaze, so she didn''t mind. "This will be it for now." Lady Liu smiled gently. The team breathed a sigh of relief, since Aiko was banned from doing almost anything fun, they were coming and going to Lady Liu for lessons each day and sometimes even multiple times a day. At first, they were having fun, but the harder it got, the less gentle Lady Liu became. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Aiko didn''t mind it as much, since there was nothing to do, but her team didn''t agree. They really wanted to run away, but they also believed their spirits weren''t any weaker than Aiko''s, so they refused to give in. This delighted Lady Liu, since most Cultivators would leave after the basic course, but Aiko and her team were now on the advanced course and approaching the expert course. "You have been doing wonderfully." Lady Liu praised them with a gentle smile. The team sighed. They didn''t expect that Aiko would still have so much energy. "We are approaching the Capital, so our lessons will temporarily come to an end." She sighed sadly. "But worry not, we will switch future lessons from etiquette to beauty and beauty treatments." Lady Liu giggled when she saw the shine in their eyes. They nodded enthusiastically. "Good, now go." Lady Liu escorted them away, but it looked like she was shooing them away. The team was puzzled, but they didn''t dwell on it too much. ... They returned to their room. Aiko still didn''t have anything to do, but wait. She sighed out of boredom. "I will visit Lady Liu again." She stood up. "You don''t have to come with me." Aiko stared at the tired duo that was trying to get up. They breathed a sigh of relief that they didn''t need to follow her. Aiko marched towards Liu Zhi''s room. She knocked again, but nobody answered. She waited for a bit, her ears were picking up strange sounds, which meant she was inside. Aiko waited a bit more before she entered. She was slightly worried about Lady Liu. That was a mistake... Once Aiko entered, she saw the pair of lovebirds making out on the sofa. Aiko once again froze stiff, but this time she didn''t wait and slowly made her exit. ''Let''s leave them some room to finish...'' Aiko nodded slowly. She closed the doors behind her and browsed her storage ring. She took a sheet of paper and pen to write down: My apologies for disturbing you, I wish to visit you again and play with you Lady Liu, but I will wait till you are finished with your ''work''. Sincerely Aiko Aiko folded that paper and placed it in between the cracks, so that it would fall down once one of them tried to leave the room. Aiko returned to her team. They looked at her strangely, but Aiko replied simply. "It''s better to give them some time." Aiko looked away right after. The team rolled their eyes. Aiko attracted those kind of situations, like moths do flames, so both of them vowed to only do it when they knew they either had distance, or locked doors between themselves and Aiko. Her team sighed at her openly and Aiko flinched defensively. "It''s not my fault that they decided to go at it in the middle of the day!" Aiko felt wronged. Her team''s judgemental gaze shocked her. "You are so mean!" Aiko sobbed and stormed to her little castle made out of pillows. Yes, that''s right. Aiko was so bored that she was building castles and other buildings out of pillows. This was a harmless game and it also allowed her to sleep better without terrorising her Blood Fox¡¯s tails. The castle shook gently from the impact of Aiko jumping into it, but it still stood ''strong''. Her team giggled and shook their heads. "One stare and our Mistress loses all reason." The Umbra Fox sighed and pouted. "Would you be happy if we judged you for your ''luck''?" The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes and smiled dangerously. The Umbra Fox ignored that stare and thought about it... "No... I wouldn''t..." Her lips tightened, she wouldn''t like that at all. ''But... It''s so fun to tease Mistress, considering what she is doing to me when I dream- What am I saying!?'' The Umbra Fox shook her head. Her delusions were getting the best of her... The Blood Fox watched the strange Umbra Fox with narrowed eyes. There was a sense of betrayal and she didn''t like that. Aiko''s ears popped out of the top of the castle. This indicated that she was already asleep. "Should we fix her little castle?" The Umbra Fox asked. "We should, but let''s wait, she will thrash around a bit more and we would have to fix it each time." The Blood Fox didn''t reject that motion, they just postponed it so they didn''t have to work that often. That''s right. Aiko''s indestructible castle was not as indestructible as she thought. She was not aware that her team patched her castle here and there, allowing her to sleep in it without waking up to the mess. "But it''s still cute because her ears twitch." The Umbra Fox suddenly commented. The Blood Fox nodded in agreement. "She must be dreaming something nice..." ... Aiko was currently being chased by gigantic Chen Shi. "You peeping tom!" Chen Shi roared and Aiko ran even faster away from him... ... Aiko woke up the next day. She was bored, so she went on the deck. There she stretched gently. She looked left, there she saw a familiar bird. She looked right. There was nothing there. She looked up. There was nothing there. She yawned and wanted to go inside when her brain finally caught up to her sight. "Ah! You pecking bastard!" Aiko suddenly roared at that stupid bird. The bird flinched in confusion. Aiko transformed into her fox form. "Ah! You slapping bitch!" The birdie likewise roared back. He flew onto the deck and was ready to peck her. Aiko was likewise ready to slap him. ""What is happening?!"" Two voices said in sync. The Chen boy looked over the Great Roc. The Great Roc Mother looked over him. One pecked a small Roc, while the other pinched the Fox. They nodded at each other in understanding and each of them returned to their places. It took a while for both of them to understand what was happening, but Aiko soon roared. "Let me slap that bastard!" Aiko tried to wiggle free from his pinch, but it was too powerful and she couldn''t free herself... "Let me peck her, Mom!" The Roc likewise struggled, but couldn''t escape. Both of them sighed, but didn''t let them escape. They already had enough troubles with the oncoming beast tides, they didn''t need another conflict to arise. "As an apology, let me invite you later for a tea." Chen Shi suddenly said. "I will accept your apology, but the tea will have to wait." Great Roc Mother said gently, before she flew off. The Inscription Saint sighed, he hoped that this wouldn''t become an issue. "And you! You rascal! What were you doing outside?!" Chen Shi reprimanded Aiko. "I''m bored! I''m bored!" Aiko protested. Lazing around was nice, but that optimism only lasted for a few days. "Maybe if you didn''t occupy Liu Zhi I wouldn''t cause trouble!" Aiko spat at him. He blushed red. "You rascal! Were you peeping at us again?!" He was upset. "Lock the doors next time, idiot!" Aiko showed him her tongue. A vein popped on his forehead and he ruffled Aiko''s fur. "Stop it!" Aiko bit him again and again, but a translucent barrier stopped her. "Fuck! I can''t even bite you!" Aiko cursed him openly. The blushing Liu Zhi glared at Chen Shi. Chen Shi flinched from her gaze. "You didn''t lock the door?" Something about her smile was off and cold sweat ran down his spine. Aiko found the perfect counterattack. "Liu Zhi, you have to teach me how to seduce others!" Aiko''s comment did not help with the situation. "It was so hot how he was all over you~!" Yes, Aiko intended to pour all the oil she could muster up into that fire so she could burn down this whole place for the grandest ever-blazing revenge~! Liu Zhi glared at Chen Shi. This was all his fault, since he convinced her they wouldn''t be found out. She came close to him and pulled him by the ear. "Liu Zhi..." Chen Shi felt wronged and sobbed sadly. "Silence!" Liu Zhi was upset, since Aiko was still a child and she shouldn''t have seen that kind of sight! Chapter 165 – Warning and the Capital Aiko rolled on the bed. There are only a few days left till they can leave this ship and explore the capital. Her team was drinking tea and chatting about something, but Aiko was not interested enough to eavesdrop on them. She yawned a few times, still slightly upset that she couldn''t battle it out with that bastard. Aiko got up slowly. She would sneak onto the deck since Lady Liu would be currently reprimanding him. ... It was easier than Aiko expected. The fresh air and light breeze caressed her body and she felt alive yet again. It was too stuffy down inside, but now that she breathed that fresh air, she felt a lot less restless and bored. If she knew that this was all it took to get rid of her boredom, she would do it sooner. She gazed at the endless scenery, on her back was that familiar Primordial Soul Wood. "Master?" The Ghost finally popped out again. "What is it?" Aiko yawned, she didn''t want to listen to him. ''How mean...'' Slave 1 sobbed inside his mind. "Are we heading towards that Human settlement?" He suddenly asked. "Yeah?" Aiko didn''t know where he was going with this. "There are many Beast Energies inside that settlement, you should be careful." Slave 1 warned her. Aiko nodded slowly. It was not that strange that Beasts were inside the settlement since she also went on missions into the cities. That meant that Foxes might inhabit this settlement... which would be interesting. ''Only one person can take the same mission.'' Aiko tilted her head. ''I wonder what kind of mission they are on.'' She was curious but that curiosity could wait. Even if she had a sudden surge of interest to act on that information, she still lack the methods to contact and ask them, nor did she know who to look for. Aiko leaned against the railing, watching as the hills and mountains passed by. "There are not many rivers." Aiko pondered a bit. "Most rivers were dried up when Mahayana Cultivators fought some way from here." He explained. Aiko nodded slowly. How amazing and powerful do they have to be to permanently change the landscape? Aiko wanted to see them fight, but since they caused such large-scale destruction... there was no way she would be able to survive that, which saddened her. She rolled on the railing. Aiko would have to capture some Human Cultivators for Soul Fluid, but even before that, she would have to make the relic which extracted that Soul Fluid. That meant she would have to learn Forging. Aiko hoped that it was easier than Alchemy, she also hoped that she would finally be able to utilize the [The Ever Shaping Cauldron] for it''s intended purpose. That would save her a lot of trouble since she would be able to carry it within her. "What are you doing here?" A stern voice asked her. Aiko''s ears perked up. "Were you bullied enough?" Aiko asked flatly. The Inscription Saint glared at her. "Lady Liu wants to see you." "Oh... you have been demoted." Aiko nodded with a smile, several veins popped on his forehead, but he didn''t do anything and hmpfed away from her, lest she said anything more and he would be demoted to complete stranger... Aiko stood up from her lazy rolling and slowly walked towards Lady Liu''s door. *Knock Knock* Aiko knocked softly, but loudly enough that she would be heard. "Come in." A nice voice welcomed her inside. "Lady Liu." Aiko bowed elegantly and Liu Zhi nodded gently. "You are improving well." She praised Aiko softly. She would have to adjust a few of her movements, but other than that, it was almost a perfect greeting. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Of course, Cultivators had a different kind of greeting, but seeing Aiko''s aversion to general Cultivators, she hadn''t taught her yet. "We are almost at the Capital." She said slowly. "There is a council that will discuss the incoming Stampede." She said with concern. "We will be joining, but I will be mostly a third wheel, so if you wish to keep me company, you can come with us." Aiko furrowed her small brows. "I''m not sure..." She hesitated, since the only other Beast and Cultivators she met were all weirdos. She didn''t want to attract the attention of yet another weirdo. "I knew you might not want to go, so I asked Chen Shi to get you a map of the Capital." She smiled gently. "This will help you during your exploration." She gently caressed Aiko''s head. Aiko nodded. "That would be great, we wouldn''t need to sneak around to find the important facilities." Aiko smiled back and hugged Lady Liu. "Now!" Lady Liu clapped her hands. "It''s time for grooming!" She smiled with different hair brushes in each hand and others littered around her. Aiko stared blankly, they were not there when she came inside. ''Where did they appear from??'' Aiko couldn''t understand what happened nor how she was already sitting on her lap. Lady Liu was happily humming while grooming her hair and tail with a blissful expression. Aiko was puzzled, but she didn''t shy away. Lady Liu was happy and didn''t scold her, so that was all that mattered to her... ... The remaining days were peaceful and Aiko was even allowed back on deck. That didn''t last long, since they arrived at the Capital the next day. Aiko pouted. She wanted to fly a bit more and enjoy the breeze, but the Inscription Saint looked like he was in a hurry, so she didn''t press him on. She shook her head in disappointment when they landed outside. Aiko wanted to see the Capital from the air when they flew over, but unfortunately, they couldn''t. And for a good reason. Each city has a Defensive Array that protects it from most common harm, but most of these Arrays, including this one are mass-produced, they have many flaws. One of which is that they don''t take large amounts of Qi kindly and flying ships were more or less oversized lumps of Qi that could easily mess up the Array, making the city defenceless. The Inscription Saint was aware of that and that''s why he landed outside, not that he would explain any of this to Aiko and her team. He was still sulking from the fact that Lady Liu scolded him so much, he felt wronged by that. As such, he would take it out on Aiko and her team without Lady Liu''s knowledge. That allowed him to vent and at the same time not worsen his relationship. Unfortunately, The Venerable Inscription Saint had left out one fatal flaw, his target was brimming with as much if not more immaturity than him. As such, he would later find out that this silly plan of his would not be very effective... ''I will have to build everything from scratch...'' He cried in his mind. While Lady Liu held a very prudent image, she didn''t mind engaging in those kinds of activities as long as nobody found out. But they were found out by the worst person, which was Aiko. Lady Liu was not aware of what was happening inside the Fox Village, so she thought that Aiko was a simple child who went outside to explore the world and do some Sect missions. She was half-right, but Aiko was no child. Her eyes were already tainted by the Fox Village in addition to the Human side when she visited the Inscription Association. If Lady Liu knew this, she wouldn''t scold Chen Shi as harshly as she did, but unfortunately, she couldn''t ask Aiko what kind of experience she has. ... Aiko jumped down with her team, while Lady Liu waited for the descending stairs to form so she could go down slowly and safely. They met down on the ground after 10 minutes, Lady Liu told them about their accommodation inside the Capital and bid them farewell, since Chen Shi was a very busy person. Aiko didn''t mind this abrupt goodbye, since they agreed to meet later and have their small classes with her. Aiko was not concerned about what might happen to Liu Zhi, since Chen Shi would protect her. Aiko could go inside the City with peace of mind and explore it to her heart''s content. She even got a map from that sulking guy! Aiko opened the map and many other maps fell from it. The main map was simple, it showed and labelled on the main districts. The smaller maps were of those districts, with detailed buildings and their names, so Aiko could figure out where she wanted to go. Aiko nodded gently. They would first visit the manufacturing district. She was interested in Forging, so she could create that thing. Aiko nodded and walked towards that district, but first, they had to pass the main gate. She sneaked back to Lady Liu and Chen Shi, since she didn''t want to wait. "How dare you skip the lane!" One angry lady wanted to grab the pipsqueak that was cutting the waiting line, but Aiko was too nimble for her. "Mind your business, stinky hag!" Aiko was upset that some random old hag tried to grab her. "You-!" She wanted to continue this battle with this brat, but unfortunately, that pipsqueak got away. "You are causing trouble again..." Chen Shi wanted to reprimand her, but was stopped by Lady Liu. "It''s fine, since they want to cause trouble, it''s only natural that they would pick someone that looks small and weak." Lady Liu shook her head at Chen Shi, like she was trying to teach an unruly child. Chen Shi choked when he saw her expression and his expression changed to a crestfallen one... "If someone bothers you, don''t hesitate to strike back. You are part of the Cultivation World." Lady Liu sighed. "That''s like a wolf''s world, if you don''t bite, they might eat you alive." She gestured to the unsavoury world that they lived in. Aiko had a Recognition Inhibition bracelet on her, both of them, which allowed her to reduce her presence greatly. Paired with her Assassination Uniform, which slightly dampened her presence, most mortals would not be able to notice her... "I know, don''t worry." Aiko knew about this, but she didn''t want to kill indiscriminately... She didn''t know how to extract the Souls and how to keep them. It would be a waste to kill them now... unless they would be individuals that would cause troubles in the future, then Aiko would not hesitate to cleanly cut them by the stem. If she knew that those behind the person she killed might cause trouble, then she would definitely pull them by their roots! ... They passed by that huge and glorious gate. It was much smaller from a distance, but after seeing it up close, it... it could easily reach 40 metres in height! Aiko was tiny compared to it! The Capital inside those walls was similarly glorious and wealthy. All the roads were from some kind of precious stone, side roads were included. Lamps were everywhere, illuminating everything, which greatly put the residents at ease and reduced the crime rate. Soldiers were making patrols here and there, even more enforcing the safety feeling that the huge walls and lamps provided. Aiko was impressed by their wealth. She would be able to learn about those kinds of things. She also hoped that the Imperial family was dignified and knew how to decorate things... Now, Aiko was slightly saddened that she hadn''t taken Lady Liu on her offer before... Chapter 166 – Future and Courtyard Aiko looked around to see if she could spot Lady Liu whom she separated from. Unfortunately, she could not see her, but fortunately, her ears were still sharp. Aiko guided her team around the alleys until they found them. "Lady Liu." Aiko smiled and ran up to her, but froze when she saw a certain someone. "Agh! You little-!" Aiko raged, but was quickly covered by Blood Fox''s hand. "You little-!" Likewise, that brat was shut by his mother. Aiko¡¯s team''s lips twitched. The Great Roc Mother''s lips twitched. Lady Liu giggled. "Do you know each other?" She asked gently, but she was enjoying the sight of two children trying to duke it out and their ''parents'' trying to stop them. "You are enjoying yourself a bit too much, Lady Liu." The Great Roc Mother in her Human form smiled. "You are imagining things." Liu Zhi giggled. The Inscription Saint was holding his forehead. He didn''t want to deal with the fallout of this thing... "What did you need?" Liu Zhi gently patted Aiko to calm her down. Aiko stiffened. ''Right... I was here to join Lady Liu.'' Aiko nodded and spoke, but Blood Fox still covered her mouth. "Passion?" Lady Liu laughed. The Blood Fox blushed and released Aiko, she was still thinking about how they would survive this meeting and she completely ignored her surroundings. "Can I join you, Liu Zhi?" Aiko hugged her with cute fox eyes and droopy ears. The Great Roc Mother raised her eyebrows. She didn''t believe that Lady Liu would be this close to other Beasts and to Fox no less. Lady Liu pinched Aiko''s cheeks. "Why do you want to join us?" Naturally, this cutesy act didn''t completely work on her. The Great Roc Mother was apprehensive about this Fox, since Foxes liked to mess with people, which might cause trouble during the council. This council was important for both Beasts and Humans, but not Foxes. Foxes had their Grand Defensive Formation that was hard to decipher. It was powerful enough to stop the Stampede, which meant they had no need to attend this event... "I want to see their decoration sense and if I like it I hope to learn it." Aiko didn''t conceal it, since she knew Lady Liu didn''t like beating around the bush... at least for certain things. The Great Roc Mother almost face-planted when she heard Aiko''s reason. ''There is no way this is the real reason...'' She narrowed her eyes, while she held her son tightly so he wouldn''t cause trouble. Lady Liu laughed. "Alright, but don''t wander around, okay?" Lady Liu readily agreed and petted Aiko again. ''She agreed?!'' The Great Roc Mother was shocked. She couldn''t understand why Lady Liu would endanger this council just so she could indulge a stupid lustful Fox... Liu Zhi felt that gaze and smiled. "You will understand soon." She liked this Fox since she was different. Aiko smiled from ear to ear and stuck close to Lady Liu. She smirked towards Chen Shi. His veins bulged and he wanted to slap this rascal, but he couldn''t. After all, he was still a dignified Inscription Saint! Or so he thought... The Great Roc Mother glanced at this strange triangle. ''Well... this definitely will be fun.'' She smiled slightly. ''She is smirking at me!'' Chen Shi cried in his mind when he saw the always expressionless Great Roc Mother smile slightly. "We are first going to our residence to prepare." Lady Liu said while caressing Aiko''s hair, the silkiness of it was truly addicting. The Great Roc Mother followed them, mostly because she wanted to visit Lady Liu again. The last time she visited her was not that long, only around 40 years ago, but the strain of time could be seen on Lady Liu... ''I should''ve visited sooner.'' The Great Roc Mother liked Lady Liu and Chen Shi, so she hoped that she would be able to become closer to them. ... If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. They arrived at the Cloud Seeking Manor. It was a huge and glorious Manor with a moat in front of the main wall. They crossed a well-decorated bridge. Aiko was already restless since this place was simply breathtaking! When they entered, there were gardens in front of them. Ponds with fishes swimming inside and Cherry Blossoms trees planted here and there. It was a peaceful and tranquil courtyard. Lady Liu was likewise surprised, as she didn''t see all that many places. While Cultivators could cross thousands upon thousands of Li, that was not the case for Mortals. They could barely cross 200 Li before they were eaten by wild Beasts. Liu Zhi knew about Aiko''s restlessness and surprise. She was a very intelligent person. She knew that she wouldn''t be able to enjoy and browse with Aiko around. "Go." Liu Shi nudged Aiko inside, letting her free. "Really?!" Aiko was shocked, but Lady Liu smiled gently. "En. Now go before you are called back again-" Before she could even finish her words, Aiko had already darted inside. "And she is gone." Lady Liu laughed. "Shall we?" She smiled at the confused duo. "She will destroy things..." Chen Shi swallowed the rest of his words because of her glare. "I... don''t understand?" The Great Roc Mother was confused. "They are not here to seduce Humans." She more or less understood the Fox''s backstories when she taught them back on the flying ship and Capital City. The Great Roc Mother''s mind was confused. She met many Foxes, but one thing was unanimous, their love for sex and seduction. "You wouldn''t believe how clumsy she is." Lady Liu sighed. "She is more of a tomboy than an actual Fox." She shook her head. The Great Roc Mother''s lips tightened. She didn''t believe it, all she could see was a refined young lady, albeit with an air of immaturity around her. "Fortunately, they learned well..." Lady Liu laughed when she remembered their first classes. They couldn''t even maintain a straight back... "You..." The Great Roc Mother didn''t want to admit it, but she had to be the ''adult'' here. "Really like them..." "En. They are cuties with their own lives and fates." She nodded, but the Great Roc Mother¡¯s face hardened. She looked at Chen Zhi, but he shook his head, saying that it was useless to try to stop her... Her heart ached, but she couldn''t do anything about it. ''If she were a Cultivator I could feed her some Herbs to improve her constitution, but she is a Mortal, it would be bad if something happened to her just because of my negligence...'' She sighed and came closer to Lady Liu, placing her Human hand on her. She was old and wise, but it still pained her to see her interest slowly destroy herself... "I''m alright." Lady Liu smiled gently. "Lives come and go. This wouldn''t be the first nor the last time I will experience this." As her end was drawing near, emotions and memories from previous lives slowly resurfaced. The Great Roc Mother choked. "You will be tormented by the Buddhists again!" She hated those bald bastards that chanted their fart scriptures! "That is something that I can''t avoid..." But there was a strange smile on her lips. "Don''t cry." She wiped the Great Roc Mother''s tear that was about to slip. Chen Shi realised something and his muscles tightened, it seemed that he was not the only one trying to pursue Lady Liu. ''Not to mention there was one annoying brat trying to stick to her.'' He glared towards the direction where Aiko and her team disappeared... ... Aiko ran around the gardens. There were a few bridges over the ponds. Everything was extremely well decorated, like it was a singing orchestra of colours and sounds. There were even a few coloured birds flying around. Fortunately, Aiko ate enough or they might''ve become good fried chickens. She loved the sense of stability and equilibrium this place provided. ''I want to recreate this feeling!'' Aiko thought. Suddenly she spotted a few noises and sneaked towards them. They were Human Cultivators in black clothing with weapons that smelled bad. They communicated through signs and Aiko didn''t like that. She couldn''t translate what they were saying, which upset her and concerned her. This place smelled wonderful, so there was no way that perfectionist Chen Shi would allow them to wear such smelly weapons. Aiko stretched gently and dashed towards them. They looked shocked and took a defensive stance, but they were easily defeated by Aiko''s left hand. Those who wanted to run away were subjugated by Umbra Fox''s nimbleness. "You are amazing." Aiko''s eyes shined on the Umbra Fox''s body. Umbra Fox blushed red since this kind of gaze reminded her of- Ahem, it was not good for her lus- fragile heart. The Umbra Fox asked like a servant. "What should we do with them, Mistress?" "Strip them, tie them tightly and we will hand them over to the Inscription Saint." Aiko commanded and her group got to work. While she felt much better, she didn''t want to burden her right and dominant hand if she didn''t need to. She had to admit that having servants was a really nice thing sometimes... ... "This is an amazing pebble." The Great Roc Mother was touching the Artefact that Aiko created. "I only have a few treasures with similar effects, but none that wouldn''t affect your lifespan..." She noticed that this Artefact was powerful, but it was not as Qi-hungry as her artefacts. "This is a replica of a very old Artefact." Chen Shi commented. "In those times, people were obsessed about efficiency. If it affected their Cultivation even slightly, they considered it a failure." He gave them some background about it. "Amazing!" The Great Roc Mother nodded like a child who found an interesting toy. Moreover, Aiko''s image improved greatly in her mind. "Do you think she can recreate some of my Treasures and Artefacts?" She asked with narrowed eyes. "Treasures? Sure. Artefact? That would depend." Chen Shi didn''t like to praise that rascal, but he had to admit that her ability in Inscriptions would surpass his, one day. She nodded. "That''s good, that''s good." She needed a few Artefacts to leave this realm and she needed to do it as soon as possible. If she could speed up the process, she didn''t mind sacrificing a few Treasures for this, since they were unusable in higher Realms/Worlds. Suddenly the window opened and Aiko jumped inside. "We found some smelly bastards!" Aiko giggled and they threw them on the ground in front of them. They looked messed up, some of their teeth were missing and their faces and bodies were covered with bruises. "I have stored the weapons for the time being, but I will hand them over once we are alone." Aiko said to the Inscription Saint. He narrowed his eyes. "Why not now?" "Because they poison the air." Aiko looked towards Lady Liu and the Inscription Saint understood. "Fine." He didn''t want to go along with this rascal''s suggestions, but he also didn''t want to endanger Lady Liu''s life. Chapter 167 – Get a Room! And Aiko is… Aiko… "Why are they so beaten up?" The Great Roc Mother tilted her head. "They spat poison and tried to crush their teeth to kill themselves." Aiko said without batting an eye. The Inscription Saint''s lips twitched. "How did you figure that out?" He was interested in a way to find their poison teeth. "One of them killed themselves when their teeth crunched." Aiko smiled. Chen Shi was confused. "Why are they beaten up then? You could''ve just pulled their teeth out and stripped them of their weapons and poisons." He pointed at their broken and messed up teeth. Aiko tilted her head. "Because we couldn¡¯t find those teeth. They were so well hidden." Aiko looked away. "So we beat them up a little bit, in order for them to confess where they were." She murmured. *Pft* "Hahaha, that''s hilarious." The Great Roc Mother laughed loudly. Lady Liu was right, this little Fox was unlike those that she met on this continent. ''No wonder that Lady Liu doesn''t mind this strange Fox team...'' Now that she was less biased towards Aiko and her team, she noticed that their uniforms were very different to what she was used to. ''It looks hard to wear, but it doesn''t allow you to flash anything or provide easy access to your body...'' She narrowed her eyes. She had such a bad prejudice that she didn''t even notice these simple things. The Great Roc Mother felt slightly ashamed, as her sight and speed were always top-notch, but to think they could be clouded so badly that she didn''t notice something so obvious... "So you beat them up to reveal where their poison teeth were?" She was amused. "Yeah." Aiko nodded, that feeling of apprehension and dislike vanished for this cut- gorgeous milf?! The Great Roc Mother was quite tall at around 175 cm. She had a buxom body that was ravishingly alluring, but with an air of maturity, giving it an older, but dignified vibe. By her face, she looked like she was in her mid-30s, but it was still a spotless face. Her nose was tiny, but her eyebrows were quite long. She looked cute with such a tiny nose. Her eyebrows had the feather pattern, which gave her a unique, but welcoming vibe. She had a normal human head, but there were quite a few beautiful feathers on the side where her ears were. They didn''t replace her ears, they were just there to make her look more beautiful¡­? Her hair was light brown in colour, which was rare for Humans. Most Humans had black hair, there were some variations and exotic colours, but that was only because of their powerful Spiritual Roots. Her hair wasn¡¯t that long, only about to the middle of her back, but It was hard to say for sure since it was made into a clumsy bun. Her arms were slender, and looked like they would break with a careless touch. The Great Roc Mother''s thighs were as thick as it gets. Not abnormally thick, but thick enough that it attracted attention and called for good smacking and groping. Her waist was slightly thin, unlike the common hourglass figure for Foxes, she didn''t have one, but it was close enough that it could pass the hourglass figure test. The Great Roc Mother''s nails were slightly longer and pointy, they kind of looked like claws, but without the bend. ... As Aiko was checking her out, she was suddenly ambushed by two slim arms that looked weak, but were incomparably strong. Aiko was immediately sandwiched between two large peaks. "You are such a cutie when I look at you again, fufu~" She giggled, smothering Aiko to the best of her abilities, while enjoying the glare from Aiko''s team. "Where did you find her?" The Great Roc Mother asked Lady Liu. "She found me." Lady Liu laughed. "Or rather, Chen boy couldn''t bear her language, so he brought her to me. He wanted her to learn some manners." Lady Liu giggled, remembering that crude language. "Was it that bad?" The Great Roc Mother didn''t believe that such a cutie would need to learn manners and had crude language. "You are in for a ride." Lady Liu laughed loudly and stood up. "I will go to my room, so you can deal with those weapons." If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. She walked away, but abruptly paused. "Oh right, if you cuddle her too much, she will scratch you." Lady Liu was a moment too late... Aiko already used her [Lacerate] to get away from this suffocating embrace. She hated that kind of embrace since she couldn''t breathe. Her ''claws'' didn''t do anything to the Great Roc Mother''s skin, but... her clothes were different. She tore her clothes, releasing the large mass that was held back by the bandages and it almost crushed Aiko under their weight. The Great Roc Mother was still processing this whole situation. She blushed crimson red and covered herself. She didn''t glare at Aiko, but towards a certain Inscription Saint. The tea that he just sipped drooled onto his lap. That scorching feeling close to his member snapped him out of the daze and he turned around. The Great Roc Mother snorted at him, but she was still somewhat happy that he reacted to her. She was concerned that he was either into... boys or that he only loved Lady Liu. She then looked towards Lady Liu. Lady Liu was openly staring with a slight blush, but when Liu Zhi noticed the Great Roc Mother''s gaze, she coughed gently and left the room. Aiko breathed fresh air after being released and glared at those mountains that were crushing her, they were significantly larger when those torn bandages did not restrict them. The Blood Fox promptly dragged Aiko away so that she wouldn''t ogle that bird-brain Lady. The Great Roc Mother chuckled at the strange Red Fox, she didn''t mind being seen by them, since she now knew they were different, but it was still cute how that Red Fox acted. ''It would be fun to watch them grow up, but I need to leave soon...'' She sighed sadly. She took new clothes and bandages from her Spacial Ring and changed her torn clothing... ... Aiko and the others came back to the room. The Great Roc Mother now had a lavish red dress on her, which made her even more sexy. The Inscription Saint stared at her for a good 5 minutes, until Aiko had enough and stomped his feet. "If you want to ogle her, then invite her to your room." Aiko huffed in annoyance. Chen Shi didn''t react much, but Aiko was not finished. "And don''t forget to lock the doors!" Aiko half-shouted, but it was heard throughout the beautiful courtyard. Chen Shi choked badly and he murderously glared at Aiko, this little bastard was too much! The Great Roc Mother, who drank elegantly, spat her tea again. Her shock was apparent, but she was very interested in this story. She perked her human ears, but unfortunately, Aiko hmpfed in annoyance and went to the table. The Inscription Saint was just about to give her an earful, but he froze when he saw those weapons and the familiar smell of poison. "It''s the same poison you were inflicted with!" He completely changed his mind, he was more interested in the weapons than scolding Aiko. "Is it?" Aiko tilted her head, she was not very familiar with the poison smell. "Yeah!" He nodded absent-mindedly, this was huge, since he had a hard time getting the poison to test antidotes, but these weapons were pretty much laced with it! He could use this to develop his antidote and be safe from these kinds of assassins! Chen Shi was so interested in those swords that even the Great Roc Mother pouted. She enjoyed their reaction when she was ''stripped'' by Aiko, especially Lady Liu''s reaction. For such an innocent person, she is quite peculiar. She smiled gently. If those old fogeys knew that their teacher was likewise peculiar, they wouldn''t believe her. Lady Liu always acted with dignity and innocence. She had the air of a young girl seeking love, but who knew she was already tainted by this world... The Great Roc Mother licked her lips to clean the almost-dropping tea. She noticed a gaze on her and turned towards it. The small little Fox was staring at her. Aiko suddenly opened her mouth. "Get a room, you two." She spat out. "One has a boner, while the other is ogling it..." Aiko shook her head. The Great Roc Mother was unaware where she was looking when she licked her lips and she blushed furiously. "It''s not like that! I''m more interested in- Oops!" The Great Roc Mother glared at the little Fox who had her tongue out. She couldn''t believe that she almost confessed in front of Chen Shi, but fortunately, he was more interested in those swords than in their conversation. The Great Roc Mother pinched Aiko''s cheek. "You little rascal, no wonder Lady Liu likes you." "Auch." The Great Roc Mother was incomparably more powerful compared to Aiko, which caused Aiko pain. Aiko didn¡¯t glare at her, but at a certain place. She immediately covered her chest. She liked these clothes since they could make Chen Shi freeze in place, she didn''t want them to get destroyed by this little Fox! The Great Roc Mother glared back at Aiko and Aiko definitely wouldn''t be outdone! They had this glaring contest for a while until Chen Shi snapped out of his kink- daze and stared at them. "How much are you willing to sell me these weapons?" He asked. This was Aiko''s loot from restraining them and he wouldn''t take it, since he couldn''t feel them enter the Manor. This was a scary thought since this place was littered with Inscriptions, yet none of them triggered. Moreover, his Divine Sense also couldn''t find them, so it was a miracle that Aiko could find them by herself! Aiko stared at him for a while. "I don''t really need them since they give me an uneasy feeling. So let''s just say you owe me." Aiko said without batting an eye. "Sure." He readily agreed. Normally he wouldn''t agree since this kind of trade had only disadvantages, but he really, really needed those swords laced with poison, so he would be immune against the radical group that hated Inscription Cultivators. Aiko smiled. "Now get a room!" She pointed at his raging boner and the blushing Great Roc Mother. They both glared at her, covering themselves... ... Aiko sighed. She was kicked out of the room by the two of them. "Seriously, shy fuckers that can''t get a room." Aiko shook her head. Her team stared at her blankly. They were speechless at her conduct just now, but they also didn''t want her to change. The current Aiko didn''t give a shit and wasn''t a pushover, unless Mei was involved, which meant that they would never lose against someone in a battle of words, it''s just... Her conduct was sometimes¡­ too shameless! So much so that it made them embarrassed! Especially the Blood Fox, since she learned the etiquette fastest, but at the same time she was concerned that the other two would fall behind, so she slowed her progress in consideration. She shouldn''t have... with this speed, Aiko and the Umbra Fox won''t learn till the rest of their lives! The Blood Fox made up her mind to leave them in the dust the next time they learned etiquette! Aiko needs to learn! Chapter 168 – Game of Go and Miserable Defeat Aiko pulled out the teeth from her Storage Ring. They were small, but part of it was filled with poison. ''I wonder what I can do with this...'' Aiko tilted her head. It was poisonous and it was small... She could try to throw it into the enemy''s mouth, but you need to crack these teeth in order to activate the poison. Aiko couldn''t think of a way to use this poison, so she entered the room with those two bird-brained lovebirds. "Here." Aiko slammed the teeth on the table and they paused. Aiko rolled her eyes when she saw their judgmental expressions. "It''s those poisonous teeth." Aiko didn''t want to be with them in the same room without Lady Liu, so she left, leaving the duo still questioning their ears. "Ah!" Chen Shi suddenly understood. "It''s their teeth that have the poison sack." He pointed at those sorry bastards that were tied up and hung up from the ceiling. "Oh..." She nodded slowly, she was not at all interested in poisons, so she didn''t understand them. Moreover, from her fights against a certain bitch she earned poison immunity, so there was no need to care. Seeing her disinterest, he didn''t try to explain. Not everyone was interested in what he was doing and he used to be of similar mind, until he found out that it threatened his Dao path! He then realised that poisons are quite miraculous, like the gift of fire bestowed to mankind. If utilized correctly, it would be an irreplaceable gift. Otherwise, it was of great harm. Chen Shi became fascinated with them and researched them thoroughly. He then realised that there was also a way to incorporate poison into your advancements. This made the advancement actually easier, but he needed to test it more before he would apply it to himself. First, he would need to research these teeth and find a way to block their escape and next would be the actual poison that threatened him! ... Aiko walked outside. Her team was surprised that she didn''t cause any trouble, but at the same time, they were happy since they wouldn''t need to deal with the sulking Aiko. They didn''t know how to prepare meat properly, nor did they have authority like Mei that would be able to soothe Aiko. The Umbra Fox wanted this peacefulness to not be disturbed, while the Blood Fox thought that she should learn how to soothe Aiko, so that she has one more card against Mei in the war over Aiko. They both had different thoughts, but one thought was shared. It was a good thing that Aiko was happy. Aiko went under a pagoda with a single table. On the table was a small playing board and on the sides were two bowls. One was filled with white stones, while the other was filled with black stones. Aiko touched them and they were smooth, but very easy to hold. "What is this?" Aiko never saw this game and had no recollection of ever playing it. "It''s a Go board, Mistress." The Umbra Fox knew this one, since the seniors forced her to play it and with each loss they were supposed to take a piece of clothing off. Fortunately, the Umbra Fox had many layers and she was a fast learner, which allowed her to barely stay clothed and win against those bastards. She didn''t have fond memories of this game, but if Mistress wished, she would teach her. "Since there is nothing to do, let''s try it." Aiko nodded gently, she was bored and it would take a few days for those two birdbrains to finish. At worst it would take 10 days, but at that point, they would be forced to stop, since that''s the time when the council was held. Aiko was still interested in their decoration sense and judging from this courtyard it was exceptionally high. "How do we start?" Aiko asked. "You choose the colour of your army and one of us places the first piece, you then need to conquer more territory than your opponent." She explained the gist of it, but once they started playing, she would explain more. Aiko was amused by their terminology, she didn''t quite understand why they called it territory, but that wouldn''t stop her from enjoying this game. ... If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. The Umbra Fox won 9 times out of 10. Aiko was completely crestfallen that she lost that badly and she would be enraged if the Umbra Fox told her that she let Aiko win one round so she wouldn''t feel that bad... Aiko sighed, this game was not difficult to understand, but playing it against an opponent was difficult. She somewhat liked it, but at the same time disliked it. How could she lose 9 times in a row?! Aiko felt that the Umbra Fox was suspicious. She was under the suspicion of purposefully losing the game so that Aiko could win, but this claim was hard to support, as the last game in which she won had been an extremely close call. So, she could only begrudgingly dismiss this thought. Aiko sharply turned towards the Blood Fox, she didn''t believe that she would lose against her as badly as against the Umbra Fox. The Blood Fox smiled gently and sat in front of Aiko. Aiko once again took the black stones and made her first move against the Blood Fox... ... ''10 games... 10 games... yet I didn''t win a single one.'' Aiko was crying rivers of tears. ''How the fuck am I this bad at it...'' Her team panicked, since they didn''t think it would affect Aiko this badly. "Are you playing Go?" A soothing voice drifted into their ears. "They are bullying me¡­" Aiko cried out when she heard Lady Liu''s voice. Lady Liu giggled. "Let''s play a game." Aiko felt apprehensive towards those words, since she lost 19 out of 20 games. She didn''t want to lose more... "It will be fun, I promise." Lady Liu smiled gently. She was still apprehensive, but she did trust Lady Liu, since even etiquette lessons were fun. Aiko took the black pieces, but Lady Liu made the first move. Aiko then placed her black stone on the board. They played for a while, but Lady Liu interrupted Aiko. "Don''t place it there, this will cause you to lose, if you place it here you will have a higher chance of defeating me." Lady Liu slowly guided Aiko. She wouldn''t be able to change her thought process, but she would be able to alter it slightly, making it easier for Aiko to win subconsciously. Lady Liu was exceptional when it came to teaching others. She was slow and gentle with her teachings, explaining everything until the disciple understood. And if they made mistakes, she gently corrected their course, so that they could understand what went wrong. They kept playing like this for a long time. ¡­ "Let''s stop here." Lady Liu said gently and chuckled when she saw Aiko''s shocked expression. "But I was so close to winning..." Aiko was sad as this was the first time she could see victory in plain sight. "We will continue tomorrow. I''m too tired to continue." Lady Liu gently caressed Aiko''s head. "Oh..." Aiko completely forgot about the time and the fact that Lady Liu was not a Cultivator. "I''m sorry." Aiko''s ears dropped alongside her tails. She knew that Lady Liu was old, but she was so engrossed that she didn''t notice her exhaustion. "It''s alright, I had a good time." Aiko was a much better opponent than Chen Shi, since he was stubborn and learned only the hard way. Aiko on the other hand didn''t change easily, but when she did, it was a significant change. Lady Liu could remember those days in the Immortal World that she spent playing Go. One could say she was undefeated, but looking back, those bastards just let her win because they were interested in her... She gently patted Aiko''s head. She was simple, yet pleasant to teach and work with, but unfortunately, she wouldn''t live long enough to enjoy it fully. Aiko escorted Lady Liu to her room. She wanted to watch over Lady Liu, but she was shooed away. Aiko could only sigh. She didn''t want to upset Lady Liu, so she would just return to play Go with her team. ... The next day, Aiko met with Lady Liu. They would play the Go game again. The chances of Aiko''s victory were now about 5% against Blood Fox and 15% against Umbra Fox. Aiko was happy that she was improving. She played against Lady Liu, but she never won. Yet... yet for some reason she didn''t mind. It was a strange feeling coursing through her body. Aiko knew that she lost, but she was not as pouty as before. She was unaware that this feeling was a feeling of improvement. Aiko was unaware that she was improving, but her subconscious was aware and as such it rewarded her with this kind of feeling to push her, so she would keep going. There were also times when Darkness would appear and try to help her, but Aiko refused to listen to them. She would use their help against the Umbra Fox and Blood Fox, but not against Lady Liu. Lady Liu was too soft and gentle to be cheated by her. She wouldn''t cheat her on purpose. "You are playing Go?" The Great Roc Mother finally got bored with that poison fanatic and strolled around. She was overjoyed to see Lady Liu, but froze slightly when she saw Aiko. ''He was right... She is like a glue.'' The Great Roc Mother could understand some of his ''feelings'', but just because she understood, didn''t mean she shared them. She was overjoyed that Lady Liu was lively enough to play Go games, since they were tiresome and required a lot of brain power. Yet, Lady Liu was laughing happily with Aiko. The Great Roc Mother came closer and sat nearby. She would observe them for a while and maybe join them later... But she wouldn''t interrupt their games. She loved that Lady Liu was happy and laughing around. Her Vitality was too weak to do anything big and it didn''t help that the curse was holding her back. She was aware that Lady Liu was like a Phoenix, a majestic being that ruled the skies... but with broken wings, slowly burning itself to death... The Great Roc Mother wanted to help, but she was not as smart as Lady Liu and not as knowledgeable as Chen Shi. She could only watch from the sidelines... Suddenly, a hand caressed her head. She looked up and saw the smiling Lady Liu, which blinded her eyes and warmed her heart. "It''s alright, I''m enjoying myself." Lady Liu said gently. The Great Roc Mother wanted to say something, but all of her words were stuck in her throat, unable to escape. She could only weakly nod and conceal her endless worry... ... Chen Shi finished inspecting the teeth and weapons. He wanted to research it for a bit more, but there was just not enough time. He walked outside and there were already people running around to prepare for the envoy. Chen Shi sighed. He was quite close to solving the mysterious poison of those teeth, but the swords were harder to solve. He already stored the poison in a special flask that was supposed to preserve it, but for some reason, it was still slowly decaying. He never saw such tricky poison and he was concerned if he would ever find a cure for it, but there was no time for such meaningless thought. Chen Shi would lose his Dao path if he didn''t solve it, so he would solve it. Moreover, in a few months, there would be a large auction from the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. He had a great chance of encountering something that could help Lady Liu... Chapter 169 – Poison here and Poison there Aiko sat in a well-decorated carriage with Lady Liu and others. On Lady Liu''s side were Chen Shi and Great Roc Mother. On Aiko''s side was her team, the Blood Fox and the Umbra Fox. But for some reason, there was tension in the air. Lady Liu had very simple clothing, but her noble air could easily rival that of a Monarch. Her clothing was of light-green colour, with a lot of white. Chen Shi had simple Cultivator clothing, long and large sleeves, so he could store many things and pinch Runes without others actually seeing them. His clothing was white, with hints of green. The Great Roc Mother was dressed modestly, she was only interested in showing off in front of Lady Liu and Chen Shi. Otherwise, she couldn''t be bothered to dress properly for those lazy Human Monarchs... Same as the Inscription saint, Her colour was white with hints of green. Aiko and her team all had black clothes. They all looked like they were the guards here, but unfortunately, they were actually the weakest Cultivators in here... Aiko mostly ignored the tension since she was looking outside the carriage. The streets were passing by somewhat slowly, so she was able to admire the scenery. She had to admit that this place was well-decorated. Everything had a smooth transition and nothing was exceptionally glaring or out of place. Of course, there were some questionable buildings, but Aiko ignored those since it was obvious that they were built like that on purpose. Someone just didn''t like the harmony and had to cause trouble, but this was not Aiko''s place, so she wouldn''t do anything about it. She, however, thought about building her own little city, but there were some glaring issues she would have to address first, not to mention, that she couldn''t take the city with her... ... They soon arrived in front of the palace gates. They opened almost immediately and they were allowed to pass without any kind of disturbance or inspection. This puzzled Aiko, but when she thought about it again... this was just a natural course. The Inscription Saint would just blast through it, not to mention other Beasts were also supposed to come in here, which meant that if they were stopped... they would just create their own doors and enter this place. ''It''s sort of a protection.'' They allowed anyone in without inspection, but at the same time, they were under the protection of the Beasts and the Human Cultivators. Aiko thought that this was quite a genius idea and she would also apply it. All residents were drafted if someone attacked their city. Aiko nodded slowly, not realising that most looked at her and her funny expression. She wasn''t ignoring them, but she was so engrossed in her own thoughts that it was obvious she was not aware of her surroundings. That was fine here, but it would be dangerous inside the palace, so they would have to make sure that Aiko doesn''t get lost... ... They got off the carriage and Aiko was already looking around. She was curious about their decoration and building sense, since now that she had decided to build her own little town, it would be beneficial to study it. She will need some inspiration on how to build certain buildings. They were welcomed by the palace maids. All of them were incredibly respectful and careful about their conduct. Aiko stared at them unblinking, some of them twitched, but none recoiled or shivered. ''Impressive...'' Aiko thought that they would be at least a bit scared since this big bird might be a bit silly with her conduct, but she is a real powerhouse... They were guided into the side palace for rest, until the other council members arrived. The side palace was large and glorious, naturally it couldn''t compare to the main Palace, but it also was not built cheaply, so it still had that noble and lavish air. Aiko wanted to immediately run around, but restrained herself. There were too many eyes on them and it would not be good for them. But that didn''t mean Aiko''s eyes didn''t shine brightly like she wanted to disassemble this whole place down! Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. *Twitch Twitch* Aiko''s ears twitched, she didn''t have the Recognition Inhibition Bracelets since they were banned inside the Palace and her overly large and cute ears twitched cutely. The palace maids almost fainted at the sight, but fortunately, they were well-trained and somehow persevered. Aiko looked around, but her ears kept twitching. There was a strange sound in the air. The others were unable to hear it as Aiko had the most sensitive ears a Fox could possibly have. Chen Shi and others noticed Aiko''s abnormality and stopped. "What''s wrong?" Lady Liu asked, gently petting her head where her ears kept twitching. ''Enemies, enemies~!'' ''It''s those bastards again...'' Aiko heard the Darkness once more, naturally, Chen Shi and Great Roc Mother could also hear them and the Great Roc Mother was concerned that she was falling into the Demonic Path... Aiko''s ears twitched again. She was finally able to distinguish the direction. Chen Shi immediately formed a barrier around Lady Liu, since she would be the one that would suffer the most from the Cultivators fight. As for the palace maids... too bad. Aiko subconsciously activated her stealth and sneaked around. Her team silently followed her. She moved away from Lady Liu''s har- group. The Great Roc Mother was concerned about this whole situation and wanted to follow, but Chen Shi stopped her. It was better to not go after her, lest they see something they shouldn''t... And he was right, oh so very right... "GAH!""ARGH""AAAAAA-" Strange noises kept coming from the direction where Aiko went. The palace maids shivered and they didn''t dare to lift their heads. Aiko soon returned with a bundle of Human bodies. "It''s them again." Aiko said expressionlessly. The Great Roc Mother tilted her head. She heard those voices and thought that Aiko was losing her mind, but those voices proved to be unexpectedly helpful... ''Is that why some Beasts like the Demonic Path?'' She thought about it, but she still couldn''t understand it. "Them, huh..." Chen Shi was completely unfazed. It seems like he got used to Aiko''s way of work and wouldn''t question it. He also appreciated the Human pretzel made out of those assassins. "Weapons?" He asked cautiously, he was worried that Lady Liu would be poisoned. "Stored away, that includes their hidden weapons and teeth." Aiko said with a neutral voice, but the palace maids were now shivering in fear. "Good, we can exchange them later." He nodded slowly. Chen Shi was happy that he would have more poison to work with and thus a higher likelihood of finding a cure for it. He lifted those bodies with his Divine Sense and carried them inside. The palace maids followed, well, they had to follow since it was part of the etiquette. If these guests didn''t drive them away, they were forced to follow and stay with them through heaven and hell! "You can wait outside, but one of you will bring tea over." Chen Shi said softly and most of the maids blushed, like they completely forgot about the fact they were just scared shitless. "Tsk, being an Ikemen is bad." Aiko clicked her tongue, but she then tilted her head. ''What does that word even mean?'' She was unaware that she used slang for a ''perfect'' guy. Chen Shi glared at Aiko, but she just shrugged and smoothly hugged Lady Liu''s hand. Both Chen Shi and the Great Roc Mother were jealous of Aiko, they wished they were younger, so Lady Liu would indulge them as well... Aiko rolled her tongue outside her mouth and taunted them. A few veins popped on Chen Shi''s forehead, but fortunately, the palace maids were no longer in here, otherwise, they would be frightened by his expression or aroused... Depends on the kind of maid they are. The Great Roc Mother didn''t share the same sentiment. She liked this type of Fox, a mischievous brat who liked to play others. Not the other type that ''plays'' with others. She gently caressed Aiko''s head. "You are weird..." Aiko murmured. She was somewhat confused, why did this bird not glare at her? She couldn''t wrap her head around it. Soon, one palace maid entered with fragrant tea. Aiko smelled the tea, but there was something strange about it. *Sip* Aiko stole a cup and took a sip, sure enough... [You have been poisoned!] [Your [Greater Poison Resistance] suppresses the poison.] [Your treasure nullifies the poison.] Aiko nodded slowly. "It''s poisoned." She said flatly and the palace maid paled. Chen Shi drove her away before she caused a ruckus. He already had a headache and didn''t need to have another one... He tilted his head, but he just couldn''t understand why someone would try to poison the tea. "What kind of poison is it?" He asked Aiko. "How am I supposed to know?!" Aiko glared at him. She knew it was poisoned because of her System! How was she supposed to know what kind of poison it was if she didn''t even detect it without the System!? "Then how did you know it was poisoned?" He narrowed his eyes. "How can you say food is delicious without actually knowing the ingredients?" Aiko shot back. "Idiot." And added insult to injury. His face twitched, he was enraged. The insult¡­ he was somewhat used to it already, but he was angry that he couldn''t refute that statement! He ruffled his hair in annoyance and Lady Liu with the Great Roc Mother giggled. They rarely saw him be at a disadvantage, but this little Fox truly demonstrated her wonders! They gently applauded Aiko, not too much since it would hurt Chen Shi, but enough to make Aiko shyly smile. "It''s so fun to tease her..." The Great Roc Mother murmured and Lady Liu nodded gently. Aiko coughed. "What do we do now?" She asked Chen Shi. "What?" He was annoyed and he glared at her. "What, what?" Aiko snorted at this idiot. "There were assassins and even the tea was poisoned. We are fine, but Lady Liu needs those necessities." Aiko glared at him back like he was some kind of idiotic child. Chen Shi choked up, he completely dismissed the situation since for the most part they were always on their own turf, so things like assassination or poisoning pretty much never happened. He was suddenly enlightened, but he would never praise this brat! "I will arrange something..." He sighed. Aiko sipped more of that tea. "Hey! It''s poisoned, why are you still drinking it?!" Chen Shi scolded Aiko. "It tingles on the tongue." Aiko said and smiled. Chen Shi had a headache, a terrible one. He took a sip from the tea and glared at Aiko. "This is an aphrodisiac!" He shouted. Most of the girls blushed, but Aiko continued to sip. "Stop drinking it!" He scolded Aiko again. "No! It''s neutralised by my artefact, so I don''t need to listen to you!" Aiko scoffed at him and took another sip. The strange tingling sensation on her tongue was quite addicting... "You..!" Chen Shi was completely speechless and he didn''t know what to say. He confiscated the main pot so Aiko couldn''t pour more tea, but Aiko already confiscated all the small Gaiwan cups. "Mine!" Aiko stuck out her tongue. Chen Shi really wanted to pummel her into the ground, but he had to calm down, Lady Liu was still watching... Chapter 170 – What it means to have Aiko in your team… Aiko was sitting on Lady Liu''s lap and munching on meat. Meanwhile, Chen Shi was inspecting the teeth once again, since they didn''t poison the air. He didn¡¯t have to worry that it would poison Lady Liu, but even during the inspection, he didn''t forget to glare at Aiko. The Great Roc Mother felt both amused and envious. Amused because watching the Inscription Saint trying to put up a fight against Aiko and still lose was funny, but envious since Aiko occupied one of the best spots, Lady Liu''s lap. Aiko naturally ignored them, since she had a piece of meat, she didn''t really care about their thoughts. It will still take some time before everyone arrives, some were already late, which was expected. Not everyone took this really seriously and some were just petty jackasses that loved to ruin everything. Aiko was slightly upset since she would have taken the opportunity to explore the city if she knew that everyone would be so late... But she couldn''t leave now, since they could arrive at any moment and she would miss the main Palace. She didn''t want to risk losing this opportunity and she definitely didn''t want to come here later. She disliked Humans more and more, which didn''t help their cause. Aiko was not the only one who had a high distaste for Humans, some even hated them. Human... Stupid creatures that are favoured by the Heavenly Dao, making it easier for them to breakthrough each stages. Meanwhile, the Beasts had to struggle during each and every breakthrough, most dying in the process, but those that survived would be enslaved by the Human''s Enslaving Technique. Not only would they lose all their freedom, unable to do anything without their master telling them, but they would also lose the ability to advance in Cultivation. In short, humans are not only gifted a golden spoon from birth but also possessed the techniques and nature to permanently ruin the life of a beast... This was the biggest no-no in Cultivation World. Ruining someone''s chances to cultivate. Of course, this no-no applied only to Humans and nobody cared about Beasts, it was fine to ruin their chances when they painstakingly fought to their bitter ends just to ascend to the Peak of this World. ... "Finally!" Aiko slapped the table. "Took them fucking long enough!" She snorted. The others didn''t say anything, but they shared Aiko''s sentiment since they had to spend 5 more days here. It was painful and boring, not to mention there were still assassins coming after them. Well, those parts were not boring for Aiko, since she got to play with them. One time she tied their shoelaces together so they would trip. Another time she would slam their toes with a wooden stick so they would be jumping around. These were fun for Aiko, but then she would receive judgemental looks from everyone. She was upset that they didn''t share her sentiment of being bored. Chen Shi was all over Lady Liu, the same was for the Great Roc Mother. Aiko was pushed aside and had to find her own fun, but she couldn''t understand the Blood Fox''s and the Umbra Fox''s games, nor did she want to play Go with them, since she would be losing miserably. This was the unfortunate situation Aiko was in, she had to find her own fun, but then those baddies would judge her for it! Aiko cried out in her mind since this situation was finally over! But her frustration ran deep and she would unbottle herself soon... ... They walked from the side palace to the main Palace. The paths were wide, yet the floating lamps illuminated their path. "Why the fuck are we going in the night." Aiko cursed openly. Sure, the scenery was amazing, but Lady Liu was supposed to sleep! ''Inconsiderate bastards!'' Aiko cursed in her mind again, since she received a sharp look from Lady Liu and could not voice herself openly any more. "It can''t be helped, the beauty of this place is revealed during the night and each and every Monarch would display their wealth in the most glorious way." Chen Shi was holding himself back, but he unfortunately shared the same sentiment as Aiko. When they first received the invitation, it was supposed to be during the day, but those bastards changed it! "It''s fine, we can always leave." Lady Liu smiled gently, but that smile felt sinister. Chen Shi gulped, he had a bad feeling, while Aiko gave her a thumbs up. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. "What do I smell here..." A sensual voice drifted into the group''s ears. "A group of vixens and a stupid bird." There was a half-snake lady looking at them from high above the stairs. She had green hair and a flat-chested body. She was quite thin, but her face was attractive enough that you would forget that obvious washing board. Aiko felt some sense of kinship with her, if she didn''t say something stupid like that. Aiko would have none of that! The group''s faces distorted, but before they could do anything, there was another voice... *Sniff Sniff* "What do I smell..." Aiko sniffed gently. The group choked, but for the first time, they didn''t try to stop Aiko. The other Beasts near the snake lady took a slight interest in this daring Fox, but they already knew how it would end. "It doesn''t smell bad." Aiko nodded slowly. "This Snake Soup smells delicious, but we should also create some snake heart liquor to go along with it." Aiko nodded gently, appraising the snake lady like a piece of juicy meat ready for roast. The Beast choked up, since this development was completely different to what they expected and they appraised the little Fox again, but before they could finish that appraisal, that little daring Fox continued. "Uh, but..." Aiko hesitated. "I heard that old meat tastes bad." Aiko sniffed again. "Ugh, this meat is even improperly marinated, it smelled good at first, but now it just smells like badly preserved cologne." Aiko continued firing away with her mouth. "Now that I look at her, even the dress-ing is poorly made. One would think that this thing was created for ''grave robbers''." Aiko made a repulsed expression. The snake lady was completely red in the face from rage and her face distorted into that of an ugly Beast. "Ew!" Aiko recoiled. "It''s not even old, it''s already ancient and withered meat!" Aiko cried out that her delicious meat turned into a withered, spoiled mess. The snake lady''s reason snapped and she attacked them. The space distorted and blocked that attack, but it didn''t end there. The Great Roc Mother waved her hand and that snake lady was injured by the distortion of space, coughing up a mouthful of blood. "Go go, get them Puppies!" Aiko was cheering for the Great Roc Mother''s breasts. "I''m not a dog!" The Great Roc Mother retorted like she was hurt. "Your titties disagree! Now go get them and crush them!" Aiko cheered on. Her group gulped, it was obvious Aiko was frustrated by the wait and she was firing in all directions indiscriminately to vent out her bottled up anger. "Oi! Horny nerd! What are you waiting for?! Go get ''em too!" Aiko stared at the Inscription Saint. "I don''t know what''s nerd, but stop insulting me!" He glared back, but he still formed a barrier around Lady Liu and formed a few Runes. The Beasts shivered, from both, their fighting prowess and sharp mouth. The Runes were fired, as well as the distortion of space. But a huge shell formed around the snake lady, blocking that strike. "Enough, stop fighting." A giant turtle broke apart their spells. "Oh! A turtle." Aiko subconsciously salivated and the giant turtle subconsciously shivered. "I heard that turtle meat is tender no matter the age..." Aiko narrowed her eyes. "But it''s apparently only on the inside of the shell." She browsed his shell carefully. She tiptoed towards the Inscription Nerd. "Say, can we crack the shell, I''m hungry." She pulled on his long sleeve with the cutesy act. "That won''t work on me." He snorted. "But now that you mentioned it, I also wonder how turtles taste..." He narrowed his eyes. "In that case, you can count on me!" The Great Roc Mother ''punched'' her chest, making it jiggle in all directions. "I specialise in cracking hard things!" She laughed happily. A booming laughter crashed from inside the building. "Now that''s a lively council!" A large lion came from inside. He looked over the groups, but then paused. Aiko pointed at him. "Ah! It''s you!" He was happy that that little Foxie remembered him. "It''s the member of that bully group!" Aiko finished. He choked up. "I didn''t bully you, little Fox!" He defended himself. "But you also didn''t try to stop them!" Aiko retorted back. "By the way, how is Buddy doing?" "Because they are my comrades and I knew they wouldn''t hurt you!" He retorted her retort. "He is doing fine, but is currently too busy." He sighed. Aiko nodded. "And what brings you here?" "I''m the overseer. So that nobody gets hurt." He shrugged. Aiko stared towards the snake lady and the snake lady flinched. He also looked towards her. "I saw nothing." He shrugged. The turtle glared at him. "What, you spineless bastard?!" The Lion with the snake tail glared at him. "Just because you are her Dao companion, you can''t tell right from wrong?! Is she squeezing you so hard that your brain regressed to that of an Animal''s?!" He disdainfully spat at him. "Oh, but I heard that brains are soft, so maybe because his brain turned into mush it would be more delicious?" Aiko tilted her head, pouring more oil into the fire. "You..." The Lion shook his head. "You only think about meat¡­" The turtle didn''t get a chance to retort, since it was impossible to get a word in. "What can I do?" Aiko shrugged. "Meat is justice, there are so many kinds of meat that you will never get tired of it." Aiko salivated slightly. "Anyway!" Aiko continued the banter, unaware that the Emperor was overseeing this entire thing. "What kind of bastard invites the council members during the nigh- Ohhhhhh..." Aiko snickered. "My apologies, but I''m not old enough to enjoy those kinds of activities, so we will take our leave first." *Pfft* Her group couldn''t hold in their laughter, considering Aiko''s inclination to disturb people at the wrong time. Likewise, the Emperor spat his tea, he choked badly from the shock he just received. He thought he heard incorrectly, but even his servants didn''t dare to repeat those words. He slammed his fist on the table. "It''s a beautiful night, why can''t we enjoy it and do some work while at it?" The Emperor''s voice drifted from inside, but Aiko was unaware of who he was. She snorted. "It''s fine that you have a kink for Beasts, but exclude us, alright?" Aiko shook her head. The Emperor choked again with a few veins forming on his forehead, but calmed down his temper, since she was part of the Inscription Saint¡¯s group. He absolutely can''t anger them! "That was never my intention to begin with." He was chanting the Buddhist sutra to calm himself, but he was not ready for that little Fox''s next words. "And what kind of idiot would invite someone over during the night and not expect something like that to happen?!" Aiko yelled. "Seriously! You perverts need to get a room and get on with it already! Don''t taint us normal-" Aiko looked back at the Inscription Saint and the Great Roc Mother. "Somewhat normal group of individuals!" "That was uncalled for!" The Inscription Saint glared at Aiko. "Sue me, bitch! And don''t forget to lock the door!" Aiko spat at him. He choked up. Someone really needs to stop her mouth now or she might cause irreparable trouble... Chapter 171 – Tasty Meat and Bad Humans Aiko was silent and calm. Her team stared at her speechlessly and the Beasts breathed a sigh of relief. What made Aiko so calm, you ask? Oh, it''s very simple. Meat banquet! Lots of rare and delicious meats were served in front of her and she munched on it happily. [Gained Level.] She even gained levels from this meat! Aiko''s eyes shined brightly as she kept eating and eating. The other Beasts'' lips twitched. Those meats were delicious, but incredibly hard to find. One would eat it by savouring each single piece, yet this little Fox just downed a chunk of meat at a time. The Foxes and other Beasts were upset, but they were not upset enough to disturb her so that her mouth could cause another mayhem! "You really love meat..." The Lion with the snake tail shook his head. ''Some things just never change.'' He remembered how this little Fox devoured so much meat during her stay at the Village... The Lion sat with Aiko, because he was just there to keep the other Beasts in check. He was not the strongest, but he belonged to the largest Beast Sect there was, so in other words... If they didn''t give him face and decided to fight each other, it would be like disrespecting the Heavenly Beast Sect. They didn''t dare to do that, since that Sect also produced large quantities of resources needed for Beasts to attain their true forms. For Aiko that would be the Kitsune. For the Lion it would be the Heaven Devouring Lion, but with a twist, since he had a snake tail. Aiko munched until she felt somewhat full and then stared at him. "What is it?" He looked back at her like he was looking at a cute daughter. "Can it talk?" Aiko pointed at his tail. "It hasn''t developed intelligence yet." He shook his head. "Oh..." Aiko was slightly disappointed, she wondered if that tail could also talk, which would allow him to insult people with much higher firepower. ''It''s always better if you insult someone in a duo, since your partner would be able to cover you if you ran out of ideas...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. ... The council was underway and naturally, the Beasts and Humans didn''t get along. They would glare at each other, but at the same time, they had to hold each other''s hands with a smile, since it would be bad if the Beast Stampede became worse. They could only temporarily swallow their grievances and cooperate. The Beasts still looked in a certain direction. They ignored the Emperor and other Sect Leaders, they were only interested in solving this crisis and... Lady Liu. Lady Liu didn''t just teach Humans, but also Beasts. Some more than others since some Beasts had poisonous aura which would make it difficult for Lady Liu to teach them. But all of that meant nothing in the face of those Beasts. Their main point was that she didn''t discriminate against them, nor did she reject them when they asked her to teach them things. Some wanted her as a bride, since there were very few kind Humans left, but the impenetrable barrier called ''Inscription Saint'' and ''the Great Roc Mother of Collapse'' stopped their thoughts. None of them would anger them, outside that stupid snake that just wouldn''t back off even when warned. Lady Liu chatted with the Beasts, since some of them were previously her students. Most of the Beasts had sharp edges and were difficult to deal with, they were pretty stubborn, not to mention she was a Human. This spawned many difficulties and later brewed greater trust and admiration towards this Mortal. They were saddened to hear the news that she wouldn''t be able to cultivate, but that couldn''t be helped... They didn''t have treasures that could help, since most of them just swallowed the treasures in order to absorb their energy slowly and over time. This would allow them to passively gain Beast Core Energy, but only those with powerful stomach acids could do that, which weren''t many... The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. The Beasts bickered against the Human Cultivators. The Humans were trying to use the Beasts as meat shields, while the Beasts tried to distance themselves from this issue so that it fell only on the Human Cultivators'' head. The Inscription Saint and his team were mostly silent. They didn''t really care either way, since all his homes were pretty much a ''nuclear bunker'' that was reinforced by the power of the ''world''s core''. He didn''t need to do anything and would survive the fallout, the problem was Lady Liu. She liked some places, which meant that he would have to protect those places, but the main issue was that those places were too far apart, so it would be difficult to protect them all himself. He will have to choose between either Lady Liu''s dislike or tearing himself apart trying to defend everything... "Like I said, the Beast Tide would include flying beasts!" One Sect Leader said while he glared in a certain direction. "Why are you looking at me?" The Great Roc Mother tilted her head. "Just because I have wings doesn''t mean I caused it." She clicked her tongue. "Seriously, the Human intelligence has declined." She shook her head, staring at him. He turned red from anger, but he could only cause trouble in here. Once they left, he was the weakest Sect Leader on this table and would get trashed by anyone easily. Aiko sniffed the air. There was a strange smell. She stood up. The Lion tilted his head. *Sniff Sniff* Aiko was like a dog following the trail of the smell. Her hair naturally turned black and her eyes were dyed in a strange colour of red. Some Beasts noticed that one presence disappeared and they had difficulty in finding it, but once they found it, she was near the Sect Leader that was dissing them the most. He was unaware that she was next to him and Aiko stared at him expressionlessly with strange eyes. Sect Leader Huang felt a gaze on him. He looked down to see a little Fox staring at him with strange eyes. He minutely smiled sinisterly. He opened his mouth to say something, but Aiko was faster and used [Lacerate], injuring him. His abdomen had a pretty bad gnash and he screamed. "Fuck! That''s how Beasts do things?! You have rounded us up and want us killed now!?" He instigated them. The Beasts stared at the Fox frowning, this whole council didn''t move smoothly, but this thing turned from awful to irreparable. The other Human Cultivators went on guard, but Aiko ignored them. She walked towards the Inscription Saint and opened her mouth... but she couldn''t talk. She frowned, but Chen Shi already saw her abnormality. "Do you know what caused it?" His voice was grave, which attracted everyone''s attention. Aiko nodded slightly, while she was unable to talk, she was able to give him the thing that the Sect Leader had in his clothes. Aiko gave him a bottle and he immediately closed it without checking it. He wordlessly handed it to the Snake Beast, since she specialised in poisons. She likewise didn''t say anything and took it. She unbuttoned it and took a whiff. Her eyes turned strange for a moment before her metabolism devoured that poison. "It''s Berserker Powder." She said gravely and glared at the Human Cultivators. The Beast felt agitated. Meanwhile, Chen Shi tried to figure out a way to turn Aiko back, since she was under the Berserker Powders'' control... control? He tilted his head. Aiko was staring at him blankly with strange eyes, but he could still ''see'' the insults that she was hurling at him. He felt strange, as Berserker Powder was supposed to agitate the Beasts so it would lose all its reason. "The Beast Tide." He murmured, but everyone heard him, now all eyes were on the injured Sect Leader. However, Chen Shi felt even stranger since Aiko didn''t attack indiscriminately. He couldn''t understand how she was not under the effect of the Berserker Powder. Only Aiko knew how... [You have been poisoned!] [Your [Greater Poison Resistance] suppresses some of the poison.] Aiko took a step back. This bastard was completely useless and none of these fuckers could smell the strange smell. They were too comfortable with their power that they didn''t try to be cautious. Aiko walked towards another Human Cultivator. The Cultivators were wary of her, but she had a shield called Inscription Saint, which was on her side. Aiko extended a hand towards the Sect Leader. They couldn''t understand what she was doing, but Aiko was waiting until he would hand over the bottle. "What is it little Fox?" He kindly smiled at Aiko, while fanning the Berserker Powder, so that it would fully affect her. [You have been poisoned!] [Your...] Aiko rolled her eyes and slashed him, but a defensive treasure blocked her hit. Aiko frowned, she didn''t like them even more now and there was rage bubbling inside her. She transformed into her Fox form, which was rare for a Fox to do. They prided themselves in their Human form the most and would never transform into their Beast form in front of Humans. Unfortunately, Aiko was different from other Foxes... She used [Lacerate] that went from the Early Stage of the Nascent Soul to the Early Stage of the Soul Formation in power. Aiko easily cleaved his Defensive Treasure and artefact in half and snatched the bottle. She jumped on the table and gave the bottle to the Snake Lady, which surprised her. Aiko rolled her strange eyes. Her fur was completely black and she was in the shade, which meant that her boost was significant. Her power now reached the Late Stage of the Soul Formation. She disappeared from their sight and 3 bone-chilling cries were heard. More Human Sect Cultivators were injured and Aiko had 3 more bottles in her mouth. This whole thing took less than a few seconds to execute. Aiko came back to the Snake Lady and handed over the bottles. The Beasts had a terrible expression when they saw how many bottles of Berserker Powder they had. This meant that Humans planned to enslave them while they were in their enraged and senseless forms. The tension was high. Aiko was clearly affected by the Berserker Powder now and Chen Shi wanted to block her just in case Aiko tried to jump on Lady Liu. Aiko still had her reason and nobody would stop her from obtaining what she wanted! She jumped from the table and under. Chen Shi lost sight of her and he could not feel her. *Yelp* Lady Liu was surprised when she felt something on her lap and the Inscription Saint snapped towards that sound. He was worried that Lady Liu was injured, but... There was a small fluffball on Lady Liu''s lap, it inflated and deflated regularly. Chen Shi''s lips twitched. ''This damned Fox!'' Even when She lost a lot of her reason, she still knew how to enrage him, especially since- "Kyaaa! She is so cute~!" Lady Liu was a fluff lover... which meant that he wouldn''t be able to separate Aiko from her. Lady Liu carefully used her fingers to test the fluff. Her heart slowly melted into a puddle of happiness, since this fur was just so silky smooth and pleasant to the touch. The fluffball twitched for a moment before settling down again, it didn''t seem that Aiko minded such attention... Chapter 172 – Lady Liu in Love with Fluffy Fur Lady Liu was melting slowly, she was enjoying Aiko''s fluffy fur. The Beasts were on edge against the Human Cultivators, but Lady Liu could not care less. She loved the Lion''s mane, but knew it would be impossible to pet it, and most other Beasts had... fur of questionable fluffiness. But now that she had obtained fluffy and perfect fur to pet, she couldn''t care less about the outcome. She, as a Mortal, was powerless when it came to Cultivation stuff. She could only watch from the sidelines, so there was no need to stress over what they were talking about. All the old fogeys talked about the Stampede and tried to push more of the responsibilities on Beasts, but after the incident, every push risked loosing what little ground they held. It also didn''t help that the Lion with the snake tail called his Master with a talisman. "What is it, disciple?" An old voice drifted from the talisman. "Master, we have a problem." The Lion with the snake tail said and explained the situation. His master was silent after listening, but the Lion with a snake tail shivered. He knew his Master''s temper. His master was a Blazing Bull, which meant that his already bad temper got even worse... "Fucking bastards think that it''s so easy to enslave us?!" He immediately flew into a rage. "Fuck them! Return back, we will deal with this Stampede by ourselves. Those Human fucks can die for all I care!" He raged on and on how insatiably greedy the Humans were and even when the talisman burned completely and they couldn''t hear his Master''s voice, deep down they knew that he was still ranting on. The Human Cultivators sweated badly, since the talisman leaked some of his Master''s pressure. The Inscription Saint''s group was safe since the Saint shielded them with powerful Runes, but other Human Cultivators and Beasts had to fend for themselves. They had to bear the whole brunt of the pressure. Some coughed up blood, while others even fainted. The Human Cultivators didn''t have any silly ideas about enslaving the fainted Beasts, since doing so would enrage the Heavenly Beast Sect, which they couldn''t afford, since the Heavenly Beast Sect was already angered by that Berserker Powder¡­ Aiko was sleeping undisturbed by this entire thing. She was still dealing with the poisons, especially two different ones at the same time, made her really sleepy. Fortunately, this poison wouldn''t end up like the previous one and would disperse over time, otherwise Aiko would absolutely get an earful from Mei again... Inscription Saint had been frowning this whole time, not because he was concerned about the Stampede or because that Lion''s Master leaked his might, but because Lady Liu completely ignored him, like he was invisible. He was even considering turning himself into a fluffy pet so that Lady Liu would notice him... Unfortunately, there were no known ways to turn yourself into a fluffy Beast, you could turn yourself into an Abomination, but not into a cute and fluffy Beast... This was incredibly disheartening for him, but he had to bear with it. Aiko would return to her Human form eventually, so he just had to bear with it... In his mind, he grabbed Aiko and threw her out of the window. She flew far away into the distance until she completely disappeared. Lady Liu''s attention was now completely on him and he could happily progress with his romance plan... How unfortunate that in reality he would get badly scolded by Lady Liu if he did something like that. He had to chant his Mental scripture to calm himself down, but he had to agree that it was a wonderful feeling when he imagined Aiko flying out of the window... ... The council progressed... a lot more smoothly. After the Demonstration of the Lion''s Master''s might, they feared the retaliation of the Heavenly Beast Sect after experiencing that unfathomable pressure. At the end of the council, the Human Cultivators agreed to take the brunt of the Stampede and the Beasts would guide the Stampede towards the Human Cultivators. Later they would help with the fight, but they would do nothing that would put them in direct danger, unlike the Human Cultivators who were facing the brunt of the force. The Lion yawned. This talk took all night, but fortunately no longer than that, thanks to his Master''s fury. Unfortunately for him, now when he returns, he will have to face his Master''s rant about Human Cultivators and what kind of scum they are. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. He experienced this almost every month. His Master would go on a rant about how spiteful and scummy those fucks were. He understood that his Master was betrayed by his Dao Companion, but he had to suffer each month for 3 days, listening to his Master! That was just unfair! The Lion sighed and the Human Cultivators flinched. "Since everything is solved now, let''s return to our Palaces and do one final meeting during the day..." He glanced at the Emperor, and the Emperor could only swallow and nod obediently. The Emperor took his time getting the best and prettiest dancers he could get, so he could sway this council, but he didn''t expect that that little Fox would cause such a mess that would later devolve into this unfortunate situation. He would still use the dancers later, since he didn''t want to waste them, but since it would be during the day, they wouldn''t be able to dress... as provocatively as he intended. The Emperor sighed, his plans were ruined by a Fox that should''ve supported his ''motion''. He couldn''t understand it... Weren''t all Foxes lustful whores that ''hunted'' Humans for ''that'' kind of thing? He shook his head, he would have to reconsider his decision and note down that the Foxes had changed... Not only were they a lot more powerful, but they also cared less about their lust towards Humans. He was completely unaware that this was just his misunderstanding, which benefited the Foxes a lot later on... ... Lady Liu was a bit sleepy, but she didn''t want to separate from that fluffy, adorable and silky-smooth little Aiko. She carried Aiko back, to the dismay of Chen Shi. He really wanted to separate them, but seeing Lady Liu smile so happily even when she was so tired... he didn''t have the heart to make her sad. He would just take a cold shower later to cool his burning desire to throw Aiko out of the window. Lady Liu could see him briefly glaring at Aiko, so she slapped his shoulder. "Don''t be like that, we both know that she is lovely." She pouted, she didn''t believe that he didn''t like Aiko at all... but when she thought about it again, yeah, Aiko was a bit too destructive and mischievous. Fortunately, Aiko was not like that to her, so she got to enjoy normal and blissful petting with nice company. She arrived in front of her room. It smelled kind of like freshly cut grass with flowers. She opened the paper doors that were commonly used. They were somewhat cheap, but their main selling point was that they were light, which was perfect for someone like Lady Liu, who was of an older age. Her room was mostly made out of wood, with a few Light crystals embedded into the walls for light. The floor was made out of wood, but the floor of her bed chambers was mostly covered by fluffy fur. Her bed was a standard bed, with a lot of decoration and bug screens. She had two large pillows, but a very thin blanket. She placed Aiko on the bed and went to her small table to remove all the fancy accessories she had on her body. Those weighed quite a bit, but since this was part of the etiquette, it couldn''t be taken off sooner... In front of her was not a bronze mirror which was usually used, but a normal glass one. It was likewise lavishly decorated with gold and gems. She didn''t care about them, she even disliked them. Those gems would reflect the light which would make it difficult to see or apply makeup, this would make things more troublesome for the owner. That is also one of the reasons Lady Liu disliked overly lavish things, since they would become impractical to use and burden her even more. She removed the outer layer of clothing, leaving her with only the inner garments. It still sort of acted like a pseudo-dress, but they were still treated as undergarments, which meant that wearing this outside was a big no-no. This pseudo-dress could also be used as sleepwear and since Lady Liu was old, she used it like that, instead of changing into something more comfortable wear for bed. She moved to the bed and noticed the little Aiko. She was pretty much plastered, stretched out on the soft bed. She was moving a bit, like she couldn''t sleep. Lady Liu lay down on the bed. This bed was less comfortable than what she was used to and she even felt old sleeping on this bed. This was a strange and unfamiliar feeling. She was unaware of the fact that Chen Shi concealed that the frame of her bed was always made out of the priceless warm Jade, with a mattress made out of special tree sap and blankets out of rare spider silk.. All in all, she always slept in a priceless bed from the rarest and most beneficial materials! She hugged Aiko gently and Aiko yawned, stretching more. She didn''t like to be hugged while sleeping, but Lady Liu''s merciless embrace didn''t allow her to move and she had to be sandwiched like that for the rest of the night... ... The next morning Aiko woke up, she felt exhausted as she didn''t get much sleep since both Lady Liu and that strange poison kept her awake. She was plastered on the bed as Lady Liu was using her brush to straighten her own hair. Lady Liu glanced towards Aiko here and there, checking if she hadn''t sneaked away. She was happy that Aiko didn''t try to run away, she had plenty of time to enjoy that fur some more~. *Knock Knock* Lady Liu gazed at her front door. "Who is it?" She brushed her hair and asked the person. "It''s me." The Inscription Saint said slowly, he was slightly upset that he couldn''t see Lady Liu during the morning and he now really wished that he hadn''t dragged Aiko to Liu Zhi back when they were at that Capital! This was his greatest mistake that he will regret till the rest of his life! What is even worse, he is unable to do anything to Aiko, since if Lady Liu found out, she would never forgive him! ''What a sad life.'' He sobbed inside his head, he now really wished he was a fluffy animal so that he could gaze at Lady Liu all day and protect her from any danger... "Please wait." Lady Liu said softly, she went to put on a dress so that he could enter. She was a bit lax with etiquette when it came to Chen Shi. She was supposed to finish her hair, put on accessories and ornaments, and only then allow Chen Shi inside, but that would take hours! It was better to let him in now, otherwise he might sulk! "Come in." She invited him inside and could see that the first thing he did was to look around. Once he spotted Aiko he briefly glared at her and one vein almost popped on his forehead when Aiko snorted at him and ignored him. This brat had Lady Liu just for herself and he was oh so jealous of that fact! He looked towards the window and for a moment one intrusive thought overtook his reason, but unfortunately, he was quick to suppress it and nothing happened. No Fox was defenestrated that day... Chapter 173 – Even half-asleep Aiko can defeat him! Aiko yawned again. She was quite sick and tired of the enamoured expression the Inscription Saint had plastered on his face. She wanted to shout "Get a room!", but she was so tired she abandoned those thoughts and just kept staring at him. He noticed her gaze and glared back. He already learned Aiko''s different eyes and so he knew accurately when she was cursing him! Chen Shi really wished he could take Lady Liu away, but when he saw Liu Zhi moving towards Aiko and picking her up, his face momentarily turned ugly. His romance plans deviated more and more, just because of a single Fox! He begrudgingly stomped outside like an angry child with Lady Liu, his dislike and distaste were apparent in his expression, but there was just nothing he could do... unless... The Inscription Saint went into the kitchen. He pulled out a lot of meat outside his Spacial Ring, with this he should be able to attract the attention of the little brat! He cooked with glee, the aroma roused everyone from sleep. The other Foxes went into the dining hall, where Lady Liu and Aiko were. The dining hall was quite large, but the tables were lower to the ground. It seemed like this wing of the side palace, was made to match a different culture. It was strange and slightly out of place, but they didn''t complain, since the Foxes were used to eating like this. The room was lightly decorated, there were no fur carpets, but carpets made out of strange strands of wood. The chairs were simple without any legs, just as the Foxes were used to. The Blood Fox sat down and gazed towards Aiko, she was resting on Lady Liu''s lap, not moving much, but after a few twitched of her nose she disappeared from Lady Liu''s lap. "Kya!" The Blood Fox was surprised that someone grabbed her tails, even with her superior senses. The Blood Fox looked back, ready to tear the bastard that dared to touch her tails, but she could not find anyone. She did her best to make her tail as fluffy as possible for Aiko, so she could tempt her to move away from Mei''s tails, but because of this the Blood Fox was unable to see the sleeping Aiko inside her tails'' fur. The Blood Fox soon realised what was happening and shook her head. She found Aiko in her tails, but she was pretty much dead asleep. The Blood Fox noticed Lady Liu with a crestfallen expression when Aiko left her. Liu Zhi really wanted to move seats and pet Aiko more, but etiquette would frown upon it... "You can come closer." The Blood Fox smiled mischievously and Lady Liu pouted. "Hmpf." She snorted unhappily, but she kept glancing towards Aiko. It didn''t take long for her to move next to the Blood Fox throwing her pride out of the window. She would just indulge her inner thoughts this time, but there wouldn''t be a next time! This is what she believed, but all of them knew that she would come back for more of Aiko''s silky-smooth fur. ... Chen Shi finished cooking with a mean smile on his face, he had to make a sizeable dent in his fortune, but this would allow him to get rid of Aiko without upsetting Lady Liu. This then would allow him to take Lady Liu into the city and have a pleasant shopping trip. Without the fox-shaped little rat drawing his love''s attention away. He moved the plates into the main room, whilst putting on the face he wore when he played Go to stop his opponents from reading his moves. He would not get caught, after having planned all of this! Chen Shi placed the plates, but was confused as to why Liu Zhi sat in the wrong seat... he choked up when he saw Lady Liu petting the Passion Fox''s Tails. ''This can''t be happening.'' Chen Shi''s face crumbled and slowly morphed into one of defeat. He couldn''t believe that Lady Liu would succumb to the charms of yet another lowly Fox... "She is so cute when she sleeps~" Lady Liu hummed happily. The Inscription Saint perked his ears. ''Who is she talking about?'' He was confused. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. He gazed at Lady Liu, but could not see Aiko. There was a strange sense of disconnect. Where was Aiko? What was she doing? His mind was blank for a moment and then he gazed towards the Passion Fox, more specifically towards her tails. There he could barely make out a piece of black fur. He knew that fur, that was Aiko¡¯s fur. Aiko moved from Lady Liu onto the Passion Fox''s tails. That meant that he could in theory move Lady Liu and convince her to go shopping with him... He looked towards the table, with plates full of delicious, but very expensive food... A tear dripped down his cheeks and onto the floor. He wasted so much wealth to drive Aiko away, when all he had to do was bring her to the Passion Fox... He suddenly felt so stupid. It seems love truly turned even the best of men into fools... He even laughed at the Seniors who had fallen prey to the curse, but now he felt ashamed since he ended up exactly how they told him he would end up... The Inscription Saint sat down wordlessly and picked up his chopsticks. He would eat his sorrows away for now, but he would have to find a way to store this food for later. He expressionlessly ate the food, the taste barely coming across, when another ruckus attracted his attention. Chen Shi looked right, where Lady Liu and the others sat. Lady Liu was eating happily, while covering her mouth, she was trying hard not to laugh. The Inscription Saint was confused about what was so funny, so he looked over a bit more... which was a mistake. Chen Shi nearly choked on the food he was chewing, what he saw was so ridiculous he had no words! Aiko was currently lying down on Passion Fox''s lap with her belly up. The Passion Fox would take a piece of meat he so painstakingly prepared and gently waved it in front of Aiko. The small half asleep Fox twitched, especially her nose twitched and soon her head launched like an arrow towards the chopsticks holding the meat. The Passion Fox would let go of the meat and Aiko would devour it. Aiko then laid back down and without breaking her sleep. This repeated many, many times, until the Inscription Saint''s inner thoughts leaked out. "What in the 18 hells!?" He was so flabbergasted that his mouth was completely wide open. Lady Liu noticed his funny expression and finally laughed out loud. The Inscription Saint blushed red, he was so embarrassed because of his conduct, but there was just nothing he could do about it, that sight was just so out of this world! "Aaaaa." Lady Liu placed a piece of meat above her hand with her chopsticks and offered it to Chen Shi. He blushed even more, but his self-restraint was easily broken by Lady Liu and he snatched that meat from those chopsticks. "Thank you for the delicious meal~" Lady Liu smiled, blinding Chen Shi. He felt like he was in heaven and wished this moment would last forever. "We can do something today once I rest." Lady Liu smiled, while it was fun teasing him. It was not good to overdo it. She still liked him and it would make her heartbroken if their current relationship deteriorated. Chen Shi smiled brightly, so brightly that Lady Liu blushed. He hugged her when she was caught off-guard by his smile and Lady Liu didn''t have any time to react to it. After the hug, Chen Shi naturally returned to his place and ate his food happily, its taste returned and enhanced to the point reaching into divinity! ... The Food was finished, and most was consumed by the half-sleeping Aiko, but Chen Shi didn''t mind, he earned a whole day with Lady Liu without disturbances! That was worth more than those pieces of meat! He happily left with Lady Liu for an outing, meanwhile, Aiko was still sleeping on Passion Fox''s tails. "Is she alright?" The Umbra Fox asked. She did not have the privilege to talk during the council, so she was pretty much silent all this time. However, that didn''t mean that she wasn''t worried about Aiko, a bit of that Berserker Powder affected her mind and she wanted to tear everyone apart. She was left speechless once again from Aiko''s willpower. "I think so." The Blood Fox nodded gently. Aiko was just sleeping, her eyes were mostly back to normal. It was abnormal that she was not influenced by the Berserker Powder... or maybe she was affected, but she had a way to temporarily suppress it¡­? At first, they were against the fact that Lady Liu wanted to take Aiko with herself, but they caved in when they saw her so happy. She was rarely so happy, so it would be too bad if they ruined that moment... Aiko slept with Lady Liu and nothing happened, she didn''t hurt her nor did she do anything else. They could breathe a sigh of relief once Aiko sought their tails. This meant that she still liked them more than Lady Liu and she wouldn''t abandon them. "She looks... a bit bloated." The Umbra Fox commented. "A bit, yeah... but she ate a lot of meat..." The Blood Fox stared at the more than 20, completely cleaned-up large plates. "She is... a glutton." The Umbra Fox commented, but she didn''t sound dissatisfied. "We will have to work hard to feed her." The Blood Fox said simply. "And she will provide us with all the Inscriptions she can." The Umbra Fox nodded. It was fine if Aiko didn''t venture out and fight with others. This would allow them to raise her prestige without her... personality getting in the way. Once she was high enough on the pedestal, no matter her personality, everyone would praise her. "What mischievous thoughts are you having?" The Blood Fox giggled. "Nothing~" The Umbra Fox hummed, it seemed like their relationship was also good and they had no grievances. "Well~, at the end of the day, we will listen to her." The Blood Fox giggled. "En." The Umbra Fox nodded gently. They would always listen to her, since they were her servants... ... They moved to their place. They slept close to each other, just in case there was an emergency. Aiko''s room was sandwiched between their rooms for maximum security. Sure, Aiko was stronger than they were, but they were supposed to do it like this since she was their Mistress. Aiko was the most important person and they had to guard her with their lives. They did not mind the fact that they had an abnormal Mistress. They avoided so many unsavoury situations and possible corruption. The Umbra Fox vowed to protect Aiko at all cost, since this life was simply unimaginable for her. She had a Master that she admired for many, many years. The Jade Fox was giving them Pills to protect themselves. The Peak Elder had to respect them even when they didn''t complete all that many missions. It was truly a surreal feeling. She would cherish and protect this current situation at all cost! She would kill all her enemies without mercy! The Blood Fox was not as extreme, she wanted to sway Aiko more, but that didn''t mean she didn''t want to protect Aiko, the end goal was still the same, the road was just slightly different... Chapter 174 – Something’s brewing… Aiko woke up and yawned, she felt very rested and somewhat healthy. She blinked a few times and her brain paused. ''Since when did we have red fluffy pillows...'' Aiko''s brain just woke up and had to work overtime to piece together all the evidence in front of her. ''Oh...'' And when it finally pieced everything together, Aiko felt shy. She promised that she would ask before she jumped into the Blood Fox''s tails, but now here she was literally swimming in them... Aiko wanted to sneak away, but the Blood Fox felt her passenger stir and turned around. "Did you sleep well, Aiko?" She smiled gently, which made Aiko even more embarrassed. "I''m sorry." Aiko apologised gently and stepped down from her tails, but the Blood Fox caught Aiko and placed her on her lap. "How are you feeling?" She picked up the brush and brushed Aiko''s fur, each stroke turning that fur silver like the moon. "Refreshed and better." Aiko shyly nodded, but didn''t try to run away. The Blood Fox brushed Aiko slowly while paying attention to her condition. Aiko''s eyelids were lazy, but her eye coloured turned back to that familiar light blue with her fur. She breathed a sigh of relief that Aiko was able to naturally purge that poison. It would be difficult to explain to Mei what happened to her and they would also get punished. The Blood Fox couldn''t lose in this sense, since it would mean she would lose in the war over Aiko. The Umbra Fox lay lazily, she stared at Aiko and gently nudged her. "Are you really fine, Mistress?" The Umbra Fox asked while nudging Aiko. Aiko bit her finger since she was being annoying, but she didn''t bite too hard so that she would injure her badly. "Auch!" The Umbra Fox jumped up, throwing Aiko into the air. The Blood Fox readied herself to catch Aiko when she fell down, but unfortunately for her, Aiko masterfully wrapped her body around the supporting beam and stared at the Umbra Fox. There was something incredibly funny and terrifying, in the way she was just stuck to the horizontal beam. When Aiko moved it turned from funny, but terrifying, to a completely horrifying sight. *Rawr Rawr Rawr* The Umbra Fox had to run away from Aiko since that sight was genuinely creepy and terrifying. She ran outside, where Aiko didn¡¯t follow her. ¡­ Aiko jumped down and was caught by the Blood Fox again. She snorted victoriously, but the Blood Fox had a mean smile on her lips. Aiko tilted her head, she didn''t understand why the Blood Fox was looking at her like this. She looked away since that gaze was burdensome. "Aiko~" The Blood Fox hummed, but Aiko shivered. "You need a bath." She said seriously, looking at Aiko up and down. "Do I?" Aiko tilted her head, but when she looked down, her formerly bright fur turned into a dusty mess. Her body was like a big magnet for dust and usually, you wouldn''t clean the supporting beams since it wasn¡¯t needed. Aiko coughed awkwardly. How was she supposed to know that those pesky Humans wouldn¡¯t clean this place properly?! Aiko nodded gently. "It is indeed needed." She now understood why the Blood Fox was upset. All of her hard work was undone within half a minute... ... The bath was simple and quick, unlike most baths with Mei. The Blood Fox was drying Aiko just now and the only word Aiko could say about that was... "Heavenly~" Aiko loved the feeling of being rubbed like this. The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes and noted it down in her mind. She had one point over Mei, since Mei always used cleaning spells. She would make sure that whenever Aiko is bathed, she would also get plenty of rubs. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. The Umbra Fox peeked back inside. Aiko was wrapped in blankets and only part of her head poked out. "Pfft." *Cough* The Umbra Fox couldn''t keep her face straight like she always did, not even the Grandmaster''s training could prepare her for that ridiculous sight! "I- Pfft." She tried to talk, but the laughter that was threatening to escape her lips always interrupted her. "Just laugh!" Aiko glared at her. It was much worse when someone tried to hold in laughter, as it made them look like an inflated fish! Now Aiko was not fine that one of her companions laughed at her, but it was much better than that pufferfish face! "HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA." The Umbra Fox laughed so much that she had to hold her belly. She laughed for a good half an hour if it was not for the fact that her belly started to hurt¡­ she would absolutely keep laughing! "Uuuuu, it hurts..." The Umbra Fox cried softly. Aiko was already dried, in her human form and dressed. All thanks to the Blood Fox. The dressing up part took only 5 minutes! Aiko couldn''t believe how easily they could clothe her! She was unaware that they made a doll roughly the size of Aiko and ''borrowed'' a little clothing from Chen Shi. They practised hard when Aiko was lazing around on the flying ship. Aiko tapped her foot uncomfortably since compared to her speed, which was abysmal, this was too quick! Aiko kept glancing at the Blood Fox, who had her eyes half closed, oozing seductive air. The Blood Fox learned from the Umbra Fox about the Go face that the Grandmaster taught her. It was greatly effective, but the Blood Fox was not perfect with it, so she broke into a gentle smile when she saw Aiko pouting. "So, what did you want to say?" Aiko sighed at her teammates. "Ah, right! Tomorrow is the banquet to flesh out the rest of the plan." The Umbra Fox said gently. Aiko nodded slowly. That was a good time, since it would be during the day. She didn¡¯t need to worry about those perverts and the Emperor surely wouldn''t try something nasty, since most if not all of them would be well rested and ready to fight. "Anything else?" Aiko asked. "They didn''t say anything else." The Umbra Fox shook her head. "Strange." Aiko tilted her head. "By the etiquette standards, they were supposed to tell us the dress code and what kind of food or at least ingredients they would present so that we can adjust ourselves or ask not to be served certain things." Aiko fired a long barrage of words, making the duo speechless. Aiko turned towards them and when she found their dumbfounded expression she tilted her head. "What? Am I wrong?" ""No."" They both said in sync, but this was a great shock for them, they didn''t expect that Aiko would remember so much! That was only natural since Aiko utilised her Passive Skills. Sure, she had a harder time forgetting something, but it was way more useful than useless for her. It made learning very easy, since she could remember the first time she learned something. However practising was a bit hard... no, very hard since she could just as easily remember bad positions and movements she was shown, which meant she had to focus a lot more to filter out those wrong motions and thoughts. That was probably the only demerit Aiko could find, but at the same time, it was quite severe... Aiko sighed, looking at the duo. "We will report this to Lady Liu~" Aiko had a mean smile on her lips, since she knew that Lady Liu would eat them alive if she knew they broke even the most basic etiquette. She whirled around, already imagining the mayhem. "By the way." Aiko turned back to the Umbra Fox. "Who delivered the message?" "Some smelly Human?" The Umbra Fox said slowly, but tilted her head. "How strange, I can''t remember his face." She looked confused and lost. She had a great memory when it came to faces, which was one of the reasons she liked Aiko so much. She had a lovely face, which was hard to get tired of. Of course, there was still a possibility that she would get tired, but it was much lower when it came to Aiko than to other Foxes. Lust aside, most of them had very perverted faces almost all the time, which ruined the whole first impression. The Umbra Fox sighed, but Aiko sighed very loudly. "This is another ploy, let''s contact Chen Shi." Aiko pulled out the talisman she sto- *Cough* confiscated for safety reasons. The Talisman gently burned. "Who is this?" Chen Shi''s annoyed voice sounded from the other side. "Be careful, there are more assassins around, one of them tried to contact us and lead us to some place later tomorrow." Aiko summed it up, since this Talisman wouldn''t last long compared to what she got from Mei. Chen Shi was first enraged that Aiko had his Talisman, but his mind quickly cooled when he heard about the ''assassin'' part. "Everything alright over there?" He asked, but at the same time, he put up a Rune bubble around Lady Liu and himself. "It''s fine, but we don''t remember his face, so it''s safe to say they are using Recognition Inhibition Treasures." Aiko said gravely. "Got it, if something happens and you are attacked, just run into my courtyard, or the previous Mansion." Chen Shi said and the Talisman burned out. While he did have a hateful relationship with Aiko, that didn''t mean he wished she would die. He would still protect them at times. Moreover, Lady Liu would be heartbroken if something happened to that group of Foxes... He shook his head, but his grave expression was wiped out the next second as he came closer to Lady Liu. ... Aiko stared at the Talisman amused. "Why is this only a single use..." She shook her. "Such a wasteful f-" Aiko for the first time stopped herself from cursing. Her group stared at her strangely and Aiko had to look away. "What? I never said I wouldn''t learn from Lady Liu." Aiko pouted. She walked towards the table, but she was so distracted that she didn''t watch where her legs were going and stubbed her toe. "FUCK!" Her voice filled the whole courtyard and her team smiled gently, that was their Mistress... ... Chen Shi dispersed the burned Talisman and returned to Lady Liu. She was currently staring at small animal figures made out of glass. Lady Liu liked this kind of thing and had collected quite a lot of them already. Most were displayed in Chen Shi''s study, but he would always move them to wherever Lady Liu was. If she was in a different city, he would move those small figurines to that city. If she was on a flying ship, he would move them onto the flying ship... You get the idea. He doted on Lady Liu greatly, but at the same time he took distance, he was likewise watched over by a Sage, those spiteful fucks would be able to erase him if he got too close to her. The problem was that Lady Liu''s bright ''light'' could not be ignored, he was drawn to her again and again, hundreds upon hundreds of times, yet none of those times he was able to truly confess his feelings. He was like a lost puppy trying to get her attention only onto himself, but failing miserably. He was not fluffy enough than those lowly Foxes, so most of her attention was on them. Fortunately, by his calculations, Lady Liu should be able to live a few more years, which will be enough to visit that auction and find a way to prevent that from happening again. He already failed 389 times... he didn''t want to fail again! Chapter 175 – More Powder Aiko yawned a few times, she was so bored and there were no enemies to fight. She expected there would be some waves of enemies that would threaten them, but nothing happened. The Inscription Saint and Lady Liu are also still outside, so Aiko can''t bother them. ''I need something to dooooooo.'' Aiko yawned for the last time. She didn''t really have any projects that she wanted to do with Inscription. She also wasn''t well-versed enough in Alchemy that she could do anything with that. Another problem was that a game of Go would end up in utter defeat, which would upset her... Aiko''s ears twitched, there were no strange sounds around. She rolled her eyes and stood up. "I''m going outside." Aiko said somewhat neutrally, but her boredom was obvious from her previous actions. Her team stood up with her. They were ready to go out just in case something happened, they were slightly startled that that something was Aiko and not an enemy attack. Well... that was still better than Aiko causing trouble here inside. There were plenty of Inscriptions from Chen Shi, so it was a matter of time before Aiko would mess with them. Fortunately, Aiko was not interested in them enough that she would want to cause trouble. ... They left the side palace and walked out of the Royal Grounds. Naturally, since they were trained assassins, nobody could spot them. There were a few Beasts that noticed them, like the Lion with a snake tail. He was curious where that little Fox was going, so he followed. Aiko wandered aimlessly throughout the city. It was a very wealthy city as everything was either made of precious stone, like the pathways and sidewalks, or the colour palette was gentle and not jarring to the eyes. Everything flew well into the eyes, like a sweet and gentle painting. Closer to the Royal Ground were double and sometimes even triple-story buildings. What was interesting was the fact that they were made entirely out of wood. It was slightly strange for Aiko, she could not put her finger on why, but she just felt like they weren''t supposed to hold so much weight with just wood alone. Yet it did. When Aiko got close, on most buildings, there were no Inscriptions. The wood supported the whole building and the floors were either made out of precious stones or wood too. Aiko tilted her head, there was so much wood everywhere, except the outside walls that walled in gardens, which were made out of bricks, that she started to think that people were obsessed with wood! *Sniff Sniff* Suddenly, Aiko took a whiff of a familiar smell. She stopped her team and went into a small alley. There was a group of men dressed in black discussing something with their hands. Aiko could not understand a thing, but those guys were either nodding or shaking their heads. Aiko was puzzled, but then she noticed those familiar bottles. She frowned and activated her stealth skills. Sneaking closer, they still didn''t notice her and Aiko held her breath so she wouldn''t get poisoned as badly. *Whack* Aiko picked up a nearby wooden plank and whacked one person... or rather, she split his skull!? Aiko was confused, why was the wood, so god-damn hard?! She didn''t dwell on it too much and before the others could do anything, she whacked them too. Aiko took the bottles and threw them inside the ring. Walking back to her team, there was a familiar mane, which she really wanted to sleep in. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. "What are you doing here?" Aiko asked, her voice sounding a bit odd. The Lion with the snake tail looked over and frowned. "There are more of them?" He noticed that Aiko had abnormal eyes and her fur turned black like it did back in the council room. Aiko nodded, but kept staring at him. "I was wondering what kind of mischief you will cause." The Lion confessed. He was bored and worried about what his Master might put him through once he returned to the Heavenly Beast Sect. He could not sleep well, so once he saw Aiko leaving the Royal Grounds, he followed, hoping that something fun would happen. Aiko glared at him, but she didn''t shoo him away. "So what now?" "How many bottles do they have?" The Lion asked. "A bottle per person." Aiko replied softly. "Damn! That''s too much!" The Lion with the snake tail whipped out another Talisman. The Talisman gently burned. "-I''m telling you, nothing well will come out of those Bastards. They will try to backstab you the moment you have something precious.-" His Master was still talking, he probably didn''t notice the first Talisman burned out. "Master, we have a problem." He interrupted him rudely, but he needed to report this whole situation. "What is it?" His Master sounded incredibly annoyed, like he was just rudely interrupted from his lecture. "There are more Humans with Berserker Powders." The Lion said gravely. "WHAT?!" The Master was shocked and he suddenly started to listen to them. "How many?" His Master asked. Lion turned towards Aiko. "I have gathered 7 bottles from a group of 7 Humans." Aiko said gently. There was silence, a long silence. "Hehe, you bastard finally found a sweetheart, huh~?" The Lion''s Master teased, he had no restraints when it came to Humans and lovers. "It''s not like that, Master." The Lion denied. "She is a Fox." He didn''t want to say it, since he had a good opinion of this little brat, but he had to, otherwise his Master wouldn''t listen to him. "Foxes, huh." *Ptooey* "Why are you listening to those-" Master wanted to curse Aiko''s team, but Lion didn''t want that to happen. "Master, we have currently collected 15 bottles of Berserker Powder." The Lion said distracting his Master. "What?!" His Master was shocked. That was too many in such a short time. "I will send team 3 and 4 which are immune to that powder for protection and subjugation." The Master said gravely. "Try to hold out, it''s better to hide somewhere with the other Beasts, but if you think you can endure a bit of Berserker Powder, then find as much as possible. It will be easier to pin it on Humans the more we have." The Master said and the Talisman burned out. The Lion nodded gently. "It''s better if we go back. It''s safer that way." "No." Aiko pouted, if she went back she would be bored out of this world. She just couldn''t do anything fun. Aiko immediately walked away, leaving the confused Lion alone. "Hey! Don''t leave me alone!" The Lion with the snake tail immediately shouted and ran after them. He was safer with them then alone, since the little brat had high resistance against the Berserker Powder. Aiko ignored him, since she was more curious about the city than him. She was a bit more conspicuous now, since her eyes turned into two small rubies. Most of the large double doors to courtyards and mansions, were decorated with precious gems and lofty signs with even loftier names, which were hung above said doors. This wanton display of wealth slightly displeased Aiko. She really wanted to pry one of those signs down and scrape the gold out of them. Leaving gold so openly, she was surprised nobody would rob them... Cultivators did not care about gold, gold was pretty much useless to them. It didn''t hold enough Qi, it was not tough, nor did it look all that precious. As for Mortals... they wouldn''t dare anger those large families that actually used those golden signs. Aiko paused for a moment. To pry or not to pry? She chose not to, not because it would cause trouble, but because she smelled yet another familiar smell. Aiko ran silently into a nearby alleyway. "AGH""ARGH""AAAH" A scream and shrieks drifted from the alleyway that Aiko had just gone into. "I''m back." Aiko returned. "I will wait and tie them up again." The Umbra Fox whispered to the Blood Fox. "Okay, be careful that you don''t breathe in too much." The Blood Fox nodded gently and warned. They were already used to the fact that they had to clean up after Aiko. They naturally didn''t mind, since Aiko would leave their Treasures behind sometimes, so they would strip them bare and keep those Treasures. Most of the time Aiko did not care enough about those Treasures since they weren''t worth much in her eyes, but that''s not to say they were completely worthless. They could sell for a few dozen Spirit Stones, maybe even a hundred, so this was a good way to pay her team without actually paying them, not that she didn''t want to pay them. This opportunity was good. Aiko could pay them and they would also learn about the worth of those Treasures, it''s just... Aiko didn''t have enough patience to haggle for said Treasures. Those bastard Humans would haggle and haggle until the price was so low that it was pretty much daylight robbery! Fortunately, the Umbra Fox and the Blood Fox were ruthless when it came to buying and selling. One could say that they were even worse than Humans. They would ruthlessly cut down the prices to the bare minimum so that their opponent still had to sell it, since they would make a profit, but it was such a miniscule profit that their hearts would bleed! Aiko watched this once when they were back in the first capital. The Blood Fox liked one bracelet made out of small beads. She ruthlessly slashed the prices the more he tried to haggle, but never went under the merchant''s limits, so it always ended up in sale. It was a funny sight when she saw those merchants'' distorted expressions, yet still willing to sell it to the Blood Fox. Aiko should learn this skill as well, and over time she would be capable of doing so as well, but.. she didn''t believe she had enough patience to not bash their heads in... ... Meanwhile, Chen Shi was enjoying the same haggling Aiko just explained. He would ruthlessly cut the prices until the merchants bled, but not enough that they would call him out on that. Like this, he was able to buy many things with very little wealth. It''s not that he didn''t want to buy those things for Lady Liu, but if you waste your wealth, you will find out one day that you don''t have any wealth left! He would make sure he always had a couple of million Spirit Stones so that Lady Liu could get anything she wanted! Chapter 176 – Play on Fate *Whack* Aiko whacked yet another robed figure... guy... whatever that was. She currently had somewhere between 50 to 60 bottles filled with Berserker Powder, which meant she whiffed a lot of that powder. Her hair turned black and her eyes grew hazier over time, but it was not to the point that she would lose all sense of self. That is not to say she was unaffected and she felt like she had enough for today. It will take another day or so to clear up that poison inside her system. Aiko hoped that Lady Liu had returned so she could sleep on her lap, but... she stared towards the Blood Fox, that tail is not bad... she then stared towards the Lion, that mane looked fluffy too... Aiko had a dilemma about who to assault with her sleeping habits. The Lion was friendly, but the mane was not a tail. It was close to the head, so he might be upset if she slept inside there. Meanwhile, the Blood Fox was part of her team and didn''t mind her sleeping habits...? Or at least Aiko thought, but she never asked... She should ask later once she could talk again. The Blood Fox noticed Aiko''s gaze. "Are you alright?" She was concerned that Aiko would assault others with her sleeping habits. Aiko nodded a bit, she was fine, other than the fact that she couldn''t speak again. She skipped a few steps, she was not really in a rush, but that Berserker Powder would either give her a temporary burst of energy followed by intense sleepiness, or sometimes just straight up drowsiness. Currently, she was still energetic stage, but she felt it start to run out. At that point, she just wanted to lie down and sleep it off. They arrived back at the Royal Grounds. Before the Lion could say anything, Aiko and her group had already sneaked inside. The Lion''s lips twitched, but he didn''t stop them. He understood that not everyone wanted to deal with Humans. Well... he also didn''t want to deal with Humans, but it needed to be done for the time being. They can then return to being spiteful towards Humans, and Humans would return to trying to hunt them... ... The Blood Fox returned to the table where she always chatted with the Umbra Fox. Lady Liu and Chen Shi hadn''t returned yet, so Aiko had to pick the Blood Fox''s tails to sleep in. She slowly sank into them and drifted to peaceful slumber. ... "Do you think she is really alright?" The Umbra Fox asked with concern. This time, Aiko had hazy eyes instead of the normal red colour. "Even if she isn''t, we can somehow subjugate her if something happens. Aiko is creative, but Beasts that are affected by the Berserker Powder are not." The Blood Fox said slowly, she was not concerned that Aiko would do something since they trained quite a lot, especially their cooperation. "That''s... fine." The Umbra Fox was concerned, but what the Blood Fox said was true, Aiko was a mischievous brat, but when it came to Aiko under the Berserker Powder... She would be very straightforward and easy to fool. That was one of the reasons why Humans used Berserker Powder, since highly intelligent Beasts that are normally very hard to subjugate would have their intelligence regressed back to that of the Animal Rank. This allowed them to fool the Beasts, and lead them into traps that normally would not work. It just makes things easier overall. This meant that Humans had a great arsenal when it came to subjugation if the Beast was under the effects, but there were some Beasts that were immune. ... Those Beasts were currently heading towards the Human Capital to protect the Core Disciple and subjugate Humans with the Berserker Powder. "What do you think that Roaring Lion is currently doing?" A cheetah asked. "Beats me, he already has a strange Bloodline that allows him to walk on two legs and act more or less like a human with his paws. I have no idea what you like so much about him." Another cheetah snorted at her. He had a crush on her since she was fast, yet still retained her elegance at top speed. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The Black cheetah with a white diamond on her forehead frowned. "Smelly Wind, you shouldn''t talk like that." She reprimanded him. She had a crush on the Lion, since he was valiant and powerful, but hated this bastard that would demean anyone that she liked. "Y-you!" He couldn''t believe she used his Nickname like that! He was not proud of his name and he couldn''t change it since all Elders came to an agreement! He could only grit his teeth and run along. "We have 40 members in total, that should be enough..." The Black Cheetah said. "It should." A hawk drifted above them. "I will scout the city ahead of time, so we can make quick work of them." He said and suddenly sped up, leaving only a streak of lightning behind. "Thunder Hawk is amazing..." She said with admiration. He was always very Stoic and he would always fulfil the mission with perfect precision. He never failed a single mission and he prided himself with his speed. He was able to pretty much leave every other Beast in the dust when it came to sight and speed, not even the Nightmare Cheetah could match him... ... Back in the city, the storm was starting to pick up, unfortunately, they were unable to lure out those Foxes from that courtyard so they couldn''t place down the sealing stones. Moreover, for some reason, more and more of their guys disappeared. This was very concerning, since they now didn''t have enough people to safely activate the sacrificial ritual. They had to call into their HQ for reinforcements, but that would still take a few days for them to arrive. For the time being, they hid away in the shadows, so they wouldn''t be found out and mysteriously vanish like their colleagues. They could not afford that since that would mean they would have to offer their lives to activate that huge Array... ... Chen Shi meanwhile had already swiped a few flags from the Grand Array. It would no longer activate correctly. How did he find that Array? Those idiots forgot to hide the Energy that emanated from the Eye of the Array. Thus, it was rather simple to find the Anchor Points of the Array and remove a few select Flags, so that the Array would still activate. However, the moment it activated, it would collapse upon itself, sending back a backlash to the ones that tried to activate it... Thus, one less issue he had to deal with, but he didn''t like this. What did that brat do to cause so much ruckus!? It made finding this Eye so much easier that he wanted to beat Aiko! They didn''t even notice him and most of them even hid away like they were completely ignoring his presence! What the hell did Aiko do to cause all of that?! He could only question it, but he would find out once he returned to the side palace... Lady Liu waited in the restaurant. The whole room of the restaurant was covered with Runes. When one looked at it, it looked a bit sinister, since there were so many Runes everywhere it looked like someone was writing ''Die, Die, Die'' all over the walls. Fortunately, Lady Liu was already used to this sight and the over-protectiveness Chen Shi displayed. She gently sighed as her eyes slowly turned an azure colour. She checked the prophecy and once she knew that everyone would be alright, only then her eyes turned back. Lady Liu... was overusing her lost Abilities. Her body was unable to safely use them, which shortened her lifespan further. This fact did not sadden her. She lived a fulfilling life and she was happy for that. It was a much happier life than the previous 50 or so, where she didn''t have Chen Shi by her side all the time. Lady Liu... pitied him. She knew that he had been in love with her for far too long, but because of those cursed Sages, they were unable to marry... Who would''ve thought that one of the Sages would take a fancy to her and suddenly most of the Sages followed... She... could not understand. Those spineless bastards bothered her day after day and made her glorious Empire suffer through disasters that she had to fix on a daily basis. ''Yet that bitch...'' Lady Liu''s gentle eyes turned chilly. ''She killed me just because she was no longer adored by the other Sages...'' If sight could kill, Lady Liu''s current expression would be able to wipe the world clean. She was upset that those ''Venerable'' bastards hid their ugly faces in front of normal Cultivators, yet behind the scenes they pursued her shamelessly with derogatory remarks. "Little Fox..." Lady Liu''s eyes softened. That unfortunate Fox will have a rough life. Not every Sage likes her, one could say that Aiko stands against almost all Sages. "She will soon lose the ''gift''..." Lady Liu was concerned that Aiko would lose her way if not for those gifts, but... for some reason, she was unable to predict the whole future for Aiko. Her fate was so heavy that she could barely glance at it and even then she could only glimpse a few days in advance. Well... if Aiko was happy, she could see a few months in advance, but that rarely happened to match her ''awakening''. "I hope she will do fine..." Her concern only grew over time, she knew that Chen Shi disliked that little Fox, but that Fox''s future was similar to theirs if she attracted unwanted attention. The Sages behind Aiko were weakening and if she lost her status, the Sages would be permitted to go against her openly... "I will do my best to slow them down." Lady Liu''s eyes shone briefly with azure light. Her fate was both a curse and a blessing. Even if she died, she would reincarnate again. In other words, this curse didn''t allow her Soul to disperse. It would use the Providence of those bastard Sages to keep repairing endlessly, until she submitted to them. However, they made a slight oversight. She was able to gently twist that curse, temporarily wiping her memories each time she reincarnated. This allowed her Soul to strengthen and heal over time, there was also less burden on her body, which allowed her to live longer, as long as she didn''t use her Abilities. She smirked like an unruly child, which was unlike her normal demeanour. She would make a complete mess in the Immortal World until the Buddhists exorcised her. She would no longer take it lying down after she saw Aiko going against that heavy and overbearing fate! Chapter 177 – Snake Lady is Shy Chen Shi returned to the Restaurant to pick up Lady Liu. She was sitting there, nibbling on her food and ignoring a good portion of her meal. "You should also eat some meat..." Chen Shi said gently so as not to startle her. "I already ate meat." Lady Liu pouted and munched on yet another veggie. "I like fruits more." She murmured, but Chen Shi was a Cultivator, which meant he heard her. "You will get your fruits once you eat normal food, fruits can''t replace everything else." He gently nudged her. "Yes, Mum." Lady Liu pouted and munched on yet another piece of veggie, but this time added a bit of meat. Chen Shi could only sigh, he didn''t try to stop her this time since she was eating quite well... ... Aiko woke up from her slumber, she didn''t sleep all that much since they didn''t spend all that much time outside. Aiko stretched her paws and front legs, she rolled inside the fluffy tail before staring at the ceiling. She no longer had hazy eyes, but that did not mean her system had completely flushed out the poison. It was still present, but way less potent. Aiko yawned again and she smelled meat a little way away from her. She munched on it, there was also something tender with the meat, but it was warm and didn''t feel like she should munch on it. Lady Liu was screaming inside her head when Aiko nibbled her fingers. This was the first time a Beast nibbled her without the intent to bite her. ''I should definitely get some nice, cute and cuddly pet...'' Lady Liu thought this kind of playful nibbling was nice and cute. ''But it would be difficult taking care of them, maybe I should wait a few more reincarnations...'' Lady Liu thought this was not the best time to befriend a few pets, maybe when she was younger would be the right time. Aiko munched a few pieces of meat and woke up. She stared at Lady Liu, who was staring back at her. Aiko still could not speak, so she just yawned and kept staring at Lady Liu. "She can''t talk yet." The Blood Fox said gently when she noticed their small staring contest. "Eh?!" Lady Liu was shocked. "Why?" She tilted her head, she didn''t remember such a negative prophecy! "We collected a few bottles of that Powder." The Blood Fox smiled gently and glanced at the snorting Inscription Saint. "If she wasn''t so weak, she wouldn''t be affected." He clicked his tongue and sipped his tea. The Umbra Fox didn''t like his tone, but the Blood Fox was slightly faster in making him choke. "True, we have only collected an additional 50 bottles of the Berserker Powder." The Blood Fox clicked her tongue. "Who would''ve thought Aiko would be so weak that she couldn''t even endure that..." She shook her head. *Pfft* The Inscription Saint spat out his tea and stared at the Blood Fox speechlessly. "What?" He thought that he heard it incorrectly. "Fif-ty bott-les~" The Blood Fox smiled, but with clear disdain towards him. Chen Shi''s brain lagged and it was slowly processing that number. ''50? 5-0? Do they mean 5?'' He didn''t believe that they collected that many. *Knock Knock* "Who is it?" Chen Shi went on guard. "My apologies for disturbing you, guests. The Lady Ocean Wave would like to visit you." The royal maid said slowly, but audibly. "Let her in..." Chen Shi didn''t understand why a Beast would seek them out. ... Soon the Ocean Wave Snake Lady slithered inside and behind her was her Dao companion. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "I don''t remember the maid mentioning anything about other Beasts." Chen Shi slowly sipped tea, but his threatening voice was apparent. "My apologies, he was worried about me." The Snake Lady said. "My apologies, I was worried about my love." The turtle said slowly, but the Snake Lady still blushed. "Can you not say that outside?!" She reprimanded him, but the turtle still smiled. "What are you here for?" Chen Shi was sick of their romance. If he couldn''t have romance, then nobody else could! "I was called over by the Valiant Lion to check up on the little Fox." At first, the Snake Lady hated that little vixen, but the more she knew about her, the less hostile she became. Her last words were even a bit gentle. Chen Shi glanced towards Aiko and remembered those words about 50 bottles... ''No way.'' He denied it again, since if they brought so many bottles at this time, this wouldn''t be a normal natural Stampede. "Do you have enough free storage for the bottles?" The Umbra Fox asked, now that she was not in the council room she could observe this Snake Lady. She had the lower part of a Snake and the upper part was the body of a pseudo-human. She had the same shapes and features as humans, but she didn''t have normal skin, but had dark green snake scales everywhere. Her fingers were without nails. Her eyes were slitted like a snake''s. She was pretty much a snake if you ignored her hair, but that was probably a wig so she didn''t feel so out of place... "I have." She nodded slowly, her very thin tongue slithered in and out of her mouth. She moved towards the Blood Fox to ask where she could find Aiko, but the next sentence almost made her face-plant. "We have around 50 bottles, so store them well." The Blood Fox said it like it was not a big deal. The Snake Lady paused. Her tongue slithered in and out. It felt like she was completely frozen... "What...?" The Snake Lady''s brain caught up, similar to what Chen Shi experienced. She didn''t believe that the Humans would be so blatant... "50, but we don''t have corks that can contain that smell for them, so we are keeping them inside a Storage Ring." The Blood Fox explained. The Snake Lady threw reason out of the window and nodded. "You have done well. Unfortunately, I only have a few suitable corks, so it is for the best if you keep the powder for the time being." She sighed, but nodded. "Alright, where can I find that little rascal?" She looked around, but couldn''t find that little Fox. "Here." The Blood Fox said, but the Snake Lady missed her gesture. "Where?" The Snake Lady was slightly annoyed since she thought that this red vixen was making fun of her. "Here." The Blood Fox didn''t lose patience and pointed at her tails again. The Snake Lady narrowed her eyes, but once the red vixen''s tails moved and another tail, but this time black, popped out, she was startled. "She..." The Snake Lady was speechless. "Yes." The Blood Fox nodded without batting an eye. "You are weird..." The Snake Lady couldn''t quite understand what was happening, but she still found it strange. The Blood Fox shrugged and returned to her tea. The Snake Lady slithered towards that black tail. Soon, Aiko''s head popped out, startling the Snake Lady so much that she flinched. "She... is really small..." The Snake Lady''s inner thoughts leaked. Sure, she saw this little Fox embarrass and slaughter those Human Sect Leaders, but it happened so quickly that she wasn''t able to get a proper look. Now that she was able to properly look at this little Fox... she was truly tiny. "Do you feed her well?" The Snake Lady couldn''t help but ask them. The Umbra Fox laughed. "There are big snakes and small snakes, it''s the same thing for Foxes. There are large Foxes." She pointed at the Blood Fox. "And then there are small Foxes." She pointed at herself. "And lastly, there are extra small Foxes." She pointed at Aiko. The Snake Lady nodded absent-mindedly. She was confused about how something so small could just rip those Humans apart like paper. "Can I check her?" The Snake Lady slithered a bit closer. "Sure." The Blood Fox didn''t refuse, since that Lion sent her here. If she came on her own accord, she wouldn''t be allowed anywhere near them. The Snake Lady touched the small Fox, but the fluff and her slick scales made it difficult for her to lift Aiko up. Lady Liu giggled, upsetting the Snake Lady a little bit. She found her failure to pick up Aiko to be so cute. Lady Liu picked up Aiko out of the Blood Fox''s tails and placed her on her lap. The Snake Lady puffed her cheeks, but still came closer. There was something wrong with this Lady as she had a strange air around her and it seemed like most Beasts adored her. She couldn''t understand why, but seeing her eyes without prejudice... she was starting to slowly understand why. The Snake Lady checked the little Fox''s body carefully. "She has been overdosed on the Berserker Powder, so her body is using most of her energy for the purging. I also found another poison, but I''m not familiar with that one, so I can''t help you." The Snake Lady sighed. There was not much to do, since the little Fox''s body was in good condition whilst purging the Poison. If she used her techniques, they would in the long run decrease the Little Fox''s ability to resist that poison, which was counterproductive, especially when it came to the Berserker Powder. Rendering her more susceptible to the Berserker Powder would make her life a lot more difficult... "You really can''t help?" Lady Liu asked, since she was not well versed in the art of poison. "It would be detrimental for her if I helped. It is best to just wait for her body to deal with it on its own. The next banquet is in a few days, but by that time she should be alright..." The Snake Lady paused. "Unless she encounters more of the Berserker Powder." Aiko''s team skilfully avoided the Snake Lady''s eyes, they would not say anything about how Aiko got inflicted by that poison. The Snake Lady chuckled when she saw them feigning innocence. "I still want to thank you for confiscating so much Berserker Powder, since it would be extremely bad if it got spread during the banquet." The Snake Lady gently bowed and slithered away without waiting for them to say anything. She was already embarrassed enough that she had to thank them for it, when she was the one that insulted them at the beginning. Lady Liu chuckled. "She is not a bad person." She smiled from ear to ear and the Snake Lady slithered away even faster than before. "Wait for me, Love." The turtle was trying to catch up to his Dao Companion, but he was simply too slow compared to the snake''s speed... Chapter 178 – Banquet Aiko sneaked back into the Blood Fox''s tails and Lady Liu pouted. Why did she pout? Was it because Aiko left her? No. Aiko sneaked into the Blood Fox''s tails and kept holding Lady Liu''s hand! Whenever Lady Liu tried to pull her hand away, Aiko would try to grasp it with her paws. This was cute but annoyed Chen Shi. He wanted to spend more time with Lady Liu, but Lady Liu was so engrossed in playing with Aiko that she once again ignored him... ... Days passed and the time of the banquet came. Aiko was back to her normal pseudo-human form. She yawned a few times. She was sleepy, since she slept a bit too much these days, which made her even more sleepy. Aiko would have to exercise once this whole ordeal was over and not look for trouble lest she might really become a salted fish! Aiko didn''t want that. She wanted to be energetic again and finish this mission. Visit the markers, find some nice things for Mei before going back to her. ''I can restart Massage Chair business, since I have the special Inscription Carving Pen.'' Aiko smiled slightly and yawned again. They were in their Assassination Uniforms, so they looked more like Chen Shin''s attendants than normal guests, but they didn''t really care. The fewer eyes on them, the better. They were escorted to the main Palace, where the Emperor would hold his banquet. He had already assigned dancers and everything, so it was better to use the larger halls to ''demonstrate'' his kindness towards the male Cultivators. He smiled gently as he welcomed the guests from his seat. Aiko stared around, there was too much open space, so it was difficult to defend. She didn''t like this place at all, since it was too shiny and overbearing. There was gold and precious stones everywhere, which were jarring to the eyes, unlike the side palace where everything was in harmony. Aiko sighed. She didn''t like this type of decoration at all, noting down the differences in her mind so that she wouldn''t forget it once she decides to flau- Ahem. display her wealth. It was inevitable, since she heard the Blood Fox and the Umbra Fox talking about a base of operation. They needed some kind of place like that to smoothen out future team activities. Though, they couldn''t make it in the Grandmaster''s abode, since it was already crowded enough, but that also meant that the responsibility of designing the base completely befell Aiko. As such, she would have to design something... She refused to have a base of operation in a cave! No way would she allow that! It has to be some kind of cosy place, it didn''t need to be a house per se, but the wood in this place was really nice. It didn''t seem so weak that the building would collapse from a strong gust of wind. She could in theory use a cave and then place wood everywhere, but there were a few issues. The moisture would be a large issue for the wood, the wood might twist and distort as it expands from absorbing more moisture. Aiko did not know how to treat the wood so it wouldn''t happen, she would need to find someone to do it for her. Moreover, there was also an issue with furs. She wanted a fur carpet here and there, so there is some softness and fluff to sleep on when her team is doing their stuff. But the moisture would make it not very appealing. She also heard that some Foxes made bases on top of mountains, which is just... how stupid can you get?! High up on top of the mountains, where there are an abundance of wind! Wind that brings uncomfortable coldness and unpleasant whistles when it came to structures! Aiko couldn''t understand why the Foxes didn''t build different houses, since some of them were just sound traps. She would not be able to sleep inside them, since the constant sound would just beat her ears until they bled... Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Aiko snapped out of her thoughts once they sat down. The pillow under her was not very comfortable, it was even slightly cold. Under the pillow was a nice-looking stone, but Aiko noticed that stupid cold came from that. She wanted to throw that stone slab away, but when she saw that others didn''t move from it and even smiled happily... she stopped. She wouldn''t cause trouble for Lady Liu this time, but she would definitely complain to her later. Aiko noticed that Chen Shi swapped Lady Liu''s stone and she glared at him. Chen Shi glared back and made a few motions. In Runic Language, it meant warm and zone. Aiko raised her eyebrow for a moment, but once he gestured to his stone slab and wrote cold and zone, Aiko understood. Chen Shi swapped Lady Liu''s stone so that she wouldn''t be cold. Sure, it was constantly the same season on this continent, but that didn''t mean they didn''t get colder or hotter periods. Aiko didn''t really notice the differences in seasons, mostly because of her Beast Core and fur, but Humans were different. They didn''t have fur nor did they have Qi, well, at least most of the time. Which meant they were susceptible to the cold and unforgiving winds. Aiko covered her mouth with a fan that was too big for her, but for the current occasion, it was perfect. Aiko yawned, completely opening her mouth, but since the fan was so big, nobody would be able to notice unless they spied on her with Divine Sense. The Sect Leaders were not interested in spying on the small Fox. They were still terrified of her speed and the Lion''s Master. They wouldn''t do anything foolish that would endanger their lives! The tea was served first, it was supposed to start your metabolism so that you would process the food better. Aiko didn''t really like this tea, but she drank it just to keep pace with others. Some Human Cultivators also frowned, but still drank it. It was the Emperor who offered this and they didn''t want their relationship to turn sour since they still needed the Human Empires to provide new blood for them. They smiled amicably, trying to maintain their dignity while also buttering up the Emperor. Aiko wanted to vomit when she saw that sight. Old men were smiling like perverts trying to butter up their prize cow. She shook her head, and her ears twitched, she was looking for food or anything she could place in her mouth and munch on, but they still didn''t provide anything and she had to wait. With the Emperor sat his Empress, but the Empress Dowager was nowhere to be seen. Maybe she was fooling around with the Grand Emperor, but who knows what was actually happening. Aiko also spotted two princesses. One was pretty like the Empress and the other was her target. Aiko''s eyes trained on her for a while, she would find a way to extract that liquid from her. Meanwhile, the lone prince was staring at Aiko quite openly. Aiko noticed his gaze and their eyes met. He lifted his teacup to celebrate with that little Fox he heard so much about. Aiko''s face had momentarily distorted. She believed he was up to no good, but she didn''t have any evidence. Aiko would ignore him for the time being, not only did she not want to drink this kind of tea again, but she was also hungry, very hungry! She pouted and supported her chin, she didn''t care about etiquette if they didn''t feed her! Aiko would not be starved for nothing, she demands food now! Her pout only inflated more and more. She could hear a few kyas from the maids, but she ignored them. She was looking around for a bite of something, anything meaty. Then finally, her prayers were heard. "Let''s continue the banquet!" The Emperor said cheerfully, his ego was completely inflated like a balloon by those Human Cultivators. Naturally, this meant that Beasts were left to their own doings, which meant that most of them were bored, since unlike that turtle which had a companion... they had none. A small number of pretty royal maids served the food in front of them. Beasts were served with mostly simple meats, while Humans had well-decorated and elaborate food. Naturally, Beasts didn''t mind this, as long as they didn''t blatantly serve veggies none of them would mind! They munched on it without regards to any etiquette. The Humans stared at them disdainfully. Aiko''s team ate with grace, greatly shocking the Human Cultivators, but they thought it was natural. Foxes were masters of seduction and sex, it was only natural for them to learn etiquette that would cater to the Humans. Of course, if they said it out loud they would get stoned to death by Aiko''s team, but fortunately, they were not narcissistic enough to voice their thoughts. Aiko on the other hand was completely devouring the meat without any class. She would keep glaring at the blatantly staring elders until they looked away. In between each of Aiko''s fingers was a chicken leg. As this was simply the most efficient way of consuming meat! Aiko happily munched when the Emperor introduced the dancers. While they weren''t blatantly nude, the Emperor also didn''t skimp on the service as certain parts of their dresses were all but see through. Of course, the most important parts were covered and hidden from sight. He didn''t want to be seen as the lustful emperor, but at the same time, he allowed them to show some calves, a bit of thighs and slender arms with somewhat jade shoulders. "Bleh." Aiko almost vomited when she saw them. "What''s wrong?" Lady Liu smiled, but everyone''s attention was attracted to them, as they were supposed to enjoy the show. "No good." Aiko shook her head. "No good?" Lady Liu giggled, petting Aiko''s head, since she was sitting next to her. On her left side was Chen Shi, who was also closest to the Emperor, and then there was Lady Liu, Aiko, The Blood Fox and Umbra Fox. The Great Roc Mother was nowhere to be seen for quite some time, or rather right after the revelation of the Berserker Powder. And that was for a good reason. Bird Beasts were among the most susceptible to the Berserker Powder, but that was not the worst part. They would lose the ability to coordinate their wings properly, whilst under the effects of the powder, rendering them incapable of flight. This meant that they would crash into the ground and there was a high likelihood they would get badly injured and unable to fly any more. Of course, it was different for the two teams that were coming to the rescue, but they were a very small minority that could resist the effects of the Berserker Powder... Chapter 179 – Sharp Tongue and Master Impaler In total, there were 3 main dancers, which were also the most appealing, and 15 supporting dancers who were clothed more teasingly. As they moved, their clothes would shift. This didn''t reveal much other than their cleavage and thighs, but that was more than enough to drive the Human Cultivators mad from ''needs''. "No good." Aiko shook her head again, breaking the nice atmosphere. "Which ones are not good?" Lady Liu already noticed the blatant disregard for quality and etiquette, which meant she didn''t need to humour the Emperor. "That one and this one are injured and reek of blood." Aiko said while munching on another piece of chicken. The Dancers blushed, since they were at that time of the month... "And?" Lady Liu suppressed her laughter. She didn''t mean it in that way, but Aiko was completely ruthless! "That one doesn''t know the second part of the dance, she is also slower by a heartbeat, breaking the immersion. That one displaced her clothing so much, you can totally see her nipples." Aiko blatantly stared at them and continued talking. They all stiffened their bodies or blushed, since this was the greatest shame they ever experienced. The main dancers glared at the Emperor to stop them, but the Emperor could only swallow. Lady Liu was under the protection of Inscription Saint. There were even rumours that he became a Runic Cultivator. Although the emperor was arrogant, he wasn''t stupid. His glorious Empire was nothing in front of such a powerhouse that could possibly turn his well-built cities into dust with just a mere wave of his hand! And the majority of his larger cities can even endure a Stampede! The Emperor could only smile wryly, unable to stop the ''public execution'' from happening. "Yes, yes." Chen Shi agreed with Aiko wholeheartedly, dancers were supposed to present art and not sell themselves. He scoffed at them. "Don''t forget the blatant visuals." Aiko stared at them... "What do you mean by that?" Aiko tilted her head. "They aren''t even as beautiful as me or Lady Liu." Aiko munched on another meat, saying that narcissistic remark on purpose. The Human Cultivator''s lips twitched, likewise, the Emperor''s lips twitched. They were not really interested in small and petite women, she would need to grow a pair and at least double in height! "Not to mention, they are totally soggy!" Aiko glanced at them. They had clothes that supported their breasts, which upset Aiko. Since she barely had any herself, so there was no way she could use such nice things since hers were just too small! Aiko pouted. "Ah, right, they are just a sorry copy of Lady Liu." Aiko sighed, clearly tired. "They don''t know how to dance, don''t know the basic etiquette. They are also easily swayed by the words of other." Aiko counted on her greasy fingers, which she licked clean each time she raised a new one. "I don''t understand what you mean by visuals." Aiko shook her hand and stared at Chen Shi. Chen Shi smiled, this was one of the few times he liked this little Fox. Aiko and Chen Shi raised their cups and they drank tea slowly. "Don''t forget about their clothing, they can''t even dress themselves properly." The Blood Fox said with a gentle smirk on her lips. *Pfft* Aiko spilt her tea and coughed. She glared at her team that betrayed her, but they promptly ignored her! How could they betray her like that and play innocent?! Lady Liu laughed loudly, this group of Foxes were so odd, yet unique, that it warmed her heart. The Emperor''s face hardened. He saw Lady Liu laugh and felt a bit of shame in his heart, since he couldn''t refute their disdain... he truly only made sorry copies of Lady Liu. They were not as pretty or graceful, but he still believed those young, pure maidens would attract the Inscription Saint''s attention... You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Aiko kept glancing over the dancers. There was hostility from one of them, so Aiko kept discreetly kept an eye on her. The Emperor tried to smooth out the situation, but Aiko wasn''t paying any attention to him The dancer inconspicuously grabbed for her hidden knife, but Aiko was faster. She jerked her hands and pieces of sharpened chicken bones struck the dancer, forcing her to drop the half drawn knife. Instantly everyone turned, toward the small Fox ready to scold her for attacking a mortal without reason, but then... *Ding Ding* The knife fell down onto the floor, the metal ringing, announcing its presence. Everyone visibly stiffened, except Aiko, who had returned to casually consuming her meat. She smelled something familiar and her ears picked up something from behind. She picked up more bones from her bone pile and used them as weapons, placing them between her fingers. Aiko abruptly stood up and turned around with more sharpened bones in her hands. She met the eyes of the assassins. They were shocked that they were found out so soon and that the first sacrificial catalyst for the Grand Array Formation was disrupted! Aiko stared at them with a wicked smile, she raised her hands with the bones, but was briefly shocked. She had accidentally picked up another chicken legs with her bones, so she had one less weapon in her hand! That wouldn''t do! Aiko quickly bit into the meat and tore it off. Devouring the chicken leg in the blink of an eye, leaving her with an unsharpened bone, which was better than nothing. This chasm of action and reaction stunned everyone present, especially the team and Inscription Saint. They had their lips twitching from Aiko''s demeanour, but that didn''t end there... "Rawr!" Aiko made a cute sound and sprinted towards them. Some assassins immediately ran away, while others challenged her... which was a mistake. Aiko threw those bones like she trained it her whole life, incapacitating some of them, while injuring others. Now fear spread throughout the room, and the remaining assassins dispersed. They had to kill that dancer to activate the first phase of the Array! Aiko ran out of bones. But she noticed that the Emperor loved to show of the flag of his Empire, which was a good thing for Aiko. She picked a nearby flag and threw it like a trained Immortal! The Human Cultivators stared at the little Fox oddly. The Flag soared through the air, impaling a fleeing assassin from behind. "Should we help her?" The Umbra Fox asked. "No." The Blood Fox dismissed that motion. She knew that Aiko needed a good stretch... "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA." A heart-wrenching scream spread throughout the main Palace, making everyone clench their cheeks. The Human Cultivators had their cheeks especially clenched. Aiko nailed the bullseye(?) or was it bullsass? But she wasn''t finished there! She picked another nearby flag and smiled like a devil, her hair turning black paired with a very sadistic smile on her lips. The assassins visibly quivered, they no longer wanted to approach that dancer, they kept glancing around for the shortest path of escape! Aiko gently shook her head. The meaning was obvious ''There was no escape!''. They shivered and dispersed, yet... "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" More and more flags were planted, impaling the assassins'' asses. A few moments ago the rescue Beast team arrived, just in time to see that little Fox''s cruelty, naturally, they thought wrongly about this situation and assumed that that little Fox was into that kind of play... Fortunately, they didn''t say it out loud, otherwise, yet another flag would be planted, but could that be considered friendly fire when your supposed friends are so mean? Aiko spotted eyes on her, different to what she was experiencing. She briefly paused her pursuit and stared in that direction. Black Panther eyes were staring at her. There was confusion in that Panther''s eyes. Aiko felt a sense of danger and her [Intention Perception] also warned her, but that thing that threatened her was too quick. The Blood Fox formed a shield around Aiko that shattered near instantly, but it bought enough time for Chen Shi and his Runes. The Runes shone brightly, blasting the assailant away and injuring them badly. "WAAAAAAAAAAAAIT!" The Lion snapped out of it and stopped everyone. "Only those guys are enemies!" He pointed at the other black-clothed figures. "These 3 are allies!" He pointed at Aiko and her team. There was confusion with the panther team, but still shifted their focus on the assassins that were running away! "Are you alright?!" Lady Liu was worried about Aiko and grabbed her to drag her back. "I''m fine." Aiko didn''t try to run away or protest and let Lady Liu drag her away. Aiko''s team was likewise concerned, if not for the Blood Fox''s abnormally fast reaction, Aiko would have been badly injured. However, they couldn''t interfere with Lady Liu since their goal was the same. Aiko''s safety. Chen Shi clicked his tongue, he will give these brainless Beasts an earful for their shitty conduct! They were obviously allies, yet they were attacked before the actual assassins! Chen Shi had a stern expression and kept staring at the new Beasts that just appeared, there were even some flying Beasts which was unusual. "I better get an explanation for this." Chen Shi said sternly towards the Beasts. They ignored him, causing his Rune to flash and displayed its pressure. They nodded obediently after that. Chen Shi snorted disdainfully. Aiko can''t die in front of Lady Liu, he would protect her for the time being, at least until they went their separate ways! He sat down and sipped his tea. The powerful Rune formed a dome around Chen Shi, Lady Liu, Aiko and her team. They would be protected as long as they were inside. Aiko sat quietly and let herself be smothered by Lady Liu''s worry and oversized peaks. (For Aiko''s taste.) One assassin escaped the new Beasts. The new Beasts were not as threatening as that little Devil! He slid on the polished marble floor near the Dancer. The Human Cultivators were confused. ''Does he want to rescue her?'' They were pretty dumb... *Stab* The Dancer was stabbed and an Array lit up. The Human Cultivators went on high alert, except for Chen Shi''s group. He calmly sipped his tea. "Blood for our Sect!" He roared as the Array activated and then lit up the Grand Array Formation. The Human Sect Leaders felt a shiver down their spine. They pulled out their treasure and waited for the effect of the Array... but nothing happened. Chen Shi gently sipped the tea. "So it''s the Blood Sect." He nodded slowly in understanding. The assassins were confused. The Grand Array Formation was supposed to light up already! Chapter 180 – He would prostrate any day! *Pffft* All the assassins coughed up blood and collapsed on the ground. All of them were connected to the Grand Array Formation, which meant since the Grand Array Formation didn''t activate properly, they received backlash. Normally it wouldn''t end up so badly, but since this Grand Array Formation was simply too big, it directly claimed their lives. The Human Cultivators and the Emperor were confused. They thought something bad was supposed to happen. "With the help of this little Fox and her team, I was able to alter the main Formation." The Inscription Saint said simply, but everyone understood. They were saved because of him! Human Cultivators blushed and coughed awkwardly, hiding their defensive treasures. Meanwhile, the new Beasts cleaned the stage of the bodies. "I''m still waiting for your excuse." He tapped on the table lightly, but both the Lion and other Beasts knew he was angry. "Wait never mind." He shook his head. "Since you attacked indiscriminately, it doesn''t seem you have enough intelligence to hold a conversation." He dismissed them completely. One Beast angrily growled, but the moment he did so, he was blasted by Chen Shi. Runes circled around him. Runic Cultivator! The Human Cultivators gulped hard, this was the legendary Runic Cultivator! The blasted Beasts coughed up blood, not really surprising since half its body was shredded to pieces. "What? You want to fight." Chen Shi joined his hands and supported his nose. "Go ahead, we can play." More and more Runes released their pressure, pretty much paralysing the Beasts. The Human Cultivator''s eyes widened. They were left speechless that someone could stun Beasts in this way. This was way easier and safer than using the Berserker Powder! They made a mental note, that they should learn more about Inscriptions and Runes so that they can hunt Beast more easily. Little did they know that they were just too stupid to learn this kind of skill... Aiko stared at them, the injured Beast still stared at her with open hostility. She couldn''t understand why... "Yo, you big bastard." One familiar panther greeted the Lion with a snake tail. "Hoho~ you finally show yourself." The Lion stood up menacingly and they approached each other, one on four legs while the other on two. "You still walk on two legs like those bastard Humans?" The Black Panther said cringing. "You still don''t know when to bow your head in front of someone stronger?" The Lion said menacingly. "Heh, who is stronger here?" The Panther snorted sarcastically. The Human Cultivators were upset, but they couldn''t stir up trouble since they were vastly outnumbered by powerful Beasts. "Look to the right." The Lion said with a mean smile. The Black Panther looked to his right, but didn''t see anything. "My right you stupid bastard!" The Lion scoffed at him. "Who are you calling stupid you muscle-headed cun-" The Panther cursed him and while doing so, he turned left to see who was stronger. His eyes trained on a little Fox and his mouth stopped. There was something just so familiar about this little Fox. The Lion scoffed again. "Seriously, because of you, she thinks I''m also a bully!" *Ptooey* He spat out disdainfully. The Black Panther was confused, but once that little Fox''s fur changed... ''Oh, shit!'' He sweated buckets. He immediately ran towards her at top speed. Chen Shi was shocked and wanted to blast him away, but he soon choked up at the sight. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The Black Panther elegantly prostrated himself, like he trained many, many times in the past. "My apologiiiiiiiiiiiiiies, Princeeeees!" He stopped in front of the Lady who was holding a small Fox. Aiko''s brain processed what happened. "That doesn''t mean I will forgive you!" She snorted. The Beasts were dumbfounded, the Humans were dumbfounded, and even the Lion was dumbfounded! For someone like him who easily talks shit as if he was breathing, he caved in way too fast! They were slightly less upset, but still confused on why he would submit so fast... "I know, I will make it up to you, Princess!" He wagged his tail like an obedient dog, except he was a Panther... "You better!" Aiko crossed her arms. The Human Cultivators stared at the little Fox again and tried to understand her, but no matter how long they stared at her, the only thing they were able to conclude was that this was just an odd Fox... "Of course! Of course!" The Black Panther was happy that the little Fox didn''t hold much of a grudge. He witnessed the horror and precision of her flag planting techniques, and if she still held a grudge against him... *Shiver**Gulp* He was just happy that she didn''t! "I want meat!" Aiko commanded, but before she could finish, the Black Panther already swiped most of the meat on the surrounding plates and presented it in front of Aiko. "Hmpf, you are excused!" Aiko dismissed him, but inside she was happy. She was pretty hungry and agitated from the Berserker Powder they confiscated. Aiko happily munched on the meat and the Black Panther returned to the Lion''s side, showing his fierce side again. "Heh." The Black Panther proudly puffed up his chest. The Lion snorted, but didn''t comment on his shamelessness. "How is the situation?" "We confiscated all the Berserker Powder." He said shortly. "I also heard that you have more." "Yes, we do." The Lion stared in a certain direction. "Where?" The Black Panther was confused and followed his gaze. "Damm-" The Black Panther wanted to curse, but Aiko looked their way. From the menacing Black Panther became a sweet little kitty in but a moment. Aiko stared at the cute kitty before returning to her meal. The Black Panther swapped back to his menacing form, but he was getting strange glances from his fellow Beasts. They couldn''t understand why he would be so subservient towards a dumb Fox... He snorted at them and gazed at them like those Beasts were some kind of idiots. "What? You want to fight?!" Smelly Wind who had half of his body pulverised roared. The Black Panther glanced at him briefly, but then looked away with a snort. Smelly Wind growled, but he couldn''t pick much of a fight with, since his body was still healing through his Bloodline. "Just throw him into the latrine." The Lion sighed, shaking his head. That''s right, the Smelly Panther was healing through shit! He smelled so bad that the Elders had to give him that nickname in the hopes that he would be more aware of his foul odour and cause him to bathe often! Unfortunately, the Smelly Panther was as smart as he smelled, so he despised the Elders for giving him that name! He would never forgive them! Aiko finished the meat as the final clean-ups happened. The Emperor was sweating buckets as this was the second time the banquet was interrupted in a way that could endanger his whole Empire. He wiped his sweat, but he felt like he aged a few years from this whole event. "Anyway, we will escort you back later on, did you finish the negotiations?" The Black Panther asked the Lion. "Not yet, there are a few things we need to flesh out more, but let''s do that another day, this place still smells." Lion pinched his sensitive nose. "It''s not from this place." The Black Panther said and briefly glanced at a certain Smelly Panther. "Right..." The Lion sighed, he completely forgot about this guy. "Let''s continue this another day when things¡­ vent out." The Emperor nodded weakly, now that all the pressure and worry was mostly dissipated, he could finally take in that awful smell. The group disbanded and they returned to their respective palaces for rest... ... Aiko sat down with a slightly bloated stomach, she finally had enough and her Beast Core purity didn''t even drop! That meant that the Emperor actually cared about their well-being and wasn''t just putting up air. ''Maybe that cold slab was also made for Beasts to cool down?'' Aiko tilted her head, she no longer saw the Emperor as negatively as before. ''Well, whatever.'' Aiko shrugged, it was not like she would spend that much time here, but it also didn''t feel bad. Lady Liu placed Aiko on her lap with a brush in her hand. She cleaned Aiko''s messy hair after that fight. She liked to do this since Aiko''s hair was simply divine. Soft and silky smooth, it is a joy to take care of. It also wasn''t all that long which meant it didn''t burden her to brush Aiko''s hair. "What do we do next?" Aiko asked Chen Shi, who was sitting nearby and sipping tea with an unsightly face. "You will go away and we will finish the council." Chen Shi tried to dismiss Aiko, but... "So we are attending another meeting." The Inscription Saint could not yet match Aiko''s shamelessness. He glared at Aiko, but he couldn''t dismiss her since Lady Liu was smiling happily. He knew that Lady Liu didn''t like these kinds of things, but it was safer by his side, so that''s why he was taking her with him. The Inscription Saint also disliked the fact that the Emperor tried to bait him with cheap copies of Lady Liu. They were not even 1/10th as attractive as Lady Liu! This angered him even more, since the Emperor didn''t even pay proper attention to his likes! *Knock Knock* "Who?" Chen Shi didn''t even bother finishing the sentence. "The Little Fox was invited to the Royal Garden, by his Majesty, the Prince." The royal maid said courteously, but was quivering inside. She was really scared after what happened in the banquet hall. Aiko''s ears perked up, while she was not interested in the Prince, she was very much interested in the Royal Garden. She wondered if it would be the same mess as that banquet hall and main Palace or if it would be a graceful and magnificent place full of learning material. Aiko''s ears twitched, but her team grimaced. They noticed the Prince glancing at Aiko quite often and they didn''t like his smiling and kind expression! They stared at each other, but before they could discuss it with Aiko. "Sure, but say that I will bring others with me." Aiko didn''t use any etiquette, since she was mostly tired, but also... She was attacked on his grounds, so she didn''t hold as much respect towards the Royal Family as before. The royal maid bowed and disappeared... Chapter 181 – Negotiations with the Prince Aiko stretched, she didn''t really go over since the laziness was catching up to her, but at the same time, if she got this over with, she would be able to lie on the Blood Fox''s tails again. Aiko yawned. "Everyone ready?" Her group nodded and Lady Liu was also accompanying them. Lady Liu didn''t like the council, but that didn''t mean that she wasn''t interested in the Royal Garden. She was curious if it was as magnificent as other people said during their outing and shopping, or if it was just made up to make the Empire feel more glorious than it is. Sure, the Emperor had a lofty main Palace, but those things were inorganic and easily taken care of. Flowers on the other hand, will wilt easily if they are not properly given enough care and effort, so the Royal Garden had to be adjusted to house all the different flowers. Aiko was less interested in the flowers and more interested in the overall feel. How the colours matched, how it was built and how it smelled. The last part was especially important for her since her nose was sensitive. ... A maid guided them throughout the main Palace that led into the Royal Garden. They had not met many other maids or Humans, which was strange and made them a little apprehensive about this whole thing. However, they didn''t need to worry much since Inscription Saint was with them. They arrived at the large entrance to the Royal Garden after which the maid stopped guiding them. "This shall be where we part ways, dear guests. Have a great visit." The maid politely invited them to enter. "There are no mazes, right?" Aiko asked. "This part of the Royal Garden doesn''t have a maze, dear Guest." The maid bowed and waited by the entrance. "Hmmmm..." Aiko tilted her head, there was just something fishy about this, but she was really curious about what it was. They walked in. The Garden was simply breathtaking. The path was made out of individual rocks and in between the rocks there was trimmed grass. On the sides were rows upon rows of different flowers, but with colours that were smooth and not jarring or attention-grabbing. Some way in front of them was a river with rock formations. It was hard to say if it was a real river or artificial. Over the river was a gently arching bridge. Slightly deeper into the garden, they spotted a plethora of trees. Plum trees, cherry trees, maidenhair trees, you name it and they have it. Even deeper inside was a tall magnificent bamboo forest where all the smaller rivers in the garden converged into a pond. It was difficult to see if that was the endpoint or not, but the sacred lotuses that drifted on top of the pond were indeed beautiful. There, the Prince was waiting for them. The group of admirers came closer, the Prince had only a single guard with him and the Princess from the fallen kingdom. "Welcome." The Prince smiled gently. "I hope you enjoyed our little garden." "It was alright." Aiko nodded somewhat gently. Some parts were not really good, while others were great. The beginning was awful for Aiko''s sensitive nose. While yes, most of the flowers smelled nice, but that was only for Humans. Beasts with sensitive noses could smell the flowers from a greater distance, and that was the biggest problem. All the different smells got bundled and mixed together, which caused issues for Aiko and her team. The tree part was lovely, although Aiko hoped that she could pluck a few peaches from the trees since her hunger was bothering her again. The bamboo forest was the best part. Since there was only the smell of bamboo and sacred lotuses that protrude the forest, this was the simplest yet most appealing place for Aiko, so she noted everything down inside her mind. The Prince was not offended by Aiko''s dissatisfaction. This place was made by Humans for Humans, so they obviously didn''t change things for Beasts, it was only natural that they wouldn''t completely like it. "Please." The Prince gestured toward a beautiful, white gazebo with a small stone table and what looked like stone chairs. Aiko glanced towards it. It was quite open and she was curious what it overlooked. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Aiko followed his lead with her team, not everyone would fit, which was fine as Lady Liu was more interested in the shining pond than in the white gazebo with tea served inside. He sat down and gestured for them to do the same, but it wouldn''t be Aiko if she listened. She was curious what this place oversaw, so she came close to the railing. Below her was a whole city. Unfortunately, it was the middle of the day, so the view was a bit less mesmerising, but even then it was a beautiful sight as most buildings were built in harmony. Aiko stared for a while before being satisfied and sat down with her team. The Prince was slightly on the edge, since he didn''t expect for this little Fox to bring so many friends. "So, why did you call us?" Aiko asked, not giving him any chance to settle his thoughts. He choked slightly, he knew that this little Fox was straightforward, but wasn''t this a bit too much? The Prince was bewildered for a moment, before his royal teachings kicked in and he recovered. He stood up, startling them, making a 90-degree bow. "Please help me remove my princess''s ''poison''." He said pleadingly. Everyone was stunned and confused. They didn''t know what to say or think about this whole situation. Crown Princes who bowed to others... were unheard of. They would more likely order others to do things than to sincerely ask. Aiko tapped the table, she was not inclined to help, but at the same time, she wanted that treasure that was on the princess. "Why are you asking like this?" Aiko asked and pointed at the seat. He sat down, recovering his royal dignity, which also raised the opinion of this little Fox. "It''s simple, the princess that you previously ''cured'', aged to become an old grandma in a few days. I wanted to ask you if there was a way to remove the poison, so I wouldn''t become an addicted, brainless peasant." He sighed. "I can only plead because I love her, but if she ages, father would kick her out..." He shook his head. Aiko was confused and looked towards the Blood Fox, which was avoiding her gaze. This didn''t escape the prince''s royal eyes which were trained to spot minute differences in case of betrayal. "I''m not sure what went wrong..." Aiko said slowly, still staring at the Blood Fox. She didn''t want to scold her since they definitely deserved it, but she also wanted to know if it was possible to cure her without any side effects. Aiko kept staring at the Blood Fox until she would cave in and tell her. "It is possible to extract it without side effects, but it will take a lot of time..." The Blood Fox murmured, she felt slightly bad for what she had done without telling Aiko. "There you have it." Aiko completely switched gears and drank the tea that was served. The Princess from the fallen kingdom was very submissive. She didn''t look at them much and kept close to him, but Aiko could tell through her skill [Intention Perception] that the Princess was worried, which changed to hope and ended up with gratefulness towards Aiko. Aiko didn''t mind doing this as long as there was not even a hint of negative intentions. Which, fortunately for the princess, passed Aiko¡¯s test. "How much time do you need?" The Prince asked, it was only a matter of time before his father knew about the miraculous effects of having sex with someone afflicted by this unique poison. He wanted to prevent this by extracting it early and hoped that there would be no side effects... Aiko saw his worry and thought about it. She then glanced at Blood Fox. "If she is willingly giving it up, 10 days should be enough." The Blood Fox sipped tea slowly and gracefully. One of her ears was flat and the other stood upright. Her eyes were half closed, giving her incredibly seductive air. That air dinged away from the prince like he was immune to her charms. "Can it be done?!" He choked slightly and his facial expression changed. Hope was plastered all over it. The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. She was pleasantly surprised that he ignored her and thus gained more acknowledgement from her. "It''s possible, if nobody disturbs us. Otherwise, I will pull it out of her by force and we will leave immediately." The Blood Fox warned him, to which he nodded obediently. "My father, the Emperor, doesn''t know much about her yet, I want to ''cure'' her now so that she won''t become a plaything of the other Emperors..." He sighed, ruffling his hair. He truly didn''t feel like the usual Crown Prince. "So there is a chance of disturbance." The Blood Fox said neutrally, but her meaning was obvious. ''You better keep others out if you don''t want her to get hurt.'' He nodded. "I will arrange it, but I can''t do anything about the incoming assassins, we don''t have all that many Cultivators and most are monopolised by my father, the Emperor." He sounded apologetic. Aiko perked up her large ears. "More assassins?" Her eyes shined and the surrounding beings were slightly concerned and burdened. *Cough* "I would appreciate it if you didn''t use the flags of our Empire like that..." The Prince coughed awkwardly, trying to gently convince this tiny Fox to not use it in that way... Aiko stared at him blankly and said with a straight face. "They are a nice fit..." The Prince choked up, he couldn''t believe what he just heard from this little Fox. "N-nice fit?" He was shocked that she didn''t have even an ounce of remorse for what she had done. Aiko shrugged, those flags were well-balanced and easily thrown, they also had cloth to soak up the blood and everything, so it was truly a wonderful weapon. Seeing that he wasn''t getting through her, he coughed. "If I provide spears for you, will you stop using our flags?" The Prince said gently. "Spears are too heavy..." Aiko frowned, while they weren''t heavy for her, she was still inconvenienced since she threw with her right hand. She didn''t want to burden her hand, so she wanted the easy way out. Prince thought about it for a bit. "So wooden poles or spear shafts are alright?" He wanted her to say yes. "Sure." Aiko nodded, spear shafts were not much different to those flags, they weren''t heavy or anything like that. The only thing Aiko disliked was the fact they didn''t have cloth to soak up the blood... "How about including cloth at the end?" Aiko stared at him with a neutral expression. The Prince didn''t want to ask what she would use it for, his main goal was achieved, so it was simple to agree to her needs. "Sure, I will arrange it and once the arrangements are finished we will start working on it." He nodded gently. "You should probably visit the city since it will take some time." He said gently, but Aiko could feel the push so that she would leave the Palace. The Prince was worried about the presence of other assassins inside the palace which was concerning enough. But if they encountered this little fox... it would be safe to say that there will no longer be a flag in the palace that isn''t sullied by... ''impurities''. "I will think about it." Aiko naturally didn''t agree immediately. Sure, she did want to shop, but that didn''t mean she would do so just because someone told her! Chapter 182 – Her team is weird… Aiko enjoyed the bamboo garden a bit more. She looked around so that she could remember everything that she liked about this garden, but even with her memory and determination, it was possible that she still missed a few things. Aiko would have to visit a few more gardens to understand what she liked and disliked, which was fine. She had plenty of time to look around the world, now that she was on missions, since this ''free'' time would only improve over time. "I will contact you once everything is prepared." The Prince gently bowed towards Aiko''s group and left with the princess from the fallen kingdom. The Blood Fox''s opinion of him had elevated slightly, most of the time, people like him would either stare or at least glance at her cleavage, but this Prince was impressive. He didn¡¯t even take a peek. The Blood Fox turned towards Aiko who was still inspecting the garden. She said softly. "I don''t mind helping him." Aiko gently nodded. "He is a strange guy, but surprisingly neither of them is bad." Aiko was pleasantly surprised that the princess was so submissive. Maybe they truly loved each other? Or maybe she sought safety and used her submission as a bargaining chip, that might be a kink for the Prince? Aiko didn''t know and couldn''t care less about it, what mattered for her was the attitude that they had towards her and their hidden feelings. Even if you were a great actor on the outside, it would be difficult to fool [Intention Perception], especially for Mortals. Aiko came next to Lady Liu and sat down. Lady Liu was playing with the sacred lotuses, clearly enjoying herself. "It''s truly a beautiful Royal Garden." Lady Liu said softly with a hint of melancholy. Aiko nodded gently. "Somewhat beautiful, yeah." Lady Liu giggled at that remark. "For us Humans, it''s beautiful." She gently petted Aiko. Aiko pouted, but didn''t reject Lady Liu''s petting. "We have a lot of time, will you be returning to the manor?" Aiko suddenly asked. "Not yet, they will have another council and then I will return." Lady Liu sighed. She didn''t really want to attend another council, especially since that attack happened. "It will be fine." Chen Shi said. He had already geared himself up and set his flying ship to auto mode. This meant that if he activates his ship, it would ignore the restrictions and fly straight into the Royal Palace to rescue them. He didn''t really care about Human cities, especially if said cities endangered his love. He would do everything in his power to protect Lady Liu. Aiko sighed. ''Lady Liu has it tough too...'' Well, for Aiko, she held nothing but dislike and disdain for this whole situation. She didn''t really want to be here, yet she has to endure since she really wanted that treasure. She will also have to deal with that Panther who attacked her. Sure, half of his body was obliterated to pieces, but as they said. ''He can heal by smothering himself in shit.'' Aiko chuckled, that was one of the Abilities she would never wish to get! Having those questionable titles was already humiliating enough, but that couldn''t be helped since the system was going utterly against her with it''s naming scheme! She would wait for Lady Liu before leaving this place. It was not because she was worried that they would be attacked, but because she was concerned that something unpredictable might happen to Lady Liu. ... It took a few more hours, but Aiko was not bored, since she would watch over the tiny Mortals from the gazebo. She somewhat understood why Foxes loved their bases high up. You could watch over others while being on the higher ground, making it feel like you are more important than them. This made Aiko think that those Human Cultivators loved their flying swords not because of ease of travel, but because they wanted to have the high ground, even if it was not a moral one. Aiko found Humans stranger each day, they would complain about something, but then do the exact same thing they complained about. She didn''t understand it, this motion was beyond her. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. While Aiko was busy trying to comprehend the boundless levels of hypocrisy that humans exude, Lady Liu finally finished playing with the pond and stood up. Aiko jumped down from the railing and dashed next to Lady Liu. It was time to leave and Aiko would not leave Lady Liu''s side! Lady Liu giggled, seeing Chen Shi''s distorted face. She would comfort him later, since she wanted to indulge Aiko a bit more. She was happy to be kept company during these times and she would miss them greatly. Unfortunately, she knew well that she couldn''t follow Aiko as her next target was in another Empire and Chen Shi might not like them. She wouldn''t go against Chen Shi since he picked such a beautiful place for her. ... They left the Royal Gardens and were picked up by the same maid again. It felt like she was waiting there the whole time and that might''ve been the case since it was part of the etiquette, but everyone knew that the Emperor liked maids. He possibly pardoned them so they didn''t need to wait the whole time, but that was just Aiko''s guess from gossip. ''Well...'' Aiko stared at the maid with slightly different clothing. It was very modest and light-coloured, which signified innocence. It had colours like yellow, white and green, each signifying a different type of maid, but Aiko didn''t really care about that, so she didn''t listen to the explanation when she was introduced. She liked the colour codes, since it immediately made it obvious what kind of maid each colour represent, but Aiko just didn''t like their outfits, something felt odd about them. They arrived back at their side palace. Aiko was thinking about pulling Lady Liu to go shopping, but seeing Lady Liu so tired, she discarded that idea for now. She would later ask again once Lady Liu was in good condition. Aiko looked towards her team, they would always follow her, which meant she didn''t need to ask them, but that felt wrong... "Shall we go shopping?" Aiko asked gently while smiling. ""No."" Both the Umbra Fox and the Blood Fox instinctively said, which made Aiko flinch. They both coughed awkwardly. "We can go shopping." The Blood Fox was the first one to correct her previous words and the Umbra Fox just nodded alongside her. "..." Aiko was speechless, she didn''t understand what got over them... ''Phew, that was close. My inner thoughts almost completely leaked when I was caught off guard.'' The Umbra Fox was sweating inside her mind, this was truly cutting it close to insubordination. ''My tongue slipped since I was too shocked.'' The Blood Fox sighed in her mind. ''Every time we go outside something happens and I don''t have enough energy to deal with everything...'' The Blood Fox was tired from tying up so many assailants during Aiko''s outing. This number will also greatly increase now that there is something brewing around the corner. ''I have almost run out of ropes...'' The Blood Fox lamented. The Umbra Fox shared the same sentiment, but she used wires instead of ropes, which were more expensive... Aiko saw their expression and her face hardened, it didn''t seem like they like her idea very much. She gave up going into the town for today, but she really wanted some kind of gift for Mei. Aiko would absolutely go out tomorrow, even if it meant that she would be going alone! Aiko pouted gently and said, "Never mind, I will go out tomorrow." and she left the room. "Do you think she hates us?" The Umbra Fox suddenly asked, concerned about her future relationship with her Mistress. "I don''t think so, but our expressions were probably a bit... rough?" The Blood Fox said gently. The Umbra Fox nodded. "By the way, were you trying to seduce the Prince?" She, for some reason, hoped that was the case, but that explicit feeling quickly vanished. ''What am I imagining, I don''t want to have the Mistress just for myself! I won''t be able to las- No, what am I thinking!?'' The Umbra Fox shook her head with a deep red blush. Her dreams of adult Aiko with those strange toys were gnawing at her mind each night. Adult Aiko was too dangerous for this world and the Umbra Fox hoped that Aiko wouldn''t mature, otherwise even whole rolls of wires wouldn''t be enough to subjugate the waves of filthy Humans! The Blood Fox stared strangely at the blushing Umbra Fox. "I was testing him, I don''t want to help them if they have a strong sense of lust towards us." She was extremely sensitive towards lust as her nature was that of a Demonic Fox, or Bloody Lust Fox as Humans would call it... "Oh..." The Umbra Fox blushed even more since she misunderstood the whole situation, but nodded gently. She was happy that Aiko wouldn''t terrorise only her, but also others. "Well, we will have to get stronger since Aiko seems more and more restless." The Blood Fox suddenly said with a serious expression. "That''s true, but we can''t really hasten our Evolution or we might not be able to reach as high as Mistress." The Umbra Fox nodded. They both thought about it for a bit and the answer was simple: She will leave us in the dust, but let''s not hurry our evolutions and make bad decisions that would ruin our paths. We can slowly catch up to Aiko in our own way! They both came to consensus. The Blood Fox asked the Umbra Fox with curiosity. "Why were you blushing?" Her voice was soft and sweet. The Umbra Fox choked. "N-n-nothing! About nothing!" The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. "That is a lie, should I push you down and interrogate you!" "Hmpf as if you could ever catch me!" The Umbra Fox already stood on the windowsill and snorted at the Blood Fox. The Blood Fox chuckled. "Let''s not do this when we are supposed to be resting." She shook her head, it felt like Aiko was giving them time to rest and the Blood Fox could only imagine how hurt she would be if she saw them run around full of energy. The Umbra Fox awkwardly jumped down. "Don''t try to catch me then!" She pouted. They sat down again and warily stared at each other. The Umbra Fox was thinking about not being caught, while the Blood Fox was thinking about how to soothe Aiko tomorrow if they refused her invitation. Yes, they are supposed to go with her, but the waves and waves of enemies are making it difficult for them to enjoy and recover themselves. It would be better if there was a cease-fire, which would allow them to shop in peace. ''Maybe...'' The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. They were forbidden to use the Recognition Inhibition Bracelets inside the Palace, but not outside. They could use that fact to go around outside in incognito, which would lower the chances of being ambushed. ''Let''s do that tomorrow.'' The Blood Fox sipped her tea with elegance, her air was similar to that of nobility, which made the Umbra Fox speechless. ''Why can''t I emulate that air even now...'' She pouted and slurped her tea, breaking the silent atmosphere. Chapter 183 – Sneaking around in the Palace Aiko was too bored, she wanted to go shopping already, but her team was too tired! She couldn''t visit Lady Liu since she was with Chen Shi. Chen Shi doesn''t have the greatest patience, so she shouldn''t do anything unnecessary. Likewise, she was not really interested in the other Beasts. Sure, she knew some of them, but it didn''t feel like they would entertain her without calling her ''Princess'' or feeding her meat. Aiko was hungry, but she was not in the mood to eat. *Sigh* Aiko sighed again, it was truly hard to keep herself entertained. She stood up and jumped down from the roof. Thanks to her footwork, her fall was completely silent without even the slightest trace of gust. She looked around, but there were no animals she could chase or cuddle. Aiko shook her head and sneaked outside the side palace. She would explore this place a bit more before returning to sleep. It was a nice evening, which meant it would soon be night and she would be almost undetectable. Aiko had a gentle smile, yet her mean eyes indicated a different expression. She would sneak around until she found something interesting. The side palace was small compared to the Royal Palace or Main Palace, whatever you want to call it. Even so, it was still big enough to house all the Beasts for the time being, while Human Cultivators were in the Royal Palace. This was preferable since Beasts had much more sensitive senses, so it was easy to disturb or agitate them. And there was no stinky Royal Garden around as they planted few flowers here and kept them clean. A guard passed next to Aiko, but did not notice her. He was a mortal and Aiko was in the shadows, so that was only a natural reaction, but Aiko paused for a moment. ''If they can''t see me during the day, then at night I will be able to explore much more freely.'' Aiko thought and her confidence was not unfounded. The Cultivators that were under the Royal Crown were weak, at most Foundation Establishment. Meanwhile, the Sect Leaders were at least Nascent Soul Cultivators, this was a lot more powerful than what can be sustained by the Royal Family. A Nascent Soul Cultivator needed a lot of precious materials to properly nurture their Nascent Soul, which is akin to an infant that acts like an assistive ghost. It can release pressure that can restrain living beings without actually consuming anything. It was extremely powerful and sought after, but nurturing it properly required a lot of Soul materials. We are not talking about Souls, since it would be hard for Human Cultivators to ingest, unlike Foxes. But things like the Primordial Soul Wood would be incredibly sought after, so much so that it would cause wars! Fortunately, Slave 1 knew how to conceal the Energy of the Primordial Soul Wood, so there was no risk that Aiko would be in danger for the time being, or until she ascended. Ghosts in the Immortal World are either incredibly powerful or incredibly weak. There was nothing in between, simply because of the ascension requirements. If one ascended in Soul form, the might of the Heavenly Dao would press directly on their Soul. Unlike normal Cultivators that could shield their Soul with body and Qi, it was useless for Ghost Cultivators as they didn''t have a vessel that would allow them to wrap that Qi. Sure, they did have Ghost Qi, but Heavenly Dao was mostly yang, which means it pulverised the yin Ghost Qi. Aiko sneaked inside the Royal Palace. She was not looking for the Human Cultivators, but she was interested in other parts of the Royal Palace that might have interesting decoration or architecture. She did not notice the fact that she attracted the sight of one old fossil that was hiding inside this Empire. ... ''Another sneaky Beast...'' He murmured. ''Let''s see what you are looking for.'' He narrowed his eyes. He was old and hiding himself here to live out his days. Furthermore, he didn''t want to set up any shitty inheritance grounds, since he didn''t believe anyone deserved it. He was powerful in his prime, but Law Cultivator robbed him of his lifespan, so he had only a few years to live. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. This old fossil didn''t want to compete over resources, he was cultivating the Dao of Steadiness. With each step he took, the Heavenly Dao would challenge him with some kind of issue that he had to solve. He was intelligent... a bit too much, so Dao didn''t really favour him. This time it was the same. He just went to take a dump after consuming a bit too many chilly imbued foods, so he had to clear his system, yet those few steps gave him another issue. ''A small Fox sneaking around...'' He shook his head. He saw many strange things, but he had never seen such a small Fox, with such large ears. ''It''s rare to find the Fennec tribe so far from the desert...'' The old fossil narrowed his eyes, he was slightly interested in her story, but not enough to take a step outside and deal with more problems. He would not move an inch and scare the little Fox away later. ... Aiko finally made it to the bamboo forest. This was different from the bamboo forest that was inside the Royal Garden. It was much denser as if it was trying to conceal something. Aiko''s eyes shined, maybe she found some kind of treasure? Or a secret that is supposed to be kept hidden? She grinned and moved between the bamboo, since she was still slim... ''Fine... in some cases it''s nice to be like this...'' She could not imagine how she would move through this whole place with melons like the Blood Fox... ''Although she is... wide everywhere.'' Aiko paused her thoughts. ''I''m surprised she is able to move so nimbly...'' Aiko sighed, she now started to admire the Blood Fox and her difficulties. ''Not to mention the bird lady...'' Aiko froze. ''If those were so heavy, then what about Blood Fox''s?'' Aiko''s thoughts drifted into a strange direction. Sure, the Blood Fox didn''t have breasts as massive as the bird Lady, but they were still large, which means if they were anywhere as heavy as the bird lady''s... Aiko shivered, poor Blood Fox, her back must hurt from that insane weight. ''Maybe it''s not a good idea to have them big...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes... She will think about it again once she measures their weight... Aiko shook her head to get those distracting thoughts out of her head. It was strange that she thought about it so much, it puzzled her. A muffled voice drifted into her ears and Aiko perked up. She followed that voice... ... Aiko arrived at a clearing, it was quite sizable considering it was hidden inside the bamboo forest. What Aiko didn''t know was that these were the forbidden grounds of the Royal Family, only a few selected members were allowed to enter. Aiko stepped into the clearing and the whole world changed. It turned a lot darker and mist shrouded the bamboo forest. ''Ah fuck... not again...'' Aiko almost facepalmed, but she held herself back as she needed to observe her surroundings. Her surroundings were blurry like she had bad eyesight, but at the same time she didn''t feel dizzy, something in the back of her mind kept telling her that she was supposed to feel dizzy. Aiko took another step and the clearing slightly cleared, that muffled voice turned into numerous muffled sounds. She took yet another step and the clearing was now sharp... which Aiko regretted. ''Fucking orgies! Why! Why is it always me who finds these things!'' Aiko cursed inside her mind to not alert them... these...? ''Maids? No... no?'' Aiko was confused, at one time she saw maids, at another she saw Beasts and lastly a blurry image of people going at it... ''This is strange...'' Aiko frowned, she didn''t like this place, but she was slightly interested in what caused this phenomenon. ''If I can blur my opponent''s eyesight, it''s an almost instant win for me.'' Aiko thought, but she forgot to account for Divine Sense. She walked around mostly in the shadows, since there was a lot of moonlight in this place. ''In the middle is a Treasure!'' ''Go now, before you are noticed.'' The Darkness returned and Aiko smiled slightly, she was happy to ''see'' them again and to see those paw imprints that guided her. She walked calmly on the paw imprints, since she knew they were always accurate and would never hurt her. She ignored those strange silhouettes that were having orgies. Aiko slowly approached the middle of the place. There was a strange lamp nestled in a grassy clearing. The paw imprints guided her towards it. Aiko squatted in front of the strange lamp. She didn''t touch it and just observed it, she was unaware that something sinister materialised behind her. It slowly became an ugly ghost, ready to attack Aiko. ''Kekeke, another delicious Soul sent by the Emperor.'' The ugly ghost laughed with glee. The ugly ghost dashed towards Aiko. ''Now I will take your Soul-'' ... The old fossil frowned. He didn''t think that the little Fox would be able to find her way inside the forbidden bamboo forest. ''If she releases that hag, this tiny world will be turned upside down!'' He cursed in his mind that he didn''t go and stop her before this happened, but he really didn''t want to take a step forward, he had enough of those problems and issues that arose each time he took a step! He cursed his indecisiveness when it came to this and rushed towards the bamboo forest. ... The ugly ghost stiffened a metre away from Aiko. At this moment, Aiko got a notification that something sinister was approaching, but when she turned around she could only see an amiable old grandma with brushes on her hands. ''What''s sinister about her...?'' Aiko tilted her head and cursed the system for the inaccurate reading. "Hello there cutie." The Old Grandma smiled at the little Fox. ''Dear Hells, I have almost died!'' She was sweating inside her mind. ''Who in the 18 Hells sent this Monster into this tiny world!?'' She was shocked and terrified of this little Fox. ''If my senses were slightly off, I would be sent to Yama again! Curse you husband! Why do you keep torturing me?!'' She sobbed inside her mind. "Hello?" Aiko tilted her head, she still could not understand what was so sinister about this ghost... The Grandma was smiling gently and amicably, it was hard to say she was sinister. "What are you doing here?" Aiko asked, feeling curious about this whole situation. "I live here, sweetie." She moved closer to Aiko to comb her tails. "Hmmm..." Aiko thought about it. "How strange... there are no houses here, you know." Aiko narrowed her eyes. "There is, but it''s hidden by me." The Grandma said slowly. "But that is not my home, we ghosts do not have homes." Aiko slowly nodded, she was slightly interested in that hidden house, but not enough to ask about it yet. The Grandma was nice and the combing was very nice and soothing. ''Phew, it seems like the growling monster has calmed down, that was close!'' The Ghost Grandma sweated, but didn''t stop her translucent hands, lest the monster would change her mind! Chapter 184 – No negotiations allowed! Aiko enjoyed the brushing while still looking around. Other than that strange lamp, there was nothing else in here that Aiko could see. "Do you live there?" Aiko asked the Old Grandma. "Yes, I do live there." She nodded slowly with an air of melancholy. "Do you like it?" Aiko asked. Her Darkness told her that it was Treasure, so Aiko would like to confiscate it, but she was hesitating. Stealing a home from an old person would be too rude to her. "No." The Old Grandma answered without hesitation. "It''s like an ugly Jail..." She shook her head and scoffed towards the Ghost Lamp. "Oh..." Aiko didn''t expect that kind of answer, but she still asked the important question. "Can I take the Lamp-" Aiko didn''t finish her question, as another person appeared. He was breathing heavily and he was messy. His hair was unkempt and everything about him reeked of poverty. "Did you-" That Old pile of stinky trash spoke, but Aiko interrupted him. "Ew. A homeless person." Aiko pinched her nose since that smell was truly revolting. The Old Fossil choked up and almost stumbled. He stared speechlessly at the small Fox who was pinching her nose. "I''m not homeless!" He yelled at the small Fox. "Bullshit! You stink like you have not washed for hundreds of years!" Aiko scoffed at him. He raised his finger trying to refute her, but he realised that she was not entirely wrong... "See?!" Aiko pointed at him. "You can''t even refute that, you stinky poo!" Aiko shivered as she accidentally breathed in that rotten smell. She held back her puke, well... there was not much to puke out, but it would not be good if she puked in this strange place, okay?! The Old Fossil looked like he was really hurt. He couldn''t say anything against it, since every time he tried to take a bath something would break and he would have to fix it, that would repeat pretty much endlessly until he just gave up altogether... "Anyway! You can''t release this hag from that Lamp!" He scolded the little Fox. "I want that Lamp!" Aiko retorted with similar vigour and he choked up again. "What?! You want that Lamp?! What for??" He was genuinely confused. Did the outside world change so much that everyone would try to collect the strangest things??? Seeing his confusion, Aiko scoffed at him. "See? You can''t even imagine what I would use it for, yet you are trying to stop me!" Aiko pouted, she met yet another unreasonable person. He stared at her speechlessly. "You can''t just take this cursed hag with you! She will doom you and you will lose the ability to Cultivate!" The Old Fossil tried to convince Aiko and change her mind. "Why are you dragging me into this?!" The Old Grandma yelled at me. "If you want to die, go die somewhere else with your shitty Dao! But don''t drag me into this! I don''t want to die!" She scolded him again and again, but his confusion only deepened. "You are not trying to control her or take over her body?" He was genuinely confused once again. The Old Fossil''s steady heart faltered slightly from the confusion... "I don''t want to die, you useless bastard!" She kept yelling at him like it was her job. He sat down, deep in thought. This whole situation didn''t make any sense. A Fox found a secret place where an old monster was sealed. Not only was she not tempted or taken over, but she even wanted to take the Lamp with her? And the old Grandma was using ghost combs to comb her hair?! He had never experienced such a heavy hit to his understanding. "Anyway! I will be taking that Lamp since it''s a Treasure!" Aiko pouted and gave her the final piece. "She can''t leave this place." The Old Fossil said sternly. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "I can''t leave this place." The Grandma said hastily. "Huh?" Aiko was confused. "What does that have to do with you two?" Aiko tilted her head cutely. "She doesn''t want to be inside and I want that Lamp, so either she comes with me or she will leave that place." Aiko shrugged. "Oh, right. Of course, if she refuses to leave I will just kick her out." Aiko hummed innocently. "The Ghost Lamp will lose all its effects if it leaves this place." The Grandma said hastily, but Aiko couldn''t detect any negative emotions, which meant that she either was telling the truth or she didn''t want to leave this place. "Well... That''s fine, I suppose." Aiko said lightly. "We can always restore the Inscriptions on it." She shrugged. Aiko already noticed that many Inscriptions were faded and not working properly, while she couldn''t completely recreate it just yet, there should be no problem for her to just patch those Inscriptions up, so that they work somewhat well. ""You can do that!?"" They all look at her like she was a disobedient child that was lying. "Of course I can..." Aiko paused. "Somewhat." "I knew it." The Old Fossil smacked his lips, he knew that this little Fox was lying. "I can''t recreate it just yet, but I can patch it up." Aiko said lightly like it was the most natural thing to do. "Pardon?" The Old Fossil paused and cleaned his ears. His nail broke inside his ear, but fortunately, he was still powerful enough that it didn''t injure him. "I can patch it up." Aiko repeated her words. "Huh?" He stared at the little Fox blankly. "I can patch it up." Aiko repeated it again. "No, I heard you well the first time..." But he was still staring at her like he was just told that there was not 1 Hell, but 18... "I can patch it up." Aiko smiled mischievously. "I call bullshit on that one!" He immediately retorted. "Do you know how old this thing is?! It''s supposed to house criminals! It was crafted with longevity in mind, but that doesn''t mean we can recover it so easily, since it''s a lost artefact! We don''t have blueprints and we don''t have any kind of writings that could tell us how to repair it!" He immediately spilled his frustration. The Old Grandma was nodding. For the first time in her long life, she finally agreed with this bastard on something. "So?" Aiko tilted her head. "Why do you need books when you can just read the Runes?" Aiko stared at them like they were idiots. Both of them were in complete disbelief, like they were talking to some kind of mythical creature from legends. They didn''t believe it was possible to read Runes, as that was yet another lost legacy. Most Inscriptions nowadays are carefully crafted by top-notch Inscription Cultivators who somewhat understand the Runes. They couldn''t read those Runes, but they crafted so many Inscriptions that they got a feel for what each Rune did. It was not perfect, but it was close to it. They could create somewhat accurate Inscriptions that were working well, their consumption was on the higher side when compared to the original Inscriptions, but that couldn''t be helped. Aiko stared at them like they were the biggest idiots in the room. She could not believe that someone so old would be so far behind in basic literature. "This Rune..." Aiko pointed at certain Runes and explained their effects. She also pointed at some connections that were made incorrectly, but since she couldn''t read all that many of these Runes, mostly because the person who created the Runes was an incredibly messy writer. This made the whole translation thing much more difficult and Aiko struggled quite a bit to piece the information together... "Which means that if I fix those things, I will be able to take it." Aiko proudly said. "Now, shooshoo you garbage bin, I want to focus on my work." Aiko shooed him away, because he just stank too much... The Old Fossil''s brain was completely overloaded. He couldn''t understand what the little Fox was saying, but he knew some of those Runes from colleagues and even they weren''t as confident as this little twerp. It was a lot to take in for him, but it wouldn''t be all that bad if he made her his apprentice, there was just a slight issue. It was too troublesome. His Dao would mess up everything that he touched, he already had a few students, but they all died due to his negligence. This shook his Dao Heart, which almost made him develop Inner Demons. The Old Fossil fortunately saved himself from that by simply temporarily cutting away his emotions, but because of his attitude, most of his colleagues left him. He wasn''t resentful towards them, since he completely understood what they hated about him, but he wasn''t willing to give up his Immortality for others, they were not worth it! "But you still can''t take away the Lamp!" He still dissuaded the little Fox from executing her plans. "You are still here?" Aiko dismissed him like he was air. The Old Fossil choked up. He was ignored quite often by his colleagues, but that was only because they were stronger than he was, anyone weaker would pretty much worship him, since he was knowledgeable and handso- well maybe not that one, but knowledgeable nonetheless. Yet this little Fox completely disregarded his presence?! How dare she! Unfortunately for Aiko, he didn''t do anything to her, she wouldn''t be able to collect his Treasures just yet. He was still in there observing Aiko despite being told to leave, normally Aiko wouldn''t mind that, but he just stank so much that she couldn''t focus properly. "Can you fucking disappear, you pile of shit!?" Aiko cursed him openly, and while she could feel he was more powerful, his confusion and meekness allowed Aiko to curse him like this without repercussions. It almost felt natural for her... He stared blankly at the little Fox and when he saw her picking up a long shaft, he had an awful feeling about it and moved from his place. He didn''t know exactly what he felt, but he knew that if he didn''t move, it wouldn''t end up well for him. Aiko sat down and prepared her tool. The Inscription Carving Pen, but she realised she didn''t have any Ink. She didn''t buy any, and all of the Ink that she used was left on the flying ship, since she stol- borrowed it from Chen Shi. Aiko shook her head, what an awful situation. Only now did she realise why she wanted to go shopping so soon, she wanted to buy more Inscription Ink so she wouldn''t be dependent on her grubby little hands... Chapter 185 – Genocide 101 Aiko munched on a piece of meat that she had stored in her Storage Ring. She was thinking about this situation and how to make it work... She suddenly turned towards Grandma. "You have lived for a long time, right?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. The Old Grandma shivered. "I did indeed live for a long time." She had a bad feeling about the way the little Fox was looking at her. "Do you have any Inscription Ink, so I can fix that Lamp?" Aiko asked the less important question so that Grandma could relax. "I indeed did own some Inscription Ink, but that''s a long time ago, it''s unusable now." The Old Grandma shook her head. She had many treasures, but most of them had been eroded by time... Aiko frowned, her special plan of extorting the old ghost failed, but she didn''t notice that the garbage bin was listening to them. ''If she can really Inscribe those Runes...'' He narrowed his eyes, this was the perfect opportunity to completely seal that old ghost. He was somewhat tied to her as a mortal enemy, it all happened when the Heavenly Dao issued him to ''keep her sealed in this World''. However, that didn''t mean that ''he'' needed to be the one who does it. As long as someone does it for him, the Heavenly Dao would count it and it would be the perfect scenario. "I have some Inscription Ink." He slowly said like he was trying to imitate those Immortals, but the attempt made him feel more like a very arrogant geezer... Aiko''s face was distorted. ''Fuck! Why am I so fucking unlucky?! That Inscription Ink will smell like shit, if it even can be called Inscription Ink!'' Aiko cursed in her mind. The Old Fossil was taken aback, seeing her expression. "What''s wrong?" He furrowed his eyebrows. "It will smell." Aiko said it openly and flatly. "I can''t work with bad smells around..." She shook her head. *Pfft* The Old Grandma was holding in her laughter, she was very happy that he was ridiculed, as she hated him. It was a really invigorating feeling, that filled her being with happiness. "It doesn''t smell! I have it stored in my Spacial Ring!" He defended himself. "And where do you have the Spacial Ring?" Aiko asked. He paused, glancing at his left hand. "Exactly!" Aiko suddenly raised her voice. "It''s on you and you smell so bad that I won''t even be surprised if the smell transcends pocket dimensions and managed to infect the Inscription Ink in that ring! Are you sure that you aren''t just a big pile of shit?! Or maybe that you are already decomposing and you don''t know it yourself, smelly geezer!" Aiko scoffed at that big pile of shit. ''Oh, Heavenly Dao...'' He prayed. ''Why do you keep torturing me...'' He sobbed inside his mind. "Use it or not!" He snorted and placed a full bottle of perfect-quality Inscription Ink on the ground. Aiko glanced towards it and grimaced, it was covered in a questionable film of questionable colours... she really didn''t want to touch it. "Do you really not have any Inscription Ink...?" Aiko turned towards the ghost Grandma. The Ghost Grandma was holding in her laughter at that moment, but since she was a Ghost Cultivator, maintaining a neutral or amiable expression was incredibly easy for her. She smiled gently towards the little Fox, but shook her head with sadness. "The Inscription Ink is really unusable..." But inside her mind, she was giggling in glee that the old bastard was whipped around by Aiko. One has to know that the Old Fossil couldn''t attack Aiko as it would create more problems for him, it was easier to just ignore her and try to negotiate. He had a very steady mind, but that didn''t mean he was not hurt by Aiko''s words. He was questioning his Dao Path and if he should change it, but changing it at this point would make him forfeit his current Cultivation and thus kill him from old age... The Old Fossil sighed, he was somewhat used to the ridicule of others, but when he was ridiculed by someone so adorable and small, he was very hurt. "It''s perfect quality Inscription Ink! So just use it!" He cried out. Nobody would ever scoff at perfect-quality Inscription Ink! Even if it was covered in shit, people would revere it like it was the most sacred thing! This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Aiko saw his pitiful expression and paused. She was not really happy about torturing elders, but at the same time, no way in hell would she touch that thing! Aiko turned towards Grandma. "Is there a river nearby?" Aiko asked slowly. "There is." The Grandma nodded, still laughing inside her mind. "Where?" Aiko''s eyes shined, this could solve her issue! She went through her Storage Rings and found tongs used for turning and picking up grilled meat. Aiko would sacrifice these tongs for a greater cause! She pinched her nose and braced herself, carefully and rudely picking up the small bottle, like it had some kind of infectious disease... which was not wrong. "Where is the river?" Aiko asked, not breathing much. "This way." The Old Grandma guided the little Fox towards the river. Aiko dropped it into the river and waited... "What are you doing?" The Old Fossil followed them with Divine Sense, since he didn''t really want to move. "Cleaning your shit. Who knows what kind of diseases you have accumulated..." Aiko shook her head and waited a bit more for the water to soften those... things... 2 hours passed and Aiko finally got close to it. It looked even worse than before, it was bloated and looked like it was alive and squirming. Aiko shivered and returned to her place. "Nope, Nope, no, nah ah!" Aiko refused to get close to that thing and clean it, who knows what would happen... [Congratulations!] Aiko stiffened when she heard that monotone voice from the system. [You have purged a Human City!] ''Pardon?'' Aiko tilted her head. [Your brutal and cruel way of killing Humans impressed the Heavenly Dao and awarded you the Title: [Cruel Slaughterer]!] ''???'' Aiko had question marks above her head, she didn''t understand what was happening. How did she slaughter Humans when there was nobody around...? Aiko suddenly stiffened and she looked towards the river... surely that thing didn''t poison a whole city... right? She was blankly staring at it, when another notification appeared. [Congratulations!] [You have caused a vicious Plague!] ''Fuck! It''s really that bottle!'' Aiko choked and stared towards the bottle. No way in hell will she touch that cursed thing. She turned towards Grandma with an odd face. "Can you please clean it...?" Aiko asked gently... [You have masterfully killed another Human City!] [Your merciless spreading of the Plague impressed the Heavenly Dao and awarded you the Title: [Plague Master]!] ''Ugh...'' Aiko''s face was distorted, she needs to solve this thing quickly or more titles might pop up... "No..." The Old Grandma smiled lightly, if she touched that... she would definitely get tied to that bastard for eternity. She can''t risk that! "Ugh..." Aiko''s face contorted into an ugly, yet cute frown. She picked up her tong and cautiously approached the river... Aiko tried to pick up the bottle with her tong, but those tongs melted like they were made out of butter! "What the fuck?!" Aiko shivered and jumped back as far as she could. She couldn''t believe what she saw. Those tongs are made of metal, METAL okay?! How did it get melted in something that doesn''t even generate any heat! The Old Grandma paused. It was a good thing she didn''t touch it, for a different reason now. This thing was too scary for both... "What are you fussing about?" The Old Fossil took a quick nap and returned to this disaster. He moved the bottle from the water and placed it into the nearby grass. Aiko took even more distance from it, since she was worried that she would melt if she got too close to it... "Seriously-" The Old Fossil wanted to scoff at them, but then noticed that his Divine Sense was starting to get corroded. He looked for the reason and saw his bottle with Inscription Ink. The bottle was withering everything around it into unrecognisable black mush. A shiver went down his spine. ''Curse you, Heavenly Dao! This is too cruel!'' He cried out as this was one of the effects of his path. He would always experience problems and he had to solve them! Aiko stared blankly at the bottle, while slowly walking backwards. She didn''t know the range this small bottle could cover and she didn''t care, since it was nowhere close to the Fox Village and Mei. She would also warn Lady Liu not to drink the river water, or any water in a 1,000-mile radius... "What do we do now?" Aiko turned towards the ghost Grandma. "Don''t ask me, I can''t touch it." The Old Grandma shook her head, no way in hell would she get close to it! She was already weak and this would devour her without the ability to resist! "Hey! Old garbage bin, do something! This is your fault!" Aiko immediately deflected this worry on others. "I know! I''m thinking about it!" The Old Fossil was panicking. Aiko paused. ''I did want to dump it on others, but I didn''t expect it to work...'' Aiko was unaware that this was caused by his way of Dao which he had neglected for many, many centuries... She nodded gently. "You should solve it soon, or people might die!" Aiko said with concern, but the real reason was that people already died en masse. This was concerning and Aiko hoped she wouldn''t be punished for it... "Alright!" The Old Fossil suddenly said. "I have sealed it, but that seal will only last for about 100 years, we should come up with a permanent solution." He wiped the sweat on his forehead. He could feel his good Karma lessened by quite a lot, which meant that this thing really killed Mortals... "Why ''we''?! This is your fault!" Aiko would have nothing to do with this. Moreover, he stank a lot, no way would she be in his presence! "But you are part of the problem and the one who placed it into the river!" He scoffed at the little Fox. "Bullshit! You just tried to kill me if I touched it and now you are trying to make me an accomplice?! Fuck off you, not so bald, bastard!" Aiko yelled at him. He choked up. Never in his life would he expect to see someone so small, yet so vicious. "But-" The Old Fossil tried to defend his point. "No buts! Do I look like I have knowledge about seals and these questionable liquids?!" Aiko scoffed at him. "Y-yes?" He really wanted to drag her with him, so he was not alone while solving this crisis... "No! I''m only a few years old!" Aiko would use any kind of excuse to get out of here... with the Lamp, of course. "And I have no knowledge in the way of shit eaters!" Aiko screamed and cried. She really didn''t want to spend time with him! Chapter 186 – Why is everyone a pervert!? Aiko was glaring towards the Old Fossil. She would not deal with this shit! She had better things to do. "Which means I will have to find Inscription Ink..." Aiko slowly pondered upon it. "Do you really not have any Inscription Ink?" Aiko asked the Grandma again. The Old Grandma paused and thought about it. "I do have Inscription Ink, but it''s decayed, so I don''t know how effective it will be..." She sighed. Aiko nodded slowly. "Let''s be honest, anything is better than that shit..." Aiko pointed at the sealed bottle with the Inscription Ink. The Old Grandma suppressed a chuckle. "I will guide you towards the bottle with Inscription Ink." She guided the little Fox towards the hidden house, which was some ways from the Lamp. ... "By the way, what is this place supposed to be?" Most things were in red, there was also a huge bed. "The Emperor''s sex chambers." The Old Grandma replied flatly, but this deeply shocked Aiko. "That old pervert has multiple sex chambers...?" Aiko stared blankly at Grandma. "Why do you think that there are ghosts having sex outside?" The Old Grandma tilted her head. "You mean they are there for him?" Aiko''s stomach churned. The problem was that there were also Beasts having sex, not just humans... "I only created what he wanted and in exchange, he shares the energy from Virgins and criminal souls." The Old Grandma shrugged. "Virgins?" Aiko''s mind spun, she couldn''t believe what she was listening to. "Yeah, the Emperor uses these as bridal chambers. He has the first night with them." The Old Grandma shook her head. "Huh?" Aiko really didn''t believe she heard that right. "Not the spouse, but the Emperor???" How immoral do you have to be to pass something like that!? "It''s better if you steer clear away from the Emperor. You are a cutie, and he has things for them..." The Old Grandma shook her head. Wasn''t her team in danger then? Since he liked Beasts and all that? Aiko ''sweated''. Not in a million years did she expect that a beautiful place like this hid such distorted perverse tendencies... Aiko shook her head, getting her thoughts back on track. She was here for the Inscription Ink. "Here it is." The Old Grandma pointed under the bed. "Pardon?" Aiko thought she was joking. "Under the bed, there is a hidden compartment with all my treasures." She said again, blocking that Garbage Bin''s Divine Sense, so he wouldn''t try to steal her Treasures. "Is it really there?" She didn''t believe it. The Old Grandma moved and lifted part of the bedsheets. It revealed a part of a hidden hatch. "Ohhhhh." Aiko applauded, it would be unlikely that someone would look over there, at least that''s what Aiko thought. She moved closer to the bed when she heard footsteps. "The Emperor is coming, hide!" The Old Grandma warned the little Fox and vanished. Aiko''s face was distorted. ''Why always me!'' She jumped under the bed and lifted the hatchet to hide there. ''Geh!'' It was really smelly from the dust and stale air, but Aiko would have to bear it. She went slightly deeper when the footsteps stopped. *Creak* The specially made bed creaked as the two Humans sat down. *Creak Creack* "Ah..." A moan drifted into Aiko''s ears and she booked it further without looking back. ... "I swear if those bastards are not finished by the time I get this stupid Inscription Ink......" Aiko looked around for some kind of stick she could use, but unfortunately, she couldn''t find any. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. "Anyway. Where am I supposed to go?" Aiko looked around, there were too many different tunnels. One was crafted from polished stone, another was rough marble, then there was a trail of Spirit Stones... and so on. Aiko didn''t know which way she should go, so she called Grandma again. "Where do I go, you didn''t give me the directions!" Aiko pouted, she wouldn''t want to stay here, since the creaking sounds from the bed above could still be heard down below, but fortunately, she couldn''t hear any moans. This was a relief for Aiko since she didn''t want to deal with that shit! Again! And again! Why was her luck so bad that she always encountered these kinds of scenarios?! Does she have the Dao of Voyeurism?! Aiko breathed in a steady rhythm to calm herself, she would definitely have a talk with the system! ... She waited for a good half an hour before Grandma appeared. Aiko was glaring at her, waiting for what kind of excuse she would make. "I was harvesting the energies from that virgin..." She couldn''t meet the little Fox''s piercing gaze. Aiko stared at her judgmentally, she couldn''t believe that even this cute Grandma was a pervert. "That... hurts, you know?" The Old Grandma glanced at the little Fox only to be shocked by her expression. "So what, pervert?" Aiko stomped her feet, she had to wait just because some pervert liked to play the voyeurism game! "I really need those energies..." The Old Grandma whined. "I don''t see how that is my problem, you are just supposed to guide me towards the Inscription Ink!" Aiko frowned, she had to listen to the creaking for half an hour! Do you know how painful that was!? The good feeling Aiko had towards this ghost evavporated. She wondered if she should just strangle this old hag right here and now! Seeing the little Fox¡¯s dangerous gaze, the Old Grandma coughed awkwardly. "My apologies, this way." The Old Grandma guided her through the rough marble tunnel. Aiko was slightly interested in why the unpolished or not expensive tunnel was the right one. "Why would you hide it in, what is an over-glorified cave?" "Because most Cultivators seek cleanliness and purity, they wouldn''t wish to walk this rough path." The Old Grandma said with dignity. "You are fucking joking right?" Aiko''s lips loosened into a ridiculing smile. "You perverted bastards either fuck others or watch others fucking." Aiko proclaimed, but didn''t quite stop there. "Not to mention you create all those Dual Cultivation techniques, the strange artefacts that vibrate and move. Where the fuck is the cleanliness and purity in that!?" Aiko stomped her feet angrily. The Old Ghost couldn''t reply, since the Cultivators believed they were the cleanest and most pure beings, while Mortals were the filth that they never wanted to become. The Old Ghost naturally didn''t say this out loud, since she knew that it would further upset the little Fox. She was already concerned that the little Fox might harm her since she had to wait for so long... She pointed at the doors in front. "We are here." "Fucking finally! Why does it have to be so deep?!" Aiko whined, the walk was uncomfortable on her soles, she should''ve really bought some shoes! But fortunately, her skin was tough enough that it wouldn''t be pierced by the rough surface. Aiko stared towards the door, it looked like a very old door, barely standing. "Are you sure that''s a door and not just a wooden plank covering the entrance?" Aiko asked Grandma. The Old Grandma staggered, this was one of her finest works, but it was true that it couldn''t stand the test of time. That''s why most Cultivators make sure to only use stone to shelter their ''gifts'' behind when they leave, as it can last pretty much forever... She coughed awkwardly. "It''s been a few centuries since I fixed this place..." It was mentally draining for Ghosts to interact with the normal world. The Old Grandma waited patiently, while gathering the necessary energy for her escape, but so far it was fruitless. She couldn''t escape from this place and her vessel was decaying, which meant that she would ''disperse'', returning to that Immoral Husband. She absolutely did not want that to happen! She would rather be sealed in this place for eternity rather than to return to that hell! ... Aiko tried to open the doors, but it just crumbled the moment she touched it. "See, that''s 100% a plank!" Aiko scoffed at Grandma, who tried to appear mighty. The Old Grandma coughed again. "As I said, it''s been some time since I patched this place." "No wonder you don''t have any Inscription Ink, I worry that the insides are even worse than the doors..." Aiko shook her head like she was appraising something dilapidated. Aiko entered before the ghost could defend herself. It was incredibly moist and dusty. Everything was covered in filth, but surprisingly most of the chests were in good condition. "What is this obsession with chests..." Aiko shook her head, it was troublesome getting inside without damaging it, she would have to pick up some lock-picking Skills! Aiko stared at it for a while before she decided to touch the filth-covered chests. "How do you open it again?" Aiko asked the old ghost, since she couldn''t quite understand the mechanism. The Old Grandma waved her hand and the chest opened. There was a strange ornament inside. "Oh~, this one is pretty." Aiko nodded gently. "But it gives me a bad feeling, so let''s just recycle it later~" Aiko hummed, but the Old Grandma choked. This was her most prized possession that she got from her lover... "What is bad about it?" The Old Grandma suddenly asked, she had a strange feeling inside her heart... "Hmmm... It feels like it will try to mess with me..." Aiko tilted her head, it felt like it was trying to attack her mind, but the effect was so minuscule that it only gave Aiko a bad feeling... If she wore it, that would be an entirely different matter, as that might cause her to lose her mind or be taken over. Aiko didn''t want to risk any bad options that might happen to her. She would just store it away and recycle it later. The Old Grandma nodded slowly, she didn''t believe that the little Fox was so sensitive. "Shall I open the others?" She asked the little Fox. That item was given to her by her lover. She didn''t think much of it back then, but after seeing the little fox''s reaction to it, it felt like the item was some kind of betrayal from him. ''Surely he wouldn''t harm me... right?'' "Wait, I will just store this for recycling." Aiko didn''t touch it and directly placed it inside her Storage Ring. "Gosh... My Storage Rings are almost full..." Aiko shook her head. The Old Grandma smiled slightly, she would wait patiently to get her answers, since it seemed like this little Fox was not just a complete Monster, but a Monster with sensitive senses. This was a great situation for the Old Grandma, since she would be able to answer a few of her old questions and maybe move on... Chapter 187 – Treasures… Damn, perverts! Aiko stared at the other chests. She wondered which one she should pick... Which one will hold an actual Treasure? ... Aiko hypnotised those chests, trying to make them reveal what''s inside, but soon she gave up and picked one. "Open this one!" Aiko pointed at a chest to her left, she had a good feeling about this one! "Okay..." The Old Grandma had a distressing expression. If it wasn''t for the fact that she was not so translucent to the point that it was difficult to make out her expression, one would be able to see that she was blushing! The chest opened slowly, like it was teasing the little Fox. "FUCK!" Aiko cried out. "WHY!" She cursed the heavens. Inside the well-padded chest was a well-ornamented dildo... It was slender, yet oddly designed, as if it was made to mimic the real thing... Aiko turned towards the ghost with a burning passion to murder someone. "Come here." Aiko smiled like a madman. "Let me strangle you, you shitty pervert!" "I-I''m not ready! We are not even in that kind of relationship!" The Ghost blushed and turned away. Aiko choked and almost face-planted into the dust. Not only was this ghost a shitty pervert, she was also a masochistic shitty pervert! Aiko glared daggers towards the ghost, but she just squirmed like the pervert she was. "Fuck! Why do I always have to encounter the biggest perverts?!" Aiko cried out. She didn''t want to be in here, but at the same time, she hoped the other chests had some real Treasures inside, not to mention the Inscription Ink! She absolutely would take away that Lamp, even if it meant purging this slut! Aiko breathed roughly. She was this close to strangling this hag! Yet she couldn''t do that, since she didn''t know how to open those chests without damaging the content! Aiko calmed down. She breathed slowly, trying to scan inside the chests with her mind, but she couldn''t use her Divine Sense. Her Divine Sense would absolutely crush it before the information returned. "This one!" Aiko pointed at another chest. The Ghost giggled like a pervert, and a shiver went down Aiko''s spine. The chest slowly opened, announcing its presence. "Fuck!" Aiko slammed her fist on the ground, blasting the dust everywhere. *Cough Cough Cough* She choked and coughed on the dust until the old hag cleaned it. ''Why me.'' Aiko sobbed. This time it was not a dildo, but a strap-on... This one was also oddly realistic with veins and everything, not to mention it was not a simple strap-on, but a double strap-on. It would pleasure both the partners. Aiko would absolutely smash both of them, if they didn''t have such intricate Inscriptions on them. On one side she wanted to research it, but on another, she wanted to burn it with Hell''s flames! It was enough that Mei made her so embarrassed and angry at that time when she found that ring, but this thing would be much worse since it also had Inscriptions! Aiko shook her head, she couldn''t allow Mei to find this, she would hide it and only research it when she was outside the Fox Village! "Next!" Aiko had hoped that the next chest wouldn''t turn out like the previous one. Why, you might ask? Because Cultivators knew only dildos or rocking dildos. Which meant the strap-on should be something new. This meant that the others would surely be- "FUCKING SHIT! IT''S ANOTHER DILDO!" Aiko roared angrily. She immediately snapped towards the ghost, but that ghost was hugging herself, shivering in bliss. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Aiko''s face distorted, she seriously couldn''t understand these Cultivator perverts! Aiko breathed in and out. She would calm down and find the chest with the actual Treasure, of course, she didn''t forget to store those ''failed'' attempts. Aiko steeled her mind, she focused her senses to the maximum. "This one!" Aiko pointed towards the chest. The Ghost opened the chest, but not slowly this time. Inside the padded chest was a vial with a strange liquid. "What is this?" Aiko felt like she was familiar with this one. "It''s Dew from the Dew Fox, a great aphrod-HHHHHHHH" The Ghost tried to explain its uses when she was suddenly choked by the little Fox. Aiko had enough of this pervert and she would share some love with her once she created a flag thick enough it could replace a whale! Aiko stopped choking her when her eyes turned pinkish. It felt like she enjoyed it a bit too much, since she didn''t recover for quite a while and kept spasming. Aiko was faced with a dilemma. Inheritance grounds were grounds with endless Treasures, but at the same time, Aiko questioned. What kind of Treasures? Is it like in here, where there are just dildos? Or do they have real Treasures? Aiko pondered upon it while the ghost''s spasm continued. Aiko could ignore it since she was deep in thought. "Alright, let''s just burn all inheritance grounds when they have perverted things!" Aiko lifted her tiny fist high up. She turned around towards the ghost which was wiping her lips. "Another chest, it doesn''t matter, but keep in mind you will get fisted if it''s something perverted. The Ghost shivered in bliss, since her meaning of fisted was different from the little Fox''s. Aiko meant beating her up, while the Ghost understood it as... let''s leave it at that. Aiko waited patiently as the chest opened. Fortunately for her, the chest had a bottle, it seemed that this was the Inscription Ink! "Hooray!" Aiko jumped around happily. She finally got some Inscription Ink that she could use. The Old Grandma smiled lightly, she was really looking forward to the other chests~. "Alright." Aiko checked the Inscription Ink and while it indeed had decayed, it still had enough oomph that it would be able to power an Inscription for a dozen or so years. "That would be enough to remake the whole Lamp." Aiko nodded slowly, but the Ghost shook. ''Remake it?! Are you mad?!'' The Old Grandma was speechless inside her mind. That Lamp was perfect for fiendish Cultivators, since it could gather Souls over longer distances. This would be overall a bad thing for the whole Cultivation world. "Little one-" The Old Grandma tried to negotiate with the little Fox, but seeing her glaring expression she stopped. "What is it, pervert?" Aiko smiled deviously. "N-nothing!" While she was looking forward to getting fisted, she mostly got off by endless edging. It would be bad if she orgasmed now and vanished, since the little Fox was unable to open her Treasures... "Good." Aiko nodded happily, like she was training another perverted pet. "So, what is left?" Aiko looked around, only a few chests were left. "Good stuff." The Ghost smiled gently, but Aiko felt a shiver down her spine. "I will open it now~" The Ghost giggled, but Aiko stopped her. "Not yet!" Aiko shouted. She was not yet ready for the perverted thing. She calmed down slowly and her breath stabilised. "Okay. You can open it." Aiko nodded gently, but with a serious expression like she was going to war... The chest opened and Aiko flinched. She expected another dildo or something like that, but for some odd reason that was not the case? Aiko stared towards the chest a few times, but each and every time she didn''t believe her eyes. ''Just a dress?'' Aiko tilted her head and came close to it. She lifted that dress, it was an incredibly gorgeous dress, but its proportions were a bit smaller. ''I think this dress should be perfect for Mei...'' Aiko thought about it for a while, but she just loved this dress... ''Yup, I will give this to her as a gift.'' Aiko nodded happily that she finally found a gift for Mei. The Ghost was confused why this little Fox was smiling so happily, since that dress... ... Aiko carefully stored it in her Storage Ring like it was a true Treasure. It had to be known that Aiko was terrible at assessing and wearing clothing. Skin-tight clothes were very easy to assess, as there were no layers or fancy frills and that kind of stuff. But this dress was multilayered and each layer served a different function or purpose, so we can''t blame our little Aiko for this misunderstanding~. Aiko smiled happily. "Next one~!" She hummed. The chest opened. It was yet another normal chest. ''Good, good!'' Aiko nodded happily as she found some kind of Chalk inside. She heard from Mei that she needed Array Chalk for Arrays, and this was pretty close to what Aiko imagined. She was happier and happier each time, but that happiness didn''t last long... "What is this thing?" Aiko asked as they moved to another chest. It was small and weirdly shaped. "Let me introduce this to you." She happily hummed. "This is what you place in your partner''s backdoors, it makes them incredibly hard-HHHHHHHHH" Aiko was choking the ghost again, but only for a moment, so she couldn''t enjoy it. Aiko then grabbed that filthy thing and slammed it into the ground. Unfortunately for her, a part of it was from rubber, a very elastic one. When it met the ground, it bounced back up, smashing Aiko''s forehead as if it was taunting her. -1,000HP Aiko recoiled from the impact. She didn''t understand what just happened, but her head hurt. Today was such a nightmare for her and except for that pretty dress and chalk, everything went to shit! Tears rolled down her cheeks and she cried at this injustice! Why can''t she find a normal Cultivator with lots of Treasures that weren''t made for the bedroom?! ... The Ghost didn''t know how to soothe the little Fox and could only wait until Aiko finished crying. ... Aiko finally stopped after half an hour. She sniffled a few times and blew her nose into the handkerchief. "What is the last one...?" Aiko asked with puffy eyes. "Erm... I think we should leave..." The Ghost for the first time was more conscious about her actions. "We already have one left, no point in leaving now." Aiko resigned since she was tired from crying so much. "Erm... Are you really sure...?" The Ghost asked again. "Go ahead. It can''t be worse than the previous ones and it''s also the last one, so I can just burn it if I don''t like it..." Aiko shook her head, she had already gone too deep, it would be better to finish this whole thing... Chapter 188 – (18+) Best torture device! Aiko was tired, both mentally and physically. She expected something perverted and as such she wouldn''t be surprised. The chest slowly opened and it revealed... a strange device. "What is this?" Aiko did expect something perverted, but this was surprisingly strange. "Erm..." The Ghost didn''t want to explain it. Aiko took it out of the padded chest. It looked like a tiny shrivelled dick, but if she turned it around it was hollow... Aiko paused for a moment and touched the insides. They were soft, yet at the end, there was a small dull pin sticking out. "How strange..." Aiko played with it which made the Ghost even more uncomfortable. "What is this?" Aiko stared at the Ghost again. "It''s a chastity belt..." The Ghost murmured. "Pardon?" Aiko thought she didn''t hear properly. "You place it on a guy so that he can''t get an erection..." She lied through her teeth, this was not a chastity belt, but a special belt that trained the guy so she could stick things inside his penis. "Hmmmmm..." Aiko played with it, this was indeed an interesting device. Aiko chuckled darkly. "You do have some redeeming features." Aiko praised the Ghost Grandma. The Ghost was shocked, she didn''t expect that this little Fox would share her interest in penetrating men... She had to raise her opinion on this little Fox, but suddenly her blood went cold. "If you pad it with small, tiny spikes inside." Aiko chuckled, but shivered for some reason. "Then you can tease them and watch as their dicks get pierced and slashed~." Aiko laughed sadistically, but occasionally kept shivering. That will teach those fucking perverts to be more like Lady Liu! Aiko kept giggling and laughing darkly and the ghost was shivering. She was worried that this person would test those things on her, since ghosts didn''t really have a gender per se, they could have both sexual organs if they willed it. It''s just that it would be difficult to return to Human bodies if they had both organs, since only a miniscule number of people are born that way and even smaller numbers can embark on the adventure to Immortality! Aiko chuckled again. "The pin inside is also a great idea, but let''s make the tip thin and thicken it as we go." She shivered, but at the same time loved that idea. She would be able to reform those fucks and if they didn''t cooperate she would plop this thing on them. Moreover, she heard that there are also curses, so maybe she would dabble into them and curse these things too, just for good measure~. "You are a genius!" Aiko patted her shoulder. This would be an incredible weapon for reforming men. Aiko hummed happily and carefully stored it, since it was great research material. She would definitely research other methods of torture, but this was a fine starting point. Not to mention, it seemed like perverts were on the rise... ... Aiko felt much better after the last Treasure. She would definitely reward this Ghost handsomely for it! "We have pretty much everything from here, right?" Aiko asked the Ghost Grandma. The Ghost Grandma nodded weakly, she just sealed her fate with this devil since she could feel Aiko taking a liking to her. Especially that monster, it kept smiling at her wagging its tail. She could only resign and go with the flow. Aiko returned to the tunnels but... *Creak Creak* "What the fuck?! They are still...!" Aiko felt defeated. They were down there for like a good few hours, yet that guy had enough stamina to-! If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "This Fog invigorates you, so it''s only natural that he would last that long..." The Ghost Grandma shook her head like she was not the one that caused this thing. Aiko was deceived easily, since she was fond of this Ghost. "Don''t worry, once I start reforming these perverts, they won''t create such vile things." Aiko patted her somewhat flat chest and the Ghost could only cry inside her mind. Aiko had to wait for another 2 hours before they finally finished. She couldn''t help but roll her eyes since the bed was still creaking... "I will go and check it..." The Ghost said softly and disappeared. Aiko was touched that she would go check for her and waited patiently. ... The Ghost appeared outside the house to not alert the pair inside. She peeked inside the gorgeously ornamented room, with many pillows and fur carpets. The Emperor lay there, his little brother was like a small shrivelled pea, so it seemed like he was finished. Around him there were around 10 beauties, all of them were filled and sleeping from exhaustion... This place was able to minutely raise someone''s strength and extend their lifespan, but it was such a minute difference that it was not worth it... Apparently, that was not the case for this Emperor, as he always guided all his partners in here and then fucked them for hours each day. He spent more time fucking than actually recovering his lifespan, so he would die in vain as an old shrivelled pervert... She sighed and shook her head. At first, she had hots for this Emperor, but without her enchantment''s enhancement, he would be finished within a few moments. This enchantment drained her greatly, but since this Empire was powerful and the Emperor was greedy, she never lacked energy. She could collect all of that precious energy from all of those virgins. Don''t talk about a harem of 1,000 or 3,000 beauties. You should start at 12,000 beauties! Although she believed that by now it was much, much higher... Or at least was, since the small Fox''s cleansing of that abomination of a bottle, likely killed a great quantity of them. What the Emperor didn''t know was that most of them were Blood Cult Worshippers. The Ghost Qi imbued in this room allowed them to become more beautiful, which the Emperor loved. They all lost a lot of their colour, becoming white as ghosts, while also retaining that ethereal beauty. That little Fox accidentally ruined her means, but at the same time, she didn''t mind it as much. Most of the Ghost Qi she created was from her own Ghost Qi. That meant that once the person died, she would be able to retrieve that energy and so much more... ''Maybe if I strengthen myself now...'' The current her was weak against the little Fox, but what about the powered-up version of her... She meditated. She would take this to get back on the little Fox. The Ghost Qi was starting to converge around her. She was retracting it from quite a distance, so it would take a while. This was quite the gamble on her part. She knew that if she pissed off that little Fox it wouldn''t end up with simple choking... Yet she went on, until after 2 hours all the Ghost Qi from the fallen cities was returned to her. "Ew..." A beautiful ethereal Immortal frowned, she was no longer old like a granny. "I can''t believe that smelly guy was able to pollute my Ghost Qi with that disastrous bottle..." She shook her head. She recovered a lot less than she expected, but this should still be within the means of being able to escape from the little Fox. She was a beautiful Immortal with white, seductive clothes. She had long white hair, but she was not white as a sheet, she had a light peach colour to her skin, which was unusual for ghosts. The Ghost stood proudly, her bosom and jade thighs attracting attention. Her legs were a lot longer than normal and she stood at 175 cm. The Ghost¡¯s face screamed vixen, even more than a normal vixen''s face. Her clothes were similar to the dress the little Fox had taken, just with a few fewer layers to better showcase her curves. She smiled lightly as her bosom recovered. "It''s such a shame she took my toys..." She shook her head. "I would be able to enjoy myself since I''m only semi-ethereal right now..." She sighed sadly. She returned to the cave where the little Fox was waiting... ... Aiko was losing her patience since she was waiting a bit too long... Suddenly a figure appeared near her and Aiko went on guard. She didn''t remember this person and she was wary of her. "Little Fox." The Ghost nodded towards the little Fox. Aiko realised who it was by the voice and her eyes widened. Pretty face? Check. Seductive hips? Check. Normal, but still slightly smaller breasts? Check. Somewhat wide hips? Check. The Ghost was somewhat uncomfortable. Aiko''s smile only widened when she saw that this Ghost had similar proportions to Mei. Aiko hesitated when she wanted Mei''s measurements, but that was no longer needed! She wouldn''t feel embarrassed since she had Mei''s body in front of her! The Ghost steeled herself and wanted to test herself against the little Fox. Suddenly, a huge shadow overshadowed the gentle light from the Spirit Stones. The Ghost looked up, only to freeze from the horror. The previously small monster turned out to be a lot... a lot bigger than she expected. Not to mention, the pressure it exuded couldn''t compare to her even if she was in top shape. The Ghost felt like she was doomed... The Monster stared at her in interest. Previously Aiko was not interested enough and as such the monster didn¡¯t show itself properly, but now¡­ Her body was shivering, she was trying to figure out a way out. She suddenly prostrated in front of Aiko. "This lowly one greets the Mistress." She bowed again and again like she was honouring the little Fox. Aiko was taken aback, but she was now somewhat used to the ''Mistress'' part. "Mmm. Raise your body." Aiko said gently, she wanted to assess if her body was really similar to Mei''s... The Ghost Lady raised her body, but kept sitting on her legs. She didn''t breathe and waited for her next command. Aiko kept staring at the ghost, but frowned. "I''m not really sure how well she will do..." Aiko murmured while clicking her tongue. This terrified the Ghost Lady and she bowed again. "Please spare me, Mistress! I can help you with things!" She kept bowing again and again. "How can you help me when you are a Ghost?" Aiko scoffed at her. "I''m semi-ethereal." The Ghost Lady said softly. "What does that mean?" Aiko raised her eyebrow and tilted her head. This was quite an interesting way of attracting her attention, but she also wondered if her Slave number 1 would look similar once he advanced... Chapter 189 – (18+) Aiko is also a pervert?! Aiko stared at the Ghost. She didn''t believe that she would be able to touch her. The Ghosts were incorporeal, which meant you couldn''t touch them by normal means, but this Ghost just told her that she could touch her. Aiko had a hard time believing it. "Can you prove it?" She asked with scepticism in her voice. "Yes!" The Ghost Lady said enthusiastically and picked up a nearby rock. "Whoa!" Aiko nodded gently, she could see that her ''skin'' was wrapped around the rock like normal skin would. "So I can touch you too?" Aiko tilted her head, since it went one way, it should go another too? "En." The Ghost Lady nodded gently, unaware of what would happen to her... Aiko came close and the Ghost Lady shivered. That monster was just too scary, especially when it wagged that tail so happily. Would it eat her or not...? Aiko came close to her. "Raise your body." Aiko commanded. The Ghost Lady raised her body again. Aiko came even closer until she was within touching distance. The Ghost Lady was puzzled, but soon stiffened. A hand grabbed her breast. "Oh!" Aiko nodded, appreciating the suppleness. This was excellent softness, it didn''t quite rival Mei, but its size was pretty much the same. The only thing that slightly differed was the fact that Mei''s soft peaks were a bit closer than Ghost''s. Aiko grabbed her bosom with both hands. She squeezed and kneaded them, trying to assess if they were truly similar to Mei. The Ghost Lady stifled a moan, since this was the first time after way too many years since someone touched her. She was not used to that tingling sensation, which made her squirm. Aiko ignored those signs, since she now had a body similar to Mei in front of her, which meant she didn''t need to embarrass herself by asking Mei about her proportions. Aiko nodded gently. She moved on to her sides and belly. They were pretty similar to Mei''s, but Mei had a much more lean belly, which was much nicer to stroke and lay on than this Ghost Lady''s. Her hips were pretty much identical to Mei''s, there was barely any difference, except the fact that certain parts of the clothes clung to her hips tightly, making them more sensual than usual. Aiko stroked her thighs in various ways, making the Ghost Lady squirm even more. The Ghost Lady couldn''t bear it any longer. "Wait!" The Ghost Lady moved her body to stop the little mischievous Fox, but the little Fox was too close to her body. When she moved, the little Fox''s small knuckle brushed her forbidden pearl, pushing her over the ''edge''... She grabbed the little Fox''s hand, which she wanted to stop, but that electrifyingly explosive orgasm assaulted her mind and her body shook. She gripped the little Fox''s hands hard until it completely washed over. The Ghost Lady collapsed on the ground panting heavily. She had never experienced such an explosive orgasm. Moreover, it was someone else doing the pleasuring, and without even using her Strap-on, or any of her other toys. The Ghost Lady''s face was dyed a deep red from shame and Aiko stiffened. ''Fuck! I completely forgot that this is not a doll!'' Aiko was so speechless at the replica of Mei''s body that she forgot that it was an actual living being and not a doll. This caused Aiko to stroke her a bit too much in order to properly gauge her dimensions, but she never imagined it would cause such a mess! Aiko wiped her nonexistent sweat and silently took a few steps back. She would apologise later once the Ghost Lady is better¡­ ... It took a good hour for the Ghost Lady to recover. Her body ached as it was overstrained by the explosive orgasm. "I''m sorry..." Aiko guiltily apologised. "It''s alright..." The Ghost Lady accepted the apology, but the atmosphere was still awkward. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "I... didn''t think you would have a body similar to my mate''s..." Aiko tried to explain herself. "I was really embarrassed to ask her, so I thought I could use your body as a good reference point for dresses and that kind of stuff..." Aiko guiltily shifted around. She hoped that this apology would be enough... The Ghost Lady was shocked. She thought that this little Fox was after her, but that was not the case. It also seemed like she was a surprisingly reasonable person. At first, the Ghost Lady thought that the little Fox was very terrifying, but after a while, it seemed like she was just a shy sweetie... with strange tendencies. Well, she wouldn''t hold that against the little Fox, since she herself had her own tendencies and it wouldn''t be good if she used rules for others, but not for herself... And... it... didn''t feel all that bad... The Ghost Lady squirmed, she... was not used to that kind of gentle touch. Her Husband was overly rough with her, which unfortunately made her develop masochistic tendencies over time. Yet that gentle touch made her incredibly aroused... Aiko breathed a sigh of relief. She was happy that the Ghost Lady didn''t blame her. She never wanted to molest her like that, but she was so engrossed by those proportions that it just happened... Aiko would have to be careful in the future with others. ... After a while, both of them finally calmed down and Aiko broke the silence. "So... what took you so long?" The Ghost Lady flinched. "Ah, he was still going at it, so I had to retract the invigorating fog, so that he would exhaust himself..." She shook her head, lying was now natural to her, but she would have to be careful and not lie about something serious. If she was found out lying about something serious, that Beast... *Gulp* Thinking about it resurfaced her fears for this little monster, she definitely wouldn''t dare to lie about serious matters in the future! "Damn, man-whore!" Aiko cursed and clicked her tongue. "I''m sorry that you had to witness all of that..." Aiko sighed. She was grateful she didn''t need to witness that old bastard having sex with his partner. Little did she know that it was not just one partner... "It''s fine..." The Ghost Lady shook her head. "I have witnessed it so many times that it feels like I''m immune to it..." She sighed. "And we can leave now, since they are dead asleep." She commented. "Oh!" Aiko nodded enthusiastically at the last sentence. She could finally leave this place full of stale air! "Ah, before we leave, can we retrieve one last thing?" The Ghost Lady asked pleadingly. She realised that this little Fox would not leave her in here even if she asked her to... "What is it?" Aiko asked, curious. "It''s jewellery from my mother." The Ghost Lady said slowly. "Sure, I will wait." Aiko sat down again. A few minutes of waiting wouldn''t hurt her... ... The Ghost Lady went deep inside the ''Treasure'' room and opened a hidden chest. There was a special Spacial Ring that she could use even in her Ghost form. Her mother gave it to her just in case the marriage didn''t turn out well. She also had many lesser toys stored inside and she placed them all into the Ring along with the jewellery and a few letters from mother. She breathed a sigh of relief. The Ghost Lady was happy that the little Fox didn''t find this one. What the Ghost Lady didn''t realise was that Aiko did find it, but decided to ignore it after seeing the Ghost Lady''s worried expression. While she is insensitive and crude at times, she still wouldn''t pry into matters of others no matter how perverted they may be! ... The Ghost Lady returned and Aiko immediately stood up. "I will briefly check before we head out." The Ghost Lady stopped Aiko and went outside. Everyone was still asleep. The Ghost Lady smiled and returned to her owner. "Everyone is still dead asleep, but the sight is not really pretty¡­¡± She was worried that this young Fox would be scarred for life... "Eh, it can''t be that bad." Aiko shrugged. She was used to using flags, so a bit of gore would be of no issue... Oh, how wrong she was... Aiko sneaked outside of the compartment to see that degenerate room, filled with viscous liquid that befell depravity unto the room, as well as unconscious women laying about with exhausted expression and dripped in the same ''questionable fluid''... Aiko almost vomited at that repulsive sight and immediately rushed outside. *Huff* Aiko breathed roughly, that thing was so disgusting she almost couldn''t bear it, now she understood why the Ghost Lady was so hesitant. The Ghost Lady patted the little Fox''s back to soothe her a bit, she needed a good rapport with her since she would be her owner from here on out. Aiko calmed down eventually and they returned to the Lamp. "You have recovered." The Garbage Bin''s face hardened. "En." The Ghost Lady smiled, placing her hands under her bosom, which made them jiggle enticingly. *Ptooey* He spat on the ground. "You can''t affect me, vixen!" The Ghost Lady snorted. "Who would try to seduce a garbage bin like you, but I will have to thank you for that vicious, poisonous bottle!" She giggled sensually. "Piss off!" He glared at the Ugly Ghost. "And you!" The Garbage Bin glared at the little Fox. "Who? Me?" Aiko tilted her head. "Yes! Don''t even think about taking this slut away!" He glared at the little Fox. "I don''t intend to." Aiko smiled. "I will just take the Lamp with me." She shrugged. "You can''t!" He shouted. "What are you going to do, gas me to death?" Aiko snorted in disdain. She knew that he wouldn''t attack her. "But I can restrain you for eternity!" He said righteously. The Ghost Lady laughed out loud. She almost held her belly. "I would love to see you try, you old fossil~" She hummed with glee. "You are older than I am!" He shouted back. "Do I look older than that fossilized piece of garbage?" The Ghost lady turned towards the little Fox. "Nope, you are perfectly gorgeous." Aiko gave her a thumbs up. The Ghost Lady didn''t think she would be so openly praised, so she shifted her body to hide her blush. "And I can easily restrain her!" He wanted to vomit when he saw that ugly ghost blush. The Garbage Bin trained his Divine Sense on Aiko and just as he was about to restrain her, he flinched and a few drops of blood escaped his lips. "What the hell!" He dryly coughed. His Divine Sense touched Aiko and tried to restrain her, but something just shredded and scratched his powerful Divine Sense. He was certain he could still overcome whatever that was and restrain the little Fox, but he would never be able to fully subdue it. Meaning that he would be under constant assault whilst restraining her. The Garbage Bin couldn''t understand what just happened. The Ghost Lady laughed at his stupid expression. "She is not just a little Fox, i-di-ot~." She hummed the last part to enrage him even more. "Alright, stop bickering. I want some peace and quiet while I patch those Inscriptions." Aiko shook her head at the bickering children. She did feel something trying to restrain her, but she also felt her Divine Sense combatting it, so she didn''t butt in... Chapter 190 – Aiko fixes = Aiko owns Aiko stared at the Garbage Bin, she was slightly concerned that this smelly asshole would interrupt her, but other than using his Divine Sense and smell, Aiko was fine. She didn''t listen to their banter all the time, but it would be nice if they would shut up. Aiko thought that the Garbage Bin would kill the Ghost Lady, but for some reason, he didn''t move from his place and just spouted insults at them, well mostly at the Ghost Lady. Aiko was innocent and was just fixing the Lamp, he was upset that she would take the Lamp. But if she fixed the Inscription, the sealing effect would strengthen and the Ghost Lady would not be able to go outside like she is doing now. This would be a breath of fresh air, since this was a huge mission from the Heavenly Dao and maybe it would be merciful enough that he would finally be able to sleep peacefully after so many years... He had quite the high hopes for this little Fox, but he wouldn''t absolutely count on her. The Garbage Bin wished she succeeded and didn''t take it away, that way the Heavenly Dao would reward him the most. ''It''s so unfortunate I can''t subdue her...'' He shook his head. If he was able to subdue her then she would naturally maintain the Lamp, but that would mean walking. The Garbage Bin couldn''t walk because of his Dao, which meant the only way to subdue her was Techniques and Divine Sense. Divine Sense didn''t work at all and his Techniques would be 100% lethal for this little Fox, so he was in great distress. He was just sitting there like an old duck waiting for her to take it and leave. ''I even have to return back to my home...'' He frowned. ''Maybe not to my home, since those Royals connected it to their sewage system...'' He shook his head, he would have to find himself a cave where he could wither away... ... Aiko was working on the first Runes. These were suppression and capacity Runes. One suppressed the leaking Ghost Qi and Soul Qi, which meant Aiko would be fine carrying it around without attracting attention to it... The next one was the capacity Rune, which would allow her to store more Souls inside. That meant that whenever she killed someone, she would be able to store their Soul inside this Lamp for later use. "Can you add some furniture inside, Mistress?" The Ghost Lady asked with sparkling eyes. For some time now they were completely silent, watching the little Fox and what she was doing. At first, they didn''t believe she could fix it, but once the Runes lit up and there were no issues... ''She even has an Inscription Spirit in the Pen...'' He really wanted to steal that pen, but that would mean moving. The Garbage Bin didn''t Inscribe all that much since that needed moving for materials, Inscribing them and then moving again to sell them... Aiko finished another Rune. She didn''t use much of her prowess since she didn''t quite understand most of the Runes, but the next Rune was the Qi Gathering Rune, which she needed to power this whole thing. The Qi Gathering Rune empowered other Runes, so for example the Capacity Rune, for storing more Ghosts, would get a lot more juice out of it, meaning Aiko would be able to store even more Ghosts! She scribbled the first line, sparks flew around as the Inscription Ink was too degraded to hold so much power. Aiko was treading carefully to not blow this whole thing up, but at the same time, she poured as much passion into it as she possibly could. This resulted in the ambient Qi dropping sharply, making both of those Immortals nauseated. They didn''t understand what was happening at first, but once the Garbage Bin saw the Ghost couldn''t fly any more, he understood. ''Ambient Qi... just got sucked inside those Runes...'' He still couldn''t believe someone attained such a great accomplishment in Inscriptions at such a young age... but he also noticed that the little Fox was avoiding certain Runes. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ''She doesn''t have the skill necessary to write high-grade Runes.'' He nodded slowly, clearly happy that he was not completely outdone by someone so much younger than he was! ... Aiko finished Inscribing, two days passed in the meantime and Chen Shi was enjoying his blissful days, where he was able to ''occupy'' Lady Liu, without any disturbances. Aiko''s team were slightly worried, but they knew that Aiko would scream injustice if something happened to her, or call Mei. Since they didn''t get any message from Mei, that meant Aiko was still safe. That didn''t mean they weren''t restless, they wished Aiko would already return since other Beasts were asking about her, especially the Snake Lady, for some reason she became obsessed with the little Fox! They had to shoo them away, since Aiko was not at home currently, but they would have to address it eventually. ... Aiko plotted down, watching the Runes. They were working correctly and the Qi Gathering Inscription was able to increase the efficiency of other Runes by 20%. This was a great shock for Aiko as she didn''t think it would be THAT significant. ''I can store so much more with this...'' During the Inscription, her Darkness told her some information about this Treasure. This Treasure was much better than anything else she had previously encountered, as she didn''t need to hold those Human Souls inside her body. This decreased the effects of the natural erosion on both her and the Souls, meaning she would be able to eat them ''fresh'', which increased their potency. Aiko would be able to gain so much more from ''fresh'' Souls than Souls kept inside one''s body. "What''s wrong?" The Ghost Lady was concerned. There was a tug at her Soul that tried to drag her inside, but it was not powerful enough that it mattered to her. "Just checking everything is in order, I mostly want to isolate the Ghost Qi completely so it wouldn''t corrode things..." Aiko lied with a straight face, her Darkness told her she would become even more beautiful if she was bathed in the Ghost Qi. Aiko noped the fuck out of that and did her best to completely seal the Ghost Qi so it wouldn''t accidentally leak and bathe her. She was already troubled that her beauty was so high, if it got any higher she might destroy whole continents! "It should be working. I also increased its capacity so we can store more Souls inside." Aiko nodded gently. "What about the furniture, Mistress?" The Ghost Lady still hoped that the insides were a little bit less empty... "I don''t know Runes about Furniture." Aiko shook her head. She truly didn''t know them, she only knew the basic Runes. Yes, she remembered 50,000 Runes, but that didn''t mean she understood all of them or that they had any other usage than combat or utility. There were no Runes about furniture and other things, most of those Runes were unusable in day-to-day life. Aiko didn''t mind that, since most of the Runes for combat could be ''repurposed'' for day-to-day life, but she needed a lot of time to convert them, like it was with the Massage Chair. Aiko paused. She was very happy about this Inscription Carving Pen. Not only was she pretty much at the peak of her performance, but it also helped her consume a lot less of her Beast Core. She was happy about that, since she was starting to run a bit low on fuel. She would have to meditate later to recover it over time... Aiko stood up. "Finished?" The Garbage Bin was shocked that it was so quick. "I wouldn''t say finished." Aiko shook her head. "I just patched a few things up so that they wouldn''t become an issue." "En... the Ghost Qi is no longer leaking..." The Garbage Bin used his Divine Sense to check the ambient Ghost Qi and it was indeed very low compared to before. "I will retract the rest of the Ghost Qi, Mistress." The Ghost Lady smirked towards the old, filthy fossil. She would become powerful enough that this old bastard wouldn''t be able to stop her! Moreover, since she didn''t need to hold back the Ghost Qi, that meant she would naturally become even more powerful! The 100 Ghost Parade Lamp, which was supposed to restrain her, became her powerful vessel that boosted her Ghost Qi. The Ghost Lady smiled towards the little Fox, she would later go out and get her revenge for molesting her like that! She did think that, but there was a deep red blush on her face and she was even slightly excited. Unfortunately, it would take a few dozen, maybe even hundreds of years to achieve that kind of strength and Aiko would be in a different place at that time... So those wishful and degenerate thoughts would not be able to be fulfilled... Aiko cleaned her clothing since she spent too much time sitting down and she was covered in dirt. She didn''t want to end up like the Garbage Bin, so she would now bathe more often to keep the dirt away. Another concerning thing was clothing. She really loved the clothing she took away from this Ghost Lady, but she wouldn''t be able to wear it. She was too tiny and she still couldn''t figure out how to properly wear clothes. Yet another thing that she would have to work towards... ... She waited for the Ghost Lady to retract all the Ghost Qi, but that took another day... "Are you finished yet?" Aiko was once again bored... maybe she would go shopping right away... "Almost, Mistress..." The Ghost Lady''s lips twitched, since Aiko was poking them. "It''s nice you are touchable, I can entertain myself since that smelly guy is boring..." Aiko''s ears twitched a few times. She moved on the Ghost Lady''s lap and closed her eyes, she would rest a bit more or at least that''s what she hoped for. The Ghost Lady was squirming, since the little Fox''s hair and ears were a little bit too soft and it felt great brushing against her bare thighs. She moved away to avoid that feeling, making the little Fox upset. "Speed. It. Up!" Aiko articulated while glaring at the Ghost Lady, she wouldn''t even allow her to sleep! "I will, I will, Mistress." The Ghost Lady nodded obediently, she couldn''t afford that soft feeling again...! Chapter 191 – Finally back… Aiko was finally able to pick up that Lamp and was ready to leave. "You are leaving already?" The Garbage Bin asked. He was slightly upset that he would be alone again. "Of course, you smell too bad!" Aiko scoffed at him and he was hurt. She turned around and left. She didn''t want to stay for another moment, since she really wanted a warm bath and a good night''s sleep. Aiko walked through the bamboo forest again, but the fog was nowhere to be seen. Aiko had to be careful about being found out, so it wouldn''t cause any trouble for her. Well... normal Mortals wouldn''t spot her, but this place was somewhat close to those Cultivation Leaders... she didn''t want to interact with them. She walked through the shadows, avoiding everyone like they had the plague. She was successful with this as she was able to easily blend with the shadows, making her undetectable. The Ghost Lady also returned to the Lamp so she wouldn''t draw too much attention... She already attracted a lot of attention from Aiko, since she reminded her of Mei, but even then, Mei''s figure was already considered heavenly and voluptuous in the eyes of many. It would not be good if the Ghost Lady were to be seen; normal Mortals would definitely howl like beasts if they saw her! ''What a troublesome Ghost...'' Aiko sighed, she would need to create some Ghost-specialised Recognition Inhibition bracelets for the Ghost Lady. ''I also didn''t ask for her name.'' Aiko shook her head, she didn''t ask for names, since most Beasts and Humans around here were just not very interesting. She was also pretty bad with names. Well... was. Now that she had the [Perfect Memory], she could easily remember them, but that didn''t mean their worth increased... Aiko was just not impressed. Mei was impressive since she knew a lot of things. She was mostly... sometimes kind, which made Aiko feel more at home. The Blood Fox was irreplaceable. She was like a maid that catered to Aiko''s every need. At first, Aiko was concerned, but later she started to like it, maybe even love it. Her name was also very simple and Aiko could associate it with her colour. The Umbra Fox was a cute and cheery Fox, yet very hard-working. Aiko admired that hard-working part, as it resonated with her. She didn''t want to replace her since her colour was close to her name and she wasn''t noisy enough to bother Aiko, but at the same time useful enough. The Grandmaster provided housing and knowledge, which Aiko appreciated greatly. That''s... about it. Sure, there was still Buddy and others, but she didn''t interact with them on a daily basis, so she didn''t really have that deep impression. She did miss the Princess a bit and she also wondered what that Fairy was doing, but other than that, there was not really much to look forward to. ... Aiko returned to the side palace and was immediately swarmed by her team and Lady Liu. She didn''t expect this kind of welcome, but she didn''t dislike it. "You smell." All of them said that in sync and dragged Aiko into the baths. Chen Shi was upset that Aiko would see Liu''s body before him, but he couldn''t just barge in, which infuriated him even more. He wanted to gaze at Lady Liu for his whole life, yet this little rascal easily replaced him! Aiko stared back at the piercing gaze, it was Chen Shi''s gaze. She smiled faintly, which caused Chen Shi to almost pop a vein on his forehead. Aiko believed that if Lady Liu wasn''t around, he would strangle her like she did it with the Ghost Lady. ... "You have a new Treasure?" The Umbra Fox asked when she placed the Lamp on a nearby table. "Yeah, it sort of happened. We also need to go shopping, but later. I''m too tired." Aiko yawned. Now that she was somewhat safe, her tiredness caught up to her. She just wanted to lie down and sleep. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. They bathed Aiko carefully, but midway through she transformed into a Fox and dozed off. Lady Liu almost screamed from the cuteness, but the Umbra Fox stopped her; since her Mistress was sleeping, it would be rude to wake her up... Lady Liu nodded gently as if she understood. She enjoyed Aiko''s soft fur while also ruffling it to wash off that grime and bad smell. Aiko sneezed since a bubble got into her nose, but that didn''t wake her up. She slept like a log through water and a drying towel. She slept as they moved her and slept even more when the Blood Fox placed her into her soft tails... ... Aiko woke up lazily the next day. She was slightly dazed and didn''t want to wake up, but there was also a nice smell drifting into her nostrils, which somewhat woke her up more. She turned towards the bandit that roused her from sleep. It was a whole crispy chicken. Aiko opened her mouth and bit into it, but since she didn''t use much strength, she was just stuck to it, licking the juices. Lady Liu really wanted to move closer and pet the adorable half-asleep Aiko, but stopped herself since Chen Shi was already upset enough. "What''s wrong?" Lady Liu asked him. "Nothing..." Chen Shi shook his head. He didn''t believe that Aiko would just sleepwalk like that... He couldn''t understand what Lady Liu saw in that tiny Fox, but at the same time, he knew that she was impressive. Aiko was able to create elaborate and powerful Runes; not elaborate enough that it would threaten Chen Shi, but enough for him to admire her. Maybe that was the issue; he was worried that Aiko would replace him in terms of Inscribing and he would only have his wealth left, which was not enough to keep Lady Liu happy... He slowly munched on his carefully prepared meal, he was feeling slightly upset. Lady Liu soothed him since she knew that Aiko would be going shopping soon. ... The meal was delectable and Aiko finished it slowly for once; mostly because she was asleep for most of the time, but her eating was much slower when presented with something she couldn''t just gulp down. Aiko rubbed her eyes, still feeling half asleep. She transformed into her Human form and activated the Sect Token since she was too lazy to move. She yawned again and stared around, Lady Liu was leaving with Chen Shi and her team was chatting. Aiko was happy, since she got the gift for Mei and tools that could be useful to her. Moreover, she got that treasure and Mei 0.8 as a Ghost. She didn''t necessarily need to go shopping, but she still wanted to experience different kinds of markets. But, maybe tomorrow. Today, she will sleep. Aiko laid down, not even moving on the Blood Fox''s tails and closed her eyes. She couldn''t sleep because of her Title, but that didn''t mean she was not resting, just closing her eyes allowed her to recover a lot. ... "How strange..." The Blood Fox murmured. She found it odd that Aiko wouldn''t seek her tails. "Maybe Mistress is too tired to move?" The Umbra Fox asked, they had no idea what happened to Aiko these days. The Umbra Fox was dying of curiosity, since she was interested in that Lamp. Meanwhile, the Blood Fox was concerned that something had happened to Aiko. "Do you think that she would seek us out if she was tired?" The Blood Fox shook her head, since sometimes the Umbra Fox was too naive. "Hmmmm..." The Umbra Fox nodded slightly. It was true that Aiko would seek them-, the Blood Fox out whenever she wanted to sleep, so it was truly odd she didn''t do this this time. The Blood Fox moved closer to Aiko and gently caressed her hair. Aiko''s ears twitched a few times before calming down. It felt like she murmured something, but it was not audible to their ears. "Mistress is really cute when she is like this." The Umbra Fox stared at Aiko with adoration. "You mean when she is not causing trouble?" The Blood Fox chuckled at the Umbra Fox. While they were very young compared to their peers, they felt old next to Aiko who was so tiny. "Eh, even if Mistress didn''t cause trouble, others wouldn''t leave her alone." The Umbra Fox shrugged. While she was exhausted from dealing with the aftermath, she would still not replace her Mistress. The Blood Fox nodded, this was an obvious thing, considering Aiko''s cuteness... ... Back in the Fox Village Mei sighed. She got yet another request for more Pills from the Sect Leader. "Seriously." Mei massaged her temples to wash her tiredness away. "Don''t they have other Pill Refiners?" She shook her head. "Still at work?" Suddenly, the Grandmaster''s head popped around the corner. She was doing much better with Mei''s medication. "I will pay you 100 years if you cut down the vermin in this Fox Village." Mei immediately spilt her grievances. "You are really doing pretty bad without your cuddle pillow." The Grandmaster was surprised that Mei''s inner thoughts were exactly the same as her spoken words. "Ugh, don''t mention it." Mei was upset that her servant disappeared for another reason. If she could, she would have dragged Aiko back and hugged her for a few more weeks. "And what the fuck is wrong with the other Pill Refiners?!" Mei picked up some of the crude words from Aiko''s constant cursing... "They fuck and fuck around all the time." The Grandmaster shrugged and lit her pipe. "No smoking." Mei snorted at her. "Yeah, yeah." The Grandmaster rolled her eyes. She did understand that it would affect the quality of the Herbs, but she couldn''t help it... ''There is not much to do other than visiting other Sects...'' She shook her head. Without those two cuties from Aiko''s team, the time she spent was very boring. ''Not to mention the massage chair broke again...'' The Grandmaster was frustrated. She even hired a few other Inscription Cultivators, but they all refused to fix it since they were not Forge Cultivators¡­ "Just become mine already and I will give you better Herbs for smoking." Mei stared at the Grandmaster. "I already told you I''m too old for this kind of thing." The Grandmaster shook her head. "Fine, I will just help you patch your tails so you have no other option than to accept." Mei flicked her sleeve arrogantly. She would have Grandmaster as her personal guard. She knew that Grandmaster had lived for a long time and had gained a lot of combat experience. ''She is the best bodyguard in the Lower World. Not to mention, she is the first Fox I met in the Lower World that achieved 9 Tails.'' Mei sighed gently, staring at the Grandmaster. "I''m not that special." The Grandmaster read Mei''s thoughts and shook her head. "Sure, sure." Mei shooed the Grandmaster away, since she had to refine more Herbs. "I hope Aiko returns soon..." She stared at the Full Moon, reminding her of Aiko... Chapter 192 – Herb Garden The next day, Aiko was completely rested and ready to brawl. She would shop to her heart''s content, since she would soon have to sit through yet another banquet. At that thought, Aiko just wanted to run away, but she couldn''t leave Lady Liu alone with Chen Shi. Who knows what he would do to her... And... Aiko would also like to get a gift for Lady Liu. She took good care of her and her team and even taught them etiquette. While it''s not important currently, as Aiko could just play the ''too young card'', that thing won''t last forever, so she should start training the ''reserved beauty card''. Aiko glanced at her team. They were once again chatting along. She was happy that they were on good terms, since Aiko would be sad to lose either of them. Their cooperation was also good; the Umbra Fox always had a few ropes on her hands to tie-up the assailants. Whereas, the Blood Fox was the muscle of the group; she could easily lift all the tied-up bodies and transport them somewhere else. ... Aiko stretched and waited for her team to get ready. She would go in the Sect Clothes, since they would attract less attention. It was definitely not because she didn''t want the Umbra and Blood Fox to dress her up. Aiko didn''t have to wait long before they were ready. Now it looked like Aiko was the Young Miss of some wealthy family, followed by her guards. Aiko happily nodded and took the Lamp with her. Since she got the Ghost that served as a pseudo-version of Mei, she should buy a few more pieces of clothing for Mei, since she rarely saw her change clothing. That was not bad since Aiko was similar, but she felt that it would be better if Mei had more clothing. She was already fully grown, unlike Aiko who was yet to finish growing. Aiko skipped a few steps and jumped on the wall to their courtyard. They couldn''t use their Recognition Inhibition Bracelets inside the Palace, but that same rule didn''t apply outside the Palace. This would allow them to stay mostly hidden from others, but basically undetectable for Mortals. They wouldn''t be disturbed while shopping if they were like this. ... Aiko equipped both of her Recognition Inhibition Bracelets, which turned her ''ugly'', but compared to Mortals, she was still breathtakingly beautiful. They traversed the alleys, since most nice shops were quite far away from the Palace for some reason. Aiko didn''t understand why, but considering their speed, that was not an issue. She could traverse the city many times before the sun went down, which meant most of her actual time would be spent shopping Her first destination was the Herb Garden. Aiko had no idea why they called it like that and she wouldn''t question it as long as they had good quality products. As they arrived in front of the shop, they could already smell the alluring smell of the Herbs. They entered the Herb Garden. It was quite a large shop compared to the shops around, but it was still smaller than the Inscription Shop owned by Chen Shi. Aiko could only shake her head at his wealth, but she understood why he was wealthier. Pills, at least the normally sold Pills, didn''t taste good. If Aiko were to compare it to something, it would be like eating dirt at best; swallowing smelly mud was the middle ground and unbearably smelly shit was the lowest one. Fortunately, most shops wouldn''t sell the worst ones, but that still didn''t mean Aiko wanted to visit Pill shops, since they still had the middle ones the most. This meant that Aiko felt like she was visiting a smelly swamp¡­ Aiko shivered remembering the Pill shop they passed and vowed she would never visit them. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Aiko stared towards the display with Herbs in them. You could not touch them, but you could observe and smell them. Aiko had no interest in smelling them, since some of them were poisonous to even smell, with only a simple Array trapping the dangerous scent. That meant she would have to use what Mei had taught her about Herbs, and what they look like. That was rather easy for Aiko since she had the [Perfect Memory] Passive Ability. Aiko walked around, frowning for most of the time, while scrutinising for the rest. This attracted the attention of some other customers. They wondered who this little girl was and some of them even snickered. Aiko naturally ignored them since she was not here to entertain them, when suddenly an alluring smell entered her nostrils. She sniffed gently, her hidden ears and tails twitching. She was very much interested in this smell. Aiko turned around slowly towards the smell. It was a beautiful, six-coloured flower inside the main display above the counter. ''Six-Coloured Lotus...'' Aiko immediately associated the flower with her knowledge. She also knew that this flower had miraculous healing effects if prepared properly. ''If I get this as another gift for Mei... she will definitely be happy~'' Aiko hummed in her mind for her plan, but then saw a small sign below the flower. "Answer all the questions about flowers and you will win this Six-Coloured Blazing Lotus." ''GEH'' Aiko''s face distorted when they mislabelled the Flower. ''Seriously, they really believe that''s the Six-Coloured Blazing Lotus when it doesn''t burn your nostrils from breathing in the scent.'' Aiko shook her head at the flower, which attracted even more attention. "Would you like to try our challenge?" An old Cultivator was sitting behind the counter and above that counter was the Six Coloured Lotus. "Not really." Aiko didn''t have a favourable impression of them. "Why not?" He smiled amicably, but his words attracted more attention. "To challenge this, you need a measly Spirit Stone." But his words were laced with ridicule. Aiko scoffed at him, ''Old and dumb...'' but she suddenly smirked. "We get what''s written on that sign?" Aiko smiled deviously. "Of course, as long as you pass the challenge, you will obtain it." He pointed at the Six-Coloured Lotus inside the board. "So we will get what''s written on the sign, huh..." Aiko was deep in thought, stressing the ''on the sign'' part. The old Cultivator was slightly impatient and easily irritable, that was one of the reasons he picked a fight with this stupid Young Miss. "Yes." He reassured the stupid Young Miss. "Now, will you take the challenge?" Meanwhile, the peanut gallery grew, they were interested and excited about this situation. "Of course." Aiko grinned happily. "I can''t wait to rob you blind~" She hummed happily, skipping a few steps in front of the old Cultivator. The old Cultivator''s face distorted. He didn''t think that this stupid Young Miss actually believed she would win anything. "Ah, but before we start." Aiko smirked. "No bullshit with Jade Slips, alright? Everything will be done so that everyone currently inside can see it." Aiko wouldn''t let them try to scam her, since the Blood Fox gave her a few tips when they were walking through the alleys. His face distorted further, this stupid Young Miss dared to question his credibility. "Why should we cater to you? This challenge was taken by many and none had issues." He proclaimed. "Pfft." Aiko almost laughed out loud. "Would you be proud to announce to others that you were scammed?" Aiko giggled, her sweet laughter attracted more attention from outside and the peanut gallery increased. Some actually had real nuts! "You wouldn''t announce it; you would rather leave with pride." Aiko shrugged and shook her head at him. "Do I look like a stupid Young Miss to you, old fossil?" Aiko scoffed at him. ''Yes...'' The Peanut gallery behind Aiko nodded their heads that she looked like that. Fortunately, Aiko didn''t notice that otherwise, she would cuss everyone out of the shop. "You-!" The old Cultivator behind the counter almost raged. "Enough." The Manager spotted this commotion and came out. "What''s happening?" "He is trying to scam me." Aiko pouted innocently. "I just want to take the challenge and get what''s on the sign..." Aiko hmpfed away from them, like stupid Young Miss would do. His brows twitched, but their Owner said that they should attract more customers this way, so they had to naturally humour her. "You can take the Challenge-" The Manager said, but Aiko interrupted him. "So that everyone could see it." Aiko smiled from ear to ear. The Manager was also slowly losing patience, but he had an important guest inside, so he couldn''t make too big of a ruckus. "That can be arranged." The Manager nodded, trying to satisfy this little Young Miss. Aiko nodded with clear and innocent eyes and happily smiled. The Shop was pretty much packed with people, only about 1.5 metres around Aiko was unoccupied and that was only because her team was holding them back with their glares. Some sat down, others pulled out chairs. They had this odd feeling that they would be here for quite some time, so they prepared the necessities to watch the show. "Wallnuts, chestnuts, peanut, all kinds of nuts!" One spectator called out sellling the important food for spectating. "I will take one pack." "I will take two." "Give me a few, too." Everyone immediately jumped at this situation and Aiko''s lips could only twitch. ''Maybe I should buy a few shops worth of nuts and sell them whenever I get into this situation...'' Aiko thought about it for a while. Even if she raised the price a bit, some would still buy it. Not to mention, considering how often she got into this kind of trouble, she would definitely make a lot of profit¡­ Aiko nodded gently, swaying her body from boredom. "Have you prepared it?" The old Cultivator was a lot more polite now, but he was still glaring at the stupid Young Miss. "We are still preparing it." "How about now?" Aiko soon asked again. "Not yet." The old Cultivator had a really unsightly expression and he wished that this little stupid Young Miss would finally give up and head home, but unfortunately... "And now?" Aiko asked again and he almost flipped the whole counter on her. "Not. Yet!" He stared daggers at the stupid Young Miss, but Aiko just shrugged. "You should hurry it up, they are running out of peanuts." Aiko pointed at the spectators like she was concerned about them. The peanut gallery''s hearts warmed up and some of them vowed to protect this little Young Miss. Chapter 193 – Challenge for Herb "It''s finished." Another Cultivator came from the backrooms with a special crystal that can project Herbs and Flowers. The old Cultivator was about to strangle this stupid Young Miss, but he had to stop; otherwise his career would be over. *Cough* "Please place it here so we can start." The old Cultivator smiled gently and gestured to his colleague. "Here." His Colleague placed it and set it up, so others couldn''t steal it. "Thank you." The old Cultivator thanked him and his colleague left after a nod. "The first round is to identify 100 basic Herbs." The old Cultivator smiled, since he finally had a way to get back at this stupid Young Miss. "The first flower-" He didn''t say Herb on purpose to further ridicule her, which made the peanut gallery quite angry, but before they could step in the little Young Miss already interrupted him. "That''s a Singing Sparrow." Aiko simply answered after first glance. "It''s used to treat throat injuries and works especially well on the vocal cords." She also stated its most basic use. "Ah, by the way. That''s a Herb, not a flower." Aiko shook her head at him. "Are you sure you are qualified for this kind of work?" Aiko questioned him with ridicule. His face burned red from this and he really wanted to slap this stupid brat, but he noticed the peanut gallery; especially in one corner some Sword Cultivators were sharpening their blades while exchanging glances with the old Cultivator. He gulped. "You are correct. This is indeed a Singing Sparrow. The next one-" "Morning Bell. Good for repairing crushed bones. Next." Aiko immediately answered and didn''t let him approve her answer. She simply knew that she was right. The old Cultivator''s lips twitched. "You are correct." He didn''t try to introduce the next Herb, since this Young Miss seemed a bit too zealous. The Peanut gallery was at first doubtful and only came here to soothe the Young Miss and cheer her on when she lost miserably. But soon they stopped munching on nuts since they were left speechless at her conduct and fast responses. Especially for Alchemy practitioners, they were left dumbfounded at the sheer speed and accuracy of someone so much younger than they were... The old Cultivator sweated, since this Young Miss was much faster in answering than he was in verifying. While he knew most Herbs, there were also a few that he didn''t know, so he had to go to the backrooms to confirm them... The last Herb was easy, but his Master told him that it was just as easy to get wrong since there were several nearly identical Herbs. He smirked, maybe this one this stupid Young Miss would fail. "That is a mature Blood Sky Herb-" Aiko said it and the old Cultivator wanted to interrupt her. "Keep quiet." Aiko cussed at him and he was startled. "That could also be a sprout of the Blazing Lotus Spiritual Herb or a mutated version of the Dawning River Herb." Aiko snorted at him. "If you want to interrupt someone, make sure they finished what they wanted to say." Aiko huffed at him in annoyance, no way in hell will she be outdone by this jackass! The old Cultivator choked and glared at her. "I already told you what it can be, they are very similar and could be distinguished safely only by smell, am I right, guys?" Aiko asked the peanut gallery. A few of them shouted back. "Yeah!" But that was enough for others to join them and there was uproar in the store. "Now if you want to fail me, jackass, make sure that you do it in a way that doesn''t expose you." Aiko snorted at him, as if revealing the big truth. All eyes strained on the old Cultivator and a shiver went down his spine since some of them also took this challenge. "I will ask about this..." The old Cultivator shivered and ran to the backroom. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. "Hmpf." Aiko snorted and there were cheers behind her. Quite a few made it past the first part of the challenge, but none of them made it so quickly like this Young Miss. Some of them were naturally pissed at her arrogance, but since they were in the minority and didn''t want to eat dirt, they kept their mouths shuts. ... The old Cultivator returned with the Manager. "Who are you?" He asked the Young Miss. "Just someone who is interested in Herbs." Aiko smiled gently, but the Manager had an odd and sinister feeling from that smile. "Do you have a Master?" The Manager asked another question, hoping he could take her in and prevent her from taking the Six-Coloured Blazing Lotus. Aiko thought about it for a moment. "I do." Mei was somewhat like a teacher, so she didn''t mind promoting her to Master. The Manager''s face had momentarily distorted. He looked at the Herb and said. "You were correct." Cheers spread through the shop, deafening everyone. Aiko especially didn''t like this since she had sensitive senses. She clicked her tongue and vowed she wouldn''t attract so much attention next time... "There are 2 more stages. In the next one you have ''intermediate'' Herbs, you have to identify 100 of those." The Manager explained. "The last stage is the ''expert'' Herbs, you will have to identify 20 of those." The Manager smirked, the last stage was pretty much impossible since it had a lot of already extinct Herbs. "Sure, let''s get on it." Aiko smiled gently, she wouldn''t be outdone now. ... Aiko was able to pass the second stage up to the 80 Herb, when issues arose. "That is not correct." The Manager said. "Bullshit!" Aiko slapped the table. "While it can be the Frostforn Ice Herb, it''s more likely to be the Evergreen Poison Ivy!" Aiko spat at him. "You should''ve said it sooner, but your previous answer is incorrect." The Manager said with a smirk. "Hah." Aiko stared at him with ridicule. "Bring me those two herbs and I can demonstrate how wrong you are." Aiko shook her head. "No wonder nobody won this, since your knowledge is so shallow you can''t even comprehend when someone is right." She didn''t forget to ridicule their system to make herself more credible. "You have still-" The Manager tried to sway the spectators to his side, but Aiko interrupted him. *Sigh* "Seriously, you don''t have to be ashamed to not even know these basic herbs, you should just embrace learning~!" Aiko almost vomited in the latter part, but persevered. "The more you know, the less poisoned you will get when moving Herbs, am I right guys?" "YEEEEAH!" Pretty much everyone agreed with her this time, since almost everyone got poisoned at least once over their span of harvesting Herbs and some were still dealing with the after-effects from unknowingly mishandling herbs. "See? There is nothing to be ashamed of admitting that you were wrong." Aiko smiled gently like she was saying and the peanut gallery laughed at the Manager. "Bring the Herbs!" He was really upset, but if they caused another commotion, his guest would leave, and report this mess. Which would cause huge losses for the Herb Garden... They brought both of those Herbs, but they looked a lot different from what was in the image. "This one is a bit over-mature, it''s not at the seed stage yet, but you won''t get the full effect." Aiko explained to the confused part of the peanut gallery. "She is right..." Another old Cultivator nodded with wide eyes. At first, he believed that this Young Miss was just lucky, but since she knew this, it was impossible to say it was just luck... Aiko smiled softly. "This one is very young, much younger-" Aiko said gently and the Manager smirked, most spectators scoffed at him. The Manager did not realise he was tarnishing his shop''s reputation and believed that they were scoffing at the Young Miss. "But it will still work." Aiko giggled, seeing his unsightly expression. "How do you plan to do that?" The Manager shook his head. "If you ruin it you will pay for it." One Herb cost around 5,000 Spirit Stones, so it was not light spending... "Simple." Aiko shrugged and pulled out a Spirit Crystal. The room immediately went silent. One Spirit Crystal was worth around a million Spirit Stones, but even at that rate, nobody would be willing to exchange it since Spirit Crystals were a lot more precious than Spirit Stones. The Manager choked. "Are you trying to bribe me?" "Are you stupid?" Aiko recoiled from his gaze. "If you don''t know why others don''t want to exchange Spirit Crystals, then you should keep watching." Aiko snorted at him coldly. She placed the Spirit Crystal near the Evergreen Poison Ivy. At first, nothing happened, but soon the magic manifested itself. The Evergreen Poison Ivy was slowly transforming until it turned similar to the Frostforn Ice Herb. The peanut gallery froze alongside the Manager. They couldn''t believe their eyes. Didn''t that mean that possibly every Frostforn Ice Herb that was supposed to help cool their internal heat could be an Evergreen Poison Ivy, which causes unbearable pain from the poisoning and, if weak enough, even death? They shivered at that thought. "See?" Aiko stored the Spirit Crystal while they were still left stunned. The Manager didn''t know what to say, when a gentle voice drifted into the room. "What''s wrong, Manager Fu?" A beautiful girl with dragon horns and a noticeable tail with a sharp tip appeared from the backrooms. Her body was slender and on her shoulders and certain parts of her body were covered in scales. She had burning Dragon Eyes that attracted a lot of attention, but that didn''t diminish her gentle appearance. She had a small nose, but normal slightly red lips. Her hair was green, yet her scales were a mixture of black and royal red. It was a strange yet alluring combination. The Dragoness''s dress was very simple and easy to move in, but it still highlighted her slim body and not-so-slim chest... Aiko noticed her some time ago, but she didn''t alert her. Now that she was here, she could raise her issue. "He is trying to scam me! I deserve the Six-Coloured Blazing Lotus!" Aiko pouted cutely. The Manager choked when he saw her change her expression. "She is trying to frame me!" Manager Fu tried to defend himself. "Bullshit! You tried to scam her and possibly even scammed us, yet you don''t dare to admit it?!" The old Cultivator that previously defended the little Young Miss stepped in. "You are a shameless bastard! It makes my stomach churn to know that we are basically the same age category!" He spat on the floor in disdain. Manager Fu was left speechless and he didn''t know what to say. "Manager Fu?" The Dragoness asked. Chapter 194 – Dragoness~ The Dragoness hated anyone who would try to cheat others, especially below the counter. At first, she was curious what this commotion was about, but the more she heard, the more her cute face distorted... ''I can''t believe that Manager Fu would try to scam such a cute little Fox...'' The Dragoness trained her eyes on the small Fox. Her eyes had a special trait of disturbing illusions and Recognition Inhibition Treasures. That meant that Aiko and her team were exposed, but fortunately for them, the Dragoness didn''t have any intention of alerting others. While she didn''t have a high opinion about Foxes, this little Fox and the others didn''t dress wantonly, which improved their image. "Manager Fu?" The Dragoness asked the Manager again. Of course, she would report this whole incident to her Elders, since most of the Herbs in their Sect were coming from here, but that didn''t mean this Clan was the only option. "Princess Yueying." He bowed deeply. "I know my name..." Yueying said, sighing. "She was correct, so shouldn''t you continue this challenge?" She was willing to give him one last chance to redeem his Fame. "That''s..." Manager Fu wanted to decline, but seeing her expression... he couldn''t. "Yes..." Yueying was completely cold-blooded in her behaviour and she would definitely report everything, even his harassment towards her! "Then this-" Manager Fu showed another Herb, but without much energy. "The Ash Choking Herb." As always, Aiko would spit the answer without letting them finish. It was kind of expected from her at this point and the peanut gallery nodded gently. They were all looking forward to her winning this challenge so that someone could finally rob them of this extinct Herb! ... Aiko naturally aced the second and third stages, so much so that the Manager was in utter disbelief. He didn''t expect this little Young Miss to completely and quickly destroy his confidence in his victory. "Now give me the Six-Coloured Blazing Lotus." Aiko smiled from ear to ear. The Manager whined like a defeated dog and stretched towards the ''Six Coloured Blazing Lotus''. He placed it in front of the little Young Miss with some difficulty. But that little Young Miss was staring at him. "What''s wrong?" Manager Fu asked. If this little Young Miss asked him to wrap this up, he would really strangle her! "I''m still waiting for Six-Coloured Blazing Lotus." Aiko said blankly. The Manager frowned. "It''s here." He tapped the board. "No, it''s not." Aiko sighed and expressed herself like she was talking and teaching some kind of overgrown child. "Listen here, this is not the Six-Coloured Blazing Lotus, but only the not mutated version, the Six-Coloured Lotus." Aiko explained slowly like she was teaching a child. "The clear difference between those two that you would realise if you encountered the Six-Coloured Blazing Lotus would be your immediate loss of smell, since your nostrils would burn off from the scent." Aiko sighed. "But look here; you just placed it on a special board so it wouldn''t deteriorate, but there are no Inscriptions or Arrays that would capture the smell. This means this thing is not a Six-Coloured Blazing Lotus, but it''s a normal variant, the Six-Coloured Lotus." Aiko finished her slow explanation. "That''s not true, this is truly the Six-Coloured Blazing Lotus." Manager Fu denied her words. Aiko sighed. She already spotted someone with a burned nostril and by the information she absorbed from Mei''s Jade Slip, she knew by smell that he was the victim of the Six-Coloured Blazing Lotus. "You never learn." Aiko shook her head and walked towards the young boy. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. The Peanut Gallery made way, since they were interested in where this would head in. "It''s Six Coloured Lotus, right?" Aiko asked him and he stared at her strangely. His companions were about to step in, when he raised his hand. "That is indeed only Six Coloured Lotus." The Young Boy was sure he hid his ailment well, so he was shocked inside that he was found out so easily. "See?" Aiko returned. "Now give me the Six-Coloured Blazing Lotus." Aiko demanded, since she wouldn''t be scammed. "But..." Manager Fu swallowed his next words since he truly had only this Herb. The Dragoness stepped in. "Since you do not wish to give her that Herb, you should write her IOU." Manager Fu looked at her with shock, but Yueying just shrugged. "It''s only natural you pay what you owe." She didn''t like him at all and would absolutely report every bit of detail that she gathered during her stay over here... How he touched her inappropriately, how he tried to decrease the amount of Herbs or switch them up for different Herbs. How he tried to scam others and didn''t want to acknowledge anything and so on. Manager Fu was cornered, he needed this deal to go through, so he could only write down the IOU to please Yueying. "It doesn''t have a date, what if you die soon?" Aiko stared at him unblinking. *Pfft* The Dragoness almost laughed out loud and the Manager turned towards her sharply, but she simply looked away from him to conceal her wide smile that was suppressing a lovely laughter. The peanut gallery was prompted by this to laugh, too. "She is right, what if you croak tomorrow from today''s shame?! She would be losing too much!" One spectator shouted. "Right, right! If I did something so shameless, I would absolutely hang myself!" Another laughed heartily. The peanut gallery was very lively, which made the Manager even more infuriated, but he couldn''t stop them. The moment he tried to threaten them his already tarnished fame would go rock bottom from it! Aiko returned the Jade Slip with the IOU. Manager Fu was forced to write that he would give her the Six-Coloured Blazing Lotus within a year. Aiko checked it and gave it to her companions to check too. They didn''t talk to maintain their mysterious atmosphere, but seeing their clothes and beauty, it was obvious to anyone that they were trained fighters who served double purposes. Of course, most of them wouldn''t display that on their faces and would not inquire; all that mattered to them was that this Young Miss wouldn''t get scammed. She had a very bright future ahead, considering her deep and vast knowledge. If she could also become a Pill Refiner, it might be possible that the Pills would reduce their prices, which would mean only happy days for the common Cultivators... Once she got everything, they soon dispersed since the situation settled down, but they also loved the fact that the Manager aged a couple of years. "Thank you~" Aiko hummed gently and was ready to leave. "You will also get this Six Coloured Lotus, right Manager Fu?" She liked this little Fox and seeing her knowledge, it wouldn''t be bad if she pushed them a little to get a better rapport with her. "What?!" The Manager''s face distorted. "You are joking, Princess!?" He choked up on his words; he didn''t believe that she would be so ruthless just because he copped a feel...! Yueying just glared at him and didn''t say anything else. The Manager couldn''t allow this business to not go through, so he could only weakly nod, but tears already streamed down his cheeks. If he could call the Owner everything would be solved, but common Managers like him were not allowed that kind of luxury and that was also one of the reasons why he was pushing for this deal. He would be able to become a 2nd-rate Manager from a 5th-rate... Unfortunately, that would never come, since this deal had already failed... ... Aiko packed up the Six Coloured Lotus by throwing it into her Storage Ring alongside the board, since she knew the board was what was keeping it from deteriorating. Aiko hummed and mimicked, ''Thank you'' with her lips towards the likeable Dragoness. The Dragoness smiled gently. She now didn''t understand why others hated the Foxes; they were absolutely cute and lovable Beasts. Aiko wanted to shop a bit more, but because the Blood Fox nudged her they left together. This was good since they were immediately tailed, but their assailant lost them in the next alley and for some reason, their possessions also disappeared... ... [Opportunistic Kleptomaniac (Apprentice)] -> [Opportunistic Kleptomaniac (Apprentice 2nd Stage)] [You have earned the Title: [Daylight Robber]!] Aiko furrowed her brows. She didn''t do much, except to take their things, yet the system was making fun of her? Sure, they were in the Golden Core Stage, but those guys were still weak, so why did she get such a bad title?! Her other Skills and Abilities also didn''t improve all that much... what? She didn''t work properly on them? So what?! She just wanted bigger numbers! Was that that bad?! Aiko pouted, which confused her team, but she still stored those Pouches with a few Spirit Stones into her Storage Ring and moved again. "What will be our next destination?" Aiko asked. "Talismans looked like Fun, but I don''t think the common ones will be all that funny." Aiko frowned cutely. "There is a clothing shop nearby." The Blood Fox said. Aiko thought about it a bit, she should buy Mei more clothing so that she could dress up whenever she wanted, but the issue was that Aiko did not know Mei''s style of clothing. So while the Lamp was useful for the size of clothing, she did not consider the option that Mei might not like the design... Aiko furrowed her brows. "Would you like some clothing?" Aiko asked them. "It''s impossible for us, since we can''t hide our Tails and most clothing is not made with that in mind." The Umbra Fox was the first one to reject the offer. "It is as Umbra says." The Blood Fox nodded gently, they couldn''t really shop for normal clothes since they would have to make holes in them for their tails. That was not bad per se, but the problem was that once there was a rip, the rip would easily expand and ruin the clothing. It was simply not a good idea to shop for clothing for Humans when they were Beasts... "Wait, why did you suggest that when we can''t use them?!" Aiko felt like she was teased by her team... Her team looked away like they didn''t want to answer her. "Y-you were teasing me!" Aiko huffed and chased after them once they started to run away from her... Chapter 195 – Vicious little girl… *Huff Huff* The duo was breathing heavily and Aiko was snorting in front of them. "Serves you right for trying to run away from me!" Aiko scolded them as they were out of breath, while she was almost completely alright. While Aiko didn''t have that much better Stamina, her Skills and Abilities allowed her to move with higher efficiency, especially since the alleyways were covered in shadows. Aiko became a monster that was a lot quicker, but since she didn''t intend to catch them... her Stamina consumption was a lot lower than the duo''s. "Huff... I told you we should split." The Umbra Fox complained completely out of breath. "If we got lost and captured, it would be a big trouble." The Blood Fox shook her head; while they would tease Aiko, they also wouldn''t attract trouble and problems, unlike Aiko. Aiko slapped the Blood Fox''s jiggling breast from annoyance and the feeling that they were badmouthing her. "Auch." The Blood Fox whined softly, but Aiko just snorted and looked away. Aiko waited till they caught their breath. "We will be moving to the General Cultivator Market, I''m interested in what they are selling." Aiko sai- commanded. The duo nodded weakly, knowing that they couldn''t tease Aiko any more... ... They walked around the Capital. At first it was very impressive how everything blended together, but that soon became pretty old and bland. Aiko couldn''t quite grasp the reason why and she was greatly confused about this point. No matter how much she looked around and no matter how much she thought about it, she could not come to a conclusion. This bothered her since this inconsistency and strangeness might transfer to her own place. Bothersome as it was, she couldn''t come to a conclusion... They soon arrived at the General Cultivator Market. As much as the name was strange, the people inside were even weirder. Some sold small stones, others sold some kind of strange papers. It was a strange sight... Aiko expected some strangeness, but this was too much for today. She was confused about how others could haggle over those pebbles... "It is as expected..." The Blood Fox murmured, she was used to this sight. "Others selling complete ru-" Aiko was about to curse, which would attract a lot of attention, but fortunately the Blood Fox stopped her from doing that. Aiko didn''t protest or shake her away, she knew that they wouldn''t try to hurt her in any way. "Is this common?" Aiko asked, she really didn''t like this place. "Yes. Although, it is slightly better since there is a council present." The Blood Fox gently nodded. "What the -" Aiko was once again ready to curse, but this time Umbra Fox silenced her. Aiko frowned at them, but didn''t say anything else. ''Oi, are there any shinies?'' Aiko glanced at the shadows nearby, in the hopes of getting an answer from them. ''There is, there is.'' ''Indeed, but it''s deeper in this market.'' Surprisingly for Aiko, they answered her. ''Okay, lead the way.'' Aiko hummed in her mind happily. She didn''t like this place, but that didn''t mean she was not looking for some kind of treasure. The duo gazed at Aiko strangely, this sudden change of atmosphere always scared them. It meant that Aiko was plotting something and they would have to clean the mess afterwards... They still willingly followed Aiko, since they enjoyed her company and she was a much better leader than 90% of normal Fox leaders... Aiko didn''t need to squeeze around; she was already small enough to easily pass. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. The only problem that she had was that if she bumped into someone, it would be either their ass or crotch... She lamented that she didn''t bring any flags with her or learn how to put her new torture tool to use. Nothing could be done at this point as she was almost at her destination. An old lady sat down. She had two large, noticeable scars on her face. Her complexion was stern until Aiko stopped in front of her. "How much does this cost?" Aiko pointed at a ''strange black stone''. "100 Spirit Stones." While the old lady was a battle-hardened veteran, she also had a soft spot for small children. "Dammit, hag! You told me it cost 1,000 Spirit Stones!" One bald Cultivator cursed her openly. "Once you are cute and small, I will give you a discount, you ugly pig." She spat on the floor in front of the bald Cultivator and he recoiled. "Damn savage!" The bald Cultivator rubbed his temples. "Why are you still here?" Aiko tilted her head and he choked up. "Pfft." The old lady with the scar chuckled. "You heard her, since you are not buying, get lost." She snorted at the bald Cultivator. Aiko pulled out 1,000 Spirit Stones, since she liked this Grandma. In her eyes, Grandmas were always cute, save for one... "It''s just 100 Spirit Stones..." The old lady felt bad that she even said that number, since this god-damn stone was useless. "It''s fine, it''s fine." Aiko chuckled. "I like you, so you will get preferential treatment." Aiko smiled like a small child, using her ''young'' card well. The old lady''s heart melted. "Fine, fine, you win." "I want to buy this stone." A female Cultivator said and pointed at the strange black stone that Aiko just bought. "That''s mine." Aiko said expressionlessly and placed the bag with Spirit Stones in front of Grandma. "You have not finished the deal yet. I will offer double what she offers." The Arrogant Female Cultivator said. "It''s already been sold." The old lady with a scar said softly but was cursing inside. The old lady knew these types of young bitches. Belonging to a Sect, being showered by affection left and right from male bastards that can''t keep their emotions in check. This made them arrogant and useless, only flaunting their wealth. "See?" Aiko shrugged, but the Arrogant Female Cultivator slapped a bag of Spirit Stones and took the rock. The old lady sighed, she couldn''t go against Sects. Another peanut gallery formed, some were from the Herb Garden and they were waiting for a good show. "Stealing is bad." Aiko said with a straight face and half of the peanut gallery had a painful headache remembering what she did in the Herb Garden. ''Right... you weren''t stealing, but robbing them blind!'' They would be happy for that normal Lotus, much less for the blazing one! But this lass had such good luck that she would get both of them! "Hmpf." The Arrogant Female Cultivator snorted. "I paid double what you did and you still call me a thief?!" "That''s not even 1/10 of what I paid." Aiko innocently said, but everyone choked up. "How much did you pay?!" One nearby Cultivator couldn''t help but leak his inner thoughts. "I was supposed to pay 100 Spirit Stones, but I paid 1,000 because I like her." Aiko smiled innocently. She said it like this on purpose, since she realised that others would rally behind her to scold the old lady if she didn''t say that she paid it willingly. That was one of the bad things about being young. They were either overprotective or underestimating... And Aiko liked neither of them. The peanut gallery paused, they did want to scold the old lady, but what if this little girl went to buy at their shop next? That would mean they could make a fortune on her ignorance and likeability! They tightened their lips, leaving the discussion to the two youngsters. One from the Sect and one from a wealthy family. Unfortunately, in this world, the one from a wealthy family almost always lost... "With that being said." Aiko didn''t wait for the speechless Arrogant Female Cultivator to retaliate and kicked her hand upwards. The Black Stone was flung high into the air and the Arrogant Female Cultivator flinched while glaring at the small bitch. Some Cultivators with intrusive thoughts jumped for it to steal it, but half a metre away from it, they were stocked. The little girl already grasped the strange black stone and naturally stored it away, like she was not high up in the sky. Then she turned towards them and chill went up their spines. Aiko gently twisted her body, dodging the grabbing motion from one Cultivator and mounted his back. She rolled slightly back and grabbed his scabbard, not to draw his weapon but... *Stab* "AGRH" The first victim foamed from his mouth and fell to the ground, but Aiko was no longer on his back. She grabbed the sleeve of another Cultivator and repeated the motion. Get close to a scabbard. Cut the string holding the scabbard with her nails. Get a good grip on it. Slide down onto his lower body. Stopped by anchoring around his leg. Gently aim towards the general direction to where the sun doesn''t shine. Stab it while correcting the trajectory further. And then... "#%$@%" He fainted, foaming from his mouth. Aiko jumped towards the last one and grabbed his sleeve. Unfortunately, he was much smarter than the others, so when he saw how terrifying this little child was, he immediately cut off his sleeve. The small girl started to free-fall and the Cultivator was relieved for a moment, but even that didn''t last long... Aiko used her [Quick Double Jump] and grabbed his waist. The Cultivator stiffened in horror. "W-wait, I didn''t try to- #$^$%#$!!" He ended up in the same fate as others. The peanut gallery shivered and their cheeks were absolutely clenched. They couldn''t believe how vicious something so small and cute could be. They also vowed not to anger this lass, unless they had some kind of backdoor protection! The Cultivators fell to the ground and the Arrogant Female Cultivator was confused. 2 of these Cultivators were her Seniors, who were always trying to please her. Her mind blanked and she couldn''t understand how her powerful Seniors were outdone by a small girl much younger than she was. However, she wasn''t allowed to think for too long as the little girl descended upon her. Aiko used the speed from the gravitation to arrive directly above the Arrogant Female Cultivator. Aiko knew that her defensive value was much, much higher than this bitch''s. So she didn''t worry about anything and headbutted her with full strength. *Crunch* The Arrogant Female Cultivator''s body blasted away, but unfortunately, she was still alive... Chapter 196 – Fight, please? "Anyone else that wants to steal from me?" Aiko stared around, but most of them avoided her eyes. The only ones that didn''t were the peanut gallery from Herb Garden; those were shaking their heads desperately. "Hmpf." Aiko pouted, feeling annoyed that it was over and she couldn''t play any more. Aiko pouted, but returned to shopping with the old lady. That old lady was staring at her speechlessly. "You will be in trouble since she is part of a Sect and I heard that they are making a deal with the shitty Herb Garden." The old lady shook her head. "Oh..." Aiko slowly nodded, she wondered who would want to deal with that place. Fortunately, she had already robbed them through that challenge, so there was no need to return there. Sure, she did want to buy some Herbs; so that Mei was not burdened. But not any more, the quality was too low compared to what Mei always had around her. Not to mention, most of them were already old and not in a good way... Aiko was happy not to visit them again. She stared at the other things the old lady had, but nothing really attracted her attention. "Well, if they come, I will have more people to play with." Aiko smiled gently and stood up. The crowd immediately parted ways, like they were trying to distance themselves. The old lady''s lips twitched. This little girl was just a handful. She looked towards the attendants that the little girl had. They were cleaning the bodies, tying them up and throwing them aside. They had smooth movements, as if they had already experienced these thousands of times. The old lady glanced pitifully at them before returning her attention to her store. Aiko tilted her head, not understanding that gaze, but she just shrugged and went her own way. Of course, she waited for her team to finish first, but she still wanted to explore this place a bit more. ... She ventured with her team around the market, most selling some kind of Beast Cores or Herbs. Some had even cracked Beast Cores, which were useless for her, but apparently, they were very useful for Alchemists. They could harvest it into a powder and use that powder as an enhancement for Flames or the Pill itself. Aiko was very interested in how this worked. Nurturing one''s Flame meant that she would have a portable warmer, which was a very attractive thought. She could use that to warm her Den or bed by simply conjuring it. There was no need for any Skills or Abilities that would consume her Qi as this Flame, unless stoked hot, would not consume any Qi! Aiko''s gaze burned, she really wanted her own Flame, but she didn''t hear how to get it... ''Maybe if I ask someone who uses flames...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes and stared at the Phoenix Blessing. She could not ask the blessing, but she could ask other Phoenixes; not to mention there was also that horned girl who was most likely a dragon. ''It would make sense since she had rough scales and looked scary...'' Aiko thought about it, while she did like her imposing nature... she was still scary to look at. She also didn''t understand why that horned girl would help her. "That''s her!" A Female Cultivator shouted, but Aiko completely ignored her as she was deep in thought. Aiko was still thinking about the flame and if she should even ask others, since she could ask Mei... Aiko suddenly raised her head and met the eyes of the scary horned girl. "How do I get my own Flame?" Aiko blurted out. She was thinking about it a bit too hard, so it just slipped from her mind to her lips. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The horned girl''s group laughed, but Aiko tightened her lips. ''That was a slip.'' Aiko''s lips twitched. She should not have been thinking about it so hard that she would create such a blunder. Aiko stared at the horned girl and the horned girl smiled lightly. She could not understand why the horned girl was smiling at her and it was even stranger since her group was laughing in her direction. ''This situation is strange.'' Aiko shook her head. "You can find natural Flames around hot environments, but that''s not always the case." The horned girl replied. While she was scary, her voice was very soothing to Aiko''s ears. Aiko always thought that this girl would sound like scraping sandpaper, but that was not the case. "There are places where abnormal or mutated Flames are born." She gently and slowly explained. Aiko nodded. "Senior Sister!" The Arrogant Female Cultivator yelled again. "She is the one that stole my Black Stone!" She cried out. Aiko completely ignored her. "But if they can be found in other places... No. How do you even find them?" She really wanted that flame and if she could procure a special Flame that would make the food more delicious... Aiko wiped her saliva and stared at the horned girl. Yueying chuckled. "There is no real way to find them, but some had good luck through the assistance of a Spirit Seeker." "Senior Sister!" The Arrogant Female Cultivator yelled at the top of her lungs and Aiko finally turned towards her. "Ah, it''s the abusing thief." Aiko blurted out, but this time it was not by accident. The Arrogant Female Cultivator snapped towards the little girl and glared at her. Aiko marvelled at her work, since her face was distorted and squished from that headbutt. The Arrogant Female Cultivator was a shorter female, although that might''ve been because of the headbutt... while she could not be considered breathtaking, she was still a beauty... if you exclude her squished face. She kept glaring at the little girl and coaxing her Senior to take action. "She stole the Black Stone, injured other Senior Brothers and then injured me!" The Arrogant Female Cultivator shouted again. She swayed her hips and jiggled her breast to get the male Cultivators on her side. Aiko frowned, she didn''t have any jiggle physics, which upset her. She didn''t care much about the male Cultivators, since they were nobodies that couldn''t threaten her. "She is just a thief." Aiko shrugged, but it was obvious she would not talk about it. "You can say more." Yueying chuckled. "Eh, I don''t wanna, it''s no fun." Aiko pouted. While the horned girl was scary, Aiko was still more powerful... in escaping. She didn''t worry about them since the only threat was the horned girl, but that same girl was really nice. Aiko was puzzled, but at the same time, she was happy since it seemed like she would be able to play with them. The male Cultivators glared at her, but it was not a deathly glare, since Aiko was also quite pretty; albeit small... Aiko was naturally repulsed by them and recoiled in disgust, which upset them. It could be said they were handsome Seniors and nobody would ever recoil from seeing them! Yet this little thing did so as if she was looking at vile garbage, greatly damaging their ego! They stared at the little girl in anger. "Eugh." Aiko made a vomiting gesture and their blood boiled. They really wanted to fight her, but they were incognito, so they couldn''t cause a commotion. Why did they hang around the Beast? Because they thought they could coax her off her treasures... and some thought that the horned girl was hot... They were just low-lives that chased girls around. Aiko naturally didn''t like that, not to mention that they were Humans. Smelly Humans that liked to get flagged by her. Why did they like it? Because they lined themselves in front of Aiko to do her good job of planting flags! "Anyway, are we going to fight?" Aiko said with a straight face. She didn''t fight enough for today, since verbal fights didn''t count. Aiko was itching for a normal fight where they would try to injure her, that way she could justify stealing their things. The whole group choked, since the only one who knew of the little girl''s terror was the Arrogant Female Cultivator. Naturally, she would not talk about what she experienced and would just twist the reality as she saw fit. The Arrogant Female Cultivator already did it so many times that it was natural for her. She had her weapons. Namely, her body and poses that she painstakingly practised in front of the mirror to appease Senior Brothers, who then showered her with endless affection and gifts! Aiko cracked her small fists, ready to fight. "What''s happening here?" An elderly voice drifted into their ears. Aiko turned towards him since that voice felt familiar. "Oh, it''s you." Aiko nodded towards him. "Do we have a date for the next council?" She asked him without batting an eye. Unbeknownst to her, this sends a clear message to the group. This little girl was part of the prestigious council that was dealing with the incoming stampede. *Hiss* The group hissed and shrunk back. They could bully others normally, but they weren''t allowed to interact with council members; much less bully them. The elderly Cultivator paused. This little girl was familiar, but he couldn''t quite put his finger on it. "Don''t tell me you forgot the mess I caused, both during the first council and the banquet." Aiko''s face hardened; she didn''t believe that he was so stupid. The horned girl''s group was confused as they only heard that both of those events went smoothly. The elderly Cultivator choked. "What are you doing here?! We didn''t get notified that you left the Palace." He thought about it for some more, but he couldn''t remember any news about this group of Foxes. "We are shopping. Do we need your permission for something like this, old geezer?" Aiko put her hands on her hips, but since she was small... all it really did was make her look like a cute, pouty child. The elderly Cultivator hardened, as he was not supposed to talk about the fact they would get notified if someone left... "It''s fine, it''s fine. The day is not set yet, since the Emperor is taking his sweet time..." The elderly Cultivator shook his head. He was just a white-haired old grandpa with a long beard and an even longer lifespan. He could wait a few years without worry. That could not be said for others, as some of them had very limited lifespans and they were looking for good vessels to transfer their Souls. Was it unethical? Yes. But that was only if others found out, they could always alter their appearance with Artefacts and other tools... Chapter 197 – Fun incoming? The old geezer dispersed them, so there would be no fighting. They were worried about outside interference, since something was brewing in the background. Naturally, they tried to investigate, but the assailants killed themselves the moment they were found out. That was unlike the previous group of amateurs from the Blood Sect... or cultists... it was hard to say which side they belonged to. It was very likely the cunning bastards wanted those investigating them to suspect the Blood Sect, whilst they were a rivalling Sect themselves. The Human Cultivators scrutinised it, but couldn''t find out much from them. Even when they used [Memory Search] on them, the only thing they got from it was that they were pawns... ... Aiko pouted all the way back to the side Palace. That geezer ruined all the fun and she couldn''t even ask the scary horned girl about the Spirit Seeking. Aiko was upset, but not much could be done about that. They were supposed to get along nicely with Humans, but Aiko just couldn''t care about that thing. She was happy when she played and sad when she was bored. That geezer stopped her fun, so she was naturally upset. Fortunately, her team didn''t tease her along the way, which brought some peace of mind to Aiko. The shopping trip was a mild success, she got some items like the Six-Coloured Lotus and the black stone... but that was about it. Sure, she got other trinkets, but nothing significant enough that she would like to boast about. Aiko could only pout at this discrimination against her. Why couldn''t those hagglers in the General Cultivation Market bring more Treasures to sell?! Aiko was unaware that most Treasures would not be sold in the General Cultivation Market. The sole reason was that they were too precious and the Cultivators would rather keep them than sell them, even if they were completely useless. This meant that the General Cultivation Market was mostly for Herbs or unidentifiable Trinkets. Those unidentifiable Trinkets might turn into Treasure, but most of the time they were just junk from the Olden Ages. Most Treasures, if forged correctly, could survive a long time, but that was not always the case. A simple reason for that might be the lack of ambient Qi, which would make the Treasure deteriorate. That was natural for High-Grade Treasures. They sucked up Qi like hungry, starving wolves, but the moment they didn''t have that Qi, they would collapse. Aiko sat down at her table, tapping it with her nail. She did it gently so she wouldn''t make a hole in the table. Not because she was concerned about the damage, but because it would be bothersome cleaning the troubles that would arise from it... Aiko couldn''t be bothered with that. She was bored, but not bored enough to humour other Humans. She prayed for something to happen so that there would be something exciting! *Knock Knock* And her prayers were heard. "Who is it?" Aiko spoke with her head on the table. "The Prince is inviting you to his private Garden." The royal maid politely said. She didn''t understand why the Prince was so obsessed with these Foxes and she would definitely report it to the Emperor. The Prince knew something like that might happen, so he already came up with counter-measures. He would not allow his father to mess up things. They would survive through this and be happy ever after. Which was unlikely, but he had his dreams, alright?! Aiko''s ears immediately perked up back to life. ''There was something to do!'' Aiko''s eyes shined. She hoped that the whole thing would turn into a mess with lots and lots of assassins going after them. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. She would be able to play to her heart''s content, which was the perfect situation. Of course, it would be bad if it escalated into something big, so Aiko also prayed for safety. Of course that was only for her team and those that she liked, which weren''t many... Aiko stood up happily and hummed. "Let''s go!" She was in an incredibly good mood since she had something to do. Well, not exactly her. The Blood Fox would do all the work, while Aiko would wait for the assassins to come and deal with them. The Umbra Fox would then clean the corpses from Aiko''s "just" cause. Aiko abruptly stopped and smacked her forehead. ''I should''ve asked Mei how to rip out their Souls...'' Aiko lamented at the number of Souls she missed and will miss because of this. There was nothing she could do about it... Aiko had a crestfallen expression suddenly, which startled her team. Was she happy or unhappy about this situation? They couldn''t tell... Then, a gentle voice drifted into Aiko''s mind. ''What is troubling you, Mistress?'' Mei 0.8 asked. ''I missed a lot of Souls...'' Aiko sniffled inside her mind. ''That should not be a problem, I can extract Souls from other Cultivators.'' The Ghost said gently. ''But, their cultivation can''t be too high, otherwise they would just escape.'' Some of the Hope Aiko had was shattered, but having some Souls was better than nothing. ''I wish I knew how to extract Souls...'' Aiko sniffled again. The Ghost''s lips tightened, there were plenty of ways to extract Souls, but only some of them were accepted by the Heavenly Dao. The Ghost wouldn''t tell her Mistress about them, because while she liked being strangled... that had a time and place. She was in the Empty Space, inside the [100 Ghost Parade Lamp]. Her Soul pretty much occupied the whole space, so only Soul Essence could be kept inside. She hoped her Mistress would give her some Soul Essence so that she could shrink her Soul and make room for furniture, but she couldn''t openly ask... ... Aiko and her team were guided to the Prince''s Private Garden. As always, Aiko recoiled from the smell of multiple flowers clashing against each other. She truly didn''t like this place, but she wanted that Treasure and some fun. Aiko would have to bear with it till they were finished and she would naturally take this upset state on the assailants. She would pound them well with sticks. The Prince was sitting in the open, leaning against the table. He slowly sipped tea here and there until he heard footsteps. "Welcome." The Prince smiled towards the group of the Foxes. "You are dismissed." He gestured towards the maid, but she kept standing still. "Since when are you above the Royal Family?" The Prince glared at her. She shrunk back, but still kept standing still, not intending to leave. "With all due respect, Prince. The Emperor is worried about you." The royal maid said gently, she was interested in the prince. That meant she hated the Foxes that were invited into his Private Garden. "And what does that have to do with you?" The Prince narrowed his eyes. "You are not a powerful warrior that could stop them, hell, you are not even a Cultivator." The Prince scoffed at her. "You are dismissed." The Prince waved one last time. If she didn''t leave at this point then he would send her out in pieces. He was very restless about this whole situation, so many things agitated him greatly. He wished his love would be safe during and after this procedure, but his father was likewise restless. The Emperor questioned him about the weird poles he brought, the different fur carpets and other things. The Prince replied like he was supposed to. He had already made plans to shake the Emperor off his back, but for some reason, his father was very stubborn. The Prince caved in partially and allowed his Secret Guards and right hand to accompany him during the procedure. Naturally, he wouldn''t allow them to enter the room with the Princess and the Foxes inside. That might ruin everything. The Prince didn''t dislike his father, since he was upright. Sure, he did have questionable hobbies, but who didn''t have those? The Prince arranged it to be in his Private Garden. The Garden was full of both his and his father''s Secret Guards. If this whole thing crashed down, he could just order the Secret Guards to battle his father''s Secret Guards. This would buy them some time to clean up, but after that, they would be running against the tide. "The Flags? Sticks?" Aiko immediately asked after the royal maid left. "There are over there." The Prince pointed at a pyramid made out of those Poles. "Nice~." Aiko hummed gently, happy that at least something was prepared nicely. As for the Private Garden... let''s not talk about that one. "How much time do we have?" The Blood Fox asked. "We should have about 2 weeks, since for some reason the Emperor is currently distressed, and rather distracted." The Prince said gently, not minding the Secret Guards. The Blood Fox nodded towards the Princess. The Prince noticed this and gestured. "Please." He gestured towards the Blood Fox to head inside, since everything was prepared in advance. There was no need for the Prince to enter, which meant his guard didn''t need to do so either. This saved some time, since the guard didn''t know about what would be happening inside. They probably thought that the Princess was interested in the Foxes... art. So the Prince invited them for that. They were confused about the sticks, since most of them hadn''t seen Aiko in action. Fortunately, some spread the word and they understood. They were quite apprehensive about this little Fox, but that couldn''t be helped. Anyone would be apprehensive if their ''ally'' was always aiming for the backdoors. The Secret Guards vowed that if something happened, they would take down the small Fox first, so that they didn''t need to guard their rears. Aiko naturally noticed the hostile and apprehensive gazes from the shadows and she was happy. Fights were coming, she just needed to wait! ... ... ... Yet they didn''t come. Aiko was so ready to fight, yet they didn''t come! She pouted and sat down at the table with the Prince''s tea. "Do you have that poisoned tea?" Aiko asked the Prince. The Prince choked. "Poisoned tea?!" He was speechless and so were the Secret Guards. No one ever made such a strange request! Chapter 198 – Things are moving… Aiko sat down and waited for them to bring her that nice tea. The Prince was concerned about the little Fox''s well-being since it was such a weird request... Who in their right mind would want to willingly drink poison?! He couldn''t understand... Aiko plopped her head on the table, since there would be nothing else to do, but to watch the Prince being restless. Aiko didn''t really dislike him, but she still thought he would get some entertainment for them. The Umbra Fox didn''t care about others, she stood on the roof watching over the building where the Princess and Blood Fox were ''locked'' inside of. She was slightly worried that those Secret Guards would do something. Unfortunately for her, that would be the least of her worries... Aiko would demolish this place way before anything could happen! She was bored out of her mind... ''Let''s just scribble Runes...'' Aiko yawned. She hoped that someone would attack soon, so that there would be something or someone to play with. She scribbled Rune after Rune, not really with any intention, but everyone was staring at her with unblinking eyes. The speed at which she scribbled the Runes into the table was astonishing. These Mortals and Cultivators never saw someone do it at this speed. That was only natural. They have not seen many Inscription Cultivators Inscribe in real-time, so their sense of what was fast or slow was distorted. The Prince wondered what the little Fox was scribbling. He would not interrupt her since he knew that the Alchemist would scold him for days if he asked them about the Herbs. He didn''t have much experience with Inscription Cultivators since they were rarer than Alchemist, but the general rule of, do not disturb them, should apply. Aiko scribbled away, but since she didn''t apply any Ink, the Runes didn''t activate. This was a relief for everyone, even if they didn''t know about it. Aiko scribbled way too many Runes, which would cause the ambient Qi to drop sharply. That would cause trouble to not only the Blood Fox, but also the Prince. While Mortals could not make proper use of Qi, they still needed it to keep their bodies healthy. If the Qi dropped too much, they would feel dizzy and sickly. The actual sickness would never come, just the constant feeling of sickness. Their bodies would naturally decline. They would no longer be able to do heavy lifting without training, among other things... ... The Blood Fox sat down inside the room and stared at the Princess. "You are lucky that your ''Prince'' is nice." The Blood Fox said without a shred of concern. "I know, he is the sweetest." The Princess blushed like a spring flower. The Blood Fox rolled her eyes. "Undress so we can start." She picked up nearby tea and smelled it. It was strange that there would be tea inside, so she placed it down without tasting it. She probably shouldn''t even sniff it, but she was too curious and couldn''t help herself. The Blood Fox immediately checked her body and through her abilities she diagnosed herself. She was in good health and there were no foreign substances in her body, so she was safe to continue this. "Pardon?" The Princess was startled. "If you don''t undress, I will rip your clothes." The Blood Fox didn''t really have patience with Humans. She was worried that Aiko would cause disaster while she was not around. The Blood Fox knew that the Umbra Fox would indulge Aiko, since she had a strange obsession with Aiko. She did also indulge Aiko, but for different reasons. The Blood Fox needed Aiko''s presence to suppress those voices. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. She no longer wished to return to that stage of her life, where she mindlessly wandered around in an empty landscape. There would be floating images of what she, or rather her body, was doing. The uncountable times she hurt her brother. The times that someone would visit her just to restrain her. Unfortunately for all of her assailants... She was way too powerful. Whilst her conscious self could not wield the full power of her Bloodline; her mindless self could with ease. Her mindless self was able to twist the blood inside their bodies, causing deviations or even death. After a few dozen deaths, nobody approached her again... except her brother and... The Blood Fox somewhat absent-mindedly looked outside. Aiko was scribbling something again, which was a bad habit that she developed when she was bored. The Blood Fox would always bring Aiko some kind of snack so she wouldn''t scribble on other''s stuff... suddenly annoyance arose in her mind. "Why are you not undressing yet?" The Blood Fox glared daggers at the Princess. She flinched from that gaze and retorted. "I don''t want to undress! What if someone barges inside!?" The Princess was scared that someone would see her naked. She was the most unfortunate Princess of the four. Her mother displaced most of the strange liquid from other vials into hers. Then the Princess was forced to drink that vial, which significantly altered her body. She went from a chubby Princess to a breathtaking beauty. She could not understand how it happened, but she understood her constant cravings. The Princess craved pleasure day and night. She was constantly restless and fidgety, yet she didn''t want to engage in an adulterous life... Others proposed to her left and right, so much so that it was sickening to her. Then her mother sent her away before she died; with words of encouragement. Her mother, while being promiscuous, treated her well. She loved her with all her heart, but unfortunately, that love was poisonous. The mother had increasingly higher expectations of her child, which slowly caused them to grow apart... "So what?" The Blood Fox rolled her eyes. "If you don''t want it to hurt, I need direct contact with your skin." She scoffed at her. While she would try to make it painless... that was not the case if the person resisted. The Blood Fox didn''t really care about this whole Empire; she was sickened of Humans and indulged them only when they wanted to wring their skins dry during haggling. She was a skilful haggler and learned how to tempt others to get things that she needed. While that wouldn''t work on Monks and certain Cultivators, fortunately for her, most normal Cultivators avoided Buddhism altogether. That meant she could tempt most of them without any issue. The Princess wanted to cry, but if she stalled more. She knew that this meant Fox would really torture her. The Princess undressed some parts of her dress, leaving her undergarments on. "This is fine, right?" The Princess blushed deep red. "That''s fine." The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes and marvelled at these types of undies. She quite liked that they were not made out of bandages. However, she didn''t like the fact that certain places on the undergarments were see-through. If your clothes were messed up during battle, then everyone would be able to see your hidden parts, which the Blood Fox disliked greatly. The Blood Fox shook her head and the Princess glared at her. The Princess believed that she was judged by this Fox! Sure! She was in the smaller size, but they had a nice shape and were firm! "Lay on your back and I will start the extraction." The Blood Fox ignored the Mortal''s glare and yawned gently. Her body swayed and jiggled slightly, which dealt a heavy blow to the Princess... The Princess could only resign to her fate and lay on her back, waiting for this whole thing to pass... ... [Somewhere far, far away...] "So..." A shrouded figure in darkness asked another figure. "So, what?" The second shrouded figure was annoyed by the first shrouded figure. "Did we find her?" The first shrouded figure had a feminine voice that was very cheerful. "How am I supposed to know that? We are doing the same thing!" The second shrouded figure scoffed at her with a masculine voice. "Because you are smarter." The feminine shrouded figure said. "But my senses are better~" She hummed, trying to not be outdone in this ''competition¡¯. The masculine shrouded figure rolled his eyes. "Sure. I have a few favourites..." He paused. "First is the large Fox. She causes so much trouble that there is an 80% that''s our Princess." He yawned again. "The others are a lot less favourable, so let''s not talk about them. The Feminine Shrouded figure nodded gently. "That individual is definitely not our Princess." She giggled. "The small one is more like our Princess." She cutely put her hands together to support her head. "The problem is... she is a bit too mischievous and I don''t remember our Princess liking the same sex." She tilted her head thinking about it. She paused. "But that is my candidate." He nodded slowly. "Certainly, when she issued that command I felt shivers down my spine, but I don''t believe the Princess can be someone this weak..." "It''s been only a few years; it''s natural she wouldn''t grow as much." She could not say out loud that their Princess was a very lazy person... "Hah." He scoffed at her. "As if; look at the large Fox and her abnormal growth. That''s more like our Princess." He shook his head. "She almost looks like a male, no way our cute and gorgeous Princess would turn like that!" She retorted. Then suddenly, both of them paused. "Do you think that the ''Overlords'' will be upset that we indulged our Princess?" She sweated buckets. "No, they don''t need to know. As long as we find her before they ask, we can just say that she wanted to experience another world." He shamelessly said. "I hope you are right..." She almost cried in front of him. "You are a softie..." He shook his head. "Tell that to me again when you sneak another phoenix egg into the Princess''s food!" She snorted at him. He turned away like he didn''t hear what she just said. She snorted at him again and turned away. "I like the little one." "I''m for the large one." He said with a straight face. "How do we decide this?" She asked. "We can guide them to our ''home''." He smiled. "If they come, it will be obvious who is our Princess and everything will return to what it is supposed to be." "What about the others interfering?" She asked with concern. "The Immeasurable Calamity is on the way; do you think they will have time to care about our Princess?" She snorted coldly. Those Sages will have their hands full of the Immeasurable Calamity and their Princess will only grow stronger! Chapter 199 – Grandmaster is being a bother and fun incoming~ A head popped into Mei''s humble abode. "How are you doing?" The Grandmaster smiled from ear to ear. Mei rolled her eyes. She was slightly upset that the Grandmaster didn''t accept the deal, but it still bothered her daily... "What is it this time?" Mei asked the Grandmaster. "Nothing~" The Grandmaster giggled. She was a lot livelier since the improved Pills were doing good work. "Then could you not bother me, just because you are bored?" Mei rolled her eyes. She felt like she was rolling her eyes quite often these days, but that must''ve been her imagination... The Grandmaster pouted. "If you want to hire someone, you should be nicer to them!" She hmpfed away, but still occasionally glanced at Mei. "Spill it already!" Mei growled at her. "I have news about the little rascal~" The Grandmaster chuckled darkly. "Oh?" Mei''s ears immediately perked up. "What are you waiting for, tell me already!" Mei''s piercing gaze landed on the Grandmaster. "She is currently messing up an Empire." The Grandmaster chuckled. "And apparently she is in possession of a treasure that can cause the downfall of large Sects, so pretty much everyone is after her." She chuckled again. "Again?" Mei''s lips twitched, she felt like Aiko was a walking disaster that found treasures left and right... "Nono, this time it''s for real, the whole Empire is after her." The Grandmaster tried to convince Mei that this time it was different. Mei rolled her eyes again. "Sure, sure." Mei still had a bad feeling about this entire thing, since she felt like she was forgetting something. She was so busy with Pills that she often forgot things. It would be better if she had a Disciple. That would allow her to dump some work on her Disciple and rest for a bit, but these Foxes were so useless... Mei shook her head, remembering the fact that most Foxes just wanted to grope her... Mei found Aiko much more likeable since she didn''t grop- ... ... ... Wait! Even Aiko groped her! Mei suddenly got upset at this and glared at the Grandmaster. "If you have nothing else to say, then leave!" "Booo!" The Grandmaster booed Mei animatedly, making her body jiggle. "You are a pain." Mei pressed her temples. She regretted the fact that she improved the Pill formula, which caused the Grandmaster to become more energetic. Now her behaviour didn''t match her scars and expressions. This caused endless headaches for Mei since the Grandmaster didn''t need to think about the pain. Which in turn meant that she was needy for attention. Unfortunately for the Grandmaster, she still had a scary reputation in this Fox Village, which meant nobody was willing to engage with her... Mei pushed the Grandmaster outside and sighed, she should''ve packed Aiko more Pills so that she wouldn''t run out... ... [Somewhere deep inside a Forest] "Fuck, shit, fuck! Fucking shit!" A certain Mirage Fox kept cursing and cursing. "Calm down, Boss." A beautiful Shadow Fox wrapped her arms around his body, so she could soothe him with her body. She still had the old Assassination Uniform, which allowed easy access to her private parts. "How can I calm down when we went through all of that?!" He cursed again. How was he supposed to know that the Mayor was supported by a Soul Transformation powerhouse?! That Soul Transformation powerhouse was even so petty that he chased them around for a whole month! Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Just you wait! When I get my hands on you, I will definitely plough your Mate!" The Mirage Fox was so upset that he just wanted to strangle that small bitch! But he couldn''t do that, as he was ordered to just charm them and get the Jade Fox on their side. ''Fuck that! I will absolutely fuck her brains out!'' The Mirage Fox kept cursing in his mind and planning a devious end for the Jade Fox. "Boss..." A slightly chubby male Fox quivered. "WHAT?!" The Mirage Fox was too upset to pay attention to this Earth bastard! "She is here..." The Earthen Builder said while sobbing gently. "WHAT?" The Mirage Fox thought that he had misheard. "She is here..." The Earthen Builder cried out gently. "... Fuc-" The Mirage Fox didn''t even finish cursing when a gentle voice drifted into the forest. "Where are you, little guy~" It was a feminine voice dripping with lust. The Mirage Fox shivered. ''Run you bastards!'' He commanded them through the contract connection. "Where are you hiding~? Come out and play with me~" The feminine voice was dripping with arousal, scanning the forest with her Divine Sense to find them. At first, she was upset that they interrupted her closed-door cultivation, but once she laid her eyes on him... She licked her lips and an expression of ecstasy was plastered on her fat face. Her Dao was the Dao of Gourmand. She had to eat in order to sate her Dao, the worse the food was, the more she had to eat... The high-quality Spiritual Food costs a fortune, which she unfortunately did not possess... This caused her to eat a lot of low-quality stuff, which accumulated impurities in her body, making her body very bloated. She naturally didn''t mind, rather she couldn''t mind. If she minded this she might lose her Cultivation, because of the Heavenly Dao''s Wrath. The female Cultivator didn''t want to abandon her high Cultivation since she pretty much could do anything she wanted. She was powerful on this continent! "Where are you~?" She scanned the forest again, but because of the impurities in her body and Mirage Fox''s superb mirages; she was unable to find them... She pouted slightly, not being able to find them... ... [Back in the Private Garden] Aiko played with the table, she was not as bored as she expected. The table was really easy to write on, so she used her superb inscribing skill to just scribble away a few Runes. She looked towards the sky, it was a surprisingly clear sky. Aiko looked down, watching the stupid Mortals and Cultivators staring at them. "What?" Aiko snorted at them. "This is what happens when you don''t provide entertainment!" Aiko pouted and turned the table slightly to the left, so that she could continue scribbling. The Prince''s and others'' lips twitched. They could not believe their eyes. The impeccable penmanship in her writing was clear as the day. If their Royal Scribe would watch this, he would absolutely cough up buckets of blood and curse his penmanship! They had nothing against the little Fox scribbling on the Prince''s table. Once she left, they just could hire an Inscription Cultivator to activate this Inscription and they would be able to profit from it. They couldn''t understand what the little Fox was scribbling, but considering that nothing fell apart or sizzled away, it meant that it was fully functional. As you might''ve guessed, they had no idea what Aiko was doing. Their experience with Inscriptions only stems from the few experiences they had with observing Inscription Cultivators and from what they could tell, it was astonishingly profound! That''s it; that''s their comprehension of the Inscription Aiko was creating. Naturally, Aiko was not creating anything in particular, she just scribbled sentences away; in hopes that she would be able to understand more Runes. She would glance at the closed building where the Blood Fox was with the Princess. She should''ve entered with the Blood Fox; at least that way she would have some company. For some reason, whenever Aiko glanced at the Umbra Fox, she blushed and looked away. Aiko believed that it was because of that strange dream and wondered if that was the Umbra Fox''s fantasy or something that she experienced previously and her dreams just changed it to include Aiko... Aiko wondered if she could create such dreams for herself; after all, she had the Dream Beast Bloodline. She should be able to do it. The wind blew gently and Aiko smelled a sweet scent in the air. She smiled like a devil as her system gave her a prompt. [You have been poisoned!] [Your [Greater Poison Resistance] suppresses the poison.] Someone was coming! The Prince gently swayed when his personal guard gave him a whiff of a bottle and he immediately straightened. "Ugh." The Prince flinched. "I know that it works well, but does it have to smell that bad?" The Prince whined to his guard. "We need to take cover, Prince." The guard gently said. "Yes..." The Prince sighed and was guided away, while Aiko came close to the pile of Poles. "Mistress." The Umbra Fox finally looked at Aiko. "They are coming. Let''s have some fun." Aiko smiled, she finally had something entertaining to do. ... [Inside the building] "There are intruders outside." The Blood Fox gently said, alerting the Princess. "Who is outside?" The Princess shivered, she didn''t want to leave this place. "I don''t know, you should focus on allowing me access to your body, so I can painlessly extract it." The Blood Fox shook her head with pity. Unless the Princess learns how to give access, she will only end up in pain. Naturally, that was irrelevant to the Blood Fox, but she was worried about what was happening outside. The Umbra Fox was not really a good fit for head-on combat. She was more of a sneaky shadow that delivered lethal blows to her opponents than clashing in direct confrontation... ''I hope everything will be alright...'' The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes and turned her attention back to the Princess and the extraction process. The sooner she finished this, the sooner she would be able to join the battle and help Umbra Fox. Aiko was powerful enough to take care of herself, which meant that the only ''weak'' link in this group was the Umbra Fox... ''We will have to train more with the Grandmaster, in order to catch up...'' The Blood Fox was not aware that the Grandmaster changed greatly and that she would be more than happy to teach them. Not because she had to, but because she could use that company. That in turn would allow Mei to rest and have Aiko just for herself, which was a win-win situation... Chapter 200 – Aiko had enough and a new weapon! Aiko was incredibly giddy about the current situation. There was not just one visitor, not even two visitors, but a whole group of them! Aiko chuckled darkly, ready to pick a fight with them. She picked up a nearby Pole and taunted them with her hand. The Secret Guards, who were hidden in the shadows, were watching over this exchange of stares. They were likewise ready to pounce on them. The staring contest lasted but a moment, no way in hell would Aiko keep this up! She threw the first Pole towards them, announcing the start of this battle! ... Aiko dashed towards them with another Pole and smashed the first assailant''s head. However, her assailant dodged the strike by twisting his body. He pivoted on his leg, making his right arm shoot towards Aiko. He had a dagger laced with poison and while Aiko didn''t know that, she felt a tingling sensation in her injured right arm. Aiko immediately twisted her body backwards to avoid the assailant; it was strange to her that he was able to dodge her strike. She was powerful in this continent, but it seemed like this time the assassins were a lot more prepared than previously. They also had very different clothes, only their red eyes were peeking through their strange masks. As Aiko''s body twisted backwards, another assassin used this opportunity to kick Aiko''s leg, making her stumble on the ground. Aiko immediately rolled up herself into a ball and used her tails to propel herself backwards, away from the assassins. She unrolled herself, which allowed her to get up with the persisting momentum. Aiko was confused and wary about them, it was weird that they could match her pace... She didn''t have much time to think about it as they approached her again. Aiko took another Pole and redoubled her efforts in battling them. Her fighting style was very crude and simple, since she was more used to fighting in her Fox form. Aiko made a straight trust towards her assailant. This time it was harder to dodge it than the previous one. Yet her assailant received it with his hand which allowed him to tilt that trajectory, making it scrape his clothes. He was uninjured. Aiko was now concerned. This was not fun; they were supposed to be on her receiving end, yet they could fight against her. Aiko could smell something strange emanating from them, but this was the first time she smelled something like that. Her system also didn''t tell her anything about it, as it didn''t poison her or restrict her. Aiko was even more confused. Who were these guys? Her Pole broke, they were not really a good weapon, since their main use was supposed to be impaling other people''s asses. Aiko ditched the Pole as it was useless now and ducked low to dodge a horizontal slash. The assailants also had somewhat long swords, but the most striking feature was that it was completely covered with spikes. Those spikes were quite close to each other, which meant that anything caught between those spikes would have a bad time... Aiko rolled to the side to dodge 2 vertical slashes. She gritted her teeth, since ''fun'' turned into ''danger''. She picked up a nearby rock and hurled it at top speed, using the movement of her body standing up. *Boom* There was a booming sound and one assailant was sent flying, not expecting so much force behind that simple rock. The assassins stared towards their fallen comrade for a moment before straining their eyes towards Aiko. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. This amount of time was enough for Aiko as she ran around collecting more rocks just in case she ran out of her stockpile from her Storage Ring. She immediately hurled it towards them. *Bang**Bang**Bang**Bang* The assailants parried or blocked those rocks, but that didn''t mean that they had any room to retaliate. The tables have turned as Aiko kept hurling stones... ... {Umbra Fox POV} The Umbra Fox felt a little drowsy, but fortunately, Aiko distributed them some Detoxification Pills; just in case something happened. She was glad that Aiko wasn''t stingy like the many other leaders who would keep almost all the good stuff. The Umbra Fox could even say that Aiko was very generous for someone so young. Sure, Aiko was an arrogant and spiteful little Mistress; with a bit too many flaws, but who didn''t have flaws? It was part of her charm and why Umbra Fox didn''t mind being part of Aiko''s team. The Pill melted inside her mouth and her body returned to top condition. The Secret Guards around the vicinity joined the fight, but they were clearly wobbly, indicating that they couldn''t fully escape the poison. The Umbra Fox noticed them taking Pills too, but it didn''t seem like they had a good efficacy. The Umbra Fox took her time scouting the whole battle, each Secret Guard had one assassin against them, but since they were weakened that was already an overkill. Meanwhile, Aiko was battling 7 assassins at once, but their cooperation was so impeccable that Aiko didn''t realise she was battling so many of them. Whenever someone would get pushed back by her Pole, another one would replace him. They rotated their positions to keep the little Fox busy. The Umbra Fox didn''t like this ''stalemate'', but she didn''t have time to help Aiko as 3 assassins blocked her way. 2 Assassins had somewhat long swords with those strange spikes, but those same strange swords made the Umbra Fox frown. ''Sword Breakers...'' The Umbra Fox''s face distorted, but unfortunately for her, she didn''t have time to worry about those swords. 3 throwing knives quickly approached her and she had to do somersaults to dodge them. The two assassins approached her with their Sword Breakers. Meanwhile, the last guy stayed in the distance, throwing his throwing knives. The Umbra Fox was used to cooperating with the Blood Fox, so now that she was alone she was a lot weaker. It felt like someone planned this whole thing, but it was also strange... Their numbers were perfect for keeping them in check, but not enough to completely overpower them... The Umbra Fox tilted her body to dodge the Sword Breaker, she pivoted on her leg and delivered quite a devastating blow into his crotch. She couldn''t use her daggers, since if she was careless, they would be destroyed. Moreover, she couldn''t use her throwing knives either as she needed more room to throw them. The Umbra Fox danced between the two Sword Breakers, delivering lethal kicks onto their bodies. She was convinced that they would fall down eventually, but other than being stunned or slightly flinching... they didn''t lose any momentum. The Umbra Fox was quite swiftly running out of stamina, since she was mostly used as a throwing support rather than a close-quarter fighter. The assailants pushed her to the edge, making her stumble backwards and fall from the roof. As they readied to jump down from the building and pierce her... Something incredible happened. *Swish**Boom* *Swish**Boom* Both of them were hit straight in the face with 2 rocks. For some time the Umbra Fox did hear strange sounds from Aiko''s side, but she didn''t have time to check on her. ''So that''s what it was...'' The Umbra Fox breathed weakly as the dead assassins fell down. The Umbra Fox breathed in relief knowing that they were finally dead, but suddenly their bodies twitched The Umbra Fox was too exhausted and she wanted to transform into her Fox form to finish them. She was unable to transform... The Umbra Fox panicked and unsheathed her daggers, stabbing their necks deeply. She immediately put an Energy Replenishing Pill into her mouth and gently circulated her internal Energy while stabbing them repeatedly. To her horror, those assassins would still twitch and try to get up... ... {Aiko''s POV} Aiko felt satisfied with her work, as the assassins were a lot more cautious about her. This allowed her some breathing room and to recover some stamina. But she was still upset. So incredibly upset... She stared daggers at them, like she wanted to kill them with just her sight alone. They didn''t flinch and recoil, which made Aiko even more upset. Not to mention, now that she had room to look around, she noticed those who were hit straight in the head and supposed to be dead; slowly stood up and continued to fight. Aiko looked towards her teammate, the Umbra Fox. She was likewise battling the undying corpses. "Fuck! Fucking shitty bastards! This was supposed to be entertainment!" Aiko finally snapped. One assassin got close to Aiko, wanting to slash her. Unfortunately for him, Aiko had enough... [Lacerate] She almost split his body apart. Blood gushed out of the wound on his stomach, making him recoil, but Aiko would not allow that. She reached inside, using [Lacerate] on his intestines. She pulled them out, spilling some of its nasty contents. The assassin didn''t scream or say anything, but he was even more stunned than before. His body stiffened, trying to recover what was rightfully his... "Don''t worry, I won''t steal from you~" Aiko chuckled darkly like a sadistic madman. She took the end of the intestinal tract and wrapped it around his neck. Aiko noticed his body was getting harder and harder, so she sped up this process. She tied the intestines to his neck and the rest, which was around another 3 metres left, were used to tie to his ribcage and dick. Aiko made sure to properly tighten it; so it wouldn''t slip. It was an incredibly messy operation, she was pretty much covered in blood. But Aiko didn''t care, she had enough. She couldn''t fight them because they had poisoned weapons. They also had a lot of assassins compared to the single Aiko and Umbra Fox, which made this into an unfavourable fight where she couldn¡¯t enjoy herself. Aiko hated the fact that her right hand hurt like a bitch from throwing those rocks. She hated everything about this situation. In the end, she tied a nice ribbon made out of intestines. She kept his other organs intact so he wouldn''t die as quickly. Aiko laughed like a sadistic Devil and for the first time during this entire fight, the assassins visibly recoiled. Aiko was holding that assassin by the intestines, using him as an improvised club AND shield. The gruesome scene of a laughing little girl, completely covered in blood; holding a still-alive person by his own intestines and using him as a weapon, was bone-chilling! While they were lunatics, they were nothing compared to this little girl! "Come!" Aiko laughed like a completely insane person and dashed towards them! Chapter 201 – You lunatic! Aiko dashed towards them as they readied themselves. It was clearly shown in their eyes that they felt uncomfortable fighting against a literal human club. Aiko naturally didn''t care about that and slammed her improvised club into the first target. He was blasted across the courtyard and vomited a mouthful of blood. The other stiffened assassin recovered quickly, since they didn''t want to end up like that unfortunate guy. While they were undying, that didn''t mean it didn''t feel awful moving with broken bones and twisted muscles. They would want to avoid that so they could get a peaceful death. Unfortunately for them, Aiko would have none of that! She was enraged at their means of combat; she hated them with passion! She would do everything in her power to completely shred their bodies. ''Don''t forget about their Souls.'' Aiko chanted in her head. While she would not use the Ghost Lady when the Secret Guards were alive, that didn''t mean she would shy away from it if she killed too many of these fools. ''Their Souls are already compromised, so we can''t extract them, Mistress.'' The Ghost Lady said that gently and with fear. "Fuck!" Aiko cursed and this time slammed into another 2 assassins. "Fucking pieces of shit!" Aiko hammered them with the body of their comrade until they couldn''t stand up. While she was enraged, she was also cautious. Aiko would make sure that she blocked all of their blades with her improvised shield, before hammering them down again. She would do her utmost best to completely obliterate their bodies, so they could no longer stand. "Why won''t you die?!" Aiko kept hammering and hammering them with the body, not stopping for a moment. The Secret Guards shivered; while they lost quite a few, they finally recovered from the poison. This meant that the table completely turned and they now had the upper hand. What was more concerning for them was the small little Fox bashing them with that body. Was she an ally? The Prince did invite her, but what if she sees everyone as an enemy? They shivered when they thought about it. "Should we help her?" One Secret Guard asked the leader. The leader shook his head and continued battling with the assassins. They didn''t know who was the target of their assassination, but it was strange that they openly fought them. They had their guesses, but since there was no conclusive evidence... the Secret Guards would have to wait. *Riiiiip* If... anything was left of them. Aiko ripped one assassin in half, since he couldn''t be hammered into the ground. She gritted her teeth as she ripped his spine out and used it as an improvised whip, but with the head still attached... Was it a flail in that case? The assassins took a step back from the horror as the little Fox ripped another spine from their comrades. Sure, they did get reinforcements, but the little monster completely ignored those reinforcements and hammered everyone into the ground! Aiko spun around the tip of her toes, making the flail whips extend and hit even the assassin further away. They couldn''t approach that little tornado, since they felt nauseated from how she played with the spines. "Come on!" Aiko yelled at them. "If you aren''t going to fight, I will do even more things to you~!" Aiko giggled like a complete madman, which sent a shiver down everyone''s spine. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Except for Umbra Fox... she was currently vomiting from the fact that they weren''t dying. She felt awful that she had to butcher them into pieces to stop them from biting her or trying to claw her. The Umbra Fox really wanted to cry, but she didn''t want to attract any attention, so she just constantly choked and vomited. ... The assassins dispersed slightly, which allowed Aiko to take a breather. She already realised that she couldn''t transform, which was concerning, but that didn''t mean she would stop. She tried to rip another spine to replace the already broken one, but that was a miss. It broke down halfway, which made Aiko frown. Not to worry, though; Aiko was very proficient with tying things. She cut off his head and even more blood splattered around, painting the beautiful and colourful Private Garden into a sea of bloody dark red. Aiko was not sure if it would work, so she first tested it. She picked up the head and opened his mouth. She then stuck her fingers into his neck to see if she could see them through his mouth. To her pleasant surprise, she could... She smiled like a Devil and stole another pair of intestines. Aiko made the head swallow part of the intestines so they would pop out from the neck. She then used her skilled tying skill to tie it up so it wouldn''t break or loosen. [You have acquired the Title: [Gruesome Craftsman]!] [Gruesome Craftsman] [Allows the User to strengthen gruesome creations with Qi!] Aiko ignored that new title since she was testing her new flail. To her surprise, it was quite bouncy, but Aiko didn''t believe it would be able to endure the stretch if she used it as a whip... Aiko glanced around. There were plenty of bodies, some of which could be used to replace the parts of her creations! Aiko chuckled darkly and everyone shivered. They were terrified of what this little Fox would come up with. Aiko didn''t dwell much on her creation. She used the eye-sockets and upper mouth as gripping holes. For some reason, Aiko was very proficient and even subconsciously took her stance like she would be throwing a normal bowling bowl. Unfortunately for the assassin, they would not be used as bowling pins, as the little Fox changed her grip and used it as a throwing rock! [[Juve-barian] Activated! Your throw is imbued with Qi!] [[Cruel Slaughterer] Activated! Your mercilessness stunned your opponent!] [[Gruesome Craftsman] Activated! Your creation was strengthened with Qi!] The flying head turned into a cannonball, not only did it hit the assassin squarely, but it didn''t stop at that... The head bowling ball didn''t even slow down once it hit him and it just kept going, taking the assassin with it! *BOOM* The assassin crashed into reinforced brick walls, but even that didn''t stop him as he continued flying. *BOOM**BOOM**BOOM**BOOM* He passed through numerous wooden buildings, the head was already digging into his body; crushing his ribcage and twisting his internal organs. *BOOOOM* He finally stopped once he hit the outer wall of the Royal Palace, which was reinforced by Cultivators. [You have acquired the Title: [Godly Gruesome Pitcher]!] [Godly Gruesome Pitcher] [Whenever the User tries to throw something gruesome, everything about the throw will be enhanced!] The whole place fell silent at this feat and they shivered. Even the undying assassins were no longer willing to engage with this lunatic! Sure, they were here to retrieve the miraculous person, but that didn''t mean they were willing to be used as cannonballs! Aiko chuckled darkly, clearly happy about her feat. The assassin recoiled and wanted to run away, when... *Riiip* Aiko ripped another head off of a body. "Incoming~" Aiko hummed a ''sweet'' tune, which was completely bone-chilling to everyone present. She threw yet another head, the same style as the previous one. The horror of the assassin as they saw the severed head flying was absolutely priceless. *BOOM* They were barely able to dodge that head and now they abandoned all reason. They immediately scattered, running away from that absolute madman! Aiko''s laughter sounded behind them and... *Riiip* *Riip* *Riip* Aiko ripped even more heads off of the fallen assassins. "Come back~" Aiko giggled behind them and they almost shat their pants. They ran even quicker than before, even using the rest of the Pill that would slowly kill them to speed themselves up. But that was not enough... "Heeey~" Aiko giggled right behind the assassin. The assassin wanted to scream, but he didn''t have a tongue, so he was unable to. But his fear was apparent on his face and Aiko relished in it. She threw the head at his back. *BOOM* His body twisted backwards from the impact. Sounds of broken bones spread into the surroundings, making the assassins just run for their lives... ... {Inside the Royal Palace} "So many lunatics!" One old Sect Elder cursed after he killed the 100th assassin. "They just keep coming!" Another Sect Elder huffed, clearly tired. The only ones who were not tired were the Beasts and Chen Shi. He was using his Runes; skilfully protecting Lady Liu and everyone around her. Meanwhile, the turtle hid his head, not because he was scared, but because... *Swish* *Boom* His head could be used as a cannonball since his neck was 5 metres long... He used his neck to propel his incredibly tough skull and bash the assassins with it. Meanwhile, his Dao Companion was mixing poisons and antidotes, creating poisonous zones for anyone who enters, but at the same time curing those who accidentally entered. The Hawk blasted through the air, ripping the assassin with his talons. This was a one-sided slaughter since they had the Snake Lady who openly distributed antidotes against the numerous poisons the assassins used. *BOOM* The Royal Palace shook from some kind of impact. The Sect Leaders were worried about someone new appearing, but the only person who knew what was happening was Chen Shi. He was also the only person with an incredibly grim expression, like he was facing his ultimate nemesis! *BOOM* Another ''explosion'' shook the Royal Palace and the Emperor panicked. "W-what is happening?!" The Emperor was terrified, since they had a special Array that negated most if not all earth tremors. *BOOM* "Oh god..." Chen Shi massaged his temples. He felt the incoming headache; which would last for a long time... "W-What''s wrong?!" The Emperor was now scared shitless. "Nothing." Chen Shi kept massaging his temples. "There is just a certain Fox causing an absolute mayhem." Lady Liu glanced at him strangely. She couldn''t understand how that little cutie could cause so much distress for Chen Shi. Chen Shi just sighed, resigning himself to whatever is about to come... *BOOM* Chapter 202 – Aiko is finished… Aiko was chasing the assassins, unaware that they were trying to regroup with the main unit. They were desperately trying to get away from this lunatic who used their comrades'' heads as flails and cannonballs. "And another one~!" Aiko shouted excitedly as she threw another severed head at them. *BOOM* Another assassin bit the dirt and died, getting his body crushed. Aiko chuckled, feeling amused from the speed which the assassins were running away from her. This was the fun she was looking for! Them running away... and her chasing after them with pole- "Wait! Where are my poles?!" Aiko cried out, realising that there were no poles around. They were already so far away that she couldn''t see that Private Garden... Anger bubbled inside her body. She would absolutely obliterate these fuckers! Aiko threw with all her strength, ignoring the pain. *Boom* The severed head easily broke the sound barrier after it left Aiko''s hand. Aiko flinched at that sound since it was painful to her sensitive ears. That pain fuelled her anger even more. The cannonball ripped through the air and collided with the running assassin. His body bent unnaturally as the severed head didn''t want to just stop, but kept going and going... *BOOOM* It broke some well-ornamented walls, which Aiko ignored and rushed after them. ... {Inside the Royal Palace: Throne Room} *BOOOM* A body broke through the incredibly reinforced wall like it was a simple wooden wall, not stopping until it collided with another 20 assassins. The people in the Throne Room fell silent at this and Chen Shi massaged his temples. Lady Liu pursed her lips because she saw his reaction. Aiko was here... "Alright, you fuckers! I dare you to attack me again!" Aiko was so enraged that she ignored the fact that the damage she sustained was mostly from herself. The Sect Leaders choked at the little Fox''s display. They did find her terrifying when she injured the traitorous Sect Leaders'' stomach, but overall she could only be described as cute. They changed that opinion now. The little Fox was completely covered in blood, her face was distorted from anger and pain. She was holding severed heads; her tails were likewise holding severed heads. The only thought passing through their mind was that she was... not the usual Fox. They were meek and very soft, but this little Fox was similar to those lunatics from Fiendish Sects! The assassins in the Throne Room frowned and scoffed at their comrades. How could they be so intimidated by- *Swish* Aiko threw another severed head, it once again broke the sound barrier the moment it left her hand. It collided with a nearby assassin that was staring at her like he would attack her. *BOOM* The assassin had no time to block as it was way too quick for him, his body bent unnaturally once again and he was sent flying backwards. He crashed into a nearby wall, not quite breaking it since his body was sturdier than his comrades, which meant that he absorbed a lot more energy from the head. The severed head fell down from his body, but every Sect Leaders'', Beasts'' and assassins'' eyes widened. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. The severed head was shining! It was in a similar fashion that a Spirit Stone would shine! That meant it was so packed with Qi that it was leaking! The assassins no longer underestimated the little Fox, some even wanted to run away. They could run down the Sect Leaders with no problem, since they would be poisoned eventually. Meanwhile, the little Fox was standing in the middle of the poison the assassins created and she didn''t even flinch! Sure, she was covered in blood, so it was hard to see her skin and judge if she was poisoned, but this poison would cause one''s eyes to lose focus! The little Fox was completely fine, her eyes were even glaring at them! ... {Aiko''s POV} "Fucking hell! What useless poison did you spineless bastards bring?!" Aiko spat at them with slurs, feeling even angrier. "Not only do you want to attack me, but you don''t even bring anything that I can level up with!" Aiko stared at them like an unhinged maniac. A bottle crashed under Aiko and a sweet-smelling nectar spread into her nostrils. [You have acquired the Title: [Poison Taster]!] [Poison Taster] [The User can judge the quality of the poison!] Aiko glanced at it, she felt much lighter. Why didn''t she dodge the poison bottle, you might ask? Because it came from the throne side, where Aiko noticed the distorted expression of Chen Shi. That meant she wouldn''t be harmed by it! "Alright!" Aiko gripped the heads. She was feeling much better than previously. She was unaware that the Snake Lady threw a poison suppressant that was powerful enough to affect the poison in her right arm. Aiko threw yet another head at them. She threw it at the most ''lavishly'' looking assassin. He had a Storage Pouch on his side, so Aiko judged him to be the leader. Unfortunately for her, that was not the case. He was just a 100-poison assassin who carried poisons to influence his enemies. The throw was incomparably more powerful, since Aiko was able to gather more strength in her arm. Even before it left her hand, it had already broken the sound barrier. Now the speed was already almost 2 times what she had previously thrown. *Swish* It blasted through the air, meeting with the assassin. The assassin didn''t even flinch when the head passed through his chest. He didn''t react, nor could he do anything about it. There was just a hole in his chest which confused him. He didn''t feel anything, yet a large part of his body was just gone... *BOOM* The perceived speed of time was returning to him and he turned around to see what caused the booming sound. The wall behind him was completely obliterated and he could see some kind of shooting star going and going... He turned around; towards the little Fox. His eyes were full of questions, but he couldn''t ask them. He just fell over and died, not even the Undying Pill could save him... "Bullseye!" Aiko made a fist motion that she achieved what she wanted. The people in the Throne Room fell silent once again. Chen Shi tightened his lips, while he was unhappy to see the little Fox... she sure worked quickly. He was impressed by what she created in such a short period of time and how much fear she was able to inflict upon the fearless assassins. [You have acquired the Title: [Idol of Fear]!] [Idol of Fear] [The User naturally inflicts fear upon others. (Can be turned off)] Aiko ignored it once again since she was not finished. "Who is next~?!" Aiko looked at them, but none of the assassins met her eyes. "You!" Aiko pointed at one assassin who had yet another Storage Pouch on his belt. The assassin looked around as if he was dreaming. He was losing his mind from this encounter, but he had to know. He pointed at himself. "Yes, that''s right! You~!" Aiko giggled like a menace. He shook his head from side to side. "What do you mean no?" Aiko''s expression changed for the worse. "You are the next target!" Aiko proclaimed, clearly upset. The assassin kept shaking his head; tears swelling in the corners of his eyes. The Sect Leaders... pitied these assassins. Even they got severe goosebumps from those flying severed heads. Not because it was gruesome, but because it was just so packed with Qi that even they wouldn''t leave unscathed! "You can''t avoid it!" Aiko expressed her desire to throw the severed head. The assassin wanted to plead his case, but he couldn''t... without a tongue, it was useless to try to speak. Aiko giggled and made a stretching motion. The assassin lost his mind and immediately dashed away from her. Aiko giggled, that giggle sent shivers down his spine and he burned his own Vitality to run even faster. Who cares if he dies due to this! He doesn''t want to die from that little nightmare! Aiko stretched her arm and threw a severed head after him. It was slower this time, since Aiko wished for his body to be left ''intact''. She loved the collision of the severed head and the body, how it bent and the crunching sounds from it. That was the main reason for that slowdown, since it was no fun when their bodies didn''t react. *Swish* The severed head blasted through the air, but it was unnoticeably stronger. He screamed at the top of his lungs, but due to his disfigured neck, only huffing sounds left his burnt lips. *BOOM* It collapsed with his body, but it was not powerful enough to go through it. But to him burning his Vitality; his body was much stronger so much so that he was able to resist most of the impact. Unfortunately, as with any other severed head, it wouldn''t stop with just that. It kept going and going, taking the assassin with it. *BOOOM* An explosion occurred down in the Lower Palace where the assassin was sent flying. The Sect Leaders and other assassins could barely see his split body, how his intestines spilt out and parts of his brain dropped. He was dead dead, he wouldn''t be able to move even with that Pill... The assassins shivered and Aiko chuckled darkly. "Who is next~?" Aiko stared at them once again, but this time the assassins came to a consensus. Run away! They immediately dashed in different directions, escaping this mess. They were severely unprepared to go against them even before the little Fox came! But with that little Fox, they were unable to do anything. They had to secure the princess, but they couldn''t even get close to the secret room in the Throne Room where the Royalty hid! They cursed their master who didn''t provide them with ample resources; cursed their own luck that they ended up like this. Aiko let them escape; not because she didn''t want to play, but because she was tired... and for a good reason. Beast Cores(65%): 1,000 (33,080) All that throwing consumed an immense amount of Qi, which caused her to tire down. She yawned cutely; returning to her cute demeanour, but the sight of her covered in blood was not cute at all! Chapter 203 – Another Emperor?! Aiko blinked at them, they looked really stupid. "What?" Aiko yawned. "Aren''t you going to chase them?" One Sect Leader asked the little Fox. The others didn''t have the guts to ask this, so they only nodded in agreement with this brave Soul, putting that question in the open. "Too tired." Aiko''s ears and tails slouch low. She is no longer in the mood to play with anyone any more... If she wasn''t so exhausted, she would absolutely chase them, but her Beast Core''s Energy was simply too low to do much. Aiko cursed inwardly since the titles were now demerits rather than benefits. She was unhappy that they would reduce her Beast Core''s Energy so much after just a few throws... ''Ah, right...'' Aiko''s mind cleared up a bit after the slaughter. ''How is the Blood Fox doing?'' Aiko wondered about that, but with Umbra Fox around, it should be alright... ''I hope...'' Aiko was too tired to go back, so she just came close to Chen Shi and went under the barrier before plopping down. Chen Shi''s face distorted and Aiko smiled gently. That was the reaction she was looking for and she was happy that he was frowning. "You smell." Chen Shi waved a hand in front of his face, fanning the bad smell away. Aiko''s face froze and she glared at him. "What? If you don''t like me saying that, maybe you should''ve considered not bathing in blood." Chen Shi shrugged. There was another piercing gaze on her, it was Lady Liu. Aiko looked away since that gaze stung her quite a lot. Maybe it was not a good idea to sit in here, but this was the safest place to be in... Aiko yawned again when another explosion happened. She flinched and immediately said. "Wasn''t me!" Everyone looked at her, even the intruding guest. Her ''allies'''' lips twitched. This little Fox was just too odd compared to the average Fox. The guest looked over at them. "Pitiful mortals, bow before this Emperor!" He proclaimed. "Ew, who brought a shrivelled carrot in here?!" Aiko recoiled in disgust. Everyone choked, especially the ''Emperor''. "W-What?!" He was so shocked that his mind blanked. "Ew!" Aiko shivered. "That ugly shrivelled carrot can talk!" Aiko wanted to hide, but considering the state her body was in... let''s just not do that... Aiko moved some ways away. She didn''t want to see that ugly shrivelled carrot for another moment! The Emperor was completely left speechless. He couldn''t understand how he could look like a shrivelled carrot. Wasn''t he the most glorious and divine Emperor?! Wasn''t he praised for his unparalleled beauty?! Yet this little- ''Wait! That''s a Fox!? What in the-'' The Emperor stared blankly. He couldn''t understand how those lustful Foxes could just ignore his beauty... He had already spent a night with quite a few Foxes; he drained them well, which meant that his Soul was incomparably more powerful. Yet now a Fox was showing him a distorted and disgusted expression! That was simply too much! "You will regret not appreciating my beauty!" The ''Emperor'' proclaimed haughtily. Aiko stared blankly. "Yeah right... not only is he a shrivelled carrot, but now it is a delusional, shrivelled carrot... that''s certainly the first time I ever encountered something like this..." Aiko nodded slowly. The Sect Leaders sweated, while this ''Emperor'' was indeed haughty. It was for a good reason. He might be a Ghost Cultivator, but the pressure from his Souls is making them want to kneel! This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. The ''Emperor'' was simply too powerful for them! Chen Shi''s expression wasn''t that good, but that was only because Aiko still smelled awful. If she didn''t smell as bad, he would even consider praising her for her witty lines. "You-!" The ''Emperor'' glared at the little Fox. "Just because you have defeated my little minions, you believe you can fight against me?!" He couldn''t understand where that confidence was coming from. Nobody weak was willing to offend him, yet this little weak Fox went all in on him?! "What?" Aiko scoffed at him. "I''m a Fox, so I''m your natural enemy." She shrugged like she was not concerned about him at all. The ''Emperor'' looked speechlessly at the little Fox and snorted coldly. "What? You are my natural enemy?" He laughed loudly. "Keep dreaming, you slut!" Aiko''s face was distorted. "Oh, I''m sorry, did I get on your nerves, shrivelled hairy balls?" Aiko snorted at him. The whole room fell silent, everyone was sweating from this ''battle''. The Ghostly ''Emperor'' turned silent, but his face was getting redder and redder. His ''veins'' on his forehead were getting more and more pronounced. "You-" The Ghostly ''Emperor'' was at a loss for words. "You, you, you." Aiko shook her head. "I''m running out of names I can call ya, stupid shrivelled hairy balls..." She sighed tiredly. "Seriously, this one-sided beating is exhausting me, can''t you at least put up a fight?!" Aiko shook her head like this whole ordeal was a waste of time. "I will wring your Soul!" The Ghostly ''Emperor'' glared daggers at the little Fox. "Just you wait! Once my minions bring me the ''100 Ghost Parade Lamp'', I will put all of your Souls inside!" Aiko suddenly had an epiphany. "You are a Ghost." Aiko''s eyes widened and something in her mind clicked. "Damn right, I am! I''m the most Divine Ghost Emperor there is!" He proclaimed proudly and the Sect Leader''s sweated even more. They didn''t believe that the Fiendish Cultivators really revived this old monster. What will happen to this continent now? They couldn''t imagine... "So you are a Ghost." Aiko nodded happily. Since he was a Ghost that meant she could store him inside the lamp and munch on him later. She wanted to get more used to the Souls to surprise Mei, but since most/all her assailants had their Souls tampered with; she was unable to do so... But now that she had a Ghost in front of her that she didn''t care about... everything just clicked together. "So what? With the help of ''100 Ghost Parade Lamp'' I will be able to regain most of my strength-" The Ghostly ''Emperor'' went on a villainous monologue. The Human Emperor already fainted because of the pressure of the Ghostly Emperor''s Soul. Aiko stared at him with a smile, while every Sect Leader was sweating buckets. The Beasts were slightly better off, since they naturally fought a lot more and thus were more resilient to the pressure of the powerful Cultivators. Aiko was completely unaffected; her Bloodlines and the fact that she was in the shadows, completely shrouded her against the natural suppression of the Soul. It would be a different kind of deal if the Ghostly ''Emperor'' used his real pressure, but because he was overconfident, there was no need to worry. "I have it." Aiko thought about it for quite a while before coming to the conclusion that her lamp might be the one he was talking about... The Ghostly ''Emperor'' choked on his words and glared at the daring little Fox. "Bullshit!" The Ghostly ''Emperor'' had enough. "I will pluck your limbs for your-... lies..." The Ghostly ''Emperor'' stared speechlessly at the little Fox, which was holding a very familiar lamp. "The ''100 Ghost Parade Lamp''!" He immediately proclaimed and laughed loudly. "Stupid Fox! I''m the owner of the lamp!" The Ghostly ''Emperor'' couldn''t stop laughing. This little Fox made everything so much easier. The Sect Leaders widened their eyes and scolded the little Fox. "Stupid Fox! You should''ve hidden it!" "Now we will all die because of you!" One after another they scolded her, but not too harshly since they still remembered that little nightmare that gutted the other Sect Leaders. "Return!" The Ghostly ''Emperor'' shouted and the Sect Leaders closed their eyes and started counting their remaining ''days'' of life. They waited and waited, but nothing happened. They opened their eyes, but the Ghostly ''Emperor'' didn''t have that lamp. Looking down towards the little Fox... she still had it?? They were confused. "Return!" The Ghostly ''Emperor'' shouted again, but the ''100 Ghost Parade Lamp'', didn''t even quiver. "..." The Ghost ''Emperor was confused. "Is this yours?" Aiko asked, tilting her head. "Was that kid''s scribble your Inscription?" Aiko was bothered by a few parts of the Inscription on the Lamp, since unlike the well elaborated and beautiful Runes, there also existed Runes that felt like a kid''s scribbles... a complete nonsense! She was so bothered by those scribbles that she erased them and hoped that it wouldn''t damage the lamp, but fortunately, it didn''t! Aiko was overjoyed at that fact, since she wouldn''t have to bring home a lamp with such ugly scribbles! The Ghostly ''Emperor'' coughed up Soul Essence. He wasn''t any Inscription Cultivator, but his Inscription quality was far from that of a kid''s scribbles! The Ghostly ''Emperor'' glared at Aiko, not realising he was leaking his Soul Essence out of anger. Aiko shook her head. "Seriously, I changed my mind, this is worse than a kid''s scribble! You should learn how to scribble properly. I would be ashamed if I were you!" Aiko kept shaking her head. "A Heavenly Immortal that can''t even write." Aiko shivered. "I would be worried that they would give me that nickname, you know, stupid shrivelled hairy balls." Aiko sighed like she was pitying him. The Ghostly ''Emperor'' coughed up even more Soul Essence and at this point, the lamp gently shook. The Ghostly ''Emperor'' recovered slightly. "Return!" He hoped that that quiver indicated his ownership and he had high hopes that it would work this time. Why, you might ask? Because he didn''t believe that such a young Fox would be able to erase his elaborate Inscription! Yet that same Inscription was wiped out with a little saliva and a finger from Aiko... The Ghostly ''Emperor'' chuckled. ''Mistress, would you allow me to consume him?'' From within the lamp, the Ghost Lady gently asked. If she could consume his Soul, not only would she be able to repay this bastard for seducing her and ruining her life, but she would also be able to recover a lot of strength. This would tilt their current relationship, from ''slave'' and owner, to equal! Aiko frowned cutely, she really wanted to learn how to eat Souls without Mei''s help to surprise her. ''Why can''t you store him for me?'' Aiko asked with a cute frown. ''There is not enough room, Mistress...'' The Ghost Lady said. Aiko cried out in her mind. ''How can you be so fat?!'' Chapter 204 – Nourishing Emperor ''Mistress...'' The Ghost Lady pouted. She was not fat by normal means, but she didn''t have enough Soul Essence to compress and maintain her normal Soul. Each Soul was protected by the outer shell, but that same shell deteriorated over time, making it weaker and weaker. Once the outer shell disappears, the contents spill. In other words, the compact Soul becomes a puddle of Soul contents, making it much bigger than what it was supposed to be. This makes it more susceptible to outside interference. Fortunately, the lamp that Aiko obtained acts as the outer shell for any Soul that is inside. Even if the Souls ''decay'' for millions of years, as long as the lamp is intact and functioning, the Souls will never completely disappear. It was the perfect Treasure for storing Souls, but it was not maintained properly. The lamp lost most of its power and while it could still be used as the outer shell to store Souls, it would no longer compress the Souls so that they wouldn''t take as much space. That''s why it could store only 1 Soul out of 100... Aiko pouted cutely. ''But I want some Souls too...'' ''I will naturally capture Souls for you, Mistress, but we can''t keep his Soul as it''s too big...'' The Ghost Lady lied as she breathed. His Soul was not so big that it wouldn''t fit inside the lamp, but she wouldn''t admit that her Soul took too much space! She worried that she would be teased till the end of her days... Moreover, she really wanted to slowly and torturously consume that bastard! ''You better promise me!'' Aiko proclaimed with a piercing gaze. She didn''t really look at the Ghost, but even that was enough to intimidate her... ''I will, Mistress.'' The Ghost Lady said politely and Aiko''s ears twitched. This didn''t escape Chen Shi''s and Lady Liu''s sight. While Lady Liu wondered what the little Foxy was up to, Chen Shi was frowning and holding his temples. He somewhat knew that this thing was supposed to hold Souls inside, which was not really an issue and would be very beneficial for the little rascal. The problem was that these Treasures were always haunted by sinister Ghosts or Spirits, making them not very compatible with normal Cultivators. Even Foxes wouldn''t be safe against haunted Treasures; while it was true that the Foxes were divine when it came to manipulation of Souls, that didn''t mean they were divine in defence against said Souls. At the end of the day, the battle between a Fox and a Ghost came down to the might of Souls. The one who is more powerful will naturally take over and subdue the one who is weaker. Even so, the Foxes will generally have an advantage as they had a living body, which was much more resilient. Meanwhile, the Ghosts would have a bad time as they need to maintain their outer shells during the exchange so they wouldn''t disperse. ''Promise!'' Aiko pouted. No way in hell would she allow the Ghost Lady to eat that guy if she didn''t promise her! ''I promise on Heaven and Earth that I will fulfil this promise.'' The Ghost Lady made a vow with Heaven and Earth, making her obliged to fulfil that promise. ''Alright, you can go.'' Aiko nodded gently. She was ignoring the Ghostly ''Emperor'' this whole time which made him even more ticked off. This played well to what the Ghost Lady needed, since normally she wouldn''t be his match. But because he was irrational and quite clearly pissed off... that meant his outer shell would be weakened. The Ghost Lady didn''t immediately materialise. At first, she thought that her Mistress was alright with the Inscription, but now she realised the lamp had a good hold on her Soul. She would not be able to run away even if she wanted to; the lamp would not allow it¡­ If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. That played into her strategy, since even if she was captured by that bastard, he wouldn''t be able to do anything to her Soul. He would have to enter the lamp if he wanted to injure her, but unfortunately for him, the lamp was so packed that he wouldn''t be able to enter. The Ghost Lady moved through the earth to stay hidden. The Ghostly ''Emperor'' was solely focused on her Mistress. She... had to give credit where credit was due. Her Mistress was divine when it came to enraging others, especially when she was tired and upset. ''And you can''t do anything about it...'' The Ghost Lady murmured and shivered at the mere thought of that Beast... ''What?'' Aiko tilted her head. She didn''t understand what the Ghost Lady was talking about... ''Nothing, Mistress.'' The Ghost Lady moved far behind the Ghostly ''Emperor''. Chen Shi naturally saw the leaking Ghost Qi and he narrowed his eyes. He slowly glanced at the smiling little rascal and wondered what she was plotting. But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn''t figure it out. There was simply no way that some old Soul that spent millennia inside the lamp would obey a dirty little Fox... Oh, how wrong he was... The Ghost Lady materialised some ways behind the Ghostly ''Emperor''. She was breathtakingly beautiful, even more so now that she recovered a bit more of Ghost Qi. Unfortunately or rather fortunately for her, nobody paid any attention to her. They all were focused on the Ghostly ''Emperor'' and his next moves. The Ghost Lady stood behind him, the Ghostly ''Emperor'' was still unaware of her, since he was still cussing at the little Fox. Some Sect Leaders already noticed her, but before they could say anything; she punched him. "ARGH!" The Ghostly ''Emperor'' shrieked with a pained voice. The Sect Leaders clenched their butt cheeks once again since... "Not my ass!" The Ghostly ''Emperor'' screamed in a pitiful voice. The Ghost Lady smiled, this type of weak spot was truly heavenly... ''Do you remember me~?'' She teased the Ghostly ''Emperor'' by giving him a proper fisting. "It''s you! You b-ASGHGFAS." He foamed from the mouth, not being able to maintain his outer shell and his body slowly melted into a puddle of Soul Essence. This was an incredibly precious Treasure for nurturing and healing the Souls. The Sect Leaders all had greedy eyes. They really wanted to have that Soul Essence for themselves, but... *Slurp* The Ghost Lady just slurped it all in; in a matter of seconds. "Thank you for the meal." The Ghost Lady became less translucent and even more beautiful, while it couldn''t rival Mei just yet... she was not that far from it. The Sect Leaders'' faces were either distorted at the loss of the Treasure or they had very lustful grins on their faces, when they eyed her up and down. Aiko didn''t really care about what they thought and pouted. "You better fulfil your promise!" "Do not worry, Mistress." The Ghost Lady bowed deeply, like a lowly servant to a Master. She regained a lot of her strength, but the more she peered into the abyss created by this little Fox, the more sure she was about her insignificance... She was like a speck of dust in front of her and would never be able to catch up to her. Not in this lifetime, not in the next lifetime, not ever... The Ghost Lady could only serve as a dutiful maid and faithful servant to this Divine Being... Aiko nodded slowly, but she had a wide smile on her lips. The Sect Leaders were dumbfounded and jealous... Meanwhile, Chen Shi was holding his temples. He had a really terrible headache and he couldn''t understand how someone powerful would willingly serve this rascal! He just couldn''t wrap his head around it... Then there was Lady Liu, with a strange light in her eyes that were quickly concealed. This naturally didn''t escape the Ghost Lady, as she was very powerful; not powerful enough to contend with powerful Cultivators, but powerful enough to observe everything surrounding her! The Ghost Lady would naturally not approach Lady Liu, unless Lady Liu made her move. At the end of the day, the only point of admiration was Aiko, since she was the only one that could truly threaten her in this Ghost form. Nobody else truly mattered. She didn''t care about the lustful Sect Leaders. Moreover, she was currently still munching on his Soul Essence and it would take a while before she absorbed it completely. That meant she would have to take quite a long vacation before she would reappear again. ''Mistress, may I go and meditate?'' The Ghost Lady asked Aiko through their connection. ''Sure.'' Aiko nodded, slightly puzzled about that reaction. She also noticed that the Ghost Lady glanced at them, especially Lady Liu. She stared at her for a whole breath! That was suspicious, but she could ask later, not now. "How do we clean this?" Aiko asked briefly, attracting attention. This allowed the Ghost Lady to ''dissolve'' back into her lamp and rest there. "You will clean this." Chen Shi naturally placed all the burden on the small rascal! "You heard him, you will clean this." And Aiko shamelessly passed the baton to the Sect Leaders and Beasts. "What about you?" The Smelly Wind growled. "What about me?" Aiko tilted her head cutely, but her eyes had a deadly shade. "You can always get a flag, you know?" Aiko smiled like the Devil. Smelly Wind scoffed, but didn''t say anything and backed down. He couldn''t pick a fight with her at this moment. Aiko hummed, leaving the half-destroyed Royal Palace and back to the Prince''s Garden. She slowed down a bit since she was tired, but also because she just didn''t want to breathe in the smell of that Garden. It was good that the garden was half-destroyed, but half of it still remained intact. Because of that, the smell was naturally bad, but Aiko couldn''t really take a torch and burn it... The Prince might get upset and she didn''t really want to talk any more. She also couldn''t transform into her Fox form, which puzzled her. It would be a lot easier if she could have a bath with her Fox form, but alas... Aiko returned to the Garden. Fortunately, most of the smell was gone, but unfortunately, that smell was replaced by the metallic smell of blood... While Aiko didn''t mind it as much, she would have to spend a few days, maybe even weeks in here... At that point, she would absolutely mind it! Chapter 205 – Titles and Helping Out Aiko lay on the half-broken table. It was still somewhat comfortable and pieces of her scribbles were still visible, but those same pieces bothered her greatly. Because the grooves were quite deep, it was not comfortable to lie on top of it. This made Aiko quite restless and slightly upset. She checked her system. [ Human Status Form Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 500 - 500 (Adjustable 500 - 500 -> 0 - 1,000) Species: [Shadow Spirit Fennec Fox (Female, Juvenile, Single-True Tail)] Species: [Moon Fennec Fox (Female, Juvenile, Single-Tail)] Age: 10.17/2,000 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Peak)], [Dream Beast Kitsune(Awakened)] Bloodline: [Moon Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)], [??? - 1/10] Beast Rank: Magical Beast Level: 1->156 (4th Evolution) Providence: 1,000 Profession: [Opportunistic Kleptomaniac (Apprentice)] -> [Opportunistic Kleptomaniac (Apprentice 2nd Stage)] Sub-Profession: [Inscription Apprentice (1st Low-Grade Inscription Cultivator)], Wealth: Spirit Crystals: 50,000; Spirit Stones: 177,599; Black Gold Coins: 189,997; Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], [Little Princess], [Shadow Thief], [Master of Sex Toys], [Insatiable Gourmand], [Explorer], [Trickster], [Mischievous Juvenile], [Filthy RICH Den Master], [Juve-barian], [Tail Hunter], [Bath Enjoyer], [Closet Pervert], [Devourer of Vitality], [Bane of Immortal], [One Who makes Immortal Faint], [Glutton], [Walking Runic Encyclopedia], [Backdoor Destroyer], [(New)Cruel Slaughterer], [(New)Plague Master], [(New)Daylight Robber], [(New)Gruesome Craftsman], [(New)Godly Gruesome Pitcher], [(New)Poison Taster], [(New)Idol of Fear] Cultivation Technique: [Blood Tyrant Scripture], [Moon Goddess Scripture] Karma Companion: [Mei (Affection: 30,000)] Companion: [Passion Fox (Affection: 80,000)] Servant: [Umbra Fox (Affection: Admires your might and likes you a lot)] Elemental Spirit: [Seed of Life; 321,330/1,000,000->340,830/1,000,000] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement)(*1-2.5 Lunar Enhancement)(Human Form) HP: 101,785|101,785 -> 86,468|107,365 (250pH & 0.4%pH) ST: 101,931|101,931 -> 12,000|64,384 (250pH & 0.4%pH) Vitality: 50,973|50,973 -> 55,623|55,623 (25pH & 0.4%pH)(1%pH - Insatiable Gourmand) Vigour: 51,119 -> 12,642 Beast Cores(65%): 20,000 -> 1,000 (52,080->33,080) Moonlight Qi: 52,080 Toughness: 50,919 -> 11,021 Strength: 51,959 -> 12,438 Agility: 51,025*2 -> 14,173*2 Dexterity: 52,109*1.5 -> 11,135*1.5 Mind: 52,172*2 -> 96,502*2 Divine Sense: 94,000 Insight: 32,090 Soul: 32,981 Beauty: 64,887*1.55 -> 5,300,420*1.55 Luck: 54,304*1.02 -> 310,782*1.02 Stat Points: 54,221 -> 55,385 Skill Points: 34,822 -> 35,986 Elemental Affinity: [Moon - 0], [Shadow - 2], [Earth - 8], [Soul''s Affection: 1] Martial Arts: [Lightness Technique] Martial Ability: [The Ever Shaping Cauldron: - ; -/-], [Heavenly Suppression Technique(Prototype, Incomplete)] Innate Ability: [Beast Core Formation] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####], [Soul Palace (Undeveloped)], [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)], [Moon''s Eyes], [Moon''s Crust] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered], [Earthen Walk: Mastered], [Appraisal: Lv.2], [Lunar Nurturing Meditation: Lv.3], [Assimilate (Shadows)], Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.3], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Lunar Enhancement: Mastered], [Agility Mastery: Mastered], [Intention Perception: Mastered], [Basic Presence Concealment: Mastered], [Universal Recovery: Lv.4], [Divine Calligraphy: Lv.2], [Shadow Swimming: Lv.1], [Perfect Memory: Lv.1] Skills: [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Lacerate: Mastered], [Sprint: Mastered], [Quick Double Jump: Mastered], [Camouflage: Mastered], [Sleeping: Lv.2] Passive Skills: [Stealth: Mastered], [Prehensile Mastery: Lv.1], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Thermal Regulation: Lv.2], [Demonic Intimidation: Lv.5], [Linguistics: Mastered], [Enhanced Climbing: Mastered], [Enhanced Basic Senses: Mastered], [Brilliant Mind: Mastered], [Picturesque Beauty: Lv.2], [Four Leaf Clover: Lv.2], [Assassin Mastery: Mastered], [Dexterous Fingers: Mastered], [Inscription Mastery: Mastered], [Alchemy Mastery: Lv.2], [Greater Poison Resistance: Mastered] Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], [Blessing of N¨¹wa], Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x2,685], [Skill Coupon x2], [Skill Combination Coupon x2], [Cultivation Gift], [Sub-Profession Coupon x2], [Divine Ability Gift], [Sub-Profession Coupon(Servant)], [Cultivation Gift(Servant)], [Ability Coupon], [Bloodline Gift], [Bloodline Gift(Servant)], [Ability Combination Coupon x2], [Profession Coupon], [Karma Bound], [Black Inscription Master Token], [Essence of ####], [Bloodline Book], [How to obtain Bloodline 101], [Book of Providence] A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ] Her Level increased once again, quite nicely this time. Maybe because the assassins were drugged to increase their power, they gave out more experience? Unfortunately, she had no way to test this since she didn''t know what kind of drug that guy used. ''I could ask that Ghost, but she is asleep.'' Aiko frowned even more. ''Even a Ghost has a nicer place to live in!'' Aiko was really upset. Her profession also advanced, but she couldn''t tell if it was a bad thing or a good thing. Her wealth didn''t change much since she didn''t really buy anything, but her titles changed quite a lot. [Cruel Slaughterer] [The User will be less affected by bad karma.] This was quite dubious. She could see her providence, but not Karma. She didn''t know how significant this would be and if it was a good thing or not. Aiko was a Fox, so the normal good and bad karma might not apply to her. Furthermore, she can''t be considered to be on the ''good'' spectrum, considering she plays with Souls. That was not necessarily a bad thing, since if she went against the tide, she wouldn''t be where she is currently... No, scratch that. Because of her abnormal behaviour, she attracted so much attention and ended up like this! Aiko considered this to be good; she skipped so many stages of her life where she would have to struggle by just being cute. This was a great benefit, but that begs another question. How bad will this whole thing turn once she becomes breathtakingly beautiful...? Aiko shivered at that thought, she would definitely search for some kind of way to stay cute to avoid unnecessary problems. [Plague Master] [The User knows more about plagues and the User is somewhat immune to diseases.] This was a good thing, no questions asked; it didn''t consume any energy and she didn''t need to activate it. That meant that as long as this title existed, she would be somewhat safe from diseases... ''But how much is that?'' Aiko already understood the difference between ''Mortal'' and ''Immortal'' stuff. She might be immune to ''Mortal'' disease, but not ''Immortal''. ''I can''t even ask...'' Aiko frowned. The system was silent for quite a long time and she was not talking about the notifications. Aiko wondered what happened, but even if she thought about it hard, there were just too many possibilities... ''The important thing is that the system is still working.'' Aiko nodded her head gently, which made her a bit more sleepy. [Daylight Robber] [The User is more successful in stealing attempts while in daylight.] The rest she already knew about, but to quickly recap it... [Gruesome Craftsman] [Allows the User to strengthen gruesome creations with Qi!] [Godly Gruesome Pitcher] [Whenever the User tries to throw something gruesome, everything about the throw will be enhanced!] [Poison Taster] [The User can judge the quality of the poison!] [Idol of Fear] [The User naturally inflicts fear upon others. (Can be turned off)] Aiko hated most of these since that meant she would have to carry rotting heads around to throw, but at the same time, there was a possibility that if she used a rock she wouldn''t burn through her Beast Core Energy so fast. She liked that possibility, which made this whole thing much better. Her beauty was returning... but fortunately, due to her display, it didn''t have any negative effect on her. Most Sect Leaders either hated her or feared her, which was the best possible outcome considering her insane Beauty. Other things didn''t change, outside the fact that some of her blessings were a shade of grey instead of white. Aiko could not understand why it changed like that, as all of her blessings changed like that. ''Ah right.'' Aiko suddenly remembered the poor little Umbra Fox. Aiko looked around, but she couldn''t see the Umbra Fox. This puzzled her since most bodies were dragged- ''Ah, right...'' Aiko rubbed the back of her head. There needs to be someone who will clean this mess, which leaves either the Prince and his guards or Umbra Fox. ''I should peek inside.'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. Everyone was gone and none returned, so she would just make sure that everything was alright inside. She sneaked a peek through a cracked wall. Her senses spread inside. The Blood Fox was frowning with beads of sweat? Aiko has never sweated before, so it must be something serious... Wait, can they even sweat? Aiko would always get dirty, but she couldn''t remember if she ever sweated... how strange. Her senses didn''t pick up anything; even her Divine Sense which liked to play around was calm. The Blood Fox was with the princess inside and there was nothing wrong with it. Aiko immediately straightened her body and went to look for the Umbra Fox. She had to use her sense of smell, even if she disliked this overscented place. But, the more she focused on finding the smell that mattered, the faster she would find her. "Eugh." Aiko felt her stomach churn from the awful smell. It was very different if you breathed normally versus if you breathed deeply. Aiko already hated this place. She picked up a strange sound somewhat far away, so Aiko went there. It was near that bamboo forest where she found that lamp. There were bodies piled up by the guards and Umbra Fox. "Your... erm... Mistress?" The Prince spoke awkwardly, since he didn''t know how he should address the black fox''s leader. "Yes?" The Umbra Fox tilted her head. "She is quite a handful..." The Prince liked this Fox too, since she was very dutiful and he could use such a good guard and worker. His guards were all wimps compared to her. "That is not for you to judge." The Umbra Fox said icily. She already noticed so many gazes on her that it upset her. She lived in the shadows and next to her Mistress, so it was difficult to associate with others. More so if they were Humans... She didn''t like them. While she did not experience too many grievances against them, that didn''t mean she particularly liked them. They had the favour of Heaven and Earth, which meant that their Cultivation was much smoother and easier. They were pretty much everywhere and were intruding everywhere. As long as there was a Treasure, they would be there. That was not necessarily a bad thing, since Beasts did similar things, but Beasts would never group to conquer others... unlike Humans. The Umbra Fox knew that she would gain a proper human form one day. She was... on the edge about it. On one side she would have easier Cultivation, but on another, she would have to socialise with other Humans... "My apologies..." The Prince apologised, but frowned internally. Such loyalty was hard to find, but he didn''t have the resources to poach her from the little Fox. The conversation stopped there and the Umbra Fox threw the bodies on a pile. Aiko felt bad after that conversation, so she was helping on the side, but because everyone''s attention was on the Umbra Fox; they didn''t notice her. The Umbra Fox sighed gently, but then she heard a gentle sound on her left. She expected that the handsome Prince would bother her again, but she found a small Fox throwing corpses on the pile. "Mistress?!" The Umbra Fox yelled so shocked she almost jumped away. "Quiet, it hurts." Aiko frowned and rubbed her ears. This place was strange for her ears. "My apologies, Mistress..." The Umbra Fox blushed. She was so shocked by Aiko helping her that she raised her voice accidentally. Aiko rubbed her ears and returned to throwing those corpses. Others found it hard, since those corpses were for some reason really heavy. As for Aiko... She just threw them since she had plenty of throwing Titles. That made everything easier for her, unlike for everyone else. They cleaned very quickly, thanks to the little Fox. They were all looking at the small tails swishing from side to side, whenever she threw the corpses. The guards tried to move the corpses too, but at best they could only drag them... The guards wanted to burn those corpses so that they wouldn''t cause some kind of epidemic. Aiko frankly couldn''t care less about that. She was only here to find the Umbra Fox. Finished with her work, she brushed her hands, but it didn''t really help. The blood was sticky and now she realised she was quite filthy... "Should we have a bath, Mistress?" The Umbra Fox gently nudged Aiko. The Secret Guards and Prince immediately perked their ears. Because of all the blood, the Umbra Fox had the Assassination Uniform stick to her body. It outlined her heavenly curves that would make men roar. They were naturally trained well, but that didn''t mean they could conceal their burning desire in their eyes. Aiko released a bit of bloodlust and half of the guards fainted. Aiko snorted at them and dragged the Umbra Fox away by hand. The Umbra Fox had a light blush since she didn''t expect for Aiko to be so territorial... ... {Back in the Garden and near the House with Blood Fox inside} "I can''t have a bath, since I don''t trust those questionable guards." Aiko said that openly. "Oh... then we can take turns, Mistress?" The Umbra Fox didn''t want to give up since she was in a sorry state, but Aiko was in a much worse state... "Do you believe I can wash this out without help?" Aiko whirled around, looking like a wet cat. "No..." The Umbra Fox coughed awkwardly. It was true that Aiko never really bathed alone and most of the time she was bathed by a Technique instead of the normal way... "Then you can have a bath and I will wait for the Blood Fox to finish." Aiko nodded gently, but with all that blood she really looked like a poor miss... "Should I wait with you, Mistress?" The Umbra Fox gently asked, looking at Aiko. "You don''t have to." Aiko shook her head, there would be no difference if they both waited or if only one waited. Aiko just needed to recover her stamina and she would be able to fight again or deter those pathetic guards... Chapter 206 – Extraction {Prince''s Garden: Inside the House} The Blood Fox was frowning. This Vitality was more potent than the previous ones, which made the extraction harder. At the same time, she could feel the restraints on her body lessening, like something heavy was being lifted away. She slowly worked on her blood, concentrating that liquid into a single point that would be easy to extract. It was... a difficult job. The Princess didn''t provide full access for the Blood Fox to extract it easily, so the Blood Fox had to weave her skills around the roadblocks like a skilled horse rider. She sweated from the difficulty at times, especially around her heart and brain. The Vitality was very potent over there, making it difficult to manipulate. That didn''t deter the Blood Fox, she promised herself to fulfil this desire that Aiko had and finish this mission. She would then visit her brother; take a longer-than-necessary warm bath and just relax... Let''s hope that Aiko will stay still for a bit after they return... It would be troublesome if Aiko couldn''t stay still... The Blood Fox sighed. ''It''s Aiko, so it''s obvious she won''t stay still...'' She lamented in her mind, but considering how much trouble she caused... there was very little ''punishment'' for it. The Blood Fox was confused at this point, since there was always someone who would cover for the little Aiko. Like that Dragon Miss, she didn''t know Aiko from her shocked reaction, yet she helped her... The Blood Fox''s mind wandered since she was accumulating a bit of the liquid, which didn''t require her to think. The world was strange... Everything was much easier when she was just a little Fox. She could play around with her brother and bite him to her liking or thrash him around. But now she had to be careful... Her brother was worried about her, which meant he didn''t really put any guard up and would get easily injured by her. She had to be careful about others, since they saw her like she was just a piece of warm meat... Aiko was different and the same at the same time. Didn''t have her guard up around the Blood fox, well maybe most of the time, but she was similar to her brother in this aspect. At the same time, she loved sleeping on her for some reason, which reminded her of being just a piece of warm meat... That was in the beginning, but the more she observed the little rascal, the more confused she was. She didn''t seek just her, but anything fluffy that she could sleep in. Aiko didn''t like normal beds and would rather sneak inside a warm fluffy tail. She also didn''t really like sleeping alone, but that might be her imagination since Aiko rarely slept without something fluffy. The Blood Fox heard a ruckus outside. She was worried about them, especially the Umbra Fox since she was the weakest. "Fuck! Fucking shitty bastards! This was supposed to be entertainment!" The Blood Fox''s lips twitched, Aiko seemed very lively and even the outside quietened down. ''Everything should be alright... right?'' The Blood Fox paused. "I hate this! Heuk-" She heard the Umbra Fox cry and choke. The Blood Fox was worried that something happened. "Why won''t you just die, why do I have to cut you into pieces?! I hate this!" She heard the Umbra Fox crying constantly while complaining, but the crying got only worse... The Blood Fox was concerned, so she stopped her work for a moment. "Are you alright?" The Blood Fox asked the Umbra Fox. "Heuk-" The Umbra Fox choked. "I''m alright..." She paused for a moment. "I''m worried about Aiko since she took most of the assailants and chased after them..." If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ''Loyal to a fault...'' The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes, but she somewhat understood where that loyalty was coming from. ''Aiko is like a saviour that would never abuse you the moment she took a liking to you. Unlike the other ''leaders''.'' The Blood Fox sighed. Aiko would tease them, but she was very gentle with them and cherished them greatly. So the Blood Fox somewhat understood why the Umbra Fox was so loyal. ''I also don''t want to return to that place...'' The Blood Fox would do everything in her power to avoid that, but also within reason. The moment Aiko would go after her body would be the point when she would leave. She had her pride and would prefer to be a mindless Beast than submit to someone. Aiko was incredibly nice, but there were certain things that she just couldn''t tolerate... "She will be fine, judging by the explosions, she is running towards the main palace." The Blood Fox said slowly. "Are you alright? Do you need any help?" The Blood Fox could temporarily seal that liquid, it would last only a few dozen breaths, but that would be enough to empower the Umbra Fox. "It''s fine..." The Umbra Fox wiped the tears and hiccuped. "They are finally dead... Aiko took the rest." The Umbra Fox had a somewhat hard time talking since she was sobbing. "Okay, tell me if I should help you." The Blood Fox said gently. She liked the Umbra Fox since they had a lot in common. Style of dresses, foods, you name it. The Blood Fox would be heartbroken if something happened to her or Aiko. *BOOM* The Prince''s Garden shook. ''...'' The Blood Fox touched her forehead, it seemed like this time Aiko was truly going all out. ''Well... that''s the only obvious outcome.'' The Blood Fox shook her head, Aiko sounded really pissed off when she said those words. ''It''s a good thing that this doesn''t translate to us.'' The Blood Fox nodded gently, appreciating Aiko a bit more. At worst, Aiko would chase them or tease them, but she wouldn''t resort to violence... ''Sometimes...'' The Blood Fox rubbed her boobs, since for some reason Aiko liked to hit them... ''Doesn''t she understand that she will still grow?'' The Blood Fox tilted her head, there were only a few Foxes with smaller boobs; most of them would be quite big... You are more likely to be packed to the brim than have a flat surface. "Is something wrong outside?" The Princess asked, concerned. "The only thing that is wrong would be you not allowing me access and slowing this whole thing down." The Blood Fox was ruthless in her words, not sugar-coating it. "I''m sorry..." The Princess immediately quietened down. The Blood Fox could only shake her head. This whole situation was troublesome, but it seems like this whole thing is under control... "I still wonder what they are after." The Blood Fox murmured. "They were pretty unhinged and undying, so it must be precious..." The Umbra Fox said gently. The Blood Fox nodded, not saying anything to that. "How are you feeling?" The Blood Fox asked again. "Better since they are no longer trying to stand up..." The Umbra Fox was shivering from that experience, but it was still better than it was previously. "Was it that bad?" The Blood Fox couldn''t see outside so she had to go with her sense of hearing. "Bad." The Umbra Fox said briefly and then added. "Even if you cut their limbs, they would still crawl towards you..." The Umbra Fox shivered once again. "Then what happened that made them run away?" The Blood Fox was confused... if someone was that unhinged and fearless, there would be no way they would run away. The Umbra Fox coughed awkwardly. "Aiko might have or might not have used their comrades as improvised weapons..." She would naturally leave the fact that Aiko played with their guts and other parts. "Pardon?" The Blood Fox thought she misheard it. "She used the assassins as bashing weapons." The Umbra Fox shortened it down. "..." The Blood Fox stared forward. It was a good thing that Aiko was nice to them... ... {Prince''s Garden: Outside the House} Aiko spent sleepless days here. In theory, she didn''t need to sleep, so she was just recovering her Beast Core and meditating. Her Stamina recovered slowly compared to when she slept, but it was still over around 500 stamina per hour, which refilled her tank quite quickly. Then there was finally a change. The insides stirred. "No, you don''t! Dammit!" The Blood Fox cursed and Aiko was concerned, even the Prince and others stared towards the inside. Just then, something blasted through the wall. It was pure liquid. "Fuck!" Aiko immediately knew what it was, since her insides stirred. She immediately started to run away. The Prince was confused and he wanted to hurry inside, but then he heard. "I''m alright." The Princess said with a soft, but tired voice. "Let me dress up first." The Prince blushed deep red, but he was slightly tempted to go inside. The Princess was the perfect partner for him, both body and mind. So he was really doing his best to control his urges. That was one of the reasons why he sought this little Fox. If the Princess lost that thing that made her desirable to both Humans and Fiendish Cultivators; it would mean that she would be safe from them and he would be the only one to truly desire her. The Prince''s hands were gripping his clothes. To enter or not to enter... It was an incredibly hard dilemma. "Don''t you dare enter the house or you will be sleeping on the ground for a whole month!" The Princess''s voice suddenly drifted from inside the house and the guards were suppressing their laughter. "I don''t dare, I don''t dare." The Prince said happily. "But you better give me a good hug!" He would negotiate since he really wanted to feel her body. Now that the addictive part was erased, he would be able to indulge with her freely! "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Aiko was jumping over obstacles and running from the strangely flying liquid. The Prince looked over and then looked towards the Umbra Fox, but she just looked away like she didn''t want to say anything about that. Aiko finally managed to finesse the bottle out of her Storage Ring. "AHA!" Aiko cheered. "Now come here, you bastard!" She still ran away, but she tried to force it into the bottle. It was a funny sight of Aiko jumping around waving a bottle in her hand. This happened even after the Princess was dressed and went outside, but nobody paid attention to her since they were greatly amused by the little Fox. "Dammit! You slippery bastard!" Aiko cursed like she always did. Not noticing that Chen Shi and Lady Liu were also watching... Aiko frowned as it just didn''t want to enter that bottle and she grabbed it in her hand in order to shove it inside. "Aha!" Aiko triumphed, but soon after she noticed a strange feeling in her hand or rather the lack of feeling. She opened her hand and the liquid was gone!? No! She could see her skin was whiter than before! It was slowly returning to its former peach colour and then it clicked for her. "I absorbed it through the skin?!" Aiko was so shocked that she almost fainted and Chen Shi grinned from ear to ear. He finally got some revenge for making his head hurt! Chapter 207 – Bath~ *Cough* Lady Liu coughed and gazed at Aiko. Bloodline: [Moon Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)], [??? - 1/10->3/10] Aiko stiffened and looked over, rubbing the back of her head in a silly manner. "Aiko." Lady Liu smiled, but Aiko was looking around for spots that she would be able to hide in. "Hehe." Aiko giggled silly while trying to run away... but she was caught almost immediately by Chen Shi. Chen Shi smiled happily. He knew that Aiko would get punished. Chen Shi obediently brought Aiko to Lady Liu. Lady Liu held her nose from the smell. "Lady Liu." The Blood Fox and Umbra Fox gently nodded. "At least you are somewhat presentable." Lady Liu nodded gently. "As for you..." She eyed Aiko up and down. Aiko did not bathe, the smell was just god-awful. "You need a bath." Lady Liu nodded gently, but everyone could see the crack in Chen Shi''s smile. "Lady Liu," Chen Shi addressed her as such since he was still in his punishment period. "I believe they can take care of her." Chen Shi gently pointed towards Aiko''s team. "That is impossible." Lady Liu shook her head. Chen Shi almost collapsed. "Why not?" He couldn''t accept the fact that those Foxes would be able to bask in Lady Liu''s light! It was completely unacceptable that they could gaze on her body! "Have you ever cleaned such bloodstains?" Lady Liu asked them. They both paused. The Blood Fox was master with blood, but this Blood was very different and strange. She noticed that they couldn''t transform as long as they had that blood on them. The Umbra Fox frowned even more. It took her 2 whole days of bathing to get rid of that nasty Blood! She didn''t know how to work on it properly! Both of them shook their heads. "See?" Lady Liu sighed. "They are too young to understand and have the know-how to clean it. Especially when it''s already- Ugh." Lady Liu recoiled from the smell. Chen Shi was concerned and upset; how could he convince her not to bathe with them? But his love-stricken brain did not function properly and he couldn''t come up with a solution. "In that case, count me in too!" A very cheery bird appeared out of nowhere and Chen Shi''s face was completely distorted. "That''s not nice!" The Great Roc Mother cried out. "Yanqi." Lady Liu smiled. "Are you finished transporting the bodies?" "Yes." The Great Roc Mother nodded gently. Meanwhile, Chen Shi was choking on his own thoughts. ''Impossible! How are they already on first name basis?!'' He was speechlessly stunned by this new development. "Even those behind the Palace?" Chen Shi immediately tried to drive her away. "Naturally." The Great Roc Mother stuck out her tongue. Chen Shi almost popped a vein on his forehead. "Ugh..." The Great Roc Mother frowned. "What''s this awful smell?" Lady Liu smiled; not saying anything, but Aiko looked away. No way she stank that bad, right...? "So when are we having a bath?" The Great Roc Mother immediately perked up. "Soon." Lady Liu said gently. "No." Chen Shi said instinctively. Everyone looked towards him. This was an awkward situation and a slight blush crept onto his neck. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. He looked away, pretending that he didn''t say anything. "Pfft. Are you jealous~? Want me to hug you to sleep~?" The Great Roc Mother giggled happily. Chen Shi''s face hardened and he looked towards Aiko, his eyes were trying to hypnotise her. ''Say something witty, save this god-awful situation!'' Aiko smiled. "Let the big sister hug you." Aiko said mischievously. Chen Shi''s fists tightened; he was so close to throwing this brat far away! "Don''t be mean." Lady Liu said sternly. ""Auch."" Both Aiko and the Great Roc Mother had their cheeks pinched by Lady Liu. Now, normally that wouldn''t do anything to them, but since they cared about her, they lowered their defences to allow her to pinch them. Lady Liu then sniffed something. "You also smell rotten!" She stared at Yanqi. The Great Roc Mother recoiled. "No way!" She smelled herself, trying to convince Lady Liu. Unfortunately for her, her face was distorted from the smell. "Alright." Lady Liu nodded. "Both of you will have a bath!" She stared daggers at them. She then dragged them away, leaving the Prince with the Princess staring speechlessly... "Does that mean you are alright now?" He was concerned about her. "En." She felt good; tired, but good. There were no strange after-effects on her body or anything like that. The Prince burned with desire, but he suppressed it for the time being. But that did not mean he wouldn''t cuddle her all day! ... {Side Palace: Open Bath} Aiko splashed into the water first. Now that she took her clothes off, she could smell how bad it was. She was unable to bear her own smell and as such, she was the first one to dive into the water. "Aiko..." Lady Liu sighed. The water immediately turned red. "I got the Blood Pacifier from the Snake." The Great Roc Mother said gently. "What does that do?" The Blood Fox was mildly interested. "It would allow you to control the Blood." The Great Roc Mother smiled. "Oh." The Blood Fox nodded, which meant that Aiko would not bathe alone, as she could clean the water from the blood. There was also an issue with filth, but that would be solved by an artefact from the Great Roc Mother. They came close to the bath and she threw the Pill into the water. It melted, not changing the colour of the water, nor was there a visible change. The only one who could perceive this change was the Blood Fox. She realised that she could start controlling the water; not how she was used to, but good enough that she could push the Blood away. "That is truly amazing." Lady Liu nodded with a smile; if she had this kind of attendant in the Immortal World, that would save her a lot of trouble. They all got into the water, but both Foxes kept staring at the Great Roc Mother. "You like these?" The Great Roc Mother teased them by cupping her own breasts, but her hands were simply too tiny to contain them, so they spilt everywhere. The duo blushed, they never saw just a large pair before. "Don''t tease them too much," Lady Liu pinched the Great Roc Mother''s chubby waist. "They might overheat the water." Naturally, she also wanted to tease them. The Great Roc Mother pouted, Lady Liu always liked to target her chubby parts until she got rid of them... The Great Roc Mother kept pouting and waiting till Lady Liu would let her guard down. Unfortunately for her, Lady Liu grabbed the special soap and a very thick brush and went towards Aiko. She immediately rubbed the soap everywhere, making Aiko giggle. "That tickles~" Aiko giggled. "You will not be in such a good mood once we go over the basic etiquette." Lady Liu smiled, but Aiko shivered. "I did nothing wrong!" Aiko defended herself. "Right, guys?" The duo kept staring at the Great Roc Mother''s breasts. Their thoughts are filled with different dreams and fantasies. They completely ignored Aiko''s cry for help, but even if they did hear her, they would not help her... Aiko could only brace herself for what was to come and she had only herself to blame. ... Lady Liu kept scrubbing and scrubbing until Aiko turned into a Fox form. Aiko wanted to lie down and sleep. Her body was free from those restraints of not being able to transform, but now that she had transformed, she was just incredibly sleepy. She didn''t sleep for quite a long time... Lady Liu frowned. She was frowning since she already used 2 whole special soaps to clean Aiko, but even then she was unable to scrub everything off. Aiko made it more difficult with her Fox form, which made her pout. She was not really upset that Aiko transformed, but at the fact that she would have to clean all of her fur, not just her tail. Aiko yawned, her head resting on someone''s lap. Aiko didn''t really care about who it was, the important thing was that it was soft and warm. The water was plenty warm, but she couldn''t sleep on it, lest she would drown... The Great Roc Mother kept glancing at the small fox, who placed her head on the insides of her legs. She then glanced at the duo who were frowning and smiled. "See?" She pinched her juicy thigh. "Much better when it has more meat~" She hummed teasingly. That hum caused her body to vibrate, which Aiko disliked. *Nom* "KYA!" A very questionable sound escaped the Great Roc Mother''s lips and she jumped away. The duo nodded with smiles. ''That''s what you get when you are not a proper sleeping pillow.'' The Great Roc Mother felt wrong, especially so since Lady Liu was laughing at her. "This is not fair..." The Great Roc Mother sobbed gently. "I told you that you shouldn''t be teasing them so much~" Lady Liu hummed happily. Meanwhile, Aiko had an awful day in her life. First, her nice soft pillow vibrated, which she disliked. She bit on it to make it stop, but the pillow just vanished and Aiko was met with a pillow made out of water. She coughed up water and sneezed a few times before plopping her head on yet another delightful pair of soft pillows. The Umbra Fox was shocked as this would be one of the first times Aiko would seek her like that and she didn''t know what to do... "It''s fine." The Blood Fox said, cleaning her body slowly. "As long as you don''t do what she did, you will be alright." The Blood Fox gestured towards the Great Roc Mother. "But I don''t know what she did!" The Umbra Fox sobbed and stiffened once Aiko sighed. Fortunately, Aiko did not do anything else and kept snoozing away, her ears flat from tiredness. Lady Liu came close and continued rubbing Aiko until she would clean her completely. The Blood Fox joined her after cleaning her body and also manipulated some of that Blood away. Lady Liu and the Blood Fox made a great tag team against Aiko''s filthiness and they would join hands in cleaning her thoroughly! Chapter 208 – (18+) Lady Liu?! {Chen Shi''s place} ''This is... troublesome...'' Chen Shi was pacing back and forth. He was upset that Aiko was having a bath with Lady Liu, but there was another pressing issue. ''That Lamp...'' He narrowed his eyes. ''How can I get rid of it...'' Chen Shi was concerned that the lamp would mess up everything. He knew that there was an evil spirit sealed inside, but for some reason, Lady Liu was hesitant about it. He didn''t like that... Chen Shi treasured her and he would have to do more research about that Lamp and what it might entail. "Search for all the information about this." Chen Shi said with authority, as the last part of the Talisman burned out... "I will get to the bottom of this, but let''s set up a few Ghost Capturing Treasures just in case..." He immediately pulled his handcrafted [Spacial Ring]. It had an enormous capacity and would help him greatly when transporting things. Normal [Spacial Ring]s could not compare to his, in size nor Qi consumption! It was tweaked so much that it could be considered a Divine Treasure! Chen Shi pulled several Treasures and littered them around in hidden places. "That should do..." Chen Shi then sat down and stared towards the baths. He was wondering what they might do to Lady Liu... ... {Inside the Baths} Aiko was quite fast asleep and Lady Liu was still rubbing her. The Umbra Fox was blushing since Aiko was sleeping on her. This was bothersome since Aiko was nestled in the wrong place. Not only did Aiko''s tail tickle her all over her lower body, but Lady Liu''s rubbing applied to her too! The Umbra Fox squirmed, but if she squirmed too much, she could see Aiko opening her mouth! No way could she afford Aiko''s bite on her chest! The Umbra Fox could only bear the teasing of Lady Liu and Aiko. What was even worse about this situation was the fact she was enjoying it! The air heated up and almost everyone''s attention was on the Umbra Fox and the clueless Lady Liu with the sleeping Aiko. The Umbra Fox naturally hated this, at least she was trying to, but Lady Liu''s diligent teasing made her unable to calm down. The Blood Fox snickered. She never saw the Umbra Fox being at the mercy of others. Sure, she was beaten by the Grandmaster, but she would always have either a neutral or defiant look. Now she was squirming around trying to get away from them, yet she was not allowed to use her strength. They all knew that if they used just a little bit of strength, they would badly hurt Lady Liu... The Umbra Fox could not get away and had to bear the teasing. It was not much of a teasing other than Lady Liu rubbing her chest and Aiko constantly teasing her with her tail. The Umbra Fox was in a pitiful state, her body shivered from the incoming orgasm, which was a bad thing for her. *Nom* The shock on the Umbra Fox''s face was apparent as she arched her back from the sudden edge of climax and unexpected pain. Aiko was naturally blasted away by the arch, but the Blood Fox already expected this and caught Aiko. The Blood Fox nestled back into the pond so Aiko would be warm for the time being, but she was looking around warily. She would not be caught off guard like the Umbra Fox. ... When Lady Liu saw the Umbra Fox arch her back and then crash back into the pond, her mind was confused. She gazed at her up and down, noticing her deeply flushed cheeks and heaving chest. "Aren''t you a naughty little girl~" Lady Liu giggled, but the Umbra Fox could only return a glare since she was too exhausted. "Aren''t you a naughty girl~" The Great Roc Mother felt left out, so she joined the fun. "Kya!" Lady Liu was startled by the sudden cupping of her chest. The Umbra Fox took this opportunity to slowly sneak away while holding the left part of her chest. "You..." Lady Liu shook her head. "They are still firm..." The Great Roc Mother was surprised. Well... Lady Liu was not THAT old, since the ''curse¡¯ worked backwards. Her Vitality was eaten away, but her body didn''t age as quickly. Her face looked mature... a bit too much, but her body was still somewhat- No wait! Lady Liu¡¯s body looked like it was in her prime?! What''s going on? Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. The Great Roc Mother was shocked and her mind whirled around. ... "I told you to keep still." The Blood Fox shook her head. "Then let''s change places and let''s see if..." The Umbra Fox stared at the sizable chest of the Blood Fox, those would definitely spill to the sides, meaning she wouldn''t feel all that much... "Unfair." The Umbra Fox pouted. She was not willing to talk with the Blood Fox. The Blood Fox giggled softly, but Aiko was nestled in such a way that she didn''t mind and snoozed happily away. Meanwhile, the Umbra Fox was pouting even more from the fact that the Blood Fox was too skilled in this kind of thing. ''Was she trained by Aiko...?'' The Umbra Fox thought of many things, but there weren''t that many times when Aiko was alone with the Blood Fox, so that couldn''t happen... The Umbra Fox could only shake her head... ... Lady Liu let out a soft moan. "You are as sensitive as before." The Great Roc Mother narrowed her eyes, but before she could ask anything her legs were swept under her. The Great Roc Mother fell nearby, but her senses acted faster and she also caught Lady Liu before she would get injured. Lady Liu''s healthy body was now on top of her and her mind blanked. Lady Liu snickered. "What''s wrong?" From a mature voice to a soft and seductive voice. The Great Roc Mother was enchanted and couldn''t help but gulp loudly. "What?" Liu Zhi snickered. "Are you perhaps expecting something~?" She had her feet on Yanqi''s hands. Since her body was in her prime, she was a lot more... flexible. Liu Zhi was able to wrap her toes around Yanqi''s fingers, locking them in place. Liu Zhi whirled her waist, teasing both herself and Yanqi. Yanqi was naturally aroused by her pristine and youthful-looking body. She was going after both Chen Shi and Liu Zhi since both of them were to her liking. She was pursuing Liu Zhi for a long time and she missed the younger days... Yanqi''s thoughts were interrupted by a soft kiss from Liu Zhi. "What are you thinking about when you have this in front of you~?" She smirked, folding her arms under her chest, making them even more appealing than before. Yanqi was a short distance from those appealing red cherries, but before she could nibble on them, she was stopped by a hand. "This is a punishment for you!" Liu Zhi pouted, holding Yanqi''s chest hostage. Yanqi was shocked by this assertive Liu Zhi; she was always so conservative, yet today... "Mhmmmm." Yanqi moaned softly as her nipples were played by Liu Zhi. "They are as sensitive as I remember them~" Liu Zhi smirked at Yanqi, but before Yanqi could do anything, Liu Zhi pinched her nipples. Yanqi''s body shivered from the sudden pleasure and her eyes slowly turned lustful. "Now, now, don''t move. This is a punishment~" Liu Zhi was like a merciless ruler, whipping her servants. Yanqi was unsure how to act or feel about this, but she damn sure was aroused as hell! She never expected that the soft Liu Zhi could be so incredibly sexy when she is in her dominant form. Yanqi''s thoughts were interrupted once again. Liu Zhi played with her nipple, gently circling her nipple with her tongue. "Attention to all attendants." Liu Zhi said and gently nibbled on her nipple. Yanqi moaned out loud, but before she did, she already set up her Beast Core Boundary, so that they wouldn''t get interrupted. "Good girl~" Liu Zhi liked her attention to detail and slightly sadistically bit her nipple. Yanqi naturally arched her back, but she didn''t expect Liu Zhi to continue. Liu Zhi''s mouth occupied the right nipple, but her left hand played with the left nipple. Her fingers were gently circling her areola; caressing it, but never touching the nipple. This vast disparity in treatment made Yanqi both aroused and frustrated. Liu Zhi knew how to tease her, but she wouldn''t allow her to climax. Liu Zhi gently sucked on Yanqi''s nipple, sending electrifying waves through her body. Yet it was not enough! Yanqi was needy for attention, but she was always denied by Liu Zhi! "Bad girl." Liu Zhi pushed Yanqi back into the pond. She would not allow Yanqi to tease her. "Mrrmmm." A strange type of purr left Yanqi''s lips as she squirmed around. "Will you be a good girl~?" Liu Zhi teased Yanqi around her nipples. Yanqi completely submitted to Liu Zhi and nodded obediently. Liu Zhi''s lips bloomed a mesmerising smile, so much so that Yanqi was left dazed. Liu Zhi lowered her body, planting a gentle kiss on Yanqi''s lips. The softness was unparalleled and as much as the sweetness. It was much better than anything she had tasted before and probably anything that she would ever taste. They both were in the bath, so the smell was harder to make out for Yanqi, but that didn''t mean she wouldn''t grow even more aroused. Liu Zhi''s soft lips met Yanqi''s once again. They softly kissed again and again, before Liu Zhi wrapped her hands around Yanqi''s neck. She planted a deep kiss on Yanqi''s neck, making her shiver. "Who is a good girl~?" Liu Zhi purred softly while slowly torturing Yanqi''s neck with her gentle kisses. "I am..." Yanqi weakly replied between moans. "Who is a good girl~?" Liu Zhi repeated, mercilessly teasing her. "I am!" Yanqi yelled out from the relentless teasing. "Good girl, now stick out your tongue~" Liu Zhi once again hummed and commanded the squirming Yanqi. Yanqi naturally obliged and stuck out her tongue. It would normally not be visible, since she spoke in a special way. Yanqi was very conscious about her tongue since... it was not very appealing to most. She had a somewhat thin, but very long tongue. "Good girl~" Liu Zhi praised her and opened her mouth. She gave Yanqi a deep kiss once again, but this time she played with her tongue. It was slightly rough, which was fine for Liu Zhi as it had many good uses. They make out for a good half an hour before Liu Zhi releases Yanqi from the relentless advances and teasing. "Please..." Yanqi squeaked weakly. "No~" Liu Zhi giggled softly. "Have you forgotten, naughty girl? This is your pu-nish-ment~" Liu Zhi gently hummed with her soft voice, driving Yanqi crazy. "Please... please let me cum!" Yanqi''s voice sounded like she was very wronged. This aroused Liu Zhi. "Don''t be a bad girl." Liu Zhi twisted Yanqi''s nipple, making her shudder all over her body. "Now tell me~" Liu Zhi planted a gentle kiss on Yanqi''s collarbone, slowly moving upwards; kiss after kiss... "Ah! I will do anything!" Yanqi moaned loudly again and submitted to her fate. "Now tell me~" Liu Zhi gently teased Yanqi''s ears. "What is a good use for your tongue~?" Liu Zhi whispered sweet words into Yanqi''s ears. Yanqi took a good 5 minutes to finally realise what Liu Zhi meant. Yanqi stood up abruptly. "Kya~" Liu Zhi giggled softly from the movement and the fact that Yanqi grabbed her thighs. "What a naughty little girl~" Liu Zhi once again kissed Yanqi to distract her and make things difficult for her, which worked well. Yanqi almost collapsed into the bath again, but she was able to save it at the last moment. Now the position was reversed. Yanqi was still standing and holding Liu Zhi, but Liu Zhi was now the one lower down. Yanqi was like a hungry bird looking over its prey. Liu Zhi smiled mischievously. Yanqi was so focused on Liu Zhi''s face that she didn''t pay attention to anything else. Liu Zhi readied her breathing and twisted both of Yanqi''s nipples. A loud moan and crash followed. Yanqi lost all her strength as she was brought to climax. Meanwhile, Liu Zhi held her breath since she would be crashing into the small pond. She was unhurt, but Yanqi was towering over her body, which meant that Liu Zhi was still underwater. She waited patiently. That was also the reason to prepare her breathing as she had a deeper plot in her mind... Yanqi recovered, but could not find Liu Zhi... Chapter 209 – (18+) Bad girl! Yanqi immediately fished out Liu Zhi. Liu Zhi coughed water and looked very weak, making Yanqi worried. What Yanqi didn''t realise was that Liu Zhi plans to make her even more submissive through acting! "I''m alright." Liu Zhi felt bad about that expression Yanqi was making, so she reassured her about her condition. "I''m sorry..." If Yanqi had animal ears, they would be absolutely drooping! Liu Zhi screamed internally. This was too cute for her! Liu Zhi gently hugged Yanqi, but she was also a master of acting! Yanqi gently embraced Liu Zhi, making her smother Yanqi with her breasts. Liu Zhi realised it a bit late and her nipple was already taken hostage. "Mhmmmm~" Liu Zhi gently moaned. Her nipple fell victim to Yanqi''s tongue! Yanqi''s tongue was long and thin, with a somewhat rough texture. It coiled around Liu Zhi''s nipple like it had a mind of its own. That somewhat rough texture made this situation even more arousing as it gently scraped her nipples, making them stand in line. Yanqi smirked upwards at Liu Zhi. "Aren''t you a naughty little girl~" Liu Zhi gently pinched Yanqi, but didn''t stop her from doing it. Yanqi played with Liu Zhi''s nipple, but Yanqi was not satisfied. The bath was blocking her sense of smell, among other important things. She lifted Liu Zhi once again, but this time more boldly, by her cheeks! Yanqi cupped her butt firmly, enjoying that divine sensation on her hands. She naturally didn''t forget about Liu Zhi''s nipples and she gently sucked on them. Liu Zhi moaned once again as Yanqi kept her rough tongue coiled around her nipple while sucking them. She was enjoying the sensation, not paying any attention to where they were going. Yanqi guided them to a private spot where the wind wouldn''t blow. She was still worried that Liu Zhi''s fragile body might be affected. Yanqi gently lowered herself down, letting Liu Zhi''s body gently nestle on her legs. Liu Zhi blushed as her legs were completely open. "Who is the naughty little girl?" Yanqi suddenly said. "Look at how wet you are." Yanqi fervently gazed towards Liu Zhi''s meadow. "Hmpf, that''s just water!" Liu Zhi looked away shyly; she couldn¡¯t admit it openly. Yanqi would not leave that alone and gently caressed Liu Zhi''s labia. A loud moan escaped Liu Zhi''s lips. Yanqi licked her fingers. "Now~, that''s the taste I remember~" Yanqi gently and teasingly hummed. Liu Zhi snapped at her, glaring at her. Yanqi giggled at this cute pouting display and sealed Liu Zhi''s lips. Another tender kissing session later, they were once again on good terms. "Let this little naughty girl serve you~" Yanqi planted one last kiss on Liu Zhi''s lips. "Mhmmmm~" Liu Zhi purred happily. Yanqi planted kiss after kiss, slowly moving downwards to her sacred cave. Her own body was lowering and shifting Liu Zhi''s body onto hers so that Liu Zhi would be able to sit on her face. Liu Zhi shivered from the anticipation and tender care. Yanqi stopped just above her pretty flower and moved to the left, planting kisses on her thighs, finally positioning Liu Zhi''s tender meadow above her face. Liu Zhi gently caressed her hair, enjoying the feeling, but also feeling slightly frustrated from the fact that her blooming flower was neglected. "So pretty." Yanqi moaned softly, staring at the completely wet and breathing pussy. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Liu Zhi blushed, but steeled herself. Looking at Yanqi who was lying on her back. "Aren''t you going to start, you naughty little bird~?" Liu Zhi stuck out her tongue, teasing Yanqi by whirling her hips. Her pussy was at full display, tempting the hungry Yanqi. Yanqi liked to play around, so she matched Liu Zhi''s rhythm, but in reverse. She stuck out her tongue and let it glide on her sensitive skin. Liu Zhi shivered and twisted her hips, the somewhat rough tongue was now circling her labia, teasing her relentlessly. Liu Zhi was obsessed with this sensation, penetration was always good, but long foreplays were the best. Yanqi''s tongue slipped into the inner part of the labia, sending tiny sparks around the lower part of Liu Zhi''s body. Liu Zhi shivered, both from pleasure and the slightly chilly air. Her body was heating up quickly, so the latter was not much of an issue. Yanqi''s clumsy technique was always the best, Liu Zhi could not predict what would happen, so she would always be surprised when her lower body suddenly tingled. "Mhmmmm~, continue~" Liu Zhi gently purred, offering her honey pot to the hungry hummingbird. Yanqi naturally would not stand on ceremony and licked her pussy up and down. This was always a strange feeling for Liu Zhi as that tongue was not flat and wide, but thin and long. This meant that it would always slip slightly and accidentally into her honey pot. Liu Zhi slowly moved her hips to increase the pleasure she was receiving. Yanqi replied in kind and teased her even more, planting kisses on her pussy and nibbling on her clit. Liu Zhi moaned gently as the pleasure overtook her. Yanqi was slowly losing her mind from the returning smell that Liu Zhi exuded. It was a sweet; addicting smell that was unforgettable for her. "I love you~!" Yanqi purred as she sucked on her clit harshly. Liu Zhi rolled her eyes from the sudden pleasure and her mind blanked. She was taken off guard by this naughty girl that she wanted to punish her, but Yanqi was doing such a good job that she would let it slip this one time! "Come on~" Liu Zhi caressed Yanqi''s hair. Yanqi licked her pussy opening before gently and slowly inserting her tongue. Her tongue was quite rough, so she was worried that she might actually scrape Liu Zhi, but her only replies were loud moans as something intruded on her sacred cave. Liu Zhi''s eyes rolled backwards as she was overtaken by orgasm, her hips spasmed. Yanqi was concerned that Liu Zhi would get a bruise, so she lifted her by her shins. Liu Zhi naturally lost her balance and planted her entire weight on Yanqi. Yanqi didn''t mind, but she also didn''t expect that this small movement would cause such a huge reaction. Her long tongue was inserted deep into Liu Zhi''s tight kitty. Yanqi was tenderly massaging her inside like a slithering snake, but once Liu Zhi collapsed on her; her tongue slid deep inside bumping into something and coiling around it. This motion and the deep penetration from the tongue sent waves of electrifying pleasure through her body. Suddenly, a clear liquid blasted Yanqi''s face. Yanqi didn''t frown, as she knew from some rumours about this. She naturally teased her clit and pussy to prolong her squirting orgasm. Liu Zhi moaned at the top of her lungs, her body spasming and shuddering from the heightened orgasm. Her orgasm was prolonged to a staggering 20 breaths. Liu Zhi felt incredibly drained and light-headed. She could no longer feel Yanqi''s tongue; her body was heavy. She was so embarrassed about what just happened, that her condition worsened. Seeing this abnormality, Yanqi moved to support the shaky Liu Zhi. "Are you alright?" Yanqi went into her worried mode almost immediately, which made Liu Zhi giggle. "I''m completely spent..." Liu Zhi shook her head. She was quite sad that she wouldn''t be able to continue this session. "I will help you." While they did clean themselves- well... the mess was so big that they might as well not cleaned themselves... Yanqi escorted Liu Zhi back into the bath to clean her gently. She wiped her body and slowly, but tenderly took care of her. "I feel like a princess~" Liu Zhi hummed happily. Yanqi planted a kiss on her back. "You ARE a princess~" Yanqi hummed back teasingly. Liu Zhi snorted, but she was happy inside. "I will take you to your room, so rest properly." Yanqi planted another kiss on Liu Zhi''s lips. "Fine." Liu Zhi pouted, but didn''t reject her. She expected that she would be guided to her room, but oh how wrong she was... Yanqi naturally lifted Liu Zhi into a princess carry, slowly carrying her away. Liu Zhi blushed deep red. "Y-You can''t carry me like this back!" Liu Zhi stuttered like a maiden without experience. "Why not~?" Yanqi gave her a teasing peck on her forehead. "We already did that, you know~?" She hummed happily that she got to experience it again. "That is that and this is this!" Liu Zhi thrashed around, but Yanqi had a firm and steady grip on her. "Sure~" Another peck on Liu Zhi''s body, this time it was on her cheek. "Don''t forget that you have not satisfied me just yet." Yanqi pouted cutely, trying to make Liu Zhi into the guilty party. "That was your punishment!" Liu Zhi also pouted cutely as she found a way to retort it. There was a momentary pause before they laughed happily. ... {Back before they started their steamy session} The Blood Fox stood up gently. "It''s time to leave, let''s not interrupt them." The Umbra Fox really wanted to watch. She was interested and she also hoped that she would be able to prolong her dreams. Unfortunately for her, the Blood Fox grabbed her tail, making her squeak. The Umbra Fox tried to scratch the Blood Fox, but she just dodged her. "Come on." The Blood Fox giggled, seeing the upset Umbra Fox with her tail completely puffed up; unlike its previous wet state. The Umbra Fox glared at her, but followed. She would definitely pay back this debt! Meanwhile, Aiko was still sleeping somewhat peacefully, but since the temperature was getting colder; she was naturally waking up. "Morning?" Aiko yawned cutely in her small Fox form. "Not yet." The Blood Fox softly spoke. The Umbra Fox chirped in. "You are all cleaned up, so we are heading back." She would naturally not say what Lady Liu and that birdie were doing. Aiko nodded slowly. "I will sleep a bit more." She yawned again before closing her eyes. "But we will have to dry you." The Blood Fox gently nudged Aiko''s nose. Aiko slapped that finger away. "That''s fine, I will just lay motionlessly." She stuck out her tongue and went to bed, which was naturally the Blood Fox''s bosom. The Blood Fox could only shake her head; she had a lot of work in front of her, not just cleaning Aiko. "Do you want me to help you with your tails?" The Umbra Fox suddenly spoke. She was the only one without a second tail. "I would appreciate that greatly." The Blood Fox naturally didn''t reject the Umbra Fox as this would speed things up. "Do you think that Chen Shi will destroy this place once he finds out?" The Umbra Fox asked softly. "It will be fun to watch..." The Blood Fox said and they both snickered. Chapter 210 – Can we return? Aiko yawned and blinked a few times. Her team was dressing up to go outside and there was a very annoying Ghost bothering her. ''I would like to take a walk around, Mistress.'' The Ghost Lady said. Aiko was annoyed and bothered. She was sleeping nicely until a moment ago, but then someone(!) had to wake her up. "Why are you bothering me?" Aiko yawned again. She was sleeping nicely, no longer smelling that bad. This time she was even able to sleep without tails, which was strange, but she didn''t question it for the time being. ''Because without your permission, I can''t leave the lamp.'' The Ghost Lady shifted her body, clearly uncomfortable with this fact. "Hmmmmm..." Aiko hummed gently, she really wanted to ignore her and sleep. Why was she even bothering her when she was supposed to slumber? "Don''t cause trouble, don''t instigate others, don''t get captured... anything else...?" Aiko''s mind was hazy. "For each trouble you cause, I will plant a flag into your ass." Aiko yawned one last time before returning to her slumber. The Ghost Lady touched her face. Did the little fox saw her as some kind of troublemaker that she had to be wary of? Well... she was. She was an exceptional beauty and that in itself would already attract great troubles. The Ghost Lady shrouded herself before leaving the sleeping Aiko in this part of the courtyard. Her destination was quite short, which meant that she didn''t need to ask for permission to move the lamp. ''So many things have changed...'' The Ghost Lady shook her head. Ever since her new Mistress patched the lamp, the horizon expanded greatly... maybe a bit too much. The Ghost Lady was much more free than previously. She no longer felt a constant gaze on her, it vanished without reason. That made her happier, since that could possibly mean that the gaze would not hold any power over her. ''I just changed masters basically...'' The Ghost Lady narrowed her eyes, but she was happier like this. ''Now let''s find her... and make up...'' The Ghost Lady felt bad about what happened in the past. She totally didn''t listen to her and now she ended up like this... She arrived at a certain courtyard and she could feel numerous Treasures trying to restrict her movement. The Ghost Lady ignored them like it was natural and came closer to the door. *Knock Knock* She gently knocked on the door. "Come in." Lady Liu said softly, not really expecting a visitor. The Ghost Lady pushed open the door, she already noticed there was another gaze on her, but since that gaze didn''t do anything; she ignored it. The Ghost Lady stepped inside and sat in front of Lady Liu. Neither of them was surprised... Well, maybe Lady Liu was slightly surprised. "What is it?" Lady Liu sounded somewhat annoyed. "I''m here to make up with you... Sister." The Ghost Lady bowed gently, but elegantly. *Pfft* Lady Liu spilt the tea she was drinking from this sudden shock. "What?" She threw her etiquette out of the window since she believed that her Sister was possessed. "I''m not possessed." The Ghost Lady said. "What?" Lady Liu repeated subconsciously. She then awkwardly coughed. "Other than that, what brings you here?" The Ghost Lady could feel a tinge of pain from her Sister''s attitude, but she didn''t say anything about it. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. "I wanted to catch up with you, exchange some nice memories before I was a bitch to you." The Ghost Lady spoke softly, clearly embarrassed about how she acted. Lady Liu was speechless for quite some time. "Are you really reflecting...?" "En." A pained expression was painted on the Ghost Lady''s face. "What made you change?" Lady Liu was interested in such abrupt change. "I... was humbled." The Ghost Lady said softly and looked away with a light blush. Lady Liu raised an eyebrow, she could not think of anyone who would be able to humble her Sister... "Little Aiko?" Lady Liu tilted her head. "Who?" The Ghost Lady tilted her head. "The little tiny Fox?" Lady Liu knew that she was being teased, but she still replied. "Oh..." The Ghost Lady blushed and Lady Liu was once again startled. ''I thought she was teasing me...'' Lady Liu could no longer understand who the person in front of her was... ... Chen Shi was standing outside, listening to them. He was shocked that Lady Liu''s Sister appeared here, but what was even more shocking was that she wanted to make up?! ''That was impossible...'' Chen Shi frowned. Lady Liu was a complete Saint, while her Sister was a fiendish demon... ... They chatted for quite a long time. "So, Sister, what are your plans now?" Lady Liu asked her. "I''m pretty much stuck to Mistress, so I will just follow her and aid her." The Ghost Lady. "That is good." Lady Liu nodded. She could see that her Sister''s providence sharply increased during these days, but Heavenly Dao has not noticed it yet. "What about you, Sis?" The Ghost Lady was a lot more affectionate, but she also didn''t approach Lady Liu to hug her. Why? Because her Ghost Qi would weaken her body and she would like to avoid that. "I intend to cause a ruckus in the Immortal World once my life runs out in this lifetime." Lady Liu calmly said. *Pfft* This time it was her Sister''s turn to spill the tea. "What?" The Ghost Lady asked, completely speechless. "I will destroy a few places in the Immortal World to protect the little Foxy." Lady Liu repeated. "Huh?" The Ghost Lady was a carbon copy of Lady Liu, when it came to their expressions and actions. "You are joking, right?" She asked. "I''m not joking." Lady Liu calmly replied. ""I disagree with that plan!"" The Ghost Lady shouted and there was another person who also shouted. Chen Shi was so caught up in the atmosphere that he revealed himself outside Lady Liu''s place. "Come in." Lady Liu gently said and Chen Shi shivered. Chen Shi stood at the doorstep. "I-" Before he could come up with an excuse, he was cut short by Lady Liu. "Come in and sit down." Lady Liu gestured to him to sit down. Chen Shi''s head hung up low. "Sit there." Lady Liu pointed at the seat next to her Sister. Chen Shi frowned and obliged. "Hello..." The Ghost Lady awkwardly said. Chen Shi glanced at her, expecting that previous lustful expression he was so used to, but to his shock, he could not find it on her face. The Ghost Lady was very awkward and reserved. There was no lust, only an apologetic expression. Chen Shi raised an eyebrow, but he couldn''t question her right now. It would have to wait for later once he grabs her and questions her. "I do not agree with that Sis." The Ghost Lady completely denied that motion. "There is no other path for me." Lady Liu said, calculating her own fate. "They will torture you..." The Ghost Lady sobbed. Chen Shi was likewise completely hardened and upset. "Only for a couple of thousand years, by that point, you should be powerful enough to kill them." Lady Liu cast a murderous gaze towards a certain direction. "But you don''t have to suffer..." The Ghost Lady sobbed. "I''m so sorry that you ended up like this." She cried softly; her Soul Essence dropping instead of tears. "That is fine." Lady Liu gently caressed her Sister''s head. "As long as you understand and admit your wrongdoings I will forgive you." "Don''t say it like you will die soon!" The Ghost Lady cried out. Chen Shi''s gaze burned towards Lady Liu. "I don''t have much time." Lady Liu openly admitted her state of being. Chen Shi completely froze all over and his mind blanked. There was no way that Lady Liu had such little time, there still should be a few years... Lady Liu casually sipped her tea. "Do you know where the little one is going?" She asked her Sister. "I don''t know... but..." The Ghost Lady shined and a tsunami of energy swallowed Lady Liu. The Ghost Lady was now almost completely translucent. "This should give you a few more years..." She said with sadness. She wished that her Sister could be cured, but she wasn''t powerful enough to twist the Law that bound her Sister. ''Damn Sages!'' The Ghost Lady cursed. Lady Liu was confused and shocked. "Why...?" Her throat was sore from her previous activities and even more, now that she was stunned by her Sister''s motions. "Because you are my Sis and that''s what I was supposed to be doing..." The Ghost Lady said weakly. "I also shared some of my Origin Essence, so you can find me when you become a Soul." The Ghost Lady could no longer maintain her special body and vanished in front of her Sister. The Ghost Lady was still there, but Mortals could no longer see her and hear her. "Is she alright?" Lady Liu was clearly taken aback. Chen Shi could only nod. He was unfamiliar with this... with Lady Liu''s Sister. She was completely different to what she was and how she acted previously... He could not understand, does that little Fox truly have the means to change someone for the better? Or is this just an elaborate facade? He couldn''t tell. His thoughts were clouded and he could not think straight. Lady Liu nodded weakly. "I will have a rest." The previous endeavour drained her, but she didn''t regret it. She liked the little birdie quite a bit, but that also didn''t mean that she didn''t like Chen Shi. ''It would be a strange triangle if I tried to go for both of them...'' Lady Liu shook her head. She would maintain this status quo as long as possible, since she was too scared she would lose both of them... She would not be able to cope with the loss of her closest Companions. It might be bad towards them, but she could not figure out another way to go about this. ''Chen Shi doesn''t like her, while she doesn''t mind much.'' Lady Liu thought about it, but the more she thought, the stranger it was. One was overly hard and one was overly soft. She could pick neither of them... ... {Back to Aiko} Meanwhile, Aiko had a peaceful dream where she chased after Mei. It was a very peaceful and pleasant dream... Chapter 211 – Her Team and the Divine Mountains Aiko woke up groggily. While she was able to sleep on the bed without assistance, it was not as invigorating nor was it comparable to the heavenly sensation that was the Blood Fox''s tails. ''Ugh...'' Aiko frowned, feeling her body aching. She stood up and stretched. It was a weird feeling, but she ignored it for the time being. She could hear her team outside. So Aiko took the lamp and tapped the Sect Token to dress up. Aiko went outside and her companions were discussing something about toys. They were sitting in the garden with trays of snacks and fragrant tea. Aiko tilted her head. ''Aren''t they a bit too old for toys?'' She was puzzled, but since she didn''t get proper sleep, she was not thinking straight. "Morning." The Blood Fox said gently. Aiko nodded back and yawned. "Morning. What''s happening?" "There will be another banquet and after that, we will be finished." The Umbra Fox said. "I mean, we can leave now, since we have finished our ''mission''." Aiko shrugged. "Let''s give Lady Liu some kind of gift before we leave." Aiko suggested. "We already did our due diligence." The Blood Fox smiled. "When?" Aiko tilted her head, it couldn''t be today, right? "Today." The Blood Fox gently smiled. Aiko stared at them for quite a while. ''How suspicious...'' "I will go arrange my gift today so we can leave as soon as possible." Aiko said and immediately left the area. "I was sweating." The Umbra Fox shivered. "It''s fine, Aiko won''t try that much." The Blood Fox shrugged. "That''s not nice of you to say..." The Umbra Fox said. "Then go tell her that you bought those toys from that strange-clothed, auburn-haired old merchant." The Blood Fox shrugged. "... No way." The Umbra Fox proclaimed. "It was even weirder that he had everything I wanted..." The Umbra Fox shivered but didn''t regret her purchase. "Then everything is alright." The Blood Fox said. "One day she will know, but for now we have to deal with the rising heat." She sipped her tea slowly. "That''s ironic coming from someone who almost bought out his whole shop..." The Umbra Fox narrowed her eyes. "Normal toys won''t sate me, I''m a Demonic Beast, unlike you." The Blood Fox looked away. She didn''t buy all that many toys, but they sure were unique. "Wouldn''t you go hunting for Humans?" The Umbra Fox asked in passing. "No. I don''t like them." The Blood Fox knew that she wouldn''t be sated. She watched her fellow Demonic Beasts get fucked by the Human toys captured during the Fox Village admission period. Foxes were to clear stages in order to gauge their affinities and intellect. One of the last stages would be to hunt for Humans. Sometimes the Fox Village was rewarded for killing them and other times, for capturing them. It all depended on how many captured Humans they already had. But that is not the point. Demonic Beasts were incredibly alluring, which raised the heat inside the room. That in turn made orgasm a lot easier... You get the point, right? It took them around 10-20 Humans to be satisfied, but they would always give them only 1 or 2. The Blood Fox hated both Humans and Foxes. Mostly the Fox Elders from the Fox Village, but also those other lustful bastards. Keeping them in constant heat would not only weaken them, but it also hurt them. Making the demonic foxes be in constant pain from not being able to relieve themselves. And make them more pliable to those perverts will. The Blood Fox''s complexion changed and the Umbra Fox flinched. "I-I''m sorry." The Umbra Fox was scared that she stepped on a landmine. "It''s alright." The Blood Fox smiled gently on Umbra Fox, which scared her even more. "Am I that scary?" The Blood Fox touched her face. "Yes!" The Umbra Fox cried out. "When you are upset you leak so much bloodlust, but then you suddenly smile at me?! Who wouldn''t be scared!?" The Umbra Fox complained. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "Oh..." The Blood Fox nodded in understanding. "We are in the same team, so I naturally won''t hurt you." She gently smiled. The Umbra Fox nodded meekly. "How about a hug?" She shyly asked. The Blood Fox tilted her head, but didn''t reject it. Maybe if the Umbra Fox hugged her she would be less scared? She opened her arms inviting the Umbra Fox. The Umbra Fox nuzzled into that embrace. She nuzzled and nuzzled, a little too much. *Pinch* "Auch!" The Umbra Fox cried out since her thigh was pinched harshly. "Don''t make me angry." The Blood Fox threatened. "But they are sinfully soft!" The Umbra Fox protested, those soft peaks were truly divine. She would love to sleep on them all day- No wait! She didn''t swing that way! The Umbra Fox shook her head. "Sorry..." She apologised to the Blood Fox. The Blood Fox was confused, but then something clicked. "First time in heat?" She tilted her head. The Umbra Fox blushed in deep red. She looked away, but nodded meekly. "Oh..." The Blood Fox found this surprising. "Well, the first time I can remember." The Umbra Fox coughed awkwardly; she didn''t remember what she did in her Animal Stage. The Blood Fox nodded slowly. "It''s better to get used to this feeling or you might pounce on anyone that you found desirable, like that old merchant." The Blood Fox smiled teasingly. "Or that male we passed. Or the cook-" The Umbra Fox punched the Blood Fox''s shoulder gently. How could she talk like that?! Wasn''t she embarrassed?! The Blood Fox smiled teasingly once again. "If you are constantly horny, you will get used to that heat, so only remove it once you can''t bear it~" She hummed gently, stroking the Umbra Fox''s thigh. The Umbra Fox felt butterflies in her stomach. It was an unfamiliar feeling that made her jump up and rush away. "I-I will go sharpen my tools!" She could not think of a better excuse and at her current state, she couldn''t create one. "Make sure you are not too loud~" The Blood Fox licked her lips, which made an audible wet sound. The Umbra Fox stormed away like she was running away. The Blood Fox giggled. "They are all so cute~" She was slightly upset that her companion took advantage of her, but that quickly vanished since it was her first time. "Now I have to figure out why we are getting horny..." The Blood Fox shook her head, she could not find a proper reason why they were like this... ... {Aiko outside the courtyard} ''I don''t know what Lady Liu might want...'' Aiko frowned. ''I can''t ask her nor Chen Shi. The Bird Lady would be normally fine, but I''m not sure if she wouldn''t tattle on me...'' Aiko shook her head. ''Lady Liu is old and weak. I would give her a Massage Chair, but I don''t have one with me...'' Aiko strolled around, without a clear goal. ''What do I do...'' "I''m telling you Lady Liu started it!" Aiko could hear the Bird Lady yell at someone. "Then why didn''t you stop?!" ''And that''s Chen Shi.'' Aiko smirked. ''I wonder what''s happening...'' Aiko sneaked around to get a better view of the whole situation. "I''m telling you, Lady Liu wanted it, so I caved in. Don''t tell me you have never cave in!?" Yanqi huffed at Chen Shi. Chen Shi was momentarily stunned since he couldn''t retort it. "This is this and that is that! You know how weak her body is! You should''ve been more considerate!" Chen Shi huffed back. "Yet you don''t even know how to lock doors." Aiko joined, she liked the Bird Lady more than Chen Shi. Chen Shi choked. "Y-you!" He immediately snapped at Aiko who was in a nearby tree. "Forgot to lock the door, huh?" Yanqi smirked. "Did you get caught~?" She teased Chen Shi. "Ugh." Chen Shi frowned. "It was not a nice sight." Aiko butted in. Chen Shi immediately glared at Aiko and Aiko hid behind the Bird Lady. "He is a bully, I''m telling you." Aiko gripped the Bird Lady''s clothes. "Oh?" The smirk deepened on Yanqi''s lips. "When he was caught, he wanted to punish us for not locking the doors." Aiko shapes the story in a slightly different direction to make Chen Shi a complete villain. Yanqi giggled. "What a bad boy you were." She shook her head pretending to be sad, but the increasingly wide smile betrayed what she was going for... "And he even forbids me from doing anything because of it." Aiko weaved those lies like a proper scum. Yanqi laughed. "What did you do to her that she villainizes you?" Chen Shi looked away. "Nothing." Yanqi raised an eyebrow. "Seriously~?" She didn''t believe either of them. Chen Shi coughed awkwardly. "What are you doing here?" "Stealing treasures for Lady Liu as a farewell gift." Aiko didn''t want to admit that she was eavesdropping on them. They both stiffened. Lady Liu didn''t have much time to live. Well... her Sister gave her a big gift so she would live for the time being, but Aiko''s words still pained them greatly. They knew that Aiko didn''t mean it like that, but they couldn''t help their minds drift in that direction. Aiko saw this strange atmosphere and she thought that they were judging her. "It''s not like I can ask her what she likes, since it wouldn''t be a gift then, right?" Aiko tilted her head, trying to justify her reasons. "Why couldn''t you?" Yanqi asked, she was much simpler in these kinds of things. "You will know what they want and both of you will be happy." "That would take away the surprise." Chen Shi assisted since he didn''t want the previous conversation to resurface. "Hmmmm..." Yanqi thought about it, but she was still of the opinion that gifts should be liked by the receiver and not just as a courtesy. Chen Shi guided them to the table since it seemed like they kicked up quite the ruckus. They sat at a stone table with stone chairs, but those chairs were padded with a well-decorated cushion. Yanqi immediately picked up Aiko and placed her on the lap. Aiko didn''t mind... until she minded quite a lot... *Boing Boing* Something heavy was pressing on her head and shoulders. "Can I sit by myself?" Aiko asked. She was greatly bothered by their weight and shape. "Don''t worry, he won''t do anything to you." Yanqi misunderstood Aiko''s intention and glared at Chen Shi. "Stop glaring at her just because you aren''t cute enough to sit on my lap!" She proclaimed. Chen Shi choked. That was not why he was glaring at her- Well... maybe a little bit, but that was beside the point! *Boing Boing* Aiko''s eyebrows twitched. ''How can they so easily drink tea when I''m being harassed by mountains?!'' Aiko didn''t like this. *Slap*x2 Aiko slapped each breast with one of her hands, but she didn''t expect the elasticity of those mountains. *Clap Clap* Yanqi''s boobs clapped with great offensive power. *PFFT* Chen Shi spilt his tea with great vigour and glared at that shameless little Fox! Aiko was momentarily stunned until someone pinched her cheeks. "Aren''t you a naughty girl?" Yanqi teased Aiko. "I''m not." Aiko defended herself. "But you wouldn''t do that normally, would you?" Yanqi teased. "Because normally you wouldn''t be harassed by them and I''m not naughty." Aiko protested. "Yes, you are." Yanqi said, still teasing. "I''m not!" Aiko''s fuse vent off. "If I were naughty I would do this!" Yanqi saw Aiko grabbing her boobs and giggled, but this was a great misunderstanding... *Whip* Aiko grabbed the hem of her clothing that protected those spiteful mountains from spilling and pulled on them. They spilt with the force of a thousand mountains. *PFFT* Chen Shi coughed up blood this time. This was too much for his virgin heart! Chapter 212 – Gift for Lady Liu Yanqi covered her chest, embarrassed about her current disposition. Aiko crossed her arms. "That''s what it means to be naughty!" Yanqi pouted. "But everyone loves my chest..." "Only perverts do!" Aiko proclaimed. "Like that one!" She pointed at Chen Shi and he snapped out of his daze to glare at that brat. "I''m not a pervert!" Chen Shi defended himself. "Tell me that again once you recover that lost blood, pervert!" Aiko scoffed at him. Chen Shi glared at her, but she ignored him. "And you! Stop bothering people with your tits!" Aiko accused the Bird Lady. "I''m not doing that!" Yanqi yelled, she was embarrassed and wronged. "You just did it!" Aiko pouted, ready to pounce on her to prove her point. Yanqi sniffled and went away to fix her clothes. "Hmpf." Aiko snorted at Chen Shi. "And you should control your urges; you almost lifted the whole table with your boner!" "I did not!" Chen Shi feigned ignorance. "You are not convincing, pervert!" Aiko clicked her tongue, was everyone really that shameless and horny?! Was she the only one normal?! ... Yanqi returned, her clothes were fixed and they were a lot firmer, not revealing as much. "That was not hard, right?" Aiko huffed and the Bird Lady pouted. Yanqi sat down, but she had no intention of picking the little Fox up. She didn''t want to repeat that event... although she was happy that Chen Shi reacted to her. Aiko sat down on the stone chair, but only part of her head poked above the table. "They can''t even make chairs properly." Aiko clicked her tongue. "Maybe you should grow up." Chen Shi took a jab at Aiko''s height and calmly sipped his tea. "Says someone that almost poked a hole into the table." Aiko snorted. "I did not!" Chen Shi glared at her. "I''m sorry, table lifter." Aiko rolled her eyes. Chen Shi slammed the cup on the table. "Why are you still here?!" "So that you two won''t fuck in the presence of our pure Lady Liu." Aiko crossed her arms. Yanqi giggled. ''A little late for that~'' She already went at it with Lady Liu, so she couldn''t be considered all that pure~. "And you will be guarding us~?" Yanqi teased Aiko, petting her head. "Until I come up with a gift for Lady Liu." Aiko nodded, completely serious. Yanqi giggled at that display, but she had to say that Aiko had some lovely hair. "Then if I help you with the gift, will you give it to Lady Liu?" Yanqi smirked. "If I like it, yeah." Aiko nodded. "But to think you would sacrifice your time with me, just so you could jump at him." Aiko shook her head with a judgmental look. "He has to take responsibility for me~" Yanqi giggled. Aiko turned towards Chen Shi. "Womaniser." "You brat!" He slapped the table, making an imprint of his palm on it. Aiko shook her head disapprovingly. "Gunning after so many beauties when you have Lady Liu- No wait, she isn''t even yours." Aiko chuckled. *Slap* -50,000HP Aiko was blasted through the air and it took her a while to recover. "Auch." She massaged her cheek while still in the air. "What am I going to do now...?" Aiko was free-falling down. She didn''t have any Abilities that would give flight. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Aiko did have her double jump Skill, but that had to be timed properly. ... {Back with Chen Shi and Yanqi} "Was that necessary? She isn''t wrong." Yanqi cast a judgmental look at him. "She is a brat, she needs to learn some etiquette." Chen Shi said seriously, without a shred of embarrassment for slapping Aiko. Yanqi sighed. "You would not be a good parent." "I don''t have to be. I don''t intend to have kids, not to mention most Cultivators can''t have kids." Chen Shi shrugged. Yanqi clicked her tongue. It was a good thing Chen Shi was ignorant. "Most children would say what''s on their mind. Especially Beasts which have no upbringing." Yanqi shook her head. "So what?" Chen Shi snorted. "Am I supposed to ignore her constant taunts?" "Then tell me why she was nice to me?" Yanqi asked him. "Sure, she turned mean, but that was because she didn''t like someone, so I think that''s a ''you'' issue." Yanqi sighed. "How the hell is that nice?! And she was mean the first time we met!" Chen Shi proclaimed. "I call bull on that one." Yanqi didn''t believe him. Aiko was very likeable and cute when not agitated, but everyone would turn like that if they were agitated. Well... they would mostly try to kill you and not just badmouth you, so Aiko could be considered a rarity in this kind of thing... Chen Shi snorted and no longer said anything. Yanqi stood up, surprising him. "What?" Yanqi cast him a reproachful gaze. "What are you doing?" Chen Shi questioned her, since he was not done with her just yet. "Catching a falling Fox." Yanqi shrugged and disappeared. ... {Back to Aiko falling} "I don''t like timing things..." Aiko sighed. "Why not?" A voice popped next to her. "Gah!" Aiko rolled in mid-air from her shock. Yanqi giggled. "I have come to pick you up." Before Aiko could say that she didn''t need it, she was picked like a child and they disappeared from that place. They popped back before that familiar table. "Geh, you again." Aiko recoiled the moment she saw Chen Shi. Chen Shi frowned, seeing no visible damage on her. ''Must be that weird transformation...'' He shook his head. Aiko scoffed at him. Yanqi sat down with Aiko, but this time instead of sandwiching her with her boobs, she just let Aiko sit on the side of her lap. Aiko didn''t mind that oversized left breast threatening her vision as long as it didn''t try to squish her. "What am I doing here?" Aiko asked. "That''s my line." Chen Shi snorted. "Oh shut up you pervert." Aiko rolled her eyes. "She is here to receive a gift for Lady Liu." Yanqi chuckled. Chen Shi had a bad feeling about this whole thing... "Tada~" Yanqi produced a strange device from her ring. "You have got to be kidding..." Chen Shi didn''t believe what she pulled out. Aiko took it into her hand. It was a strange stick with separate smaller parts. "If you press this Rune." Yanqi demonstrated and the head started to vibrate. "It''s the perfect gift for Liu Zhi~" Yanqi smirked and giggled. Chen Shi. "You can''t take that and make it into a gift." "I can." Aiko nodded. "I was thinking about giving Lady Liu a Massage Chair, so this is a perfect substitute." Aiko smiled. "Thank you, Bird Lady." Aiko beamed a smile towards the Bird Lady. Yanqi blushed. Aiko was incredibly cute while smiling. "You are welcome~" She gently pinched Aiko''s cheek. She didn''t have any strength to tell Aiko that it was a sex toy... "You really can''t give Lady Liu that..." Chen Shi frowned. "If I add a spin and twist to it, it will relieve your muscles quite well." Aiko blankly stared at him. What was his problem? Chen Shi choked at that stare. "I''m telling you the truth. You really can''t give her that." "You are just jealous that she would get such a nice gift~" Yanqi giggled, backing up Aiko. "That''s right... He is always like that." Aiko nodded in agreement. "I''m not jealous!" He ruffled his hair. "Now that you have that ''gift'' can you finally go away?" "But I like it here." Aiko answered the fuming Chen Shi. Chen Shi almost popped a vein. "Fine." Aiko pouted. She stood up with her gift and placed it into her [Storage Ring]. "Thank you, Bird Lady." Aiko waved with her hand, but her tails followed along. Aiko left the courtyard, leaving those two behind. "Seriously..." Yanqi shook her head. "How can you hate such a cutie." "She almost destroyed my ship and..." Chen Shi spilt his gripes with that brat. "So... in other words, she was young and caused trouble that can be easily fixed." Yanqi summed it up. "Not to mention that she is much cuter than you are and that''s why Liu Zhi pays less attention to you and you act like a pouty child who doesn''t get enough attention." "I''m not a pouty child!" Chen Shi retorted. "You are just a lovestruck pervert." Yanqi nodded slowly. "I''m not a pervert!" Chen Shi had enough and stood up. "Steer clear from Lady Liu, she needs rest!" "And that''s why you are going to bother her now?" Yanqi rolled her eyes. Chen Shi stiffened. "No." He left without saying more. "Seriously..." Yanqi shook her head. "Poor Liu Zhi is troubled by two troublemakers." Yanqi chuckled and finished her tea. "But I will have to do something about the fact he hates children..." Yanqi sighed before leaving. ... {Aiko on the way back to the courtyard} Aiko was moving along in the shadows. This was her habit by now, since she knew that she would be able to easily observe others if she didn''t stay out in the open. It was a fun time. Aiko arrived at their courtyard. The Blood Fox was calmly drinking tea. Aiko thought that her team was very reliable, but she could not see the Umbra Fox. Aiko came close to the Blood Fox and asked her. "Where is Umbra Fox?" The Blood Fox flinched, not expecting Aiko to come back so soon. *Buzz Buzz* "Hm?" Aiko tilted her head. "Buzz?" The Blood Fox blushed. "Umbra Fox is in her room sharpening her tools or resting." ''The Blood Fox looks slightly drunk...'' Aiko kept tilting her head. "Okay, I will work on my gift for Lady Liu in my room." Aiko patted her shoulder. *Buzz Buzz Buzz* "Mhm." The Blood Fox left a barely audible moan. "Is something wrong with you?" Aiko heard the buzzing sound again, but she ignored everything else. "It''s nothing. I feel a bit cranky from sleeping on those beds." The Blood Fox made up a lie. "I can relate to that feeling." Aiko stretched her arms, but she could still feel being quite stiff, or maybe that was from that slap. Aiko stroked her cheek. It didn''t burn or anything, but it still cost her half of her HP. ''I should learn how to slap like that since it seems very useful~'' Aiko hummed gently walking into her room. The Blood Fox sighed in relief before her body spasmed. "Uffff..." The Blood Fox breathed loudly. "That was a close one." ''But also very exciting...'' The Blood Fox blushed at that thought. "What was close?" Aiko popped her head from her room. "N-nothing!" The Blood Fox stuttered. Aiko narrowed her eyes. "Suspicious." Before slowly closing the doors with her eyes still staring at the Blood Fox. Chapter 213 – Aiko tinkering and ‘uninvited’ guests… Aiko went inside her room, she was still wondering about that buzzing sound. ''Let''s not think about it, I can always spy on them later.'' Aiko would get to the bottom of this, but not now. She placed the gift in front of her, it was an oddly shaped Massage Tool, but at the same time comfortable to hold. ''That Bird Lady knows her stuff.'' Aiko nodded. There was a small Rune that detected motion and that same Rune was used to activate it. ''Which means that you don''t need Qi to activate it.'' Aiko marvelled at this idea, but at the same time wondered... Most of them said that there were no Treasures that could be activated by Mortals, yet right here and now, she was holding one that could be activated by just about anyone. ''I have no idea what is going on...'' Aiko shook her head. ''It only spins, so I should also add tilt to it and maybe include a stronger spring...'' Aiko thought about it for quite a while. The current Massage Tool was unusable as it only spun around its axis. That would not make much difference when it comes to reliving muscles. ''Maybe she wanted to get rid of it?'' Aiko thought about it several times, but she was sure that the Lady Bird didn''t hate her. That meant that she would not give her anything rubbish. ''I''m liked... right?'' Aiko paused, since she did slap those mountains. But can you blame her?! Her back felt so heavy, like she was lifting a freaking mountain! Aiko slowly disassembled the Massage Tool. It had a few springs inside so that if you pushed on it, it would gently move and make way. ''A good way to prevent injuries.'' Aiko nodded, this was a good quality product. ''But I will need a better spring.'' Aiko thought about it. ''Or do I?'' Aiko narrowed her eyes and picked up her Inscription Carving Pen. She had a sinister smile on her lips, looking like she would be butchering someone. Aiko scribbled away on the spring, since the only thing on it was a preservation Rune and a capacity Rune. Aiko would add gathering and strengthening Runes. That would make the spring slightly stiffer, but considering she would tilt it in directions... it was needed. Aiko places down her Pen after being done with the spring. ''I will also have to redo most of the Inscription on this thing.'' Aiko slowly inspected the Massage Tool. There was nothing inherently wrong about the current Inscriptions, but Aiko needed to add the tilt and ''gears'', so that you could adjust the potency of this Massage Tool. ''Lady Liu might need a gentler setting...'' Aiko thought about it. Lady Liu always moves slowly, so it''s a better idea to include really gentle twists and maybe once the muscles are loosened... ''But let''s not overdo it.'' Aiko stopped her hand from creating another abomination. ''Lady Liu is a Mortal, so even the base setting would be too much.'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. ''I will take the base setting and reduce its potency a few times and those times will be the different ''gears''.'' Aiko nodded happily like she cracked the code. ... {Blood Fox and Umbra Fox in the courtyard} Meanwhile, outside was the happy Umbra Fox walking around and cleaning things. "Is Aiko still out?" She asked no one in particular. Hands wrapped around the Umbra Fox''s waist. "She is inside her room, you naughty girl~" The Blood Fox was also in a happy mood. The Umbra Fox chuckled. "I''m not the one who almost got caught~" She stuck out her tongue and the Blood Fox pinched her waist. "Auch." The Umbra Fox pouted. "It''s not my fault that you got all the vibrating toys." She shrugged. "I''m not degenerate enough to use those strangely ribbed toys." The Blood Fox shrugged. "So what?" The Umbra fox was looking forward to her first penetration so she didn''t use any penetrating toys. The Blood Fox shook her head. "She is inside her room and is tinkering with her gift." She let go of the Umbra Fox waist. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. She truly had a slim waist and the Blood Fox was tempted to hug it before she went to sleep. "I will go check on her~" The Umbra Fox was happy, which meant she was in a mischievous mood. She sneaked around and peeked inside Aiko''s room. "Hehehe~" Aiko was giggling to herself while playing with- The Umbra Fox immediately hid. ''W-what did I see?! Since when did Mistress buy that toy?!'' The Umbra Fox was shocked. ''Surely she is not affected...'' The Umbra fox sweated. She peeked inside once again, but this time the toy was completely disassembled. "It''s not right..." Aiko frowned. "It doesn''t spin well enough." The Umbra Fox immediately booked it. ... "What''s wrong?" The Blood Fox asked. "That-That-a-uh-" The Umbra Fox was like a broken record. The Blood Fox was likewise in a teasing mood. She came closer to the Umbra Fox and wrapped her hands around her waist once again. "Come on~, tell me." The Blood fox whispered sweetly into the Umbra Fox ears. The Umbra Fox shivered and jumped away. "I''m not telling you!" She was completely red in her face and breathing unsteadily. The Blood Fox tilted her head, but before she could say anything the Umbra Fox ran away. The Blood Fox touched her cheeks. "How strange..." She didn''t expect such a strong reaction. "I wonder what that was about~" The Blood Fox hummed and sneaked around. She was less stealthy than the Umbra Fox, but she eventually managed to get under the window of Aiko''s room. The Blood Fox peeked inside, only to find a toy on Aiko''s table. ''How strange...'' The Blood Fox tilted her head. ''She came back with the gift... surely that''s not the gift.'' Just then Aiko returned to her table and disassembled it once again. The Blood Fox was even more confused and didn''t pay attention to her surroundings. *Crack* A small twig broke under the Blood Fox''s feet. The Blood Fox immediately looked down and frowned, but when she looked up. Aiko was already staring at her. Her smile was widening by the second. The Blood Fox wanted to calmly walk away... But Aiko rushed towards the window. The Blood Fox flinched and wanted to get away. She turned around ready to walk away. Aiko jumped on the windowsill and grabbed the Blood Fox by her collar. "Hehehe~" Aiko giggled sinisterly as she dragged the Blood Fox inside. ... Aiko dragged the Blood Fox inside by the collar, completely ignoring that she pulled a bit too strongly and most accessories loosened up. That included the belt. Aiko ''threw'' the Blood Fox on the bed, since that was the only flat, but soft place where she would be able to test her ''improved'' gift. The Blood Fox was stunned. This development speed was too quick for her! "M-Mistress, I''m not ready." The Blood Fox covered half of her face with her long sleeves. "That''s too bad." Aiko smiled like the Devil, and the Blood Fox gulped. "I-I''m not interested in this!" The Blood Fox felt fear in her heart. "Don''t worry, I will be gentle." Aiko smiled from ear to ear, she just finished the ''gears'' and she needed to test the intensity of someone''s muscles. ''My opinion would be biased...'' Aiko thought and that''s why she was so happy that there was a ''volunteer'' to help her with it. Aiko picked up the gift and walked towards the Blood Fox. "I don''t want this!" The Blood Fox cried out. "It won''t hurt." Aiko tilted her head, she didn''t understand what was going on inside the Blood Fox''s head. "Anyway! Turn around." Aiko slapped the Blood Fox''s butt. The Blood Fox recoiled slightly, but her body sank into the bed. She was completely stiff, her happy mood was nowhere to be seen. Aiko immediately jumped on her back. "Alright." The Blood Fox was ready to activate her Blood Abilities to blast Aiko away, but she also was confused. ''Why would she sit like that?'' The Blood Fox was confused since Aiko didn''t sit in the reverse position, but towards her head. Aiko placed her new ''improved'' Massage Tool on the Blood Fox''s back. The Blood Fox was even more confused. ''Does she perhaps not- Ahhhhh-'' "Mhm." The Blood Fox felt a strange movement on her back, but it was not unpleasant. "How is it?" Aiko asked, this was the first ''gear''; the gentlest one. "Hmmmm..." The Blood Fox was still confused, but she relaxed her muscles. She wanted to believe that Aiko wouldn''t do anything to her that she would dislike. "I''m not sure..." The Blood Fox could feel it, but she didn''t quite get what it was supposed to do. "This is my gift for Lady Liu, but I can''t get the Massage Tool to work properly, so I wanted to experiment on someone." Aiko briefly described her dilemma. The Blood Fox hid a deep blush inside, this was one huge misunderstanding and she wanted to blame Aiko for that! "I can barely feel it." The Blood Fox assisted Aiko, now that she knew that Aiko was... just Aiko. Of course, she would keep her thoughts about this situation to herself... Aiko nodded. "I constructed it with ''Mortals'' in mind. As they are not as strong as us, I have to be careful that I don''t hurt Lady Liu." Aiko pushed the ''gear'' up. The Massage Tool moved quickly. "Mhm." The Blood Fox gave a happy sigh. She was much more relaxed now that she knew nothing would happen, so she was able to feel it much more vividly. "This one is better." The Blood Fox said, this feeling on her back was not bad at all! "Okay." Aiko nodded and turned the ''gear'' once again. "Hmmmm." The Blood Fox focused on that feeling, but frowned. "This one is not that good..." Then she paused. "It still works, but now that I''m more relaxed it feels... wrong?" "Okay." Aiko nodded, there was one more ''gear''. "Auch." The moment Aiko turned it, the Blood Fox gave a pained cry and Aiko immediately stopped. "I''m sorry, this one is no good, huh?" Aiko frowned. Gently and slowly massaging the Blood Fox''s back, especially the place where it hurt. "It was not that bad, but there is an old injury, so it hurt." The Blood Fox tried to smile, but her face had a pained expression painted on it. Aiko nodded. She activated the Massage Tool on the lowest setting and placed it on that place. It was agitated and maybe the muscles were very stiff over there, so if she used the lowest setting... It might help the Blood Fox? Aiko wanted to repay her test subjects for their help. "Mhm." The Blood Fox gave an accepting sigh. Aiko worked in that place for quite a while. When she noticed that the Blood Fox was getting slightly too comfortable and drifting to sleep, she turned the ''gear'' up. "Mhm." The Blood Fox returned to her happy sighing form and Aiko nodded. She slowly worked on the Blood Fox''s back, again and again, until everything loosened up. The Blood Fox now looked like a melted puddle of happiness. [You have acquired the Title: [Masseur]!] [Masseur] [Allows the User to identify stiff muscles on one''s body. (Unlocks Skills and Abilities related to relief.)] Aiko blinked a few times. She didn''t expect she would get such a nice Title! What happened?! Chapter 214 – Finishing the Blood Fox Aiko blinked a few times, it was unlikely that the system would give her something this nice, but she could not see the demerits of this. She glanced at the Blood Fox and she could see certain red dots on her body. There was also a large gash on her back, the one that she tried to smooth out. ''Let''s not touch the big one, but I wonder if I can do something about the others...'' Aiko thought about it. She gently touched a place on the Blood Fox''s back. "Mhm." The Blood Fox squirmed gently. ''Interesting...'' Aiko nodded and picked up her Massage Tool. She wondered if she would be able to make the red area go away. She used the gentlest ''gear'' and placed it on the Blood Fox''s back. The Blood Fox was startled by the sudden sensation and her back arched, almost throwing Aiko over. "What in the world..." Aiko tilted her head. "It tickles..." The Blood Fox said gently, but Aiko could hear embarrassment in her voice. "Hmmm..." Aiko frowned slightly, was she not allowed to touch the lower part of her back? ''Then how about the upper part?'' Aiko tilted her head, her upper back was almost entirely red, especially around her shoulders. She placed the Massage Tool on her upper back with the lowest setting. The Blood Fox gave a slight reaction, but nothing excessive like before. Aiko nodded, she wouldn''t be thrown over and she would be able to work on it. She slowly worked on the red areas while the Blood Fox was giving soft purrs. ''This is amazing...'' Aiko nodded slowly. She could see those parts disappear, but at the same time, it didn''t take long until they returned. She played around with the red areas and realised that some red parts would turn other parts into red parts. Aiko would have to figure out this puzzle if she wanted to get rid of the red area... ... She massaged the Blood Fox for a good 2 hours before she figured out the puzzle. At this point, the Blood Fox had no resistance against Aiko''s advances and just lay there moaning softly from the nice feeling. Aiko finished working on her back and stood up. The Blood Fox had no intention of standing up and Aiko could not blame her. ''I''m not heavy, but after a few hours I wouldn''t be able to stand up either.'' Aiko chuckled. She let the Blood Fox lay on the bed until she got up, but in the meantime she would play with the gift a bit more, introducing more gears and speed of the whirls. What she realised after working on the Blood Fox''s back was the fact that she couldn''t use certain kinds of twists and whirls on her back, otherwise it would block other parts of her back. That meant she would have to improve this Massage Tool a lot more, but she didn''t have all that much time for it. While she would make the best gift possible for Lady Liu, she also wanted to finish this mission, since she didn''t want to meet up with more undead assassins. They were not nice to fight... Aiko nodded gently. She would just do her best. ... {Umbra Fox right after Aiko started her ''assault''} The Umbra Fox squirmed on the roof. She didn''t expect Aiko to be so assertive. She was bothered by the Blood Fox''s protests, yet it didn''t take long for her to be turned into a moaning mess. The Umbra Fox''s mind spun. What if she was found out? Would she end up like the Blood Fox? And what was even happening inside that room?? Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! The Umbra Fox gulped. She was unable to keep watch under these circumstances and she scurried inside her room... ... {Blood Fox inside the room} Aiko disassembled the whole thing and introduced more separate Runes, these would control the twist and speed of the whirl. Allowing much finer control of the wand. The Blood Fox supported her upper body with her arms. Her whole dress was a mess, yet Aiko paid no attention to her. There was relief and dissatisfaction inside the Blood Fox. She was confused and annoyed by this, yet she could not do anything about it. Aiko really paid no attention to them and she would have to live with this. She liked this part of Aiko, but at the same time... there was something wrong with it. Everyone would stare at her and she was bothered by it, yet at this same moment she was bothered by the fact that she was not being stared at? The Blood Fox shook her head and fixed her clothing. She looked over at Aiko who was diligently working on her ''gift''. The Blood Fox wanted to warn Aiko about this ''gift'', but at the same time, she didn''t have the heart to stop Aiko from finishing it. Aiko looked like she was enjoying herself, which was somewhat rare these days. She was either neutral or annoyed. She didn''t do much and was bored often. ''It''s good that she is back.'' The Blood Fox stood up and realised that her back no longer hurt from the weight of her chest. ''... Incredible.'' The Blood fox stretched and twisted her back, yet it no longer hurt. ''I take it back...'' The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. ''That''s an incredible gift.'' She nodded towards the diligent Aiko before leaving the room. Aiko had her toy to play with and she would give an amazing gift to Lady Liu, so she didn''t have any reason to stop Aiko from continuing. ... The Blood Fox went outside the room, but she could not find the Umbra Fox. She walked around the courtyard only to hear faint moans from a certain room. "What a naughty little Fox." The Blood Fox licked her lips. She was fascinated by the fact that the Umbra Fox turned into a pervert. ... {Aiko alone inside a room} Aiko finished tinkering with her gift and looked towards the bed. "Huh..." Aiko was a little startled that the Blood Fox was nowhere to be seen. ''Was I working so hard that I ignored her completely?'' Aiko felt slightly bad about that part. ''I should probably go talk to her later.'' Aiko first needed to patch a few things. She needed to assemble it first, since she finished her tinkering. It would be bad if she lost any parts. Store it inside her Storage Ring so it''s safe. With that finished, she was able to leave the room. Finding the Blood Fox was an easy thing to do, since Aiko had sensitive senses. Picking up a trail was easy for her to do, not to mention this courtyard was quite small, so it would be impossible for them to hide from her. Aiko located the Blood Fox quite quickly. She was sipping tea, but this time there was no buzzing sound. Aiko stepped closer and the Blood Fox reacted to her. "Morning." The Blood Fox smiled gently. "Oh." Aiko completely ignored the fact that she worked throughout the night. "Morning." Aiko smiled back. "How are you feeling?" Aiko asked the Blood Fox. "Very good, it''s a very good gift." The Blood Fox smile bloomed; her shoulders and back no longer ache, so she gave it a high evaluation. "That''s good." Aiko nodded and noticed the Blood Fox fidgeting. "What''s wrong?" She asked her. "Would it be possible to create more of them?" The Blood Fox asked Aiko. She had a desire to possess it. Aiko thought about it. "If we have the materials, there shouldn''t be a problem." She would be able to improve it over time until she perfected it, which would be the perfect situation for her. Aiko would be able to tinker with things once again and make money that she would be able to spend... on something. ''Mei needs a lot of Herbs, so we can use money on that.'' Aiko gently nodded. She would be learning more practical alchemy once she returned, so she should gather means of creating funds for it. Aiko sat down next to the Blood Fox. The Blood Fox immediately poured her tea and they sipped it together. "Where is the Umbra Fox?" Aiko asked. "Outside shopping for food." The Blood Fox smiled softly. "She was gathering snacks that we could recreate." "And she didn''t even invite us..." Aiko clicked her tongue and shook her head. "She did invite us, but you have ignored us." The Blood Fox giggled. Aiko awkwardly coughed. She didn''t expect that her hyper-focused mind would just filter everything out. "Well... I''m sorry." Aiko felt quite bad about it, since she wouldn''t be able to taste those snacks. "She will be coming back soon, she will also bring back some snacks for us." The Blood Fox said gently. Aiko''s ears immediately perked up. She was slightly hungry and it would be great if she ate something delicious~. Aiko nodded. "Good, good~" She giggled. "By the way, are you ready to leave or do you want to do anything else in this Capital?" Aiko asked the Blood Fox. "Hmmm..." The Blood Fox paused. No matter how much she thought about it, she was unable to think of anything that would hold her back. "Not really." The Blood Fox said, shaking her head. "Humans are not all that amusing and their only redeeming feature is their food." She shrugged like she didn''t care at all about this whole thing. Aiko nodded, but before she could respond, the bush rustled. They both snapped towards it. "I was found out, huh?" A male voice drifted from it. "In that case, I will-" He was making a monologue, but Aiko interrupted him. "It''s that shit-covered animal!" Aiko suddenly yelled. The Smelly Wind choked. "I''m not shit covered!" The Blood Fox covered her nose. "Go away, you have already contaminated our courtyard." He got blow after blow into his fragile ego. "You-" He was taken aback by their insults. "You stink like a 100-year pile of diarrhoea!" Aiko proclaimed. "You walk like you have the shits!" Aiko scoffed. "You choke up like diarrhoea in the middle of the run!" The Smelly Wind was so hurt that he considered walking back, but he couldn''t really back down. He was unable to hurt that Human that hurt him and this little Fox was an annoying eyesore the whole time. She stole most of the spotlight, be it good or bad. Nobody paid any attention to him, since everyone believed the only thing going for him was his bad smell! He was upset, enraged even, but at the same time, he was unable to take his revenge since that Human was too strong...! Chapter 215 – Cooking He was ready to pounce on them, he would savour their meat and drain their blood. Yet that little Fox was not afraid of him? He couldn''t understand... Just then, another Fox came into the courtyard. "Umbra, rope." Aiko said and gestured towards the Umbra Fox. The Umbra Fox was confused, but she still gave a rope to Aiko. "Also, let''s store the snacks into the Storage Ring so they don''t get contaminated even further." Aiko snatched the snacks into her Storage Ring. Now everything was safe and everyone was prepared for what was to come. Well, everyone except for the ignorant Smelly Wind. The Smelly Wind pounced on them, but the Foxes didn''t even move. After the last assassination attempt, Chen Shi upgraded the Defensive Arrays for their stay. The Arrays were temporary since he didn''t want to empower the Royalty, but at the same time still powerful enough to restrain anyone below Body Integration Cultivation. That included Smelly Wind. Smelly Wind pounced at them at an unimaginable speed that even startled Aiko. She was quite surprised that someone could be this quick. But even if the Smelly Wind was quick, he couldn''t bypass the Defensive Array... He was bound by an invisible force and unable to move. Aiko smiled at him like a Devil, stretching the rope. The Smelly Wind shivered, but he couldn''t get away. "Get me a Cauldron! We will be cooking!" Aiko proclaimed. She was truly smiling like the Devil. "Ah, also make the servants from the palace bring buckets of shit." Aiko had a very dubious plan. The Smelly Wind was confused. Poo healed him, so he didn''t understand why this Fox would bring that here. Her team was likewise confused, but Aiko paid no mind to it. She will be cooking today! And on the menu was an earthly Fox! Her team brought the big Cauldron, but they were still confused. The unwilling servants brought buckets of shit. They had their own opinions about these strange kinks, but before they could voice it Aiko told them to dump it inside. Everyone had a strange expression once Aiko lit a flame under the Cauldron... everyone except the Smelly Wind. He was trying his best to escape this fate. He was unwilling to be roasted alive! "What are you doing~?" Aiko smiled at him. She was bothered by the fact he attacked her twice now, so she would take her revenge properly! The Smelly Wind shivered and whined, but Aiko ignored him. "You already attacked me twice, so it''s only natural that I will get some payback~" Aiko hummed happily, but there was a problem. This pile of shit was really smelly and she was unwilling to touch him in order to throw him inside the Cauldron. She immediately snapped at the servants with a strange expression. "Come here." Aiko beckoned them with a cute expression, but they subconsciously took a step back. "You either come here or I will drag you here." Aiko snorted at them. They were scared of this little Fox, even more so since the rumours seemed to hold some truth. None of them were brave enough to step forward, but they had to... otherwise, they would end up on a pike like they heard in the rumours. They picked that strange pile of whining shit and threw it inside the Cauldron. Right after, they tried to excuse themselves so they wouldn''t be forced to do more strange things or be submitted to the ''Fox treatment''. Fortunately for them, Aiko was merciful since she already accomplished her goal. "You can go." Aiko waved them away. She would be cooking from now on, so she didn''t need their help. They bowed and walked away, but Aiko still stopped them again. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. "Also bring a large ladle or spatula, just something that I can use to mix this thing." Aiko kicked the Cauldron and a sad whine resonated from within. The servants kept bowing and promising that they would bring something for stirring. Aiko was satisfied, so she let them go. Naturally, the servants would fulfil this request since they were but mere Mortals. The Foxes were Cultivators, so they had no other option... Aiko went to the table and sat down. It would take a while before it started boiling and she also didn''t want to close the lid for the time being, just in case he would suffocate and die before his healing kicked in. ''What a curse...'' Aiko lamented as she saw it slowly bubble. ''I should be careful about what heals me so that I can''t be abused like this.'' It would be fine to heal from something, unless it can be boiled like in the aforementioned case. She would be absolutely depressed if something like this happened to her, but that is also the reason she doesn''t fight just anyone. Everyone likes her and nobody has any gripes with her... except Chen Shi... and the Ghosts... and a few Beasts... you know? Never mind, she should be careful about what she says too... Aiko reflected on her ''special'' mouth. She should be able to keep it in check if she tries really hard, but most of the time it should not be needed... ''It''s good to curse once in a while and unbottle all those feelings~'' Aiko hummed happily. ... The Cauldron was boiling and he kept whining as he was burned and healed at the same time. Aiko was unconcerned as this was her revenge, but she was really bothered by the constant whines. "Did they include a lid?" Aiko asked the Blood Fox. All of them were sipping a nice tea waiting for him to finally boil, so they could enjoy their snacks. Unfortunately for them, it was one persistent bastard that just wouldn''t die. "They did." The Blood Fox replied positively. "Hmmm." Aiko nodded happily. She would just close the lid and be done with that whining. This would allow her to peacefully drink her tea while he gets boiled as punishment for attacking her twice. Aiko went to slam the lid on the Cauldron, a very magical special Cauldron or maybe a one-time use Cauldron? Definitely the latter, since Aiko would not touch it again. *Whine* There was a sharp, piercing whine when she slammed it. She noticed a slim tail peeking out of the lid. "Seems I forgot something." Aiko nodded, fortunately, those servants had already bought large tools for stirring and for some reason even tools like pickaxes and hammers? What for? Aiko could not understand their line of thinking, so she just didn''t think about it at all. She picked up an oversized spatula and placed it near the Cauldron so it''s ready to be used later. ... Hours passed and Aiko was now tinkering with the Treasures inside her ring. Those were confiscated from the second wave of assassins. "Most of them are shit..." Aiko sighed. "I think they are quite cool..." The Umbra Fox proclaimed. "Then take them." Aiko shook her head. She would not question Umbra''s taste as she was currently doing something tasteless too. "I wonder if it''s finished?" Aiko placed the Storage Ring in front of the Umbra Fox and looked towards the Cauldron. The lid was jumping for quite some time, but that was better than whining. Aiko went towards it and completely opened the lid. An absolutely disgusting smell exploded through the courtyard and since it was quite windy it spread into nearby courtyards and penetrated the walls of the Royal Palace. That awful smell attracted a lot of attention from everyone, especially Cultivators who were obsessed with cleanliness. Soon someone came knocking on their courtyard gate. The Umbra Fox went to the gate to answer them. Aiko in the meantime was unaware about this issue and she was stirring the whole thing so it wouldn''t smell as bad, but she didn''t realise that she was making it worse... Aiko sniffled from the awful smell. "What in the hell are you doing?!" Chen Shi was the first one to come rushing inside the rest of the crowd following behind his back. "What do you mean?" Aiko tilted her head, stirring the questionable liquids. The Smelly Wind heard other voices and whined. "Oh, shut up or I will close the lid." Aiko threatened. She was absolutely fed up with his whining. Chen Shi paused. "Are you boiling someone...?" He wished for her to say no, since the smell was abhorrent and the colour and overall feel was sinister. "Yeah." Aiko replied blankly, stunning everyone. The Other Sect Leaders didn''t want to talk so they wouldn''t be harmed, which meant that Chen Shi was the main force. Chen Shi held his temple like it hurt him. "Do you realise how bad it smells?" He asked Aiko. "I''m stirring it so of course." Aiko nodded. "Then why are you doing that?!" Chen Shi reprimanded her. "That smell is all over the Royal Palace!" "Oh..." Aiko nodded slowly. Suddenly, a head of the Smelly Wind popped out of the Cauldron, scaring everyone. He gave a sad whine towards his Beast folk who came with the rest of the crowd since they had more sensitive senses. It was unbearable for them to sniff this any longer! Aiko closed the lid, not realising that the smelly bastard had popped his head out. There was a crunching sound and Aiko looked down. Noticing his head that was now deformed, but healing; she made a smooth motion, flicking him back into the Cauldron before closing it properly. "There are only two hours left." Aiko jumped down from the chair, since she was too small to reach the huge Cauldron. "You will get rid of it now!" Chen Shi said sternly. The Beast wanted to likewise protest that their kin, albeit smelly, was tortured like this. "No, he is being punished." Aiko scoffed at him. "If you leave someone who attacked you TWICE, without a punishment, you will look like a pushover." Aiko clicked her tongue. "No wonder Lady Liu is unwilling to be with you." She shook her head and sat down at the table. Chen Shi''s eyes burned with desire to punish the little Fox. "And don''t forget that if you try something petty, I will let Lady Liu know." Aiko snorted at him. *Pffft* Yanqi laughed. Her sense of smell was not as good as other Beasts, but still good enough that it did bother her. She wanted to punish the bastard that created this smell, but paused when she saw Aiko. "So he attacked you?" Yanqi stopped laughing and asked. "Yeah, twice." Aiko was very animated on the ''twice'' part. Yanqi nodded. "It is fine punishing him, but we have to bear that same smell. Can''t you dump him somewhere to get rid of it?" She asked Aiko. "I don''t want to touch it." Aiko admitted openly. "Why not?" Yanqi giggled. She already knew the reason, but she wanted to tease this little Fox. "Because it''s disgusting, like his smell when he polluted this courtyard." Aiko openly said. The Beasts frowned, but they couldn''t move, since it seemed like the Bird Brain liked her... "You will deal with it." Chen Shi said. "No." Aiko refused. "Then, how did you plan to solve it once his punishment was over?" He was confused. "I would leave it here and leave." Aiko shrugged, once she left this Capital it wouldn''t be her problem. Everyone''s eyes burned on her. Aiko already somewhat got used to this so she didn''t mind as much. Chapter 216 – Chen Shi has to clean after Aiko and Epic Journey! "What?" Aiko tilted her head. "Don''t tell me you wouldn''t punish those that would try to kill you?" Everyone was taken aback, they would definitely not leave them alive if they threatened their lives, but at the same time, they couldn''t agree with this little Fox. If they agreed, their Kin would be kept roasted and that awful smell would keep spreading. Not to mention, they were not willing to agree with this tiny lunatic! It was enough that they saw her play with her enemy''s heads! Aiko pouted. "I know you don''t want to agree, but keep in mind that your enemies won''t take you seriously!" Aiko proclaimed and a few gullible Beasts nodded their heads. Fortunately, their teammates slapped them well so they would stop agreeing. "Well. Since it''s cleared." Aiko was about to return to her team, but Chen Shi stopped her. "Stop right there!" Chen Shi commanded. "What is it?" Aiko stopped hiding her tails behind her shyly and lowered her ears to appear cute beyond belief. Most Beasts and Human Cultivators were charmed by this, but there was one person who would never be charmed! "That won''t work on me!" Chen Shi glared at the little rascal. "Tsk." Aiko immediately dropped her act since her main aim was Chen Shi and the others were just collateral. "Anyway. Two hours, bye!" Aiko shooed him away, but Chen Shi was persistent. "No way will I leave until you clean this mess!" He demanded from Aiko. "No way." Aiko flatly refused. "I won''t touch that thing." Chen Shi choked. "You have caused this!" "I have not." Aiko shook her head. "He was the one who attacked me TWICE. So it''s only natural that he will also clean it." Aiko said blankly. Chen Shi was enraged. Meanwhile, Yanqi was having the time of her life. She was holding in her laughter to not interrupt this whole thing. "I will throw you inside that Cauldron." Chen Shi threatened. "You wouldn''t dare!" Aiko snorted at him. "I wouldn''t?!" He immediately rolled his sleeves so they wouldn''t get dirty. "Come at me if you dare!" Aiko threatened by rolling her own sleeves. "There is always room for more inside!" Aiko proclaimed her intention to cook Chen Shi. "Oho~" Chen Shi haughtily smirked. "I wouldn''t be so sure about that, since YOU will occupy all of it!" He went to grab Aiko, but she wrapped around his arm like a leech. "Hehe," Aiko chuckled sinisterly. "Now what? If you try anything you will bathe yourself in it~" Chen Shi rolled his eyes and covered his arm with Qi. Aiko was startled and frowned. "Oi! You bastard, that''s cheating!" She immediately protested, but Chen Shi was already walking towards the Cauldron. Aiko''s mind worked overtime, she looked around and then realised something. *RIIIIIP* Chen Shi froze in place. Aiko realised once again that these bastards loved their clean and tidy outfits, unlike Beasts. That meant that if she ripped his clothes, he would be absolutely livid and stop in place. She was right, Chen Shi was completely paralysed since this outfit was supposed to be used for an outing with Lady Liu later... "You-" Chen Shi was enraged, but before he could say the whole sentence. *RIIIIIP* Aiko chuckled at him. "What is it~? You still want to fight~?" Aiko smirked at him. Chen Shi tried slapping Aiko, but she skilfully moved out of the way. She was already prepared that he would do something petty like that. Chen Shi immediately shook his arm to shake her off so that he could properly attack her, but he didn''t expect retaliation. *Bite* "Auch!" Chen Shi flinched from this rascal''s bite and stared at her speechlessly. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "Seriously?!" He could not believe that this rascal would bite him. He grabbed her and pulled her away from his arm, but it still left marks. Aiko chuckled. "Oh, you pervert~" Aiko hummed. "To think that you would let others bite your body, what would Lady Liu think~" Aiko teased him mischievously. Yanqi burst out in laughter, "I didn''t know you liked that play~" Yanqi teased him too, and the others had a very hard time holding their laughter in. Chen Shi immediately blushed red. He was never so embarrassed in his life! He glared at this little bastard, readying to punch her half-dead. "Try me!" Aiko challenged him and, like a piranha, followed his limbs'' trajectory. She also kept snapping her teeth like a piranha, which made funny clicking sounds. No matter where Chen Shi positioned his fist, Aiko''s mouth would be there, snapping at him. At one time he could swear that he saw Aiko''s neck be incredibly long. "Y-you!" Chen Shi completely lost it. Since he couldn''t beat her up here, he would make sure that someone else would! He stretched his arm with Aiko and before anyone could react, he threw her high up in the sky! The group stopped laughing and judgingly stared at him. Chen Shi looked away like this was not his issue, but one Sect Leader said. "Who will now solve this problem?" The Sect Leader pointed at the dubious Cauldron boiling above a fire. "Of course, it would be them-" Chen Shi pointed at the table where Umbra Fox and Blood Fox sat. Yet there was no one there. Not even the tea utensils. Chen Shi stared blankly towards that place, not believing his eyes. "Since when?" Chen Shi could not understand how they were able to run away so quickly. "Since Aiko started brawling with you." Yanqi was still laughing, holding her belly. Her incredibly jiggly chest attracted a lot of attention. "Huh..." Chen Shi stared at her dumbly. No way in hell would he miss them running away! "It''s true." The others nodded gently so as not to agitate the beast in front of them. Chen Shi''s body shook. "YOU FUCKING BRATS!" His voice pretty much spread throughout the Capital. ... {Somewhere high up in the sky} "This feels like deja vu..." Aiko sat cross-legged while falling, thinking about this situation. "What a strange feeling of deja vu..." Aiko could not shake that feeling off. She was free-falling, but for some reason, she was not worried. "Maybe because he didn''t slap me this time, so I have a much better orientation and feel about the fall." Aiko nodded slowly. Previously, her mind was occupied for some reason and she had a hard time focusing on the ground, but that was not the case this time. "I believe that they should have reached Lady Liu by now." Aiko was buying time for her team to book it. "But it would be much better if they didn''t pack those things!" Aiko frowned. She had to play a snapping clown so that it would attract the attention of others. "I should probably book it towards Lady Liu¡¯s place too, since I have the gift and everything..." Aiko nodded to herself, this was a good idea. "Alright!" Aiko strained her eyes and focused on the ground. She would double jump and run towards Lady Liu''s residence. [You have acquired the Title: [Gruesome Cook]!] [Gruesome Cook] [The User''s cooking will always turn into something sinister.] "..." Aiko stared blankly at the system. "FUCK YOU, SYSTEM!" She shouted loudly. ... {Back in the courtyard} Chen Shi was staring at the abomination that Aiko created. ''What am I supposed to do with this?!'' He was frowning this whole time trying to figure out how to move this without touching it. He couldn''t really force others to do this, since he was a revered Cultivator, unlike those Foxes... ''Do I have to move it with my Divine Sense?'' Chen Shi shivered, but that was the only way he could move it without polluting himself. "Where is the sewage?" Chen Shi asked the other Cultivators. "Behind the palace, you can''t miss it." Before the Beasts could protest about their kin, the cheetah, was still inside. Chen Shi lifted the thing in a blink of an eye and disappeared from the scene. The Beasts could only blankly stare towards the now empty courtyard. ... Chen Shi blinked behind the palace and he immediately saw the primitive sewage system. He didn''t dwell on it too much and immediately dumped the whole thing inside. "Taken care of-UGH." Chen Shi shivered from the smell. He would have to have a bath before visiting Lady Liu... and his clothes... Chen Shi could only cry in his mind... ... {In the sewage system} The Stinky Cultivator was cautiously cleaning his place so that he could leave, when something heavy crashed through the sewage system. He looked towards it cautiously. He would not take a step forward since that would trigger his Dao. Meanwhile, the Cauldron crumbled from the boiling shit, spilling its content. The Stinky Cultivator almost vomited from the putrid and disgusting smell. He could hear a sad whine from within that pile of disgusting liquid. "What in the world?" He focused his Divine Sense only to spot a cheetah inside that thing. "What did he do to deserve this..." The Stinky Cultivator was confused about how someone could be so cruel... The Smelly Wind recovered some of his body from the impact of the lid, but it was not good. He wouldn''t live for long... Suddenly, an absolutely disgusting smell, much worse than the smell of boiling shit, assaulted his nostrils. "UGH." What was worse for the Smelly Wind was the fact that he was healing at an incredibly fast rate. Within a matter of moments, he was able to stand up completely healed. The Beast and Cultivator stared at each other. Both of them frowned at their opponent''s smell. Suddenly the Cheetah''s fragile thin leg enlarged and became incredibly buffed. The Smelly Wind stared at it speechlessly, only some of his seniors could produce such muscles and he got them after just a few breaths from this Cultivator. A moment later, his hinge legs undergo a similar transformation. At this point, the Smelly Wind''s mind was rolling around in confusion, until the rest of his body became likewise buffed. The Smelly Wind looked towards the Cultivator in confusion. The Stinky Cultivator was likewise looking at him with wonder and confusion. "Are you perhaps missing a steed?" The Smelly Wind would never submit to anyone, but these changes were so radical that he couldn''t pass on this situation. "Possibly." The Stinky Cultivator had a sudden enlightenment. If he used his steed to do the walking... then he didn''t need to walk himself! Why didn''t he think of that?! "What do you think about small Foxes?" The Stinky Cultivator wanted to make sure that his new steed wouldn''t cause any trouble. The Smelly Wind shivered. "Avoid at all costs! If it can''t be avoided, then be as polite as possible!" The Stinky Cultivator had a strange twinkle in his eyes. The Stinky Cultivator nods at him and the Smelly Wind nods back. One was strong and one was weak, but both stood united under similar beliefs. This marked the journey of incredible scale, where a smelly Cultivator and his similarly smelly steed dominated others by simply fanning their scent. His steed was incredibly fast and considered, making everyone envious of his Heavenly Evolutions! But that is a story for another time... Chapter 217 – Gifts Aiko double-jumped before falling down, which propelled her away from the building which she was supposed to fall and crash into. Aiko didn''t look back, as her main goal was to reach Lady Liu and give her the gift. She dashed from rooftop to rooftop, impressed by the distance she was thrown by Chen Shi. It felt amazing that someone could throw so far, but at the same time... what was the point? Most Beasts would surely survive that fall with their thick skins and/or Skills. Likewise, it''s unlikely that Aiko would truly die from that, which confuses her. Why go through all that trouble when he could just slap her? ''Don''t tell me he was intimidated by my bites?'' Aiko tilted her head. This option was very unlikely and she didn''t believe it for a second. ''No way that can happen.'' Aiko snorted. She jumped over one last roof and arrived at Lady Liu''s courtyard. It was peaceful and quiet. Chen Shi was nowhere to be seen. "I have been expecting you." Lady Liu startled Aiko since she was silent like a Ghost. Aiko breathed a sigh of relief once she noticed that it was just Lady Liu sipping her tea with her team. "Mmm." Aiko hummed and skipped a few steps, arriving before them. "But I didn''t expect you to stink yourself up again so soon." Lady Liu glared at Aiko and Aiko shyly looked away. Aiko didn''t expect that she would be affected by that smell, well... she didn''t think she would have to deal with that smelly bastard! "Things happened." Aiko hummed meekly. "I know." Lady Liu nodded, but still glared at Aiko. "We will take a few more lessons in etiquette, since it seems like you have forgotten some of them during your ''spree''." "Haha." Aiko awkwardly laughed, but she was dragged away by Lady Liu. ... A few days later, a haggard Aiko emerged from the building. Chen Shi was already waiting outside. Chen Shi speechlessly stared at the rascal who was supposed to be punished by the Snake kin. His aim was accurate and she was supposed to crash into their building. Yet for some reason she emerged from Lady Liu''s building? How is that possible? "Chen Shi." Lady Liu smiled and Chen Shi shivered. "Yes, Lady Liu." Chen Shi bowed like a lowly servant. "We will talk later about your attitude, since I have just finished with her." Lady Liu nudged Aiko. Aiko whined, but she couldn''t protest in front of Chen Shi. He would absolutely laugh at her if she did! Aiko put on a tough front, but was slapped by a wooden fan by Lady Liu. "Posture, attitude." Lady Liu said sternly. Aiko straightened her back, but still frowned at him. Lady Liu sighed and shook her head. This is the best she could do in such a short time. "Yanqi." Lady Liu flashed a smile, but the intent was not quite the same. Fortunately, the naive Yanqi thought that Lady Liu was welcoming her. Yanqi immediately gave Lady Liu a hug, making Chen Shi glare at her. "Do you want a hug too~?" Yanqi opened her arms, ready to invite Chen Shi, but was slapped similarly to Aiko by Lady Liu. "Inside, now." """Yes, Lady Liu.""" Everyone replied politely, not wanting to go against the somewhat upset Lady Liu. This was a good idea, since Lady Liu would absolutely drag them inside by their ears to give them an earful. Everyone sat around the room. Chen Shi was as far as possible from Aiko, while as close as possible to Lady Liu. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. In other words, he was in a pretty awkward position next to the grinning Yanqi. "Awww, did you miss-" Yanqi wanted to tease Chen Shi. *Whack* "I''m sorry." Yanqi lowered her head after being slapped by Lady Liu¡¯s wooden fan. Lady Liu snorted. "I heard that you will be leaving soon and that you have gifts for me." Lady Liu recounted the rumours. Aiko and the two nodded gently. "Be careful outside, it''s a very nasty and hostile place. Don''t trust anyone, not even your own kin. Foxes can be mischievous, but most of them on this continent are very lustful." Lady Liu said gently. "That won''t change on the main continent, instead of being lustful, most of them will be very manipulative and exploitative." "You should get as strong as possible before your spokesman arrives." Lady Liu gave them some tips. "Only your strength can get you to the mainland. Of course, Skills can get you there too, but it''s much harder than with personal strength. So improve that first." She gently guided them towards the path that had the highest chance of success. "Now I have said everything I wanted." Lady Liu giggled and her eyes shined. "Gifts~" She hummed like a little girl. The Umbra Fox was first. She presented Lady Liu with a very light elegant, yet beautiful white dress. Lady Liu kissed Umbra''s cheek and Umbra turned red. Lady Liu giggled. The next one was the Blood Fox. She was not expecting much since she knew that the Blood Fox had it hard... Blood Fox gave Lady Liu a small box. Nobody knew what was inside except for the Blood Fox. Blood Fox whispered something into Lady Liu''s ears, so quietly that even Aiko couldn''t hear her. Lady Liu''s eyes shone like stars. "Thank you~" She kissed the Blood Fox on the cheek, making the Blood Fox giggle. The last one was Aiko... "This is my gift!" Aiko presented her gift. Lady Liu immediately snapped towards Yanqi. Yanqi for some reason looked away. "Yanqi~" Lady Liu said Yanqi''s name sweetly, making Yanqi turn towards her. "Come here~" Lady Liu nudged Yanqi with her voice. Yanqi knew she shouldn''t come within Lady Liu''s reach, but that sweet voice was irresistible. Aiko was confused, until... "Auauauau." "Auch." Both of them had their cheeks pinched. "What are you teaching the kids?" Lady Liu narrowed her eyes and glared at Yanqi. "It''s her gift." Yanqi whined pitifully. Lady Liu pouted and let them go. She snorted unhappily. "You are ruining this whole-" Lady Liu paused her sentence since Aiko sniffled pitifully. Naturally, she was not a heartless person and she felt somewhat bad about reprimanding her. "I suggest that you hear Aiko out." The Blood Fox said gently. Lady Liu was confused. That gift was absolutely a toy from Yanqi!... Right? Lady Liu coughed and the Blood Fox took the reins. "Introduce your gift, Aiko." "My gift is all about muscle relief!" Aiko proclaimed, still rubbing her cheek. "I could not bring a Massage Chair, so I constructed this." Aiko pointed at her gift. Lady Liu narrowed her eyes. "And how does it work then?" She was still not convinced that it was not a sex toy. Aiko picked it up walking towards Lady Liu. "Not on me." Lady Liu stopped Aiko. No way she would do something so embarrassing in front of so many people, but there was one person who could do this demonstration. "Chen Shi~" Lady Liu hummed with a visible smirk. Chen Shi shivered. "I-I''m good." "No. You have been overworking, which means you will allow Aiko to demonstrate her gift and ''relieve'' your ''muscle pain''." She smiled from ear to ear making him cry. Chen Shi opened his mouth and closed it without a sound. He was completely speechless by the fact he was exploited by Lady Liu! "Lie down." Aiko stared at him unblinking. Chen Shi glared at Aiko, but could not go against Lady Liu. "What do I do?" Chen Shi gritted his teeth. "Lay on your stomach." Aiko pointed at the fluffy carpet. "You don''t need to take your clothes off, but you won''t be able to feel it all that well." Aiko gestured. "That is fine!" Chen Shi would absolutely not take his clothes off. "I have not tested it yet, but it shouldn''t burn your clothes, probably..." Aiko paused, murmuring to herself, but everyone heard her. Yanqi was holding in laughter, Lady Liu was likewise amused. Chen Shi changed his mind, he couldn''t allow another set of his date clothes to be destroyed! He took his top half off, but kept everything below his waist. "You should really exercise." Aiko shook her head at him. Chen Shi wanted to retort, but... "I do agree." Lady Liu nodded. "You have gained weight." Chen Shi could only purse his lips and bear with this. He lay on his stomach, still puzzled about what this was about. Aiko activated the thing and Lady Liu immediately noticed that it was not a sex toy. With the amount of strange movement... that would absolutely hurt her. She stared at it in interest, still doubtful, but at the same time, she was hopeful that it would really be able to relieve muscle pain. Meanwhile, Yanqi was completely speechless. She didn''t expect Aiko to change her favourite sex toy so much! Lady Liu giggled at Yanqi and she could only blush. How could Yanqi know that Aiko would be so...! Aiko slowly worked on Chen Shi''s back. At first, there was no reaction, but over time as Aiko activated higher ''gears''... there was a sudden change. Chen Shi moaned, but he immediately blushed deep red. Yanqi stared at him dumbfounded and Lady Liu giggled. Considering this had such an effect on the Stoic Chen Shi, it would have a great effect on her. This would absolutely relieve her muscle pain. "Stop moaning!" Aiko slapped his butt and Chen Shi''s face burned red. "You brat!" Chen Shi really wanted to kill Aiko now. This was such an embarrassing situation! Both Lady Liu and Yanqi laughed loudly, making him even more embarrassed! Lady Liu stopped laughing for a moment and said softly. "I''m still not convinced, let Yanqi also experience this." Yanqi was laughing heartily until she heard those words from Lady Liu. "Ummm... I''m good-" Yanqi almost cried out when she saw that gentle expression from Lady Liu. "Okay..." Yanqi obediently agreed with Lady Liu''s proposal. Lady Liu nodded happily. "But I''m not really ready..." Yanqi blushed and tried to weasel her way out of this. "That is fine. I was not ready either." Chen Shi smiled like a brat who found a way to bully someone. Yanqi was confused, but Aiko was already approaching her. "Please take your clothes off and lie on your stomach." Aiko liked this Bird Lady, so she would naturally be polite. "I... I will do it with clothes, they are thin." Yanqi tried to avoid taking off her clothes, since there was a surprise for Lady Liu... Aiko shrugged. "That''s fine-" "But you wouldn''t feel it properly." Lady Liu shook her head. "How can I believe it works properly if you can''t feel it?" She twisted those words and the clueless Yanqi nodded before shaking her head. Yanqi could absolutely not undress herself! Chapter 218 – Goodbye and Dragon Girl Yanqi laid on her stomach with a conflicted expression. Aiko was smiling happily since her Massage Tool worked quite well and didn''t immediately break after contact with Chen Shi''s back. Aiko sat on the Bird Lady''s butt startling her. "I''m small." Aiko replied to the startled Bird Lady. Yanqi stared towards Chen Shi. "His back smelled and wiggled too much." Aiko shrugged and Chen Shi glared towards her with a completely red face. Aiko ignored him like always and started her Massage Tool. She would finish the Bird Lady in a flash and give the gift to Lady Liu. This would allow her to leave this place before another wave of undead assassins came or whatever next disaster might occur. Aiko was... exhausted from that last encounter, not the one with the smelly guy, but the previous one. Undead soldiers that were hard to kill were not fun to fight against. They would just stand up again and again. Aiko placed the Massage Tool on the Bird Lady and a cute squeak escaped her lips. Aiko thought that she was hurt, but considering that she soon melted into a puddle, moaning even more than the Blood Fox... Aiko gazed towards Lady Liu, she was conflicted about this thing. "Continue, continue." Lady Liu nudged Aiko. She was enjoying the fact that Yanqi was at someone else''s mercy. She also enjoyed the fact that Yanqi melted. Lady Liu absolutely liked that gift and would definitely put it to good use. Lady Liu was completely convinced of the innocence of Aiko, but at the same time, she would let Yanqi eat her attitude. Who would give a sex toy to such a cute, small Fox? It''s enough that they are already so corrupted to begin with; they don''t need even more corruption! ¡­ Is what Lady Liu believed, but naturally, she would not voice this out loud, since Yanqi wouldn''t learn her ways otherwise. "Is that enough?" Aiko asked Lady Liu, under her the moaning Bird Lady almost passed out. "It''s a wonderful gift." Lady Liu nodded gently. She could barely see a very naughty strap of underwear, which made her smile. "Okay." Aiko smiled, knowing that her gift was accepted. She presented her gift to Lady Liu and she took it. "This is how you control it." Aiko described and explained its functions and everything around it. "He can maintain it if it breaks." Aiko pointed at Chen Shi since he was also an Inscription Cultivator. Lady Liu nodded gently as this was very easy to use. Most Inscription Cultivators would make it clunky so it''s hard to use without Qi, but that was not the case for Aiko. Lady Liu was happy that Aiko didn''t walk on that path, as it would make it easier for everyone if things were simpler. "Take care when you leave this place." Lady Liu caressed Aiko''s head, watching her ears twitch happily. "I will." Aiko nodded again. She got some samples of the teeth, she also stole a sword back from Chen Shi when he was not looking and her team also borrowed one body of the immortal assassins for further study. They had everything they needed and could leave at a moment''s notice. Lady Liu hugged Aiko, which startled her. She would usually have a very hands-off approach to everything and only pet or at best, kiss them on the cheeks. This was a great surprise to Aiko, but she didn''t move and enjoyed this unknown sensation. Lady Liu nodded at Aiko''s team. "I will visit you one day." Lady Liu smiled and her own duo pursed their lips. They fruitlessly looked for a fix that would allow Lady Liu to live, but so far it was... Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Aiko nodded happily. "Okay, I will welcome you to my home~" Aiko giggled, who knows where she would be in a few years'' time? She would be definitely looking forward to the visit. Aiko walked to her team and they chatted with Lady Liu for another day before leaving. "Alright." Aiko nodded when they entered the city. "Let''s shop a bit before we leave." Her team pursed their lips. Another disaster was coming, but since they would leave right after, they wouldn''t need to deal with the aftermath. They were somewhat concerned, but also happy. Concerned that someone will get messed up again, but happy that Aiko is back to her usual self. Moreover, they were concerned that Aiko would have some marks on her after that fight with the assassins, but that didn''t seem to be the case. Aiko hummed to herself and walked around without any real goal. She bumped into an elderly guy. "If it isn''t the Young Miss." He smiled. Aiko immediately remembered him as the guy who stood up for her when she was inside the Herb Garden. Aiko nodded slightly. He smiled even more and asked gently. "What are you looking for?" "Just walking around trying to find something fun." Aiko answered. "You mean to cause trouble?" He laughed. "No way!" Aiko was taken aback. "I''m always nice to everyone!" She proclaimed with conviction. "En." He laughed. "The Little Dragon was looking for you, you should visit her." He smiled one last time before pointing at the Inn far away. "Thank you." Aiko curtsy bowed and ran towards the direction. She was curious about the Dragon that was looking for her. Was it that strange girl from the shop? Or someone else? She didn''t know, but she would find out. Aiko entered the Inn, but since it was during peak hours, nobody noticed her. She walked through the Inn looking for the Dragon Girl. "Senior Sister, the Elder won''t be happy with you." Aiko perked her ears as she heard a feminine, haughty voice from somewhere. Aiko trailed that voice into a small courtyard. Her team was likewise silently following her. Aiko was curious about what was happening, so she silently climbed a tree so she could spy on them. Under the tree was the girl that she drop-kicked? Drop-kneed? Anyway, it was the girl who tried to steal what she bought. There were also others, watching the show, but they were not significant enough to matter to her... Aiko still had vengeance against her and she would retaliate later once she spied enough on them. The Dragon girl was very slim, her tail was likewise slim. It was a bit underwhelming for Aiko since she expected Dragons to be a bit more... macho? ''I mean... she is a girl, but still...'' Aiko thought in her mind that this was slightly disappointing now that she could look over at the girl''s tail. The Dragon girl already noticed eyes on her, but since they were not hostile, she didn''t act upon it. She would wait and see if the shadowy figure would reveal themselves or if they would have some unsavoury thoughts about her. Aiko was unaware that she was spotted and she wouldn''t even expect it since her stealth was top-notch. But the higher someone''s Cultivation, the more their senses would improve. If you had a high enough Cultivation, you start being more sensitive towards your surroundings, sensing even the slightest of gazes. If your level of cultivation is even further beyond, you would be able to locate them from their gaze alone. While the Dragon girl did not have a high enough Cultivation, she was still a Dragon: a being that would rule over others, so her stats were naturally on the absurd side. The haughty girl was glaring at the Dragon girl, trying to fish out any kind of reaction from her. Aiko... got bored. She expected some kind of drama or fight, but this was getting boring. "Tell her that she is fat!" Aiko shouted towards them, startling everyone in the courtyard. The Dragon girl almost spilled her tea when she heard that voice and she immediately looked towards the little Fox''s direction. The Arrogant girl that Aiko drop-kicked immediately snapped at her, but Aiko pulled an overly large and heavy box from her Storage Ring and dropped it on her. "You-ARGH!" The Arrogant girl yelled as she was buried under that box. "I won''t forgi-" The Arrogant girl''s head was still somewhat free and she wanted to tell her assailants her intentions. But Aiko simply used her head as a cushion for her fall. She sprinted towards the Dragon girl eyeing her up and down from a close distance. Since she would be leaving this place, there was no need to be subtle about it. The Dragon girl pursed her lips to conceal her chuckle as she watched the little Fox''s ears curiously twitch each time she moved her dragon tail. "How are you?" Aiko suddenly asked. Yueying giggled. "Aren''t you a cheeky little fox?" She pinched that slightly chubby cheek. "I''m a Fox." Aiko didn''t understand that the Dragon girl was trying to compare her to a little mischievous fox. "Yes, you are." Yueying laughed happily. "You- who taught you to barge into other people''s courtyard?!" The haughty, unpleasant girl shouted at Aiko. "Your grandmother." Aiko said flatly. "Now shoo, shoo." Aiko shooed her away. "Adults are talking here." The haughty girl received numerous hits to her fragile ego and she choked on her words. Her face was dyed red, similar to her hair. She was on the chubby side, so Aiko tilted her head. "Or you can roll away, I won''t judge you." Aiko loaded her tongue and was on a killing spree today... The girl''s eyes widened and she was ready to fight. But once Aiko''s eyes shined like she found a toy to play with, the haughty girl shivered. "We will solve this later!" And she immediately ran away. Aiko was confused and tilted her head. This would be the first time a nice shiny toy decided to run way without doing anything to her...? What was even stranger was that nobody tried to stop her... she just ran away? Seeing the confused little Fox, Yueying giggled. "She can guess your strength and know if she can defeat you or not~" She hummed, not concerned. Aiko grasped the Dragon girl''s hand inspecting her. Yueying flinched in confusion. "But you don''t look weak?" Aiko tilted her head. Yueying giggled. "Looks can be deceiving." She once again gently pinched her cheek. "How about you come out too?" Yueying asked towards the tree, startling the girls that didn''t leave Yueying''s courtyard yet. "How did you know?" The Blood Fox landed on the box. A barely noticeable moan of pain spread from under her, but that was ignored by everyone. "I could feel your gaze on me." Yueying openly confessed that. She felt that the little Fox was not a bad person, so she naturally thought that her retainers would also not be bad people. "Whoa." The Umbra Fox was interested in this since it would be bothersome if someone would be able to know her location without giving out any hints... Chapter 219 – She is cute~ and Reinforcements? They all sat down around the table. Aiko sat close to the Dragon girl since she looked quite interesting. "What is it?" Yueying was confused as to why the little fox was staring at her. "Nothing~" Aiko hummed, it didn''t make sense that a Dragon would be this cute. "Is that so?" Yueying tilted her head cutely and Aiko followed suit. "So why did you want to see us?" The Blood Fox knew that this would keep going until Aiko was bored, so she asked in advance before it happened. "Oh, right." Yueying smiled gently. "Thanks to the ruckus you have caused, I was able to leave that place sooner than expected, so I wanted to thank you for that." She pulled out what looked like a rose out of her Storage Ring. "Here." She presented it to the little Fox. "A small thank you from me." Aiko took it, nodding softly. "You are cute too~" Aiko said, gently smiling back at her. Yueying blushed, it was rare for someone to call her cute. She had plenty of nicknames synonymous with sickness, but not cuteness. She was very happy to meet this little Fox. "Where are you going now?" Yueying asked, as she didn''t want to part with them yet. "Another capital." Aiko was vague since she didn''t want to be trailed. She wanted to enjoy some peacefulness along the way. Little did she know that would not be permitted... ... They chatted for quite some time until they ran out of topics to talk about. Yueying felt sad that they couldn''t stay with her longer, but she also didn''t want to force them to stay. There were not that many that liked her since everyone believed she was a powerhouse. Unfortunately, she was not... She was sick and fragile, but because of her eyes, she more than made up for that deficit. The only one who would constantly pick fights with her would be her Junior Sister, who could quite accurately read how powerful someone is. She waved goodbye to the Foxes, which were a lot stranger than what she heard about them. Yueying hoped that they wouldn''t change too much the next time they met. She would be heartbroken if they became like the foxes she heard about... ... "What a strange Dragon..." Aiko murmured. "Indeed." The Blood Fox nodded, but she quite liked her. "I also think so, but..." The Umbra Fox had plenty of time to learn about things and she knew that Dragons were supposed to have an oppressive Aura around them, but for some reason, this one didn''t have one... "She is very strange." The Umbra Fox proclaimed, but added. "I quite like her." It''s said that Dragons are powerful, yet elegant creatures, if Aiko could learn about them and copy them for a bit... she would become the best team leader ever. Aiko didn''t know their inner thoughts, but she wanted to check the Dragon girl''s providence. "I don''t want to go shopping any more, are you fine with it?" Aiko asked her team. "We are fine to leave whenever you need." The Blood Fox smiled, thanks to that strange merchant they had everything they needed. She also realised that for some reason Aiko was causing this heat, which previously didn''t happen. It also happened right after getting that strange liquid on her, so it might be better for them to rush the rest of the mission and get back to Mei to solve this. It would be bad if Aiko were hunted because of her effects on the environment and its surroundings. "Then let''s go~" Aiko hummed and dashed away, but at a speed that her team would be able to follow. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. They dashed on the rooftops and out of the city. While you could traverse on rooftops, you always had to exit and enter the city through the gate, otherwise, you would be hunted by peacekeepers, and bounty hunters believing you were running to escape a crime. Aiko didn''t forget this and went through the gate. ... "The Forest is close, once we enter it we will pick up the pace." Aiko said gently as they took the road, walking at an average speed. Aiko turned to her Fox form to enjoy her speed. Naturally, she would wait every few hundred meters for her team. They had become truly irreplaceable at this point. They ran through the forest before setting up camp around a small pond. Aiko munched on some of the snacks that the Umbra Fox bought for them. "These are not bad, but I wonder if you can improve them." Aiko was overjoyed, since it seemed like the Umbra Fox had a similar taste in food. "I know, but it''s already better than average for Human standards." The Umbra Fox sighed. "It was quite difficult to find food that was not bad." "Thank you for your sacrifice." Aiko prayed for the Umbra Fox and her suffering. The Blood Fox giggled and gently petted the Umbra Fox. The Umbra Fox nodded back and Aiko smirked. "Do you perhaps need a private room~?" She had the biggest grin on her face. The Umbra Fox blushed red and the Blood Fox laughed. "There is no need-" The Blood Fox wanted to correct the misunderstanding, but was stopped by Aiko. "We have company." Aiko readied herself switching to her Fox form, just in case there would be a battle. Her team likewise readied themselves. A male Fox fell down. "Dammit!" He cursed as he brushed the dirt of his body. He looked around only to be stunned. "Oh. Hello~" He was extremely friendly, which made him even more suspicious. "We have Foxes here, so let''s camp with them." He said somewhat loudly. More Foxes appeared from the Forest, but Aiko was ignoring them. Why, you might ask? There was something important about this guy... [Your [Soul Palace (Undeveloped)] has been roused and is slowly developing.] Aiko paid attention to her system most of the time and this appeared the moment he smiled at them. This was strange, but also very good. There was a ''beautiful'' Fox in the male Fox''s team. She kept glaring at the Blood Fox for some reason. At this point, Aiko snapped out of it and gazed at the opposing female Fox. "Don''t worry." Aiko said gently and everyone looked towards her. "They will grow eventually." She gave her a knowing gaze. The opposing Female Fox almost snapped at them, but was stopped by the male Fox. "Stop, Shadow Passion." He said sternly. "But Mirage Fox..." She kept glaring at them. "I said stop, they are our allies." The Mirage Fox reprimanded her even more harshly, so much so that she was taken aback. "My apologies." Shadow Passion bowed and retreated. "As you might''ve heard I''m Mirage Fox, this is Shadow Passion and this guy..." He paused looking at his last teammate who was trying to hide behind a tree, but his chubby sides were sticking out. "..." The Mirage Fox felt ashamed about this guy, he was so promising, but at the same time such a let-down... "This is the Gluttonous Fox." He shook his head. Aiko glared at him. He wouldn''t try to steal her meat... right? Aiko was worried that he would eat everything and nothing would be left for her team. "He hunts for himself, you have nothing to worry about." The Mirage Fox was very perceptive; that was one of the reasons he was chosen as the heir to the true Sex Technique. Aiko snorted. "If he takes just a tiny piece from us, you will get shredded." Aiko threatened, but since she was so small it... it looked like a small roaring cutie. The Mirage Fox nodded. Aiko nodded, transforming back into her Human form and tapping the Sect Token. "Let''s eat." She went back to the fire, ignoring them, but keeping an eye on the supposed Mirage Fox. He was the reason her Divine Ability, which was pretty much useless this whole time, was developing. She wanted to see if she could unlock its true potential through him. Her team likewise didn''t protest against it, which was a relief for Aiko. "So, what are you doing here?" Aiko asked them since it was unusual that someone would be here at this time. "We were supposed to join you in your mission and give you more intel, but..." The Mirage Fox ruffled his hair. "We are not that good at keeping the pace..." He stared in a certain direction, to where his chubby teammate sat. "What kind of intel?" Aiko asked, curious about it. ''She took the bait, now we just need to take the liquid for ourselves.'' The Mirage Fox smiled kindly. "You were supposed to kill the princesses, but the mission has changed to capturing them. We are now trying to secure the liquid that made them like that." Aiko didn''t change her expression, while he was developing her Divine Ability, but that also didn''t mean she believed him. "So what?" Aiko tilted her head, she had no intention of surrendering her treasure. "Here is the rest of the intel." The Mirage Fox came close and activated his own Divine Ability. Aiko immediately noticed some kind of change. [Your [Soul Palace (Undeveloped - Developing)] is developing at greater speed!] "It is said that their mothers also had that liquid in them." The Mirage Fox gestured, trying to keep his concentration and the Vicious Cub''s attention on him so that he would be able to subdue her. But there was something strange about this situation as his own Divine Ability was pushed back... ''Could the Jade Fox have given her some kind of Treasure to protect her mind...?'' the Mirage Fox frowned inside his mind, but didn''t let it be seen on his face. "Ohhhhh." Aiko''s eyes shined. She would love to get those Treasures off of them. "And I''m guessing you know where they are?" Aiko smiled from ear to ear. ''She is really cute... what would happen if she aged...'' The Mirage Fox gulped, but steadied his mind. "Unfortunately they are already dead." The little Fox looked so shocked that he felt kind of bad for saying it like that. "But, I know where their bodies are buried." The Mirage Fox added. Aiko nodded with a serious expression. "Where are they?" "They are inside a certain fallen kingdom''s graveyard." The Mirage Fox paused. The more he tried to charm this Vicious Cub, the harder the mental barrier felt. "But that fallen kingdom turned into the nestling ground for vicious Spectres." "Just Ghosts?" Aiko tilted her head, not understanding what was the big deal about this. "No, no. Not just a Ghost. We can eat Ghosts and it''s not a problem, but we can''t eat Spectres since they don''t have Souls." The Mirage Fox felt a headache incoming. If she didn''t even know this basic knowledge, this job would turn into even more babysitting... Chapter 220 – Don’t bother me and Wakey wakey! "Hmmmmm..." Aiko munched on another snack. She didn''t believe him for a second that she wouldn''t be able to eat them. You can eat anything if your conviction is strong enough, some things are just harder to eat than others... Aiko munched with her team, they would be travelling towards the last Capital. "With that being said I heard that there is a Princess in this Capital." The Mirage Fox said, smiling. "Good luck with that." Aiko dismissed his intentions. "But we are supposed to-" The Mirage Fox tried to use his Divine Ability to convince the Vicious Cub, but... "Good luck with that." Aiko dismissed him once again. "Then where are you going?" The Mirage Fox asked, confused. "To the last Capital and Princess." Aiko answered blankly, like she was talking to an idiot. "But there is a Princess right in-" The Mirage Fox was adamant about this since he wanted to retrieve all the liquid he could. "Good Luck with that." Unfortunately for him, Aiko had no intention of going back inside the Capital. She wanted to be done with this thing since they didn''t have the company of Lady Liu. The birdie was good too, but she was scolded by Lady Liu because of her, so Aiko''s opinion of her decreased sharply. Well, she wouldn''t need to worry about that any more and Lady Liu would visit her later so she would just apologise again for that, but her intentions were pure! Aiko munched on more snacks before washing her hands off of the grease. Her and her team climbed up a tree and went to sleep. The Mirage Fox''s lips twitched. They were like bandits or savages, nobody would sleep like that. He pulled a bed out of his storage ring and placed it down. The Shadow Passion blushed and fidgeted, but the Mirage Fox didn''t invite her. She was confused and he rolled his eyes. ''We can''t do it in front of them. We need to stay like this so that they trust us more.'' The Mirage Fox said with a neutral expression. Her face hardened. He would always whisper her sweet things into her ear as he fucked her, but now he rejected her? She was upset. ''So you can fuck them?'' Her lips tightened. ''Yes, since it seems like the Vicious Cub is mostly immune to my Divine Ability.'' The Mirage Fox explained his reasoning, but she didn''t listen to his words after the word ''yes''. Her mind was blank, she felt awful that she was just thrown aside like this. She stood up and turned around, ready to leave. The Mirage Fox saw the signs and also stood up, embracing her from behind. ''It''s only a temporary thing, you are always the number one for me.'' The Mirage Fox whispered, but unfortunately for him, this time it didn''t work on her. ''Let me go, someone needs to guard throughout the night.'' The Shadow Passion tried to wiggle out of his embrace, but she was unable to... her body was quickly heating up. "Get a room! And far away from here!" Aiko shouted at them and her team giggled. She was so ruthless, but it was expected since they were disturbing them from their sleep. "There is nothing going on." The Shadow Passion said and she finally wiggled out of his claws. Aiko glared at the Mirage Fox. "Go into the city and fuck there, but don''t disturb others, that are trying to sleep or do their job!" Aiko didn''t glare at the Shadow Passion since she spoke gently towards her. There was a great change in behaviour from their first encounter, so Aiko thought that there was something going on... But she didn''t know what exactly, so she didn''t dwell on it too much and reprimanded only that male Fox. "Now shoo, shoo." Aiko shooed the Mirage Fox, since he had an unsightly expression. Aiko went to sleep with her team and they were no longer disturbed. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ... The next morning, she woke up somewhat rested. She borrowed the Blood Fox''s tail for a part of the night to sleep better and it worked wonders. This greatly improved her rest and she was ready to tackle the next day. "It will be rough sleeping outside." Aiko stretched. Her team dressed her in her Assassination Uniform while everyone else was asleep. "Alright, let''s go~" Aiko hummed. [Soul Palace: Developed 1m3] Aiko was overjoyed that it was so quick. She already had 1m3 developed, but she could not yet enter it. It seems like she would need to develop it more. ''I wonder if I can make it into a house...'' Aiko wondered if she could jump inside and sleep in it instead of outside, but only time would tell her that. She would just keep developing it and watching over it. She also should develop her other skills, but that can wait until she returns to Mei. The Mirage Fox''s team slept... Well, the Mirage Fox and Fatty slept. The Shadow Passion didn''t sleep at all. "Here, have some." Aiko gave her a small snack while going to the small pond. The Shadow Passion was confused as to why the Vicious Cub was nice to her, but since she didn''t smell anything bad about it, she munched on it. It was delicious, much more than what she was getting from the Mirage Fox... Aiko took a bucket out of her Storage Ring. The Shadow Passion was confused about the bucket, since they didn''t need water. Aiko went next to the conspicuous bed. "Will you wake up?" Aiko asked the sleeping Mirage Fox. "Too early-OGRHGG." That cold water almost drowned the Mirage Fox. *Cough**Cough* He coughed multiple times since he breathed in the water. "Awake." Aiko smiled at him. "Pack up we are leaving." She hummed as she skipped a few steps deep into the forest. The Shadow Passion bit her lips so she wouldn''t laugh. That was a brilliant way to wake him up, since if she woke him up normally she would just get pulled into the bed before he fucked her... She sighed, maybe if she was a bit smarter she would be like this... The Mirage Fox stared at the sighing Shadow Passion. "If you wake me up like that, we will go for ''training''." He immediately threatened the Shadow Passion. She nodded obediently, since she couldn''t go against his words due to the shitty contract. They caught up to the Vicious Fox who was jumping around and humming to herself. The Mirage Fox clicked his tongue. ''Tomboys are not liked.'' He shook his head. Aiko ignored his antics. "Let''s speed up." She immediately dashed with her team, they wouldn''t keep walking at that slow pace, as at that speed, it would take them years to get to their destination. Aiko picked up the pace with a double jump. Her team was able to follow since they were well-trained, but the Mirage Fox''s team, especially the fatty, was far behind and falling further by the second. "You need to pick up the pace." Aiko shook her head and didn''t decrease her speed. She didn''t need reinforcements that were useless. She easily bypassed most obstacles with her double jump. Her team was trained well enough that they could also avoid them without an issues. The Mirage Fox''s team struggled greatly, as they would usually take the roads and conceal themselves with the Treasure Bracelets. That was not the option here as the Mirage Fox needed to charm them, but if he couldn''t follow their pace they would lose them soon... ... Aiko had made great progress, as she ran for multiple days before stopping. "Let''s camp here~" Aiko hummed as her tail waggled. She was happy since there was a pond nearby and the place was a peaceful meadow. "Very well." The Umbra Fox followed suit. One gathered the branches, another lit the fire and the last one prepared snacks. They ate happily, not concerned about the Mirage Fox''s team, since Aiko had the same attitude. It took them until the middle of the night to come to the camp. All of them were wheezing. The least wheezing one was the Shadow Passion and the most is unsurprisingly, the fatty. It also seemed like he lost quite a bit of weight from the tempo. Aiko nodded at them. "You can have the fire now, since we are going to sleep~" She hummed. "Tomorrow we will continue once again." "Huh?" The Mirage Fox couldn''t believe his ears. "We are not having a rest day?" Aiko rolled her eyes. "We are on a mission." She snorted at him. "No way, we can have a rest until we are finished." Let''s ignore the fact that Aiko played with Lady Liu for so many days before, since right now there was nothing fun to do... The Mirage Fox was quite pent-up at this point and needed some relief. "We should check the perimeter. Fa-" The Mirage Fox coughed, he almost called Gluttonous Fox a Fatty... The Vicious Fox''s attitude was clearly having an impact on him, this will cause a headache over time... The Shadow Passion wanted to reject him, but once he wrapped his fingers around her, she couldn''t resist him. Aiko shook her head, she couldn''t understand what was going on with them. At one point the Shadow Passion was upset, but at another, she was as meek as a sheep... Aiko couldn''t be bothered to figure it out since she was tired and that was a good thing. [Your [Soul Palace: Developing 1m3] is developing at greater speed!] If she is tired, her Soul Palace will develop much faster, which was perfect~! Aiko happily went to sleep, expecting a good harvest tomorrow morning... ... The morning came, but Aiko was upset. Her [Soul Palace] did not develop. It didn''t improve, it didn''t change, nothing happened to it. Meanwhile, the shitty Mirage Fox was sleeping happily instead of contributing to her sleep. Aiko got up with a bucket in her hand. She slowly gathered the coldest water and dumped it on him. "AAAAAH!" The Mirage Fox jumped out of his bed. "What the f-" He stopped his words since he felt a chill down his spine from the Vicious Cub''s gaze. "Pack up, we are leaving soon." Aiko said grumpily. She couldn''t believe that her [Soul Palace] didn''t improve! But there was a lot less time she was able to make it develop... no, it''s the fault of this impotent Mirage Fox! Aiko would train him well so she could develop her Divine Ability. That didn''t mean she would slow down during her travel, she would just roast him until her [Soul Palace] developed. She was strong and while he felt intimidating, there was this odd feeling that he couldn''t truly hurt her. Aiko would use this feeling and her instincts to make him upset in order to get targeted by that strange... strangeness, that made her stronger. ''Developed [Soul Palace] that I can turn into my home...'' Aiko really desired it since there were too many noises during her sleep and it would be nice to just get away from all of that! Aiko nodded to herself and her brilliant plan before dashing deeper into the forest. The Shadow Passion had a hard time standing, but still did her best to clean her stuff at least. The Gluttonous Fox was constantly whining that he didn''t get anything to eat, but both of them were ignored by the enraged Mirage Fox... Chapter 221 – Aiko vs Door Aiko ran ahead once again. She would collect anything she liked along the way since it would be hard for that male Fox to catch up. This saddened and made Aiko happy; while she wouldn''t be able to develop her Divine Ability, at the same time she wouldn''t hear his annoying voice. ''I should fish out where those graves are and then abandon them...'' Aiko thought. His unwillingness to level up her Divine Ability upset her after that night. ''Well...'' Aiko frowned, the distance was still great and there would be plenty of opportunities to make himself useful. At least that''s what Aiko hoped. She waited once again for her team. "I''m weaker in my Human form, but I''m still faster..." Aiko mumbled. "You can ignore a lot of terrain, but we have to also keep our senses sharp in case there are other Beasts around." The Umbra Fox said defensively, she was slightly sad that she couldn''t keep up with Aiko. Aiko narrowed her eyes, but eventually shrugged. "Yeah, being awesome is hard." Her team laughed and petted her, which Aiko didn''t dislike... the petting was something she didn''t mind, but she was confused as to they would laugh at her. She was seriously awesome! Who wouldn''t want to double jump in the air?! It''s like a dream coming true! Aiko could only shake her head at them. It would be quite some time before they arrived, so maybe she should train her team? But how would she do that? What was needed to improve them? Aiko didn''t know. She would later look at their system menus and decide what to do, but the last time she looked, there was not much to level up... She could also experiment on them with the system items, but that should be done in a controlled environment just in case. If something happens to them, Mei would be able to save them, or at least that''s what Aiko hoped... Well... the system was very useful for her, but she didn''t know what it would do to others; she was slightly bummed out by the fact she would have to test it on her team¡­ Aiko narrowed her eyes. The Shadow Passion was nice, but she didn''t form any relationship with her... If she could poach her and then use the items on her... Aiko''s cheek got pinched. "Auch. Why?" Aiko was agitated. "Lady Liu said that if you make a scary face, we are supposed to pinch your cheek." The Blood Fox replied with a gentle smile, as if she didn''t want to pinch Aiko, but was just following Lady Liu''s instructions. Aiko stared at her for a while trying to guess if it was the truth or not, but she couldn''t get through her poker face and her [Intention Perception] also didn''t pick anything up. Aiko tilted her head, was the Blood Fox truly looking out for her or did she just figure out a way to fool her senses? She honestly couldn''t tell. The Blood Fox, like the Umbra Fox, had the perfect poker face and kind-looking smile. It was hard for Aiko to suspect her, but at the same time, something felt amiss. "What do you think about Shadow Passion?" Aiko nudged the conversation in a different direction. "Are you now collecting servants?" The Umbra Fox felt hurt. "That''s also not a bad idea." Aiko pretended that she didn''t mean to steer the conversation in this direction. The Blood Fox gave a sharp look to the Umbra Fox and she could only shyly look away. The Umbra Fox didn''t expect that Aiko didn''t think of the Shadow Passion as a nice servant to have... "That''s not bad, how do you poach-Auauau." Aiko wanted to ask them how to poach someone, but her cheek was pinched by the Blood Fox once again. Aiko looked like she was wronged and the Blood Fox pursed her lips. It was just so easy to bully Aiko... "Well..." The Umbra Fox hesitated. "I heard that if you make the team leader surrender, you can force him to remove the contracts." This was one of the reasons the Umbra Fox wanted Aiko to look more dignified. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. If you are a pushover or look like a hoodlum, you are more likely to be challenged, or at least that''s what the Umbra Fox observed. If Aiko was challenged and lost in the same rank... The Umbra Fox wouldn''t have a good ending since her contract would be null. She wanted to avoid that at all costs, as that would be a terrible end for her. The Umbra Fox often hid herself so she was not known and the one time she was known by one male Fox... she almost ended up in his harem... The Umbra Fox shivered and looked at the duo. "Are you alright?" Aiko hugged the Umbra Fox slightly above her butt since she was simply too small. The Umbra Fox felt warm and caressed Aiko''s hair. "I''m fine as long as you won''t be defeated." Her inner thoughts leaked. The Blood Fox wanted to glare at the Umbra Fox for the previous statements, but stopped herself after the last statement. She understood the Umbra Fox''s worries. The Blood Fox hugged the Umbra Fox too. The Umbra Fox felt warm all over, she was happy to be in this team and that this team didn''t contain any male Foxes. She felt much safer like this. ... Suddenly, Aiko''s ears twitched and she stood straight up. The Umbra Fox sighed. It seemed like Aiko picked up something and her interest diverted from the hug. The Umbra Fox didn''t blame Aiko as she understood her mind a bit better. She was young and mischievous, which meant she could get away with a lot of things. She didn''t mind that Aiko would do this as this... ''stage'' of life wouldn''t last all that long and it was better to get this out of her system while she could before things changed. It was... kind of fun to watch over someone so much younger than she was... Aiko''s ears twitched. She really wanted to know what that sound was, but at the same time, she didn''t want to stop hugging the Umbra Fox. Her teammate needed a hug, so she would keep hugging until it was enough. "You can go." The Umbra Fox gently nudged Aiko. She was happy that Aiko willingly tried to comfort her, but she also didn''t want her to get bored. The hug was enough and since Aiko wanted to go on an adventure she would concede as an adult... Aiko''s tail wagged, but she didn''t separate yet. "Are you sure?" Seeing the overly excited Aiko the Umbra Fox chuckled. "En." The Umbra Fox giggled, feeling better. Aiko immediately strained her ears and ran towards the direction of the sound. She was curious about what she would find at the centre of that sound. ... Aiko arrived in front of a strange door. It looked incredibly old, almost ancient. "Those who seek bliss may enter?" Aiko tilted her head. She couldn''t understand what that meant, so she waited for her team. She explained what she found and gestured to her team for help. The Umbra Fox blushed. "I think we should skip this one." "I do agree." The Blood Fox also nodded, but due to her incredible poker face, there was not even a blush. Aiko narrowed her eyes, staring at them intently. The only reaction she got was from the Umbra Fox. Something about this was suspicious... "Alright." Aiko nodded gently and her team breathed a sigh of relief... but not for long. "Let''s knock on the door and see if anyone is home." Aiko smiled gently, but her team really wanted to stop her. *Knock Knock* Unfortunately, they were a moment too late to stop the little Devil. Nothing happened after Aiko knocked on the door. Her team breathed out in relief again, but they jinxed it once again... "Who is disturbing my slumber?" A booming voice descended on the area. It was difficult to figure out if it was a male or female voice. "Trespassers that do not seek bliss are to be- hiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" The ghost appeared with a clear message, but the moment she spotted a small Fox she immediately screamed from fear and vanished. ''This feels like another deja vu...'' Aiko thought and for some reason, she was quite irked by that reaction... Her team was stifling laughter. She raised her tiny and cute fist. *BOOM* There was a loud sound from her fist colliding with the door. It sounded like the door was made out of metal... Aiko stiffened, she didn''t expect this door to be so strong... She was in quite some pain and held her tiny fist. "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!" Aiko''s voice spread throughout the forest, scaring most animals into running away. Aiko''s hand naturally swelled up, since it couldn''t bear the impact against something much harder than her body. Her team pursed their lips, sometimes they wondered if Aiko returned to her Animal Rank... ... At this time the Mirage Fox''s team finally caught up only to see the ghost vanish and the Vicious Fox punch the door. The Mirage Fox had a headache since his suspicion about being a babysitter was almost confirmed. The Shadow Passion felt bad for the small Fox since she hadn''t ever seen a Ghost act that way towards a Fox... But she almost laughed out loud from that punch... ... Aiko glared at the door, since she could hear a faint chuckle from it. "Ammunition." Aiko commanded her team and they collected some rocks. Aiko transformed into her Fox form and readied her tails. *Swish**Ding**Swish**Ding**Swish**Ding* The door didn''t budge and the Mirage Fox shook his head. He couldn''t understand how his Divine Ability was so hard to use against someone so stupid... The Shadow Passion felt bad for the tiny Fox and wanted to help her, when... "Alright." Aiko finally finished stretching her tails. She was not that worried that her Beast Core would be fully drained, as rocks were not considered gruesome and thus it would not trigger that title. *Swish**Ding**Ding**Swish**Ding**Ding**Swish**Ding**Ding* Aiko was still not working at top speed, but her speed was picking up over time... *Swish**Ding**Ding**Ding**Ding* At this moment, the Mirage Fox stiffened. He would be able to resist a few rocks, but what was insane for him was that the rocks were picking up the ambient Qi! They were being strengthened! *Ding**Ding**Ding**Ding**Ding**Ding* Aiko was working faster and faster, not only her team, but also the Mirage and his team gulped. Yet, Aiko was not finished. *Ding Ding Ding**Ding Ding Ding* *DingDingDingDingDing* *DiDiDiDiDiDiDiDiDiDing* Everyone was speechless as Aiko was like a repeater, throwing anything that was in her tails'' range. Yet, to no one''s surprise, the door remains impregnable, at least that''s what they thought until the door eventually succumbed to the onslaught of abuse! *Crack Crack* Aiko smiled like a devil and laughed. "Come out, little Ghost~" Aiko hummed as she kept pounding the door with more Qi-infused rocks... Chapter 222 – Inspecting the Mirage Fox’s team "W-waaaaaait!" The Ghost shouted loudly, but it was already too late. The door creaked and cracked until it ''exploded'' into a pile of rubble. The Ghost lost all of her previous vigour. "Why..." The Ghost cried sadly. "You should not have ran away." Aiko shrugged and walked towards the ''open'' doors. "You can''t enter." The Ghost sobbed, but didn''t try to stop the small Devil. "Why not?" Aiko tilted her head. She heard strange sounds from inside and she wanted to know what they were about, not to mention... ''Treasure ahead!'' ''A good Treasure.'' The Darkness approved of her motion. "You are not seeking bliss..." The Ghost sobbed. She didn''t have any form and she was just a shiny ball talking. Aiko shrugged again. "Just because I don''t seek it doesn''t mean I don''t want that treasure." Aiko narrowed her Fox''s eyes. She transformed back and tapped the Sect Token, since it was weird to talk like that. She was too used to talking in her Human form and she blamed this journey for it. The Ghost sobbed again, but conceded. "At least take those guys inside too." The ghost nudged in the direction of the Mirage Fox''s team. Aiko gazed towards them and frowned. What did the ghost see in them that they would be allowed inside, but not her?? The Fatty was very round and unappealing. His clothes were pretty much the size of bedsheets. He had brown hair and chubby cheeks. His eyes were almost lost in the fat, looking quite sinister. And his hand, each about half the size of Aiko''s body, which repulsed Aiko. She felt way too small next to him. The Mirage Fox was likewise unappealing. He had hair colour of purple shade, it was so long that it would be able to easily wrap Aiko in it. His body was the only redeeming feature, as he was slim, but a bit too feminine for Aiko''s liking. He didn''t have much muscle, but he did have 3 tails. The Fatty on the other hand... you couldn''t even see his tails and you could barely see his ears. But back to the Mirage Fox. His face was quite likeable if he didn''t talk like he was constantly sweet-talking someone. His endurance also left a lot to desire. Aiko could only shake her head at him. His tails were completely purple, but they were closer to a cat''s tail than a fox''s. At one point Aiko thought he was an imposter. As for his clothes... He was the laid-back type who didn''t even tie his clothes properly, so his feminine chest was always peeking at the outside world. The only likeable person from this group was the Shadow Passion. She was very slim, similar to the Umbra Fox and their body proportions were also the same, so Aiko didn''t need to worry about their ''weight''. The Shadow Passion was slightly taller than the Umbra Fox, but Aiko did not have time to measure them so that was just her assumption. She had a very likeable and ''sister-next-door'' kind of face. If she didn''t reek of sex most of the time Aiko would definitely hang around her. Her tail was black and slightly bushy, It couldn''t be properly compared to the tails of the Umbra Fox or Blood Fox without propert testing, but at least it didn''t look like a cat''s poor impression of a fox tail. Her ears were undoubtedly longer than the Umbra Fox''s, which was apparent at first glance. What she loved about the Shadow Passion was her hair. She had her hair tied into a neat bun, which made her a lot prettier. As for her clothes... Aiko could only click her tongue at that, as those clothes were the old Assassination Uniform. This meant that the strap around her chest was easily undone, as was the other one... Aiko didn''t like the design, as when she inspected the old Assassination clothes, the chest part and crotch part that was detachable were also very rough. So it would definitely bruise her parts, or at least that''s what Aiko believed. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Fortunately, her team didn''t have that problem since both had the new Uniform, but the Blood Fox mostly wore a simple one-piece that was easy to breathe in. But the Umbra Fox pretty much never took her Assassination Uniform off, unless she was bathing or washing it after it got too dirty. She could not see the Mirage Fox''s team eyes, so she just skipped those. They reeked of sex too much, so she was not even willing to get close enough to inspect them properly, so she probably missed a lot of things. Aiko looked back at the Ghost after inspecting them in detail for the first time during this journey. "Those guys? Really?" Aiko was left speechless. She couldn''t understand why the Ghost preferred those guys. "They seek bliss..." The Ghost sobbed. Aiko''s brain worked overtime as she pieced it together. "Pervert!" Aiko immediately pointed at the Ghost. "And you too!" Aiko then pointed at the Mirage Fox''s team. The Shadow Passion''s face hardened and she looked away. She was not happy about this status and she wanted to leave, but once you signed the contract, only the contractor can dismiss you. Sure, there were ways that the Peak Elders could dismiss them, but that would mean he would either have to do something terrible or betray the Fox Village. The Mirage Fox had the favour of too many Elders, so he was heavily protected in this regard. Meanwhile, the Mirage Fox smiled from ear to ear. He was not ashamed to admit it... Aiko frowned at his shamelessness. "No wonder nobody likes you." Aiko shook her head at him and the Mirage Fox stiffened. "You are not even that likeable." Aiko shook her head, throwing another sharp ''dagger'' at him. The Mirage Fox glared back. He was liked by almost all! There was no way that he was not likeable! He kept glaring at the small Vicious Cub. "That won''t help you little rabbit~" Aiko hummed at him. The Shadow Passion leaked a small chuckle, but she immediately stiffened the moment she felt pressure from the Mirage Fox. "I''m the most likeable Fox!" He proclaimed and walked towards the door. "Hmpf!" Aiko snorted at him and jumped inside the door before he could. She would get the Treasure first! Nobody could steal her Treasure! Her team was surprised, but quickly followed. Soon nobody was outside and the Ghost chuckled. "I will pay you back ten thousand fold for destroying the door to my inheritance grounds!" She proclaimed before vanishing. She appeared as a blurry blob on purpose to make them lower their guard. It was unexpected that the little Fox was able to break her door, but it was still within her calculations. "As long as they fuck at least 3 times, I will surely revive!" She laughed before completely disappearing... ... Aiko was in a whirlwind until she crashed into something soft. She looked down to see she was sinking into something and she jumped up with great force. "Ugh!" The moving mass cried softly from the impact. Aiko looked around, but couldn¡¯t see anyone. Her team was nowhere to be seen, but she was in here with Fatty. "Why are you here, Fatty?" Aiko asked him. "I''m the Gluttonous Fox! And I have no idea..." The Gluttonous Fox shook his head, he could not feel any other Foxes around. "Hmmmmm. We should move Fatty." Aiko gestured towards him to stand up. "I''m the Gluttonous Fox. Remember my name properly!" The Gluttonous Fox frowned and slowly stood up. "Whoa!" Aiko was speechless from what she saw. Under the Fatty was a flattened male Cultivator. "Let''s rob him Fatty." Aiko rubbed her hands and chuckled. Before the Fatty could say anything Aiko already stripped the male Cultivator of his possession and walked away. The Gluttonous Fox really wanted to correct the Vicious Cub about his name, but she was so quick with her work that he was left stunned in place. ''How many Cultivators did she rob already?" The Gluttonous Fox didn''t understand how something so small could rob people so easily. Well, the Human Cultivators did deserve it, but the speed was still abnormal, alright?! The Gluttonous Fox followed the Vicious Cub deeper inside. He felt this sinister feeling leaking from the Vicious Cub once her hair colour changed... ''Wait, her hair colour changed?!'' The Gluttonous Fox was shocked and gulped. Was she really a Fox and not just another Ghost? Is a Ghost leading him into some kind of trap?! Many thoughts whirled inside his mind, but he couldn''t make up his mind if it was or wasn''t a Fox. "Why are you so slow?!" Aiko frowned at him. She stared at him up and down, was all that fat really that heavy? The Gluttonous Fox gazed at the Vicious Fox. She was too small for a normal Fox, moreover, all Foxes had a nice sizeable chest that was nice to look at or grope if he had the opportunity. Over his life, he groped only one pair, and even that was by accident! Meanwhile, this little ''Fox'' didn''t have any features of a normal Fox. Sure, there were some Foxes with smaller chests, but then they would have long legs or just mountains behind them. It was a compensation issue. The ''Fox'' in front of him was definitely not a Fox! He tried grabbing Aiko, but Aiko transformed. She already knew his intention from her Ability. Aiko wrapped her tails around his hand. His mind shook, this was really realistic fake Fox! But before he could think more about it, he was lifted into the air by just two tails. "Huh?" His mind blanked, and then blanked again. *BOOM* The whole cave shook as Aiko smashed him into the floor with a force that was unlikely to be produced by a little Fox. The Gluttonous Fox shivered all over his body. The impact was harsh, but because of his fat, he took minimum damage. No, the most scary thing about this were the surrounding voices. "Oi, Fatty." A small completely black coloured Fox was staring at him. A shiver went down his spine. "Try to touch me one more time and I will impale you with a flag the width of a Dragon Dildo." Aiko''s eyes were completely red and the Gluttonous Fox let out a cry. "I''m sorry." He immediately prostrated in front of the tiny Fox. He heard rumours about the Vicious Cub, but those rumours were still tame compared to the real deal! She was able to affect her surroundings! Not to mention the red eyes, making it clear she was Demonic Fox, and even in this infuriated state she still retained her sanity! This was terrifying for him as this would mean that this little Fox was incomparably more powerful than he was! "Stand up and don''t try to touch me again." Aiko turned back into her Human form. The Gluttonous Fox saw that transformation and could only gulp. That transformation had traces of their [Pseudo-Human Body] Technique, which meant that what was in front of him was definitely a Fox! He could only curse his low intelligence for messing up so badly! Chapter 223 – Aiko taking control and Getting used to each other… Aiko didn''t like him, but since they were stuck together, it would be bothersome to punish him harshly. However, that didn''t mean she wouldn''t punish him at all, everything requiring muscles would be dumped on him and he would have to deal with everything she would find boring or annoying. Aiko found her pseudo-Human form better for most things, especially since her increased height meant she wouldn''t have to jump for most mundane things like she does in her fox form. "Someone doesn''t know how to write..." Aiko shook her head. She noticed a wall of Runes, it was yet another story, but the Runes were so badly made that it was hard to read them. Aiko didn''t know if that was a good or bad thing, but she would have to decipher some, just in case it was some kind of explanation against traps. "You... ermmm... take..." Aiko took her time translating it, since she knew for a fact that Fatty wouldn''t be able to translate it. After a few hours, Aiko was finished. "You take the female, lift her up and pierce her with a holy rod. You shake her up and down until the holy rod discharges its sacred liquid into the female. The female will reach a state of bliss that balances her yin and yang. This will greatly increase her speed of advancement for a limited time. The greater the discharge of the holy rod, the longer her advancement acceleration lasts." "The same effect will apply to the male. His advancement speed will still be boosted, however unlike females who gain no benefit from multiple sessions in quick succession. The male can preform several session by using different females, with diminishing returns later down the line." "The limit is around 20 females, after which the benefits gained, are about equal or less than spending the session time cultivating for the majority of Dao. The greatest benefits are gained from ordering the females in order of weakest yin to strongest. This is to prevent the more powerful yin from pushing out the rest of the yin inside the males body." Aiko slapped the wall. "Make it make sense! This is not helping at all!" She was upset, meanwhile, the Gluttonous Fox was obediently sitting nearby after getting his seat assigned by Aiko. He was frowning since it seemed this place had to do something with the Fox Village''s Cultivation manual, but in order to clear this place, it would mean he would have to have sex... ''I don''t like small Foxes...'' He sobbed inside his mind, if it was at least the red Fox he could do, but all the Foxes except the lustful Shadow Passion were just not to his liking... "Alright." Aiko nodded and the Gluttonous Fox shivered for some reason. "Let''s burn this place!" Aiko liked nice stories that made sense, but there was no need to keep such unsavoury stories for others! She would thoroughly burn this place down! "Ummm. I don''t think that''s a good idea." The Gluttonous Fox knew that the Master of the Mirage Fox would be livid if this happened. Aiko glared at him, but he was still standing by his words. "Okay." The Gluttonous Fox breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed like he was able to prevent- "You will get two flags instead of one and you will also be the one to set this thing on fire." Aiko concluded. She wouldn''t take any retorts! "But this is an inheritance ground!" The Gluttonous Fox yelled, but his head was soon nailed into a wall by Aiko''s kick. It was a light kick since he was protected, but that didn''t mean he was not upset. What he didn''t know was the fact that Aiko was holding back. She didn''t want to cripple him since it would mean she would have to do all the work herself. Normally that would be fine since she didn''t want to order her team around, but since her team was not around her and she had this fat blob of a Fox with her... Might as well help him burn a few calories! Aiko nodded and walked deeper into this place. She was hesitant since she didn''t know what to expect from this place. She knew that this place was not good for her since she felt the strange stare from the Gluttonous Fox and she wished her team would be around to solve the mysteries so Aiko could just rob the Treasures! ... {Meanwhile on the Umbra Fox''s end} *Crash* "Auch" "Argh" They rubbed their buttocks since there was no soft pillow to fall into. The Umbra Fox looked around, but could only find the Shadow Passion with her. She was concerned about what would happen to Aiko if she was with the Blood Fox... Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. The Blood Fox had the tendency to spoil Aiko in order to stay close to her, so she wouldn''t have to stay inside the Confinement Zone, but at the same time that made Aiko even lazier. Mei will be upset with them that it got so bad, but... It''s not their fault, alright?! Aiko is just too cute! The Umbra Fox tried to stand up, but there was actually something soft under her. Something wrapped around her waist and she jumped up with her assailant. "Ugh." The Shadow Passion didn''t expect this extreme reaction and dumped her head against the Umbra Fox''s back. "Oh..." The Umbra Fox paused when she heard that voice. "My back hurts..." The Shadow Passion whined, using the Umbra Fox as support to straighten her back. The Umbra Fox pursed her lips. ''I''m not that heavy!'' She cried out in her mind, but she realised that the Shadow Passion was of similar weight when she clung to her. "You really do smell." The Umbra Fox had to pinch her nose. Aiko told them during the night that the Shadow Passion smelled bad, but they couldn''t smell anything. Now she understood what Aiko meant. "You smell of sex." The Shadow Passion frowned, both from pain and embarrassment. "It''s not my fault." "Is it not?" The Umbra Fox raised her eyebrow, but then it clicked. "Are you perhaps...?" The Shadow Passion stiffened, but could only nod. "My condolences..." The Umbra Fox sighed. "Well, if the Mirage Fox ended up with Ai- Mistress, then he won''t make it out of here alive." The Shadow Passion shook her head. "He is a lot stronger than others..." She was not allowed to say why, so she couldn''t warn them about him. "Hehehe~" The Umbra Fox hummed. "You are in for a ride~" She giggled happily. That happy smile stunned the Shadow Passion. "Are you also not like me?" The Shadow Passion didn''t believe that there was Fox not under that effect. "Of course not." The Umbra Fox shook her head. "I was able to hide from most male Foxes and then the Mistress picked me up, so I''m under her protection~" The Umbra Fox hummed happily once again. "What about the Demonic Fox?" When the Shadow Passions team was introduced, they only knew about the Vicious Cub''s team from rumours and even those were very few and far between. "She..." The Umbra Fox didn''t know how to say it. "Just treat her like a normal Fox and you can become her friend." The Umbra Fox didn''t know how to describe the Blood Fox''s unique situation. "Huh...?" The Shadow Passion''s brain was not working all that well and she couldn''t digest that information. The Blood Fox was a Demonic Fox like her, so she should be under the effects of those voices... But... she really liked the Umbra Fox. Her smile and giggles were very soothing in her ears. "Anyway... where are we?" The Umbra Fox looked around, but it was so dimly lit that she had to use her Elemental Affinity in order to see. The Shadow Passion pursed her lips. "Why did you jump inside when you don''t know where it will take you?" She couldn''t understand this Fox, like she couldn''t understand her Mistress... "Because Ai- Mistress jumped inside, so it''s only natural I will follow." The Umbra Fox tilted her head, not understanding the Shadow Passion. The Shadow Passion was completely speechless. "She didn''t even order you and you are still blindly following her?!" She felt a headache incoming and understood why the Mirage Fox was saying this would be a babysitting job... "Of course! We get so many Treasures and rewards when we follow her~" The Umbra Fox hummed. "You get Treasures?!" The Shadow Passion''s eyes almost popped out of her eye sockets. "Yeah." The Umbra Fox pulled a small dagger that Aiko didn''t like. "It''s really a Treasure!" The Shadow Passion was deeply shocked. "Yeah, Mistress is very nice to us, I have like 20 of these." The Umbra Fox pulled out one more to prove her point. The Shadow Passion collapsed on the ground. There was something wrong with her and she could only let out a broken laugh. She had to sell herself to him each time she needed an upgrade in equipment, as her Master pocketed all the Treasures and Spirit Stones... "Are you alright?" The Umbra Fox was concerned, hearing that laughter. She gently petted the Shadow Passion''s back. "I don''t want to go back." She cried, shocking the Umbra Fox. "Ermmm, ummmm." The Umbra Fox didn''t know what to do, since Aiko was very simple. Aiko + crying = She needs meat It was very simple to take care of that, but she didn''t know how to soothe others. ''Maybe hug?'' The Blood Fox liked to hug them here and there, so maybe that''s what she would need? The Umbra Fox gently hugged the Shadow Passion. Her body stiffened as a defensive reaction, but still feeling the soft hands on her back, she relaxed for the first time in a long time. ... "She... passed out?" The Umbra Fox tilted her head, surely she didn''t do anything bad...? "But..." The Umbra Fox tilted her head, she would not be able to keep still for as long as the Blood Fox could. That meant it wouldn''t have the whole effect... ... After two hours, the Umbra Fox really couldn''t take it anymore and gently caressed the Shadow Passion''s cheek to wake her up like she did to Aiko and Blood Fox. Neither of them was used to waking up early back in the Fox Village, so she had to do this to wake them up and not get kicked or dragged into the bedsheets. Fortunately, that was no longer the case as both of them were able to wake up early... most of the time... The Shadow Passion stirred awake and murmured. "Master?" The Umbra Fox felt quite awkward about this exchange and coughed. "Still me." The Shadow Passion''s hazy eyes immediately cleared and a blush crept on her face. "I-I''m sorry." She apologised for that, since she would hate it if this happened to her. "It''s fine." The Umbra Fox chuckled. "As long as you won''t treat me as a sex toy, we can be friends~" She felt bad about the Shadow Passions situation and wanted to help her. "Thank you." The Shadow Passion gently nodded. "Okay-Ughargh." The Umbra Fox tried to stand up, to stretch, but she didn''t realise that her body was aching so much. "A-are you alright?" The Shadow Passion was startled. "I-... am not used to holding one position for so long." The Umbra Fox weakly plopped on the ground. "Erm..." The Shadow Passion didn''t know how to say it. "May I help you?" She knew that the Vicious Cub''s team didn''t know that she was a Demonic Fox, so she hesitated about helping them. Demonic Foxes were feared and scorned, she didn''t want to end up like that. "If you could?" The Umbra Fox breathed out stiffly. The Shadow Passion came close to the Umbra Fox. She was well versed in stretching and relieving massages since she was ordered by her Master to learn it. "Uhhhhh." The Umbra Fox felt the Shadow Passion''s cold hands and a shiver went down her spine. "Cold..." "Sorry." The Shadow Passion gently stimulated the stiff and sleeping muscles. "Mhm..." The Umbra Fox gave out a happy moan. The Shadow Passion was startled as nothing like this happened before. "Is it finished?" The Umbra Fox asked. "N-not yet." This was too different to what she was used to. She gently relieved the Umbra Fox''s muscles, being careful not to be rude. "Whoa..." The Umbra Fox felt the difference. "I wonder if the Blood Fox felt like that after the Mistress used the Massage Tool on her..." She had a conversation about ''that'' night unwillingly since the Blood Fox was really happy about her upper back and shoulders. She didn''t expect that it would feel so nice. "Thank you~" The Umbra Fox stood up without much issue, sure she was a bit queasy, but that was only natural. She felt great and that was all that mattered to her. The Shadow Passion blushed slightly, she was not used to these kinds of words or reactions... Chapter 224 – Aiko turned arsonist?! Blood Fox where are you going~? Aiko walked deeper into this place, the scenery slowly shifted from a dark cave to a strange small town. ''The Treasure is not here...'' ''The Treasure is hidden somewhere in here...?'' Even her Darkness was confused for some reason and Aiko didn''t know why. ''What do I do now?'' Aiko completely ignored the Humans walking around, while Fatty was looking around cautiously. Why didn''t she react to those people? They weren''t real. Her [Intention Perception] didn''t pick up anything and she couldn''t even bump into them. Unlike the Fatty, who was avoided and stared at by them, they completely ignored Aiko''s presence. Aiko rubbed her hands, this place might not have Treasure, but maybe there are some riches? She ditched the Fatty the moment she could and walked through the walking Humans, disappearing from sight. The Gluttonous Fox lost the Vicious Cub long ago and he was so terrified that he ran away from this place, panting heavily. When that happened, the walking Humans suddenly paused and looked straight at the little Fox. Aiko ignored them and walked around. She would curiously peek into the houses, but they were mostly empty. This was pretty much a ghost town, there were really no Treasures or anything worth anything around... Aiko suddenly turned towards the Humans and tilted her head. "There are no Treasures." She spoke with the Humans like they were real. "You know, I was warned that this place doesn''t have any Treasures." Aiko babbled on and on. She noticed a faint presence from her [Intention Perception]. She would talk until that person revealed themselves. The Humans surrounded Aiko. Aiko was not concerned, but slightly upset. "You know, I feel quite upset that this is just a ''Ghost'' town." Aiko shook her head and looked around. The Humans stretched their arms towards Aiko, ready to grab her. Aiko tilted her head and frowned. "Still nothing, huh..." Aiko was displeased by this presence. She immediately released her Bloodlust before they could grab her. Not only did it blast the Humans away, but the scenery in her close surroundings was also distorted. "Hehehe~" Aiko laughed like a maniac and retrieved two strange rocks from her Storage Ring. These rocks were given to her by Mei and they were supposed to create sparks when struck together. Aiko immediately put that into motion. "Hehe~, I can just burn this place~" Aiko kept striking the rocks against each other; creating quite the magnificent sparks, all while giggling like a maniac. The sparks illuminated her small face and surroundings. Aiko was ready to burn this place down with her new and entertaining toy, when someone spoke up... "Please stop." An incredibly soft and feminine voice caressed Aiko''s ears. Aiko immediately snapped towards that direction and ran towards it. It was a Human or looked like one. It was indistinguishable from other Humans walking around. Aiko wagged her tail with curiosity at her and the female in front of her pursed her lips. The Human female didn''t know what to do with this overly excited little Fox. She would be able to throw her outside if at least one copy would touch her, but her intense bloodlust pretty much nullified her clones... Aiko was very curious about her since there was nothing similar to the voice outside. This place was also very deserted, so she wondered if those voices were rivals or something. "Why would you create this sad town?" While it did look like a town, it didn''t have any torches or candles to light it up. Aiko felt that this place was quite sad. "There are always beings that can''t leave their place. I''m one such being." The Human female spoke gently. Aiko nodded, this felt like yet another deja vu. Did the Human Cultivators get off from being restricted or restrained? The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Aiko tilted her head. "I was told that there is a Treasure in here." Aiko wagged her tail and her eyes shined. More Treasures was always a good thing and if it was good enough, Aiko would have yet another gift for Mei when she returned~! "It''s that way." The Human female helped this little Fox with a gentle smile. But Aiko stiffened. This Human female had black hair that reached the ground. She had a modest figure, but at the same time, her curves would attract a lot of attention. She was dressed in full white, like those ''Immortals'' on walls back in the Inscription Testing Ground or whatever that was. Aiko found her face likeable, but there was an odd feeling. "You are not here." Aiko tilted her head. "Moreover, the Treasure is not over there." Aiko denied her claim. "Why are you not here? Why are you lying? Do you think it''s funny to lie to others? Why are you in white when you are like a green snake slithering around? You think you can fool me with such mediocre acting?" Aiko blasted that Ghost since she was denied the Treasure and lied to. The Human female stiffened. She had never met such an audacious and loose-mouthed Fox... "I didn''t lie." She narrowed her eyes. "That is garbage not a Treasure, give me the real Treasure." Aiko made a grabbing motion towards the Human female. She would not leave until she was given the Treasure! The Human female widened her eyes. "You don''t like that?" She pointed in the direction of that cursed Cultivation Technique. "It''s rubbish." Aiko shook her head, but kept her hands high up with the grabbing position. The Human female picked up Aiko, which she didn''t expect. "Just because you are nice now doesn''t mean I won''t want the Treasure." Aiko didn''t mind being carried like this since the person in question didn''t have any negative intentions. It would be different if she had, but since she only lied and was pretty, Aiko was not as harsh with her. "It''s been quite a while since someone called me a green snake." She chuckled while carrying Aiko away from the town. "But if you didn''t lie, you would be a strange white swan." Aiko tilted her head. "Why strange?" The Human female raised her eyebrow. "Because you don''t fit in here. If I climbed some of the buildings, your white dress would attract my attention immediately in the sea of grey or black." Aiko explained. "What if that was my intention?" She nudged the little Fox, she was quite cute when she was cursing, comparable to those from Immortal World. How strange that such a cute Fox was not already captured by the Immortal people... "It wasn''t." Aiko denied it. "If it was you would still radiate a faint presence, but that was not the case." Aiko shook her head. "If I didn''t want to burn this place, you would not show yourself." The Human female smiled, not denying anything. "Where are we going?" Aiko asked. "You wanted a Treasure, but every Treasure needs a test." The Human female smiled. "What is your name?" Aiko suddenly asked. She had bad feelings about this whole test, as such, it would be better to get her name now so she could take revenge later on. ... {Meanwhile on the Blood Fox''s end} The Blood Fox crashed onto something soft, yet firm. She was curious about what it was so she tried to feel it. Suddenly she could feel something going after her so she elegantly swayed; standing up. The Mirage Fox was awkwardly frozen in grabbing motion. The Blood Fox was staring at him sharply. "I was worried you were injured." The Mirage Fox spoke with honeyed words. The Blood Fox''s eyes softened as they got hazy. Seeing that his Divine Ability somewhat worked on her, he felt that there was something wrong with the Vicious Cub... "I''m fine." The haze disappeared and the Mirage Fox frowned. ''Maybe they are all abnormal?'' He could not understand how someone could so easily shake off his DIVINE Ability! Divine Abilities were no joke and it could be said that resistance was futile! Yet another fox was able to shake it off like it was nothing?! Absurd! Unbelievable! The Mirage Fox stood up with a soft smile and brushed his clothes. "I''m glad you are alright." He would naturally not show his inner emotions as it would be bad if the Passion Fox put a strong guard against him. He had the greatest lust for Passion Fox, unlike the Shadow Passion which had the Passion as a secondary nickname. The Passion Fox had it as the main. These kinds of nicknames were bestowed by his Master to those that would make the greatest fuck toys. Their leading member would then be assigned the nickname ''Passion Fox''. If he could sway her to his side, his Master would surely reward him handsomely. The perverted Elders'' plans went awry when the Elder Punisher kidnapped the Passion Fox, but what was even worse was the fact that she was contracted! The Vicious Cub was almost always hidden, so they couldn''t find a way to sever that contract and kidnap the Passion Fox for themselves. Most Elders were obsessed with the Massage Chair. The Heavenly Massage Parlour was freaking expensive, not to mention that they were unable to completely relieve them, so they were obsessed with what the Vicious Cub created. The good Elders raged, yet the Grandmaster was happily jumping around praising the Massage Chair!? What is this injustice that they couldn''t try it out before the business was shut down?! Moreover, it was shut down by the filthy rapists, so they couldn''t even do anything about it! They swore that if it happened again they would absolutely go to war with those sleazeballs! The Mirage Fox smiled gently towards the Passion Fox, he would be able to capture her with enough time, but he would have to be careful about the power. He will have to reduce the effect to a minimum in order to extend its duration for as long as possible. They walked through the cave, the Blood Fox was trying to find her teammates since she didn''t want to stay with this guy. He felt really nice, so much so that the Blood Fox was grossed by it. There was something fundamentally wrong about that feeling, but she could not find the reason... She could only walk at her tempo, as she knew that the Mirage Fox would not be able to keep up. That was her plan at least, but there was a feeling that drew her closer to him for some reason. She liked that feeling, which creeped her out and made her speed up, but each time she thought she would finally shake him off she ran into a dead end, which forced her to backtrack towards him again. The Mirage Fox was smiling. The Passion Fox was becoming more restless, which would make the [Soul Bound] much easier to affect her. He already [Soul Bound] the Shadow Passion. He could turn her weak with a simple thought and combined with his experienced fingers; he would be able to easily seduce any Fox. It was still commendable that the Passion Fox lasted for this long, but it was only a matter of time before the [Soul Bound] took care of it. His Divine Ability was called [Soul''s Temptation] and it would be able to subdue Souls. Normally that meant that he would subdue Ghost and make an army of them, but because of his generous Master, his Sacred Treasure was able to affect the living too~! The Blood Fox didn''t give up that easily and kept searching for Aiko and Umbra... Chapter 225 – Paradise and Likes Aiko was carried by that strange lady. She didn''t know where they were going, but what she did know was that they were going towards the Treasure. This put Aiko at ease, moreover, her [Intention Perception] was also not picking anything up, so she took her time to look around. She was slightly interested in this place, since it was simply too strange. They were underground, yet there was grass and Aiko could also see some kind of light at the end of this road. "This isn''t the afterlife, right?" Aiko joked, she trusted the Darkness and her senses. The strange lady laughed. "No, this is not the afterlife. This is my abode that I use when I''m tired." She replied with a smile. Aiko really liked that voice, so if this test won''t be harsh, she would definitely kidnap her for some bedtime stories~! It felt like the strange lady lived for a very long time. This meant that she would have plenty of stories to tell and entertain her. Aiko already made plans in her head, when a sudden question interrupted her. "What are you thinking about?" The strange lady asked. "How to kidnap you." Aiko accidentally leaked her inner thoughts. The strange lady choked and laughed. She didn''t expect this kind of response. "I really like your voice." Aiko tried to defend herself. "And since you feel old, that means you have plenty of stories that you can tell me before bed." While Aiko didn''t believe she was young enough for them, she would still enjoy that soothing voice helping her to drift to the dreamland. The strange lady laughed even more, almost spilling a few tears from how hard she laughed. Aiko pouted. "I changed my mind." She didn''t like when others laughed at her words. "How cute~" The strange lady hummed and gently pinched the little Fox''s cheek. Aiko inflated like a balloon and looked away. The strange lady was greatly amused by her. "Well, if you succeed, I don''t mind telling you a few stories, but at that point, you won''t need to sleep." She shrugged. "Sleep is eternal!" Aiko proclaimed. Even if she didn''t need to sleep, she would still sleep here and there. She had no idea why, but she felt like it was an important part of her being. It felt like she would lose something if she didn''t sleep. The strange lady raised her eyebrow. She didn''t understand this little Fox, but she definitely was amusing, so she would keep watch over here. "How about visiting me later?" The strange lady asked. "I will think about it." Aiko didn''t want to travel too far from Mei. The strange lady laughed. "This would be the first time someone didn''t give me a straight, yes, answer." "That''s because you don''t have a nice tail I can sleep on." Aiko proclaimed, swaying her own tail. The strange lady burst laughing again. The more she got to know this strange Fox the cuter she became. "Are we there, strange lady?" Aiko asked. She really didn''t like the fact that she was laughing so much at her... "Almost, almost." The strange lady chuckled. She was guiding the little Fox to her inheritance ground and wondered what she would do with it. This would be the last time someone could use the inheritance ground. Afterwards, this place would vanish. The previous ''rewards'' didn''t turn out all that well, most of them either died or were killed by their harems. She wondered if this little Fox would be different. She could faintly smell multiple females on her, which was natural for a Fox, but also not. Foxes would usually have a ton of smells on them, both male and female, as they didn''t really care about the gender for the most part. Yet this little Fox had only a faint smell of male, which was almost completely faded on her cheek, the rest were females! Fox females at that! Not human females! Stolen story; please report. The strange lady smiled as they walked into a clearance. The damp town cave turned into a small paradise. "Whoa..." Aiko''s eyes widened. She liked this kind of effect so much that she would definitely try to recreate it for her place. Imagine this. You walk through a damp dark cave, but once you go deep enough you walk into a clearing with trees, flowers, grass, and houses. How magical would that be?! In this clearance, there were mostly maidenhair trees, but also a few tallow trees. Aiko liked the contrast of orange with the soft green from the grass. "I''m definitely stealing this." Aiko rubbed her hands. "But how do you create something like this underground?" Aiko knew this was still underground. Even with all the light and clouds, there was a strange sense of ''I''m in enclosed space''. The strange lady chuckled. "You are too young to know these secrets. Get stronger first and I will reward you." Aiko''s eyes burned at the word ''reward''. So much so that the strange lady felt strangely about it, it felt like she would lose quite a lot... Aiko rubbed her hands like some sleazy trader ready to rob everyone blind. The strange lady shook her head. She was wealthy enough to indulge in her hobbies, so it should not be a problem to observe and reward one little greedy Fox. Aiko looked around. She really wanted to inspect everything about this place, but she should probably get the Treasure first, before this strange lady changes her mind. "So, what''s the test?" Aiko narrowed her eyes at the strange lady. "Let us converse." The strange lady smiled and Aiko tilted her head. Aiko was guided to a small pagoda with a table and tea set. "Do you know anything about the tea ceremony?" The strange lady suddenly asked. "I''m not sure..." Aiko was taught by Lady Liu, but she was a mortal and not a Cultivator, so Aiko didn''t know if the same rules applied. "Then try." The strange lady nudged the little Fox to try. Even if she broke anything it would not be a big deal. It might''ve been the most expensive tea set in the Lower World, but in the Immortal World... it was not worth much. She had many spares, there was no need to be cautious. The strange lady was not going for the wedding tea ceremony, but the knowledge that the little Fox might hold. She wanted to know if the little Fox was worthy. Aiko tilted her head, but got to work. It was quite a straining and exhausting endeavour and Aiko didn''t understand why, but even so, she was able to finish it without breaking anything. The strange lady''s eyes burned; her appreciation for the little Fox skyrocketed. While she was no master, she had good fundamentals and would definitely be able to please others when it came to it. "You have passed." The strange lady smiled and sipped the tea. It was light tea, but still tasty. She hated strong aromatic teas and preferred the mild or light ones. Aiko also ''sipped'' her tea. *Sluuuurp* "It''s good." Aiko giggled. The strange lady almost spilt her tea. She really liked this little Fox. "What is your name?" The strange lady asked. "Vicious Cub." Aiko replied. She would not give her name just yet. The strange lady raised her eyebrow and observed the little Fox. Where does the ''Vicious'' part come in...? ... {Back over the Umbra Fox} They walked around for quite a long time and the Umbra Fox with the Shadow Passion got to know each other a bit more. The Shadow Passion was very shy and guarded against certain things, which confused the Umbra Fox. "You are really slow." The Umbra Fox pouted. The Shadow Passion was combat-oriented, but not for speed. She specialised in critical hits from the shadows, so she didn''t necessarily need speed for it. The Umbra Fox grabbed the Shadow Passion''s hand. At first, the Shadow Passion wanted to dodge, but she was shocked by the Umbra Fox''s speed. The Umbra Fox then dragged her at a higher pace. The Shadow Passion didn''t mind the higher pace, but she did mind the hand-holding. She... never held her hands with anyone. Whenever the Mirage Fox held her hand he would always drag her to bed immediately... This was... an unfamiliar feeling to her, one that sent strange butterflies down into her stomach. At first, she thought that she was injured as she was not familiar with this feeling. The Umbra Fox... was quite forceful with her, but the Shadow Passion couldn''t say that she disliked that. This... gentle approach really heated up her body. "Another dead end..." The Umbra Fox whined. The Shadow Passion pursed her lips. She really likes the Umbra Fox''s expressions. She wanted to see more, but at the same time, she knew that was impossible. Once they got out of this place, she would be forced to get back to her team... The Umbra Fox was exploring this dead end since it looked like it had some kind of strange pseudo doors. The Shadow Passion observed her for a while with soft eyes, before she noticed something in the edge of her vision. It was a strange marking. She had a basic understanding of Runes, so she could read some of them. "Kiss...?" The Shadow Passion tilted her head before blushing. She could not kiss the Umbra Fox with her filthy mouth... that was just impossible. "I think we should find another- Kya!" The Shadow Passion tried to hide this marking since she didn''t want to force anything on the Umbra Fox, but she didn''t expect her to be standing behind her! "Kiss?" The Umbra Fox tilted her head. She didn''t understand the Runes, but she could see the small drawing of two people kissing. The Shadow Passion froze, her mouth opened and closed. She was trying to communicate with the Umbra Fox, but no voice came out of her lips. The Umbra Fox tilted her head. "How does that make any sense...?" She couldn''t understand... The Shadow Passion saw this as a good thing and tried to nudge the Umbra Fox to explore the rest of this place. "I think this place is broken-Mhm." The Shadow Passion was quite close to the Umbra Fox, but she never expected her to do something like that. The moment the Shadow Passion kept rambling, the Umbra Fox took this opportunity to steal her lips. The Umbra Fox really liked the Shadow Passion, she was shy and cute. Her body was similar to hers and the Umbra Fox was obsessed with her own body, so naturally, she was also obsessed with the Shadow Passion''s body. She would not say it out loud, since she knew the Shadow Passion was bound to the Mirage Fox or something like that. But since the situation called for it, The Shadow Passion couldn''t blame her for the kiss. The kiss didn''t taste as good as the Umbra Fox thought, but that would be only because they didn''t bathe for a while, so she was not discouraged. The Shadow Passion was completely frozen. Her dull red eyes suddenly regained that piercing red colour, like she wanted to possess the Umbra Fox. Umbra Fox looked around if it had opened the doors, but it didn''t... she was slightly sad so she looked back only to see those piercing vivid red eyes staring at her. "I really love your eye colour~" The Umbra Fox hummed, walking away. The Shadow Passion''s eyes shook, and a desire that was never there was starting to peek out. At this rate, she... might hurt the Umbra Fox. She would have to curb her enthusiasm before it was too late... Chapter 226 – Treasure- Scam! And Passion Fox’s ‘Passion’ Aiko was chatting with the strange lady. She asked many questions about her name and everything around it. "So, what is your real name?" The strange lady asked. She didn''t like that bad nickname for something so cute and ''innocent''. "Aiko!" Aiko told her her name since she started to like this strange lady. The strange lady smiled and gently petted Aiko. "That is a good name." She praised Aiko''s name. Aiko tilted her head. "But why aren''t you giving me your name?" "Once you get into the Immortal World, your name picks up a lot of power." The strange lady frowned. "I know when others talk about me behind my back and things like that." The strange lady sighed. "So once you get into the Immortal World, don''t share your name readily, otherwise you won''t be able to sleep peacefully." The strange lady warned Aiko. Aiko nodded gently. "So, what is your name?" She laughed, pinching Aiko''s cheek. "You little rascal, you will have to earn it!" Aiko pouted, even her sudden question didn''t yield any result and she would surely not ask about her name as a reward! Treasures rule! The strange lady sighed. "I can''t stay here for too long, I really like you, so you have passed my test." She smiled gently. Aiko blinked a few times. "That''s it?" Her mind spun and she couldn''t understand how this was a test. "You can thank your smart lips for that one~" The strange lady hummed, gently caressing Aiko''s hair. She really wanted to caress her ears too, but some Foxes were quite guarded when it came to that, so maybe next time... "And the Treasure?" Aiko''s ears perked. She did not forget about that. "Here." The strange lady tapped Aiko''s forehead and Aiko fell asleep. The strange lady watched over the sleeping Aiko who was going through the information. "How much you gain will depend on your insight." The strange lady sipped her tea and suddenly noticed a strange shadow in the corner of her eye. "Who is there?" The strange lady''s voice boomed, like crashing waves upon a mountain. "That won''t affect us!" "You are still too young." Two voices resonated from the Darkness, and the strange lady was shocked. "What are you doing here?" She asked them with a guarded expression. "We don''t care about your abode." Said the male Darkness voice. "We are only watching over them." The strange lady pursed her lips, it was unlikely that the Darkness would watch over someone unless... "T-the princess?" The strange lady visibly shook. Not her ethereal body that was in the Mortal World, but her real body. "It''s possible." The Darkness didn''t deny it and she gulped. "T-then-" The strange lady felt as if her vitality was rushing out of her body from the realization. "There will be no retaliation from us, as she was not hurt." If someone hurt the little Fox''s Soul, all of them would wage a war that would destroy countless worlds. The strange lady relaxed a bit. "But what about her parents...?" The strange lady feared Aiko''s possible parents the most. "She likes you, as long as she keeps liking you, they won''t move." The Darkness shrugged before disappearing. "How incredibly-..." The strange lady was exhausted from this encounter. "To think I would be able to meet the forgotten race..." She smiled from ear to ear. "What an honour." She was happy that she hit it off well with this little one. If she didn''t... well... She shook her head. "She said she liked this place. While this place won''t last all that long, I could compile a few techniques for her, so she can understand how to create such a place for herself." The strange lady would naturally suck up to Aiko as she didn''t want to get erased for sharing that Sexual Cultivation Technique, with the possibly overprotected princess. Her body was slowly melting into nothingness and she frowned. "I should''ve told her my name, at least she would be able to call me..." She now regretted her choice, but there was nothing she could do. It was unwise to write it on paper, since the owner of this world would know about her being here. They were... not on good terms since their ideology was different. She didn''t want to antagonise her for the time being. She wanted to bring alcohol over later and have a heart-to-heart conversation. "I will have to invade your dreams later..." The strange lady sighed. That was very dangerous, especially when it came to her race. If she was not careful... she would not be able to see the light of day again. She completely vanished from that place, leaving Aiko alone and leaving this place the young one so adored to slowly crumble as the vast amount energy that sustained it rushed towards Aiko. "One last parting gift." And an ethereal yet sweet voice caressed the abode before the abode completely vanished... ... Aiko woke up groggily and frowned. "Since when is a Sex Technique a Treasure?! I want a refund!" Aiko raged angrily, but stopped soon after. She felt a bit too light... [ Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 500 - 500 (Adjustable 500 - 500 -> 0 - 1,000) Species: [Shadow Spirit Fennec Fox (Female, Juvenile, Single-True Tail)] Species: [Moon Fennec Fox (Female, Juvenile, Single-Tail)] Age: 10.3/2,000 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Peak)], [Dream Beast Kitsune(Awakened)] Bloodline: [Moon Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)], [??? - 3/10] Beast Rank: Magical Beast Level: 156 (4th Evolution) Providence: 1,000 Profession: [Opportunistic Kleptomaniac (Apprentice 2nd Stage)] Sub-Profession: [Inscription Apprentice (1st Low-Grade Inscription Cultivator)], Wealth: Spirit Crystals: 50,000; Spirit Stones: 177,599; Black Gold Coins: 189,997; Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], [Little Princess], [Shadow Thief], [Master of Sex Toys], [Insatiable Gourmand], [Explorer], [Trickster], [Mischievous Juvenile], [Filthy RICH Den Master], [Juve-barian], [Tail Hunter], [Bath Enjoyer], [Closet Pervert], [Devourer of Vitality], [Bane of Immortal], [One Who makes Immortal Faint], [Glutton], [Walking Runic Encyclopedia], [Backdoor Destroyer], [Cruel Slaughterer], [Plague Master], [Daylight Robber], [Gruesome Craftsman], [Godly Gruesome Pitcher], [Poison Taster], [Idol of Fear], [(New)Masseur], [(New)Gruesome Cook] Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Cultivation Technique: [Blood Tyrant Scripture], [Moon Goddess Scripture], [Dual Yin Cultivation Scripture (Complete)] Karma Companion: [Mei (Affection: 30,000)] Companion: [Passion Fox (Affection: 80,000)] Servant: [Umbra Fox (Affection: Admires your might and likes you a lot)] Elemental Spirit: [Seed of Life; 321,330/1,000,000] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement)(*1-2.5->1.5-3.75 Lunar Enhancement) HP: 107,365|107,365 -> 111,815|111,815 (250pH & 0.4%pH) ST: 114,951|114,951 -> 119,401|119,401 (250pH & 0.4%pH) Vitality: 55,623|55,623 -> 57,848|57,848 (25pH & 0.4%pH)(1%pH - Insatiable Gourmand) Vigour: 63,209 -> 65,434 Beast Cores(65%->70%): 22,000 (54,080) Moonlight Qi: 52,080 -> 54,080 Toughness: 55,104 -> 57,329 Strength: 62,189 -> 64,414 Agility: 70,865*2 -> 73,090*2 Dexterity: 55,674*1.5 -> 57,899*1.5 Mind: 96,502*2 -> 98,727*2 Divine Sense: 94,000 Insight: 32,090 Soul: 32,981 Beauty: 530,042*1.55 -> 532,267*1.55 Luck: 103,594*1.02 -> 105,819*1.02 Stat Points: 55,385 Skill Points: 35,986 Elemental Affinity: [Moon - 0], [Shadow - 2], [Earth - 8], [Soul''s Affection: 1] Martial Arts: [Lightness Technique] Martial Ability: [The Ever Shaping Cauldron: - ; -/-], [Heavenly Suppression Technique(Prototype, Incomplete)] Innate Ability: [Beast Core Formation] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####], [Soul Palace: Developed 1m3], [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)], [Moon''s Eyes], [Moon''s Crust] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered], [Earthen Walk: Mastered], [Appraisal: Lv.2], [Lunar Nurturing Meditation: Lv.3], [Assimilate (Shadows)], Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.3], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Lunar Enhancement: Mastered], [Agility Mastery: Mastered], [Intention Perception: Mastered], [Basic Presence Concealment: Mastered], [Universal Recovery: Lv.4], [Divine Calligraphy: Lv.2], [Shadow Swimming: Lv.1], [Perfect Memory: Lv.1] Skills: [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Lacerate: Mastered], [Sprint: Mastered], [Quick Double Jump: Mastered], [Camouflage: Mastered], [Sleeping: Lv.2] Passive Skills: [Stealth: Mastered], [Prehensile Mastery: Lv.1], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Thermal Regulation: Lv.2], [Demonic Intimidation: Lv.5], [Linguistics: Mastered], [Silent Swimming: Mastered], [Enhanced Climbing: Mastered], [Enhanced Basic Senses: Mastered], [Brilliant Mind: Mastered], [Picturesque Beauty: Lv.2], [Four Leaf Clover: Lv.2], [Assassin Mastery: Mastered], [Dexterous Fingers: Mastered], [Inscription Mastery: Mastered], [Alchemy Mastery: Lv.2], [Greater Poison Resistance: Mastered] Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], [Blessing of N¨¹wa], [(New)Blessing of the Goddess of the Moon] Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x2,685], [Skill Coupon x2], [Skill Combination Coupon x2], [Cultivation Gift], [Sub-Profession Coupon x2], [Divine Ability Gift], [Sub-Profession Coupon(Servant)], [Cultivation Gift(Servant)], [Ability Coupon], [Bloodline Gift], [Bloodline Gift(Servant)], [Ability Combination Coupon x2], [Profession Coupon], [Karma Bound], [Black Inscription Master Token], [Essence of ####], [Bloodline Book], [How to obtain Bloodline 101], [Book of Providence] ] Her Beast Core not only recovered, but she was able to store even a bit more Energy inside! That was incredible for Aiko, but what was even more incredible was that she had yet another Blessing! [Blessing of the Goddess of Moon] [####] [1st Effect: You can store more Energy inside your body.] [2nd Effect: All Dual Cultivation Techniques will wield greater results. (More so if it''s with the same gender.)] "Let''s ignore that second effect." Aiko scrunched her face, but she loved the first effect. It seemed like she could store around 10% more Energy inside her body. Moreover, her Beast Core recovered, so she was in top form yet again! [Dual Yin Cultivation Scripture (Complete)] Aiko... didn''t like this Treasure, she really wanted a refund, but since it was in her Mind and Soul... it would be hard to get rid of. "Who would even want this?" Aiko frowned. That would be you, but much later on, but who am I to say anything? For now just enjoy the ride, Aiko. Aiko looked around like she was stalked by something. "Even the nice paradise disappeared." Aiko whined as she really wanted to explore this thing. The only thing left was the tea set. Aiko looked left and right. "This is my Treasure." Aiko nabbed the tea set into her Storage Ring before walking away. Nobody will notice her taking anything! She would just clean this little treasure and give it to Mei as a gift! Aiko rubbed her hands. It was a good thing that the strange lady disappeared, as she was able to get yet another nice thing for Mei. The shape was simply fabulous now that she could actually inspect it. The design was very simple and without too many glaring flairs and flourishes, but the feeling when one held it had no equal, only far surpassed by the feeling when one drank from it. "Top tier stuff." Aiko rubbed her chin. "It''s unfortunate that I couldn''t get more..." She felt a bit sad, but this was good enough. ... {Back over to the Blood Fox} The Blood Fox encountered yet another dead end. The distinctly odd feeling inside her was getting murkier and harder to detect, only her prior awareness guarding her against it, and even that would slip away if she forgot about it. The Mirage Fox was panting heavily. He cursed the Passion Fox for her ridiculously high stamina. Unlike his cute little fuck toy, the Shadow Passion, whose stamina he had managed to keep low, so that she couldn''t try and escape him. The Passion Fox was completely outrageous with her insane Stamina! ''How can the Vicious Cub keep up with her...'' He couldn''t understand why she didn''t restrain her teammates might. ''If this goes on, I will absolutely lose her!'' The Mirage Fox gritted his teeth, as he burned one of his precious Spirit Crystal to supercharge his Sacred Treasure. The small sinister medallion in his sleeve hummed gently, viciously and swiftly, yet somehow still subtly spreading his influence. The Blood Fox frozen in place. He smirked, but then he heard something he didn''t want to hear. *Crack* His Sacred Treasure cracked. Mirage Fox''s eyes widened. He couldn''t believe that a single Slut could cause a SACRED Treasure to crack. He couldn''t understand it, but he didn''t have time to investigate: he had to act. "Come here and service me." The Mirage Fox commanded the Passion Fox. The Passion Fox sensually turned around and the Mirage Fox''s member immediately hardened. He didn''t expect the Passion Fox to know such moves, he was really looking forward to what would happen next. The Passion Fox approached him swaying her hips. His eyes darted all around, he didn''t know where to look. Those mountains looked soft and delicious, yet those hips mesmerised him filling both heads with thoughts about how to ravish her. He was so focused on her cleavage that he didn''t notice the Passion Fox''s abnormality. The Passion Fox was smiling like a witch, licking her lips. She slashed at him with her sharp nails. "Argh!" He flinched backwards as his clothes fell on the ground. And the fresh cuts began to bleed. The Mirage Fox glared at the Passion Fox, but he was ignored. The Passion Fox licked the blood on her fingers sensually, but immediately frowned. "Disgusting." She spat the blood back on the floor and approached him. She kneeled in front of the Mirage Fox that she didn''t let move away. He completely underestimated how powerful the Passion Fox truly was. Her control over blood in her current state was unrivalled in the same rank. The Mirage Fox could only watch what would happen next... The Passion Fox approached his member, which hardened even more. He really wanted to stuff her mouth with it, but then- "Argh!" The Mirage Fox flinched. The Passion Fox was frowning as she flicked his tiny dick. "What is this? It''s even smaller than my smallest toy..." The Passion Fox frowned and shook her head. "This won''t do." She skilfully manipulated the blood in his body and sent every drop he could spare and more into his little brother. He felt his body weaken greatly an death approach as she drained the nectar of life into his little brother. Yet no matter how much he struggled, he couldn''t get away. He could see his member swell and swell, inflating like a balloon, with not a drop of blood being allowed to be wasted elsewhere, not even being allowed to escape from his lacerated torso. The fear inside his mind only growing further. He used all his strength to battle against the Passion Fox''s hold. The Mirage Fox was successful as the witch''s actions weakened her hold more than his strength, allowing him to pull out a small Talisman. This inconspicuous Talisman was one of the most expensive Talismans, the movement Talisman. Which when torn would instantaneously move the user far away from their current location. He ripped it with his Divine Sense and disappeared from the place. The Passion Fox was confused. "Where did my meal go...?" Her voice was slightly sad, but soon her head slightly tilted. "What am I doing on the ground...?" The Blood Fox couldn''t understand. "What is this putrid blood?" She was more and more confused... ... {Somewhere far away...} The Mirage Fox appeared near another pair of Foxes, which looked like lovebirds. He would have to use them to recover his Vitality and body... Chapter 227 – Umbra, what are you doing with that knife?! The Mirage Fox appeared close to the duo. He was confused seeing the Shadow Passion talk and even laugh like that which was a sight that he had never seen. He ignored it and focused on the Umbra Fox. She had a similar body to the Shadow Passion, just maybe slightly shorter. The Mirage Fox licked his lips imagining doing it with twins, but when he did, his member whined in pain. The Blood Fox had overdone it and now he was paying the consequences. Fortunately, part of the Secret Technique that he was rewarded by his Master, allowed him to heal his injuries. It was a good luck that his Master had chosen to teach him this technique in preparation for this particular long mission with the goals of getting that liquid, and ensnaring the Vicious Cub if the chance arose. ... Every Elder kept an eye on the Vicious Cub, Jade Fox and Blood Fox. They were watching the Jade Fox since she was dignified, beautiful and had mastered many arts. A dream to any and all Cultivators. Moreover, she could completely act like a Human, which meant that they didn''t need to worry that she would be found out, when going out. The Vicious Cub was not as dignified, nor beautiful. Most Foxes either forgot about her or believed she was an undeveloped Fox, considering how small she was. However, she had some insane ideas that worked wonders. Take for example the fact that she built that strange yet miraculous chair from scratch. Whoever used that chair was pretty much relieved of all of their stagnant Qi and even relieved their muscles, allowing them to train with far greater intensity than before and with much less pain from muscle damage and stagnant Qi build up. Another fact that was fascinating about the Vicious Cub was her ability to calm down the Demonic Foxes. This ability was unheard of and most Foxes that left the ''Zone'' were used as guinea pigs for drugs that might allow them to keep their sanity. The most outrageous was the Blood Fox, since her loss of control was so total and thorough she could only recognise her family on an especially good day. They thought they would be able to test more powerful drugs on someone that inately powerful, but unfortunately, the Vicious Cub was able to temper her madness. The Blood Fox made everyone drool, as she didn''t show any scar, some believing she had none at all. That was because of her Blood Bloodline. It was amazing in healing her own body which allowed her to keep her body ''intact'' from the cruel world. Yet she was but a meek servant in front of the Vicious Cub and even did her bidding without the contract! All the Elders were unhappy, especially the Elders of the old ways. They wanted to see what would happen if they combined their ''superior'' Technique with the Demonic Foxes. That was one of the reasons why it was so hard to get Foxes out of the ''Zone'', because the rest of the Elders didn''t want to subject them to the harassment when their life was already incredibly bleak. ... The Mirage Fox charged his sacred treasure once more, this was his last Spirit Crystal which he used, as he only obtained 2 of them after 30 years and that was only because he was able to lure a Demonic Fox out of the ''Zone''. He was lucky that he encountered the Umbra Fox and not the Vicious Cub. He was not interested in that small baby that he had to babysit. The Umbra Fox was much more to his liking, since the duo could role-play twins. His member twitched again at that thought, but he groaned in pain. The Shadow Passion noticed him first and tried to warn the Umbra Fox, but the Sacred Treasure had already been activated. The Umbra Fox''s eyes lost focus immediately as her mind was not given a chance to defend itself, since she was preoccupied chatting with the Shadow Passion. The Shadow Passion glared at the Mirage Fox. "Hehe." The Mirage Fox chuckled darkly. "Don''t worry, once I finish with the both of you, you can keep her." He licked his lips and for the first time ever the Shadow Passion felt that he was utterly revolting. Demonic Foxes... were complicated. Their thoughts were vastly different from those of other Foxes. The only consistent thing about them was that they would only go for one true Mate in their entire life and at the same time, they would be completely obsessed with them. The Shadow Passion hadn''t realised it before, but she did not hold any such feelings for the Mirage Fox. She liked his sweet words, but that was about it. Now that she experienced a completely different feeling inside her... it was hard to get back to the previous lie. "Ugh." The Mirage Fox groaned again and only then the Shadow Passion realised he was messed up, physically. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. He had lacerations from his shoulder to his thigh, not to mention his member was distorted for some reason. The Shadow Passion tilted her head, but then she heard that disgusting command. "The both of you. Service me, as if you were twins." The Mirage Fox wanted to get healed as soon as possible, but at the same time, he wanted to enjoy that twisted fantasy as soon as possible. It would take slightly longer, but it would be absolutely worth it. The Umbra Fox walked towards him blankly, and the Shadow Passion glared at him. He chuckled perversely. Looking forward to the twins'' play, he was completely oblivious to the strings that wrapped around his body. When he wanted to move to a more comfortable position, he realised that he was tied up. The Mirage Fox was shocked once again and stared towards the Shadow Passion. "You dare to restrain me!?" The Mirage Fox glared at her with a distorted expression full of hate. The Shadow Passion was confused. She had never seen him make that kind of face before, was this the same Mirage Fox that she knew? Seeing the confused expression the Mirage Fox froze. He snapped towards the Umbra Fox. "You tied me up?!" The Mirage Fox was deeply shocked, as he didn''t expect this from the Umbra Fox. The Umbra Fox chuckled. "It''s not fair that Mistress gets to tie me up, but I can''t tie you up~" She giggled seductively. The fool was unaware that his damaged Sacred Treasure had failed to properly grasp the Umbra Fox''s soul, and had instead rendered her incapable of discern reality from dreams. And now a dream, in which she was tying up her Mistress, was at the forefront of her mind. The Mirage Fox was... he couldn''t understand the Vicious Cub''s team! They were clearly all abnormal! The Shadow Passion was confused and deeply saddened. ''Mistress? Who? That little Fox? When? Why?'' Her mind spun and she pursed her lips a tear trickled down her cheek, but she wiped it out before anyone could see. The Umbra Fox browsed her Storage Pouch from Aiko. She also had a small Storage Ring, but that was well hidden since it was more precious than a simple Storage Pouch. She fished out what looked like a dildo on a strap. The Shadow Passion was even more shocked. She didn''t believe that the somewhat pure Umbra Fox would have something like that. The Umbra Fox tied it around her waist. This would be her first time with Mistress, so she picked the smallest one so it wouldn''t hurt her. The Umbra Fox came close to the stunned Mirage Fox. He wanted to escape, but he was tied up with threads he could barely see. He wanted to run away, but he couldn''t. The only one he could rely on was the Shadow Passion. "In my pocket is a Talisman. I order you to place it into my hand and tear it apart!" The Mirage Fox was quick in his thinking. Fortunately, he had not stored the Movement Talisman in his Storage Ring, otherwise, he would be fucked! Literally! The Shadow Passion blankly stared at him, she could no longer understand him, but since she had to obey him, she slowly walked towards him. "Since when did you grow something so unsightly, Mistress...?" The Umbra Fox''s sweet voice made the Shadow Passion almost cry. The Shadow Passion glanced towards the controlled Umbra Fox and was confused. This bastard could normally restrain thoughts, so what was happening right now...? "Don''t worry, one clean cut will completely take care of it~!" The Umbra Fox hummed sweetly and the Mirage Fox''s blood froze completely. "Hurry up you stupid bitch! I order you to hurry up!" The Mirage Fox yelled at the Shadow Passion. The Shadow Passion flinched as he never used such crude language with her. She wanted to cry about her life, but she had to listen first. She sped up, took the Talisman and placed it into his hand. She fought against the control a little bit, and managed to only tear it a little before stepping back. If she tore it completely, she would be moved along with the Mirage Fox. She didn''t know what she wanted to do right now, but she knew that going with the Mirage Fox wasn''t it. His eyes shook, but his body teleported away, just as the Umbra Fox swiped her knife. The small amount of blood on the Umbra Fox''s blade told Shadow Passion that the blade had only managed a shallow cut. ... With the Mirage Fox gone, the influence was also gone. The Umbra Fox snapped out of her daze and tilted her head. "What was I doing?" The Umbra Fox was confused and looked around. She saw the melancholic Shadow Passion and her strange expression. The Umbra Fox wanted to turn towards her, but realised something was tied around her waist and crotch. Looking down, it was the strap-on that she bought. It was pretty simplistic and not all that nice, but it would''ve been a good training tool for later. The Umbra Fox blushed deep red and shifted her body so the Shadow Passion wouldn''t see this toy. Fortunately for the Umbra Fox, Shadow Passion could not care less about that. She was completely dazed about the brief event and it left her in front of a deep chasm with endless blackness. The Umbra Fox stored it up and noticed that even her treasured Spider Silk that was supposed to be used for gently restraining people was tangled and even sometimes ripped! She really wanted to cry since this thing cost so much money, but she couldn''t. The only thing she could do was store it away. The Umbra Fox whistled innocently while storing it, before turning towards the Shadow Passion. "What''s wrong?" The Umbra Fox asked with genuine concern. The Shadow Passion could only open and close her mouth. She was unable to say anything... ... {Meanwhile over where Aiko was} "Stupid, translucent piece of shit!" Aiko swatted another Ghost away. "Oi! You anorexic stupid Ghost!" Aiko shouted at her Lamp. "You are supposed to munch on them!" "Mistress... I''m full..." The Ghost Lady cried out, completely inflated. "You..." Aiko choked, she couldn''t believe that her Servant was so... She slapped another Ghost and that Ghost moaned. "Fucking moaning pieces of-!" Aiko was completely livid since she was lost in this place and encountered a group of Horny Ghosts. At first, they flashed Aiko, which completely enraged her, but no matter what she did to them. Choke them, swat them, slap them, they would all moan with a blissful expression. Aiko was like a raging bull, bashing them with anything she could reach. "That''s enough, you stupid cunts!" Aiko roared and her Divine Sense roared too. [Divine Sense: 94,000 -> 150,000] Her Divine Sense skyrocketed because of her roar, and the whole room shook under her pressure. The Ghosts were either crushed or blasted away from Aiko. She huffed angrily and walked from this place. ... Hidden deep within this maze was a frowning Soul. "All of them are useless bastards!" She cursed with the same voice she used the first time she met the little Vicious Fox. ... Aiko dashed through the rooms, until she arrived in a wide room. There she could see the panicky Umbra Fox and Shadow Passion that was out of it. "More Ghosts?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. Her stealth was active and since the ''Umbra Fox'' wasn''t paying attention, Aiko was able to sneak up on them. *Slap* "Kya!" The Umbra Fox jumped from the sudden surprise. Aiko nodded happily, that was the voice and reaction she would expect from her teammate, but just to make sure. *Slap* The Shadow Passion flinched and breathed out finally. She was still confused, but her mind was a lot clearer now. "No reaction...?" A sinister voice sounded behind her. *SLAP* "KYA!" That was quite a painful one and the Shadow Passion didn''t have any time to guard against it. "Good, you are not a Ghost either." Aiko smiled happily and went next to the Umbra Fox. "This place is a mess, I was lost for so long..." Aiko immediately whined to the Umbra Fox... Chapter 228 – How to Break Walls 101 "M-Mistress?!" The Umbra Fox didn''t expect Aiko to find them. "I was looking around trying to get out, but I have not found any way to do it." Aiko stared at her trusty Umbra Fox. "We don''t know either." The Umbra Fox shook her head. They did not find a way out either. Aiko sighed. "I will go look for the Blood Fox, since you are together it should be safe." Aiko ruffled her hair. "Don''t go that way. There are perverted Ghosts that way." Aiko pointed at the way she came from. "Maybe the Ghosts guarded the exit?" The Umbra Fox nudged Aiko. Aiko stiffened. "I''m not going there. I would rather flatten this god-damn mountain than go that way." Aiko openly confessed. "Anyway," Aiko changed the topic "It''s better that I go look for the Blood Fox~" Aiko hummed ready to leave. "Erm..." The Shadow Passion was still confused and unsure of what to do with the current events, but she still wanted to warn the Vicious Cub about him. "Be careful about the Mirage Fox." The Shadow Passion frowned from light pain. This much was alright to say. "I know." Aiko nodded. Since the Mirage Fox was able to affect her Divine Ability, that meant that he was strong. "We can deal with that later, for now, I''m off searching for her~!" Aiko ran into the tunnel. The Shadow Passion relaxed. There was a slight disconnect between what the Umbra Fox said and how she acted towards the Vicious Cub. She could not understand it. "Oh right!" Aiko popped near them again, which scared the Shadow Passion. "You should bathe, you both smell awful." Before disappearing again. The Umbra Fox coughed. "Once we find a place, we will do so, Mistress." She said gently, but Aiko was already far away. "What do we do now?" The Shadow Passion asked the Umbra Fox, her mind was strangely clear, but also possessive. "Walk back." The Umbra Fox was not familiar with hunting Ghosts, so she didn''t want to go that way. "But we only met dead ends..." The Shadow Passion wanted to investigate what the Umbra Fox liked, but that would be impossible if they followed the Vicious Cub. "And Mistress will make a path for us~" The Umbra Fox hummed. She knew that if Aiko got upset enough, she would just make a path. "Make a path...?" The Shadow Passion was confused. "We also need to find a pond or lake to bathe in." The Umbra Fox already made plans, since Aiko did reprimand her for her smell. "..." The Shadow Passion believed that this was the most bizarre team in existence. ... {Aiko dashing through the tunnels} Aiko was freely dashing away, as no Ghosts stood in her way here. She would dash and dash since she had plenty of Stamina. There was no need to walk and preserve her Stamina, as her Divine Sense could easily solve the Ghosts. Aiko hummed as she ran through the corridors, only to run back a few moments later. There were simply too many dead ends. As the Umbra Fox predicted, she was getting a bit annoyed by the constant dead ends. Aiko used [Earthen Walk] to peek outside the walls. This place was one huge labyrinth, but it was obvious that it was artificially created. "Those dead ends are not actually dead ends..." Aiko smirked. She dashed towards the wall and changed into her small Fox form. *BOOM* She used the oversized boulder next to her as a cannonball and blasted it through the fake wall. The wall shook and cracked, but didn''t break yet. Aiko repeated this a few times and the wall finally made its way. Crumbling in front of Aiko. Aiko smiled happily. This was a good idea and she made a mental note to utilise [Earthen Walk] more. It could solve so many issues that she might have during exploration. It was simply unreal~! The destroyed wall rumbled and tried to piece itself together. Aiko scoffed at it. *Boom* She pulverised another part of the wall. *Rumble**Boom* *Rumble**Boom* *Rumble**Boom* ... *Rumble**Boom* Aiko always waited if it tried to repair itself again, before smashing it up again. She waited one last time and the wall didn''t try to piece itself together any more. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Aiko happily smiled and turned around, walking away. *Rumble* A vein appeared below her fur. She was really pissed with this wall! *Rumble**Boom**Pound**Boom**Pound**Boom**Pound**Boom**Pound**Boom**Pound**Boom**Pound**Boom**Pound**Boom**Pound**Boom**Pound**Boom**Pound**Boom* She pounded the wall until it became a pile of dust. Aiko cleaned her paws from the pile of dust, ready to walk away. She would occasionally glance backwards, just to make sure that the wall would not try to repair itself. Aiko walked around the corner. *Rumble* Aiko immediately dashed right back with a livid expression. She could not believe that the wall would dare to try to regenerate again. The Shadow Passion and Umbra Fox stared silently at Aiko from the shadows. The Umbra Fox was unable to meet the Shadow Passion''s gaze... Aiko kept shovelling the dirt into her Storage Rings until not even a speck of dust remained! Aiko huffed a few times in order to calm down, before walking away. She utterly broke one wall and would be able to do so for all the other. The Shadow Passion wordlessly pointed at the prideful Vicious Cub, but the Umbra Fox was unable to meet her eyes. She would not admit that she was her Mistress at this moment... Aiko ran away with a newfound resolve and plan in her pockets. The plan was very simple... *BOOM* Break all the fake walls and shovel them into Storage Rings... A simple yet highly effective plan, as those noises attracted quite a lot of attention. "Out of the way, Fatty!" A very angry tiny Fox passed near the Gluttonous Fox, he was shocked at the speed and destructive force that she caused. *BOOM* A wall near him crumbled and before he could recover, he could see the small Fox shovelling the wall that was trying to repair itself into her Storage Ring. His lips twitched and he wanted to curse the small Fox for using something so precious for something so... he couldn''t understand the Vicious Cub''s thought process... Before he could say anything, Aiko disappeared once again... ... {Somewhere deep inside this labyrinth} "Nooooo!" The Ghost wailed loudly. "You are not supposed to break that, you stupid Fox!" She cursed the tiny Fox. "You are supposed to fuck near the walls in order to open them, so I can get enough energy! Don''t break it! How are you even breaking it when I made those walls impenetrable?!" The Ghost complained and complained. Near her was the Mirage Fox fucking her Ghost servants. "Good thing I didn''t meet her." The Mirage Fox panted as he ploughed the Ghost servant, recovering his body and Energy. "You shut up. You useless bastard!" The Ghost immediately slapped the Mirage Fox and the Mirage Fox spurted blood out of his mouth. "If you had done your job properly, I would not have an angry beaver destroying my walls!" The Ghost insulted him and beat him up. She was livid from this stupid fuck not being even half as good as the previous inheritor. "I can''t believe that amazing guy who inherited my Technique gave someone as inept as you one of the Secret parts of my Technique!" If she were not a Ghost, she would absolutely lose all her hair. The Mirage Fox was upset that he was being beaten by a simple Ghost and an evil thought sprouted in his mind. He smirked towards the Ghost, ready to accomplish it, once the Vicious Cub caused even more problems... ... {Back to Aiko running through more pathways} She dashed at top speed, breaking at an even higher speed as she figured out the tricks to it. She was able to swiftly dispose of the walls and explore even more of this labyrinth. Aiko was so fast that she didn''t stop, not even when something red passed near her! Wait, red?! Aiko immediately started breaking, but her momentum was a little too fierce. *Boom* Her body crashed into a wall, but fortunately, her body was much tougher than the soft rocks. *Rumble Rumble**Boom* Aiko recovered herself from the wall and shook her fur. She sped a bit back where she encountered that red thing. Sure enough, it was the Blood Fox! Aiko collided with the confused and shaky Blood Fox. "There you are." Aiko giggled. The Blood Fox recovered some of her wit. "I was lost..." She whined. Aiko chuckled. "But I was able to find you~" Aiko hummed. "You are not lost?" The Blood Fox asked with a slightly murky expression. She didn''t believe that Aiko knew her way in this place. Aiko stiffened. "Of course." Aiko lied since she didn''t want to be perceived as inept. "Then where are we?" The Blood Fox immediately saw through Aiko''s lie, since Aiko was at times bad at concealing her real thoughts. "Deep inside a labyrinth." Aiko answered vaguely. "But are we on the outer part or the inner part?" The Blood Fox teased as her body eased up. "Uhhhhh..." Aiko ''sweated''. She did not know how to answer that question... "Outside...?" Aiko asked the Blood Fox. "Is that a question?" The Blood Fox kept teasing. "Outside..." Aiko was still unsure, but she dropped the question mark. "Are you sure about that?" The Blood Fox pressed on. "..." Aiko pursed her mouth. "Bully..." She said softly, but the Blood Fox could still hear her. "Mhm." The Blood Fox gently caressed Aiko''s fur. This sensation was heavenly and calming. Aiko enjoyed the petting since there was no rush going outside. The Umbra Fox with Shadow Passion joined them. The Shadow Passion guessed that Mirage Fox targeted the Blood Fox first, considering the blood on the floor. But she could not understand how the Blood Fox was still so relaxed... "Heh." An arrogant voice snorted. Aiko didn''t even turn around, while others looked forward. A translucent being stood in one pathway. "So, we meet again." The Ghost smirked, it was the same Ghost that welcomed them inside. "Shoo Shoo." Aiko immediately shooed that Ghost away. "Don''t feel so impatient, I will deal with-" The Ghost suddenly stiffened. "That brainless bastard!" She cursed with a livid expression before disappearing. ""..."" The whole group had blank expressions and they looked at the small Fox nestled on the Blood Fox''s lap. "Don''t look at me." Aiko enjoyed the petting. "I have not done anything yet." The whole group pursed their lips. They did not believe her at all... ... {Back in the middle of the labyrinth} The Mirage Fox took this opportunity and used his Divine Ability on the Ghosts. They all fell victim to him and willingly guided him to the female Ghost''s real body. It was a real beauty and he licked his lips. His member and body had recovered, so he could enslave this body. It was a truly gorgeous boner-inducing curvaceous body. He licked his lips before undressing that body and plunging his member inside. He almost immediately climaxed, but stopped himself by circulating the Technique. At this moment he could feel that female Ghost rushing back, but he had plenty of time to finish this. "You dumb bastard, what do you think you are doing!?" The female Ghost was completely livid as she watched her defenceless body being badly used by that needle-dicked bastard. "Ah." With one last moan, the Mirage Fox climaxed. "Noooo!" The female ghost was completely enraged, but a sudden invisible force pulled her Soul inside his body. "You stupid motherless bastard!" She cursed him within his body. The Mirage Fox licked his lips. "Don''t worry, I will take good care of your Heavenly Body~" He hummed happily. "You-" The female Ghost was completely enraged. The Mirage Fox had failed too many times, so he had to bring something back to his Master. The fact that the master of this place knew something about their Dual Cultivation Techniques made him certain that this ghost would be a good enough tribute for his Master to look past his failures. And... he didn''t really want to part with this body. It had the perfect chemistry with his dick. Chapter 229 – How to please Aiko Aiko was pouting the whole way and was carried by the Blood Fox. Sometimes her small Fox form was quite useful, if not for those huge mountains pressing on her. But because the Blood Fox was skilled in scratching Aiko behind her ears, Aiko with her endless compassionate personality forgave those huge mountains this time! Aiko would just lay down and be carried outside. The Shadow Passion was chatting with Umbra Fox some way away and the Fatty was spotted somewhere even further away. The Blood Fox led the group around. None of them cared if they were lost or not. What mattered to them was that they would not separate. They could not find Mirage Fox which was for the better. They all had a sense of uneasiness from meeting him before. The Shadow Passion was trying to hint at the fact that he was not good, but most of them shrugged. It was Aiko''s responsibility to attach a threat level to him, but she just said she would take care of him once they encountered him. The Gluttonous Fox was distressed. He wanted to prove the ''innocence'' of his Master. He missed the nights when he could peek at the moaning Shadow Passion... The rest of the group pushed on subconsciously backwards and he felt... excluded. ... {In the centre of labyrinth} "It''s not a good idea to battle them in close spaces." Said the Mirage Fox, still buried deep into her body. "Can you stop fucking my body if you want to make plans?!" The Female Ghost was livid, but there was nothing she could do thanks to his Divine Ability. "Mmmmm." The Mirage Fox climaxed once again. "Let them leave this place and we will ambush them at night when you are at your strongest." "You dumb..." The Female Ghost was completely speechless, but obeyed. ... {Outside of the inheritance grounds} "It was strangely simple getting outside." The Blood Fox murmured. Aiko felt the same. She didn''t get enough scratches behind her head, so she was upset that they figured their way out so soon... The Blood Fox resumed her scratching before saying to Umbra. "We will be moving from here immediately. There is no need to wait for Mirage Fox." The Blood Fox said. "We can wait for him some ways away." Aiko protested and jumped down. She still wished to use his traits to level up her [Soul Palace]. It was a greedy move from her, but Aiko felt much safer with more space inside. It was a simple hunch... Her team frowned, they didn''t feel all that good about it. "I will deal with him." Said Aiko once again before picking up the Soul Wood that she hid nearby. She transformed into her Human form, since carrying this thing was bothersome. "Why can''t you get inside the Lamp, so I can store the wood inside my Storage Ring?!" Aiko smacked the wood. Slave 1 sobbed, but he had already explained his reasoning so many times that it hurt his pride. He was also worried about the fact that the Ghost Lady was far more powerful. Aiko smacked it one more time before putting it on her back. Her tails would keep it in place for now and she would later tie it on her back again. She was even able to hide it inside her tails, but she only did that while fighting. It didn''t feel good to have foreign things inside her tails... ... The night fell. Her team was still, no matter what Aiko did, they didn''t feel good about the Mirage Fox. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "It will be fiiine~" Aiko munched on a piece of meat as her ears twitched happily. Her team did not think so. ... The bushes rustled and the Mirage Fox appeared from them. Aiko''s team had repulsive feelings towards him almost immediately... ... {Mirage Fox''s POV} The Mirage Fox left the labyrinth and waited for the night from a great distance. He felt a sense of danger each time the Vicious Cub twitched her ears, but that was just impossible! He was so far away, there was no way that he was discovered! Once night fell, he approached the camp conspicuously so as not to raise suspicion. The Mirage Fox could see the Umbra Fox and Passion Fox staring at him warily. It would be a lot harder to woo them, but that was not the case for the Vicious Cub. She didn''t care much about him. ''Do it now and possess her!'' The Mirage Fox commanded. ''I don''t want to be so small and pitiful! Give me the body of the red Fox!'' The Female Ghost protested. The Mirage Fox discreetly rolled his eyes. ''If we can get the small one we will get all of them.'' ''...'' The Female Ghost didn''t believe him. She immediately went underground so she wouldn''t be spotted by the other Foxes. She approached Aiko and sneaked inside her. What greeted her was a humongous sleeping beast that just awakened since she forcefully intruded. The Female Ghost shivered as the black beast''s eyes twinkled. A new toy! The black beast thought, happiness filled the beasts whole being and insurmountable darkness filled this whole place. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-" The Female Ghost screamed until she was buried under the beast''s fluffy, soft paws. The beast would roll her, play catch with her. Finally, the beast had something that could entertain the beast... The Mirage Fox stiffened as he noticed the fact that the control over the Female Ghost had vanished. The Vicious Cub stared at him up and down. ... {Back to Aiko} "You smell." Aiko spat at him. "Go out with the trash and wash it if you want to sleep anywhere near us." She was already bothered by the Shadow Passion enough, she didn''t need another bothersome smelly person. The Mirage Fox choked and glared at the Vicious Cub. He really wanted to use his Divine Ability on her, but he was currently suffering backlash from losing the connection with the Female Ghost. Aiko shook her head at him. "Should I kick you away." Her hair was slowly colouring black and her eyes were slowly turning red. The Mirage Fox heard about this phenomenon, but when he could observe it so closely- *Slam* Aiko''s small feet slammed into his face before he could react and he was blasted away. Aiko landed on her feet and shouted. "Don''t forget to bathe the garbage before coming back!" Her team was rendered speechless, but they did feel betfyter. The oppressive nature of the Mirage Fox was just not there any more? They didn''t understand what happened, but this was definitely a good thing. Aiko hmpfed when she smelled the Shadow Passion, but since the Umbra Fox was playing cute... well she would be a good leader and indulge her for a bit! Aiko went back to eating until she ate her portion. She then went towards the Blood Fox with ''puppy'' eyes. The Blood Fox rolled her eyes as Aiko didn''t like asking about the permission and would rather play cute. "Fine." The Blood Fox pouted like she was hesitant. This was a common occurrence that warmed her team''s heart. They would indulge Aiko here and there. The Mirage Fox''s team was always confused about what they were playing since they were unable to see what was actually happening... Aiko''s eyes brightened and she jumped above the Blood Fox''s tails. She transformed midway and a small Fox plopped on the tails. The Mirage Fox''s team was confused... Aiko started to sink into the tails until she could no longer be seen. The Shadow Passion paused. She had never seen such a fluffy tail. She gently and discreetly glanced at Umbra''s tail, but as the Umbra Fox was also a Shadow Fox; she quickly gazed at the Shadow Passion. The Shadow Passion blushed and looked away. She didn''t think she would be caught so easily. The night was quite harmonious for everyone, everyone except the Mirage Fox. ... He was kicked into mud that was mixed with faeces. He smelled awful and had to find an actual pond to clean. The Mirage Fox obviously did not forget to enjoy his new servants body whilst cleaning her. The fluids were sticky and dry on her body which lessened her appeal. He could not have that, so after cleaning their bodies; he would bang her repeatedly throughout the whole night... ... Morning came and Aiko''s team immediately embarked, since the Shadow Passion was not commanded to wait, she rushed with Umbra. The Shadow Passion already made plans to poach the Umbra Fox for herself. The voices inside her head were quiet and gentle, only assisting her in her goals and nothing else. She was confused about this sudden change. She only slept next to the Umbra Fox and this is what happened. The Shadow Passion''s obsession with Umbra grew day by day. The Umbra Fox was mostly oblivious to her desire, but didn''t reject her approaches and kinship. This even more fuelled the desire to possess Umbra just for herself. ... Aiko spotted a strange Human group. She rubbed her hands like a thief and sneaked around. The rest of her team was still far back, so this was a great opportunity to enjoy herself while others didn''t want to. Aiko stealthily made her way towards the group. They had only Storage Pouches, but that was fine by her. She was almost right next to them when she heard. "I will confess to my Senior Sister." The others looked at him with envy. "Don''t be like that, I will share some ''things'' with you." He nudged them. Meanwhile, Aiko was grabbing their Storage Pouches. The Forest rustled and they looked forward. A small child with fox ears was next to them with extended hands towards the last Storage Pouch. She was incredibly adorable and one would feel the need to caress her silky hair. The small child had adorable yet large, light-blue eyes. She looked stiff. Aiko exchanged glances between them and their last Storage Pouch. Meanwhile, her team arrived at this scene and hid behind the trees. They pursed their lips and massaged their temples. Aiko was once again causing trouble... Aiko snatched the last Storage Pouch before they could properly react. "Hehehehe~" She scurried into the shrubs and the male Cultivators finally snapped out of it. "Chase after her." The lovestruck fool that wanted to confess suddenly yelled. He was not concerned about the Storage Pouch as they were wealthy, but he couldn''t give up what was inside! "Hehehehe~" Aiko was laughing since she knew that they couldn''t catch her with their speed even if she was in her pseudo-Human form. Chapter 230 – Can I keep her? Aiko easily escaped their pursuit and was giggling happily. She was able to rob them without much issue, even in her pseudo-Human form. Her team was able to catch up to her a bit later as they hid and waited, not wanting to be exposed to the Human Cultivators. Aiko waited for a nice place to make a camp. It was once again a meadow which was quite hidden to the naked eye. Aiko would be able to sleep peacefully here. She nodded to herself and waited for her team. It didn''t take that much time for them to arrive. Aiko smiled at them innocently and they shook their heads. "You should keep your hands to yourself while we are on a mission." The Blood Fox said gently, nudging Aiko not to forget that if she caused too much trouble, everyone would be exposed. Aiko pouted, those Human Cultivators were weak, so there was no need to worry. The Blood Fox pinched Aiko''s cheek. "Just because they are weak doesn''t mean you should rob them." Aiko was startled that she was read so easily. She would have to work hard on her Go face... The Blood Fox pursed her lips seeing Aiko deep in thought. They were quick on the work. One collected firewood and another cut the meat for consumption. Naturally, Aiko was neither of them since she was looking over at the Storage Pouches. Aiko smiled happily while the meat was roasting in front of her. She would munch on it the moment it was prepared, but first, let''s introduce the loot. Aiko picked up one of the Storage Pouches and moved her hand inside. She would be able to pick something blindly and introduce it to her team as Treasure. Aiko fished for something good before raising her hand up high. She had a Spirit Stone in her hand. Her team raised an eyebrow, but indulged the happy Aiko since it meant she was not bored and easier to handle. The first Storage Pouch contained a few Spirit Stones and Herbs. Aiko collected those Herbs and gave the Storage Pouch to the Blood Fox, since she already had too many of them. The Blood Fox patted Aiko, since she didn''t expect something so nice. Meanwhile, the Shadow Passion looked like she was chewing something awful. She didn''t expect that the Vicious Cub would be so open in giving her team Storage Pouches and Spirit Stones. She now felt terrible and stupid for going through all of that just to earn a few of them... The Umbra Fox naturally saw that expression on the Shadow Passion. She would try to help Shadow Passion get something nice too, so she would smile at her again. The Umbra Fox had a Storage Pouch already, two of them at that. Aiko was generous when it came to those, but she also liked to hoard the Storage Rings, since they were more convenient and more scarce. The Umbra Fox did not blame Aiko, she would do the same. Moreover, Aiko liked to loot things, so it was more convenient to get a Storage Ring than a Storage Pouch. The Storage Ring was not restricted by size. ''As long as it fits within the Storage Ring you could store it'', was the general rule for Storage Rings. The Umbra Fox smiled as the second Storage Pouch went to her. Once again Aiko only took the Herbs and left everything else to her team. Aiko went towards the last Storage Pouch. She fished one more time for the loot inside. Aiko had a strange expression. Everything inside was quite soft, something which she liked very much, but... ''Why would a Cultivator need something soft?'' Aiko raised her eyebrow as Cultivators mostly stored their precious things inside the Storage Pouches. The Blood Fox kept gazing at Aiko, so Aiko steeled herself. She pulled up her hand. The soft thing unfolded and blinded Aiko''s eyes. *PFFFT* Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. The Gluttonous Fox spat his meat. He didn''t expect the little Fox to be so... daring! Aiko moved her hand away from her head so she could see what it was. From the corner of her eye, she noticed her team strangely staring at her. Aiko could not understand why they would... "Why is it sexy lingerie?!" Aiko cried out since she knew that the Blood Fox had something similar. She also saw a similar design on the Bird Lady. Aiko was immediately enraged and her team laughed. They expected many things to be fished out, but they didn''t expect Aiko to fish out THAT. Aiko was embarrassed and angry. She immediately shoved it back inside and wanted to immediately burn this thing! The Shadow Passion looked crestfallen. She didn''t think that the Vicious Cub would be willing to burn the Storage Pouch. Fortunately, the Blood Fox caught it elegantly and stored it away. "Why?!" Aiko cried out, but the Blood Fox immediately changed the topic with a serious expression. "How do we get rid of the Mirage Fox..." The Blood Fox murmured. While the Mirage Fox no longer gave her that strange feeling, that did not mean she liked him. She would love to get rid of him, but first, she would need permission from Aiko. Aiko didn''t want to get rid of him yet. She hoped that he bathed so that she could capture him and use him to develop her Divine Ability. "I will take care of him." Said Aiko once again, the Blood Fox didn''t like that and the Gluttonous Fox was on guard. "You can have him." Aiko pointed at the Gluttonous Fox. "I''m innocent!" He immediately yelled out. Aiko tilted her head. "Nobody is saying you aren''t." The Gluttonous Fox saw light at the end of the tunnel. "¡ªas long as you behave and appease the Blood Fox." Aiko shrugged and left everything for the Blood Fox to deal with. While the Blood Fox didn''t like such an attitude from Aiko. She also did not complain as long as the Mirage Fox was dealt with. The Shadow Passion was constantly warning them of the Mirage Fox''s danger, but she also looked uncomfortable. It was a strange sight. They were unaware that one could restrict what they could say and could not say through the contract. If the person restricted by that would say it they would be in unimaginable pain wishing to die. If the person hinted at it, they would be in pain and discomfort and it would only get worse with each hint until it became the full-blown ''wishing to die'' kind of deal. Aiko never used commands on her team. Well, she did a few times when she was pouty, but she stopped right after since she didn''t like that her team obeyed so willingly. Aiko was unable to tease them at will, unlike the Blood Fox who seemed like she already had teasing in her blood. Aiko gazed towards the Shadow Passion. She was unsure what to do with her. On one side she quite liked the Shadow Passion, but on the other, she was part of the Mirage Fox''s team. Aiko was on the edge. The Umbra Fox noticed Aiko''s gaze and a bold move appeared in her mind. "Can I keep her?" The Umbra Fox gently lifted the Shadow Passion by her waist before placing her on her lap and peeking at Aiko from behind the Shadow Passion. The whole group went silent. Aiko felt that she was being teased by the Umbra Fox. The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes which made the Umbra Fox embarrassed. The Gluttonous Fox forgot to eat properly and was staring at them with an open mouth. As for the Shadow Passion... She wanted to dig a hole and hide in there. She was so embarrassed that she wanted to die! What is the Umbra Fox thinking?! "She is under Contract." The Blood Fox pointed at the obvious and Aiko nodded. The Umbra Fox became slightly more shameless, like she was learning from her Mistress. "Then I can just steal her." The Umbra Fox happily mimicked Aiko when she was ready for mischief. The whole group choked, but instead of looking at Umbra Fox, they looked at the small Fox. Aiko wanted to hide. She felt like too many people were teasing her today! She pouted and looked away. "Please~?" The Umbra Fox mimicked Aiko to a perfect degree. "Geh!" Even Aiko was taken aback by that expression. Her team kept looking at her until she caved. "Tsk. Do whatever you want, but don''t forget to bathe her!" Aiko demanded from the Umbra Fox. Umbra Fox nodded happily, but noticed the Blood Fox came close to her. "You will need this in that case~" The Blood Fox handed her that ''burned'' Storage Pouch. The Shadow Passion immediately turned her, while the Umbra Fox was slower with her reaction. The Umbra Fox blinked immediately and wanted to protest. "Wh-!" The Blood Fox silenced her lips with her hand. "You don''t want to lose this~" She hummed before getting back to her position and eating once again. The Umbra Fox was left speechless with the Storage Pouch filled with erotic things. One had to know that Umbra Fox was very selective and would never wear those kinds of things! The Umbra Fox''s mind paused and she stared at the Shadow Passion up and down. The Shadow Passion burned from shame from that gaze. She immediately pinched the Umbra Fox''s thigh. "Auch." The Umbra Fox massaged her thigh with a pitiful expression and the Shadow Passion was taken aback. The Shadow Passion soothed the place she pinched, since she didn''t want to hurt the Umbra Fox at all. "Geh..." Aiko lost quite a lot of appetite. "Get a room! And don''t forget to lock it!" Aiko spat at them and the both of them immediately shrunk. The Gluttonous Fox was much slower in his realisation, but once he understood what was happening, his eyes burned with need. It was fine watching the Shadow Passion go at it with Mirage Fox, but... it was something completely different if two female Foxes went at it! He really wanted to see that. He would absolutely see that! The Blood Fox noticed that expression and released a bit of her Demonic Bloodlust. The Gluttonous Fox hiccuped and immediately started to sweat, even if he was unable to. He really wanted to see two female Foxes making out, but it didn''t seem that he would survive it if he peeked! The Gluttonous Fox''s mind spun. He would come up with something, a way to appease the Passion Fox so that he was allowed to peek! ''But I don''t know much about females...'' The Gluttonous Fox whined and whined inside his mind. His desire was crumbling right in front of him. If he can''t find a good reason he won''t be able to watch! At that time the exhausted Mirage Fox came back to the camp. He previously went at it so hard that he almost passed out. That body was just too addicting and perfect, but he did miss the bitching from that female ghost while he ploughed her body... The Mirage Fox did not care about the Shadow Passion any more. He would naturally use her as a meat shield when the time came, since he had a much better sex toy now. He sat by the Gluttonous Fox and immediately passed out, snoring. Aiko was really tempted to use the amber and shove it down his throat so he would stop snoring, but decided against it... for the time being. Chapter 231 – Finding a Bath and First Loss of Control Aiko and her team walked away from the snoring Mirage Fox. They didn''t want to sleep near that snoring volcano of spit. The Umbra Fox was happily dragging away the Shadow Passion and the Gluttonous Fox could only sigh in his mind. When will he get to see such a beautiful Fox get pounded again...? It was simply impossible, as the other Foxes would kill him if he peeked! The Gluttonous Fox blamed the Mirage Fox for this! ... {Meanwhile, over at Aiko''s sleeping camp} Aiko was stretching and nudging the Blood Fox. The Umbra Fox used this opportunity to sneak away with the Shadow Passion. "Where are you going?" Aiko asked with narrowed eyes. But... the Umbra Fox was not as good at sneaking as Aiko was. "Mistress, you told me that we should have a bath." The Umbra Fox technically didn''t lie, but Aiko still found it suspicious. "Alright~, I''m going to bed." The Blood Fox stretched. "I''m going too." Aiko could not pass on this opportunity to sleep on nice tails. The Umbra Fox was confused, but the Blood Fox smirked at her with a knowing smile. The Umbra Fox pursed her lips. ''The Blood Fox wouldn''t be after me... right?'' She formed a cute misunderstanding before dragging the Shadow Passion away. The Umbra Fox will deal with the Blood Fox later. She had much more important things to do! Like getting the Shadow Passion all cleaned up so that Aiko would like her and willingly steal her. Her plan was flawless, as she knew that Aiko was very wilful when it came to friendly Foxes. The Shadow Passion had complicated expressions. She didn''t know what to think about the Umbra Fox. On one side she was obsessed with her, but on the other... She was worried that the Umbra Fox was no different from the Mirage Fox. It felt strange in her stomach. The feeling was similar to the Mirage Fox''s feeling, but at the same time different... She could not understand it. The Umbra Fox smelled a river nearby, so she should be able to bathe both of them and get them into presentable form. ... "River~!" The Umbra Fox nodded gently. There were no animals around, no Humans, no one. They had this place just for themselves. The Umbra Fox was not quite satisfied, as it was harder to bathe in moving water. Fortunately for her ears, she could hear water falling up the stream. They both went into the Shadows, their bodies blending with it. Both of them had superior sight in the dark, while not as effective as Aiko''s, it''s still much better than most Beasts. The Shadow Passion¡¯s thoughts paused. There was something moving strangely in front of her. They were both ducking so they would not be discovered by others, if there even were any. As such, what was in front of the Shadow Passion was a juicy butt swaying in front of her as they moved. Now don''t get me wrong since the baggy pants covered most of the lower body, it was hard to see the Umbra Fox''s figure, but since they were so low into the ground, the pants were naturally tightly fitted. The Shadow Passion gulped and reached for those seductive cheeks. The Umbra Fox wanted to jump away from the sudden sensation, but the Shadow Passion dragged her down onto the ground; pinning her. The Umbra Fox winced as she could feel rocks scraping her back through the fabric, but before she could say anything, her lips were sealed. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The Shadow Passion had completely red eyes, full of obsession. She kissed the Umbra Fox until her lips bled. She licked that blood on her lips, enjoying it, but she froze soon after. The Umbra Fox was crying. The Shadow Passion''s vivid red eyes immediately dulled. She didn''t know what to do and was fishing for some precious Pills to heal the Umbra Fox. The Shadow Passion was panicking. The Umbra Fox likewise grasped for her Storage Pouch, unlike the Shadow Passion that fished the Pill out of her bosom. The Umbra Fox had her own dedicated storage from her Mistress. The Shadow Passion finally managed to find a healing Pill. It was very simple and dull in colour, but it should help the Umbra Fox; is what she believed. The Shadow Passion gazed at the Umbra Fox ready to feed her the Pill when she stiffened. The Umbra Fox had likewise healing Pill in her hands, but that thing pretty much shined with vivid green colour. Unlike the Shadow Passions Pill, the Umbra Fox''s Pill was of almost the highest quality. The Shadow Passion weakly opened and closed her mouth. She was unable to offer anything of value for the Umbra Fox... She felt... worthless... The Umbra Fox tried to stand up and the Shadow Passion moved silently to allow it. The Umbra Fox cautiously stretched, but to the Shadow Passion''s shock, the bleeding lip was already healed! Moreover, it seemed like blood was on her back, but the Umbra Fox was no longer bothered by it. "You should''ve been gentle..." The Umbra Fox complained quietly, so much so that her voice was drowned inside the Forest and the Shadow Passion could only hear murmurs. The Shadow Passion looked at the ground, an assortment of sharp rocks littered it and they were all bloodied. The Shadow Passion''s face distorted. She did not expect this at all and was heartbroken. She was like that despicable Mirage Fox! A few tears rolled down her cheeks, but she did not mutter a sound. Whenever she tried to cry and calm down the Mirage Fox, so that he would be gentle; he would just beat her up before continuing. At first, the Shadow Passion thought that this was what love was, but... now she didn''t know what was right or wrong... The Umbra Fox didn''t notice the Shadow Passion state and looked around cautiously. That pinning was quite loud, so she was worried if they were found out. Unlike Aiko and Blood Fox, they were not as strong in direct confrontation. Moreover, they didn''t even have the proper means to protect themselves in close-quarter combat. The Umbra Fox grasped the Shadow Passion''s hand since she knew that the Shadow Passion was still behind her. She still did not look at her since she was cautiously looking around. The moment the Umbra Fox touched the Shadow Passion''s hand a warm current spread in her body. The Shadow Passion was confused about this sensation. She wanted to possess this sensation, not give it to anyone else. She wanted to keep everyone away from this. This moment was just hers and hers alone... The Umbra Fox dragged the Shadow Passion near the pond with the waterfall. The pond still joined into the river, but the water was much more still here. Another thing was the fact that it looked shallow, which meant they wouldn''t drown. They knew how to swim, but their instructors warned them from waterfalls or white, bubbly water. They were instructed to never approach them! It was simple: even if they were powerful Beasts, Nature was still more powerful. The currents inside the water would drag you down and disorient you, slowly suffocating you¡­ They patiently waited inside the bushes. They could not find any living beings nearby, so the Umbra Fox sneakily arrived next to the river. There were still shrubs near the pond which provided cover for them. The Shadow Passion wanted to take the lead in case there was something dangerous, but Umbra Fox was quicker. She scouted the surroundings while the Shadow Passion watched her speed. The Shadow Passion would have to take at least 3 times as much time as the Umbra Fox took, her worth diminishing by the moment and her feelings dulled. She did not feel good enough to be with the Umbra Fox. The Umbra Fox suddenly came back and dragged the Shadow Passion out of the shrub. The Shadow Passion''s eyes shook as she saw that lively expression from the Umbra Fox, like she was never hurt, to begin with. "Alright~" The Umbra Fox hummed happily. "I have secured the area with monster repellents. They are not strong enough for powerful monsters, but the small annoyances will not approach this place for a few days~" Aiko gave them some of her resources so they were well geared for many situations. The Shadow Passion blankly nodded. She never saw someone using such precious resources so easily... The Umbra Fox was very... bouncy, she walked with spring in her feet, making her body bop up and down. The Shadow Passion was... mesmerised. Even if she tried to walk like the Umbra Fox, she would not be able to match her tempo. She was confused about how the Umbra Fox was so... agile. The Umbra Fox tilted her head, she could not understand why the Shadow Passion was so... stiff. The Umbra Fox took the Shadow Passion''s hand which startled the Shadow Passion. Her body stiffened even more. The Umbra Fox smacked her lips. "Your body is completely stiff, how are they training you?!" She didn''t like the state that the Shadow Passion''s body was in. The Shadow Passion watched the Umbra Fox''s lips move. She simply... loved them. "Helloooo~?" The Umbra Fox used her hand to wave in front of the Shadow Passion''s face. "Y-yes!?" The Shadow Passion stammered. She was caught in an awkward situation... "How do they train you?" The Umbra fox didn''t understand the strangeness of the Shadow Passion so she just brushed it off as inattentiveness. "Once a week." The Shadow Passion smiled gently like it was some sort of accomplishment. "Huh..." The Umbra Fox blinked blankly. "Hm?" The Shadow Passion tilted her head. "I''m training 3 times..." The Umbra Fox murmured. The Shadow Passion''s smile stiffened. Was the Umbra Fox willing to engage in sex with others that she trained so much?! "A day..." The Umbra Fox felt it was unfair she had to train so much when the Grandmaster was around... The Shadow Passion was horrified and immediately grasped the Umbra Fox''s hand. "Are you alright?!" The Shadow Passion had awful expressions. She didn''t expect that the Umbra Fox would be forced so much. The Shadow Passion immediately started to browse the Umbra Fox''s body and see if anything was aching. Her body ached just from one training a week. She could not imagine what state the Umbra Fox body was in... The Umbra Fox was confused, but seeing that kind of expression on the Shadow Passion she did not reject the ''search''... She even smiled gently that the Shadow Passion cared about her so much~ Chapter 232 – ‘Helping a Friend’ Shadow Passion explored the Umbra Fox''s body, but no matter where she touched the Umbra Fox, there was no whimper of pain. The Shadow Passion was emboldened to find anything or any kind of place that would hurt the Umbra Fox. She gently cupped her breasts and she was immediately shocked by their softness. She explored more and more, her thoughts drifting away from her original intention. The Shadow Passion gently touched the Umbra Fox sacred cave and the Umbra Fox could not bear it any more. "Mhm." A sensual and enchanting moan escaped the Umbra Fox''s lips. The Shadow Passion stiffened and put her hands away immediately, but something inside burned scorchingly hot. She had to rub her ears to calm herself down. The Umbra Fox was aroused by that bold exploration, but seeing that incredibly cute expression, she decided not to reprimand the Shadow Passion for stopping. "See, I''m alright~" The Umbra Fox spun around easily, as if she was light as a feather. The Shadow Passion blushed even more, now her face resembled a tomato. She wanted to avert her gaze, but she was unable to do so... "A-are you really alright?" The Shadow Passion was concerned about the Umbra Fox''s health and mental state. "Yeah." The Umbra Fox nodded. "The Grandmaster might whip us harshly, but it''s still beneficial, as we can see the fruits of our hard labour the next day." She was incredibly happy and thankful for her Mistress that she was able to receive tutelage from the Grandmaster. "Grandmaster...?" The Shadow Passion didn''t understand what the Umbra Fox was talking about. "How about the Heavenly Fox...?" The Shadow Passion couldn''t help, but to ask. The Heavenly Fox was the nickname for a Fox who trained other Foxes in seduction, sex, and anything associated with it. He was mostly residing in the Shadow Peak, but he would go around other peaks to train others too. Nobody would be able to avoid him and he loved to ''teach'' others. He was a harsh teacher who was able to empty your Stamina after a few simple thrusts... The Shadow Passion¡¯s body always ached after that... "Who is that?" The Umbra Fox genuinely didn''t know, as she was always able to avoid any erotic training. Moreover, now that she was with her Mistress, she was even exempt from those sorts of things! The Shadow Passion stared blankly. "Elder that teaches sex...?" She couldn''t understand why the Umbra Fox didn''t know about him. "Don''t know about him. I haven''t had sex yet." The Umbra Fox tilted her head cutely. An arrow pierced the Shadow Passions hard. The Umbra Fox was cute, but that didn''t lessen her confusion. "You have never been taught?" The Shadow Passion felt that it was impossible and that the Umbra Fox was trying to lie with a cute face. "I always avoided it." The Umbra Fox confessed honestly. Normally, if this was reported, she would get severe training, but she trusted the Shadow Passion. But, even if Shadow Passion did decide to out her, it''s not like anything could be done as she herself had significant backing that none dared to offend. "But once you form a team, you are subjected to group training..." The Shadow Passion hated those, since she felt like some kind of doll... "Ah..." The Umbra Fox smacked her forehead and the Shadow Passion thought that she finally understood. "I don''t have to participate in those." She smiled from ear to ear. The Shadow Passion completely froze. "Huh?" She stared blankly at the Umbra Fox. "Because of my Mistress, I''m exempted from it." The Umbra Fox gently smiled. The Shadow Passion was frozen in place. She could not understand what words were leaving the Umbra Fox''s mouth. Someone was able to avoid that horrible experience...? The Umbra Fox was worried since she felt like she was the cause of Shadow Passion''s abnormal expression. Soon, even tears rolled down the Shadow Passion''s cheeks. The Umbra Fox panicked. She noticed the Shadow Passion''s abnormal and fleeting eyes, but she would not allow her to run away. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. She gently hugged Shadow Passion''s body and she could feel that it stiffened even more. The Shadow Passion wanted to cry, but she was suppressing that feeling. "It''s okay to cry, you will feel better." The Umbra Fox comforted the Shadow Passion. A quiet whimper escaped the Shadow Passion''s lips. At that moment, the Umbra Fox felt something ripping inside her. She felt infuriated, but she still managed to gently caress the Shadow Passion''s back and hair. Shadow Passion cried open and the Umbra Fox was comforting her. If Aiko was around, she would be shocked by the completely livid expression that the Umbra Fox had on her face for the first time. ... The crying stopped after some time. The Umbra Fox did her best to calm and hide her turbulent thoughts. She did not notice that the Shadow Passion was wrapping her hands around her waist, but even if she knew, she would not stop it. The Shadow Passion was comforted by this abnormally soft and warm embrace. If she was troubled... She was always alone... She... The Shadow Passion smothered her own face on the Umbra fox''s breasts. The Umbra Fox had a gentle smile as she caressed her head. "Feeling better?" The Umbra Fox asked simply if her voice was raspy, which caressed the Shadow Passion''s ears. The Shadow Passion was shy, embarrassed by this embrace. She gently nodded. "That is good..." The Umbra Fox said gently and helped the Shadow Passion to nestle on her breasts. "But just because you are alright, doesn''t mean you will skip bathing!" The Umbra Fox nudged the Shadow Passion threateningly, but it was more of a teasing than anything else. The Shadow Passion couldn''t help, but giggle. At this moment, she simply felt amazing... "I won''t avoid it if you help me..." The Shadow Passion''s voice was hoarse from the crying, but that didn''t mean she would not be at least a little bit bold. The Umbra Fox didn''t mind, since she knew that even Aiko had problems dressing up. It was natural that other Foxes would have other weaknesses. She completely misunderstood the Shadow Passion... "Sure." The Umbra Fox didn''t mind helping, unaware of the Shadow Passion''s intentions... The Shadow Passion blushed again. She didn''t think that the Umbra Fox would willingly agree. ''No, wait! I''m not ready!'' The Shadow Passion was yelling in her mind, startled by the assertiveness of the Umbra Fox. The Umbra Fox slowly took off the Shadow Passion accessories. The Shadow Passion blushed red, not just her face, but also her ears and neck felt hot and they were very red. The Umbra Fox suddenly paused. ''The water will be cold...'' They purchased a few Warming Stones. The Shadow Passion was confused at the sudden pause. ''Maybe she is finally embarrassed...?'' This put a smile on her lips, but that same smile soon changed. She saw the Umbra Fox dumping Warming Stones into the pond without a second thought. The Shadow Passion''s lips naturally twitched at this wanton display of wealth. "It''s not good if it''s cold..." The Umbra Fox murmured and the Shadow Foxed choked. "You are using precious Warming Stones to heat up the water?!" Her inner thoughts leaked. "Yes." The Umbra Fox smiled gently. The words that the Shadow Passion wanted to tell the Umbra Fox were stuck in her throat. She could not reprimand someone so innocent, but god-damn was she jealous! Warming Stones were usually used as a means to combat Cold Qi. They were indispensable for normal Cultivators, much less for Foxes, as some Foxes were bad against cold... The Umbra Fox nodded happily after testing the water. "Nice and warm~" She hummed happily as her world was already distorted by Aiko''s spending... The Shadow Passion pursed her lips. She will be teaching her about wealth later so they won''t go bankrupt once they- ''What am I thinking?!'' The Shadow Passion''s eyes shook from her own thoughts. The Umbra Fox stood up again and placed her soft warm hands on the Shadow Passion''s hips. That warmth spread in the Shadow Passion''s lower body and burned scorchingly hot, making her fidget. "If you won''t stop squirming, I might touch you inappropriately." The Umbra fox licked her lips and threatened the Shadow Passion. ''Touch, touch all you want!'' Was what the Shadow Passion wanted to scream, but she was like a powerlifter, holding two strings of reason together so they wouldn''t snap. The Umbra Fox smiled at the Shadow Passion, she was much more fun to tease compared to Aiko. She took off the Shadow Passion''s outer cloak, which was not a normal cloak, but it felt more like a holding place for the hand. Some designs even Umbra Fox could not understand... ... All the unnecessary outer layers were removed and all that was left was the tighter-than-necessary bodysuit. This was the first time the Umbra Fox appreciated the old suit, but the moment she thought about that, she immediately scolded herself. ''What am I?! Some kind of pervert?!'' Her mind paused. ''Well... Nononono; she asked me to help her! Restrain yourself, you pervert!'' She beat herself up in her mind so that she wouldn''t just molest the Shadow Passion. ''Ugh.'' The Umbra Fox averted her eyes, confusing the Shadow Passion. ''I might have a nosebleed if I continue staring...'' The Umbra Fox thought as she covered her nose with her hand. She breathed in and out, calming herself, but that body... That perfectly curvaceous body that she so loved and adored was still in front of her... ... Before she could take the bodysuit off, she needed to remove the ''convenient windows'' as the Elders called it... The Umbra Fox was sickened at those thoughts, but she did not let it see on her face. She gently removed the clips that held it in place and removed the rough and uncomfortable fabric. It was bound to happen and the Umbra Fox steeled herself for it, but the spilled breasts still shocked her, but not for their beauty... They were bite marks, claw marks and scratches, blue-purple spots, you name it... The Umbra Fox was completely livid and her face distorted. The Shadow Passion was worried about what the Umbra Fox would think. Will she scorn her body? Will she hate it? She held her breath until she saw her livid expression. The Shadow Passion wanted to hide, but she noticed that she... didn''t feel uncomfortable by that expression? How was that possible? She even felt warm?? The Shadow Passion was confused and the Umbra Fox was breathing hard to calm down. She was not strong enough to challenge the Mirage Fox head-on, but she would ask her Mistress for help. Fuck the whole ''You should do it alone'' thing! The Umbra Fox removed the lower window and her face distorted even more, not only were there the same marks, but her labia were also torn. The Umbra Fox could not imagine the amount of pain the Shadow Passion was experiencing by wearing that filthy and rough cloth. The Shadow Passion gently caressed the kneeling Umbra Fox''s hair. She felt all light and warm that someone would get so angry in her place... this likewise never happened... The Umbra Fox didn''t want to take the bodysuit off... She knew that she would lose her reason the moment she did, but seeing the gentle expression from the Shadow Passion... The Umbra fox did her best to calm herself and slowly took the rest of the bodysuit... She immediately snapped and wanted to tear that bastard apart, but a soothing voice interrupted. "Thank you..." It was a soft, yet fragile voice... Chapter 233 – Troubles of Shadow Passion (18+ Umbra and Shadow Passion) They sat next to each other and warmed their feet inside the pond. The Umbra Fox had a very difficult expression. "It''s alright." The Shadow Passion soothed Umbra, for some reason, their roles switched, but she didn''t mind. She was happy that Umbra got mad in her place, since she was not allowed to do so. "It''s not alright." The Umbra Fox shook her head, her heart ached from those brutal marks. "Aren''t you concerned about your outfit?" The Shadow Passion nudged Umbra. The Umbra Fox paused for a moment and thought about it. She was still warming her legs with the outfit on, so it was wet and sticking to her body. "Not really." The Umbra Fox shook her head. This outfit was made out of Spider Silk and while it couldn''t compare to Aiko''s outfit in terms of Quality, it was still better than 99.99% of outfits in circulation. It was very quick to dry, so she did not need to care about her state. "Oh..." For some reason the Shadow Passion was disappointed, but it would not be her virtue to give up so easily. "But wouldn''t you get sick if it stayed on you and didn''t dry up?" She was unaware that Umbra''s outfit was very, very different to hers. "Not really..." The Umbra Fox shook her head. "It dries quickly." She gently nodded, gesturing to her feet. She lifted it up and all that water was quickly drained out of her outfit. It was still wet, but that would soon be dried up too. The Shadow Passion was shocked at this marvellous invention. Her own outfit kept all the water and clung to her body, which made her often sick and weak. "This is amazing." The Shadow Passion grabbed Umbra''s leg and stroked it gently. The Umbra Fox blushed at the attentiveness of the Shadow Passion. "We should get into the bath." The Umbra Fox looked away. While she had to have a bath, it was fine to do it with her outfit on. "You should undress." The Shadow Passion nudged Umbra. "I-I''m fine." The Umbra Fox stammered, since the Shadow Passion was playing with her fingers. Wrapping, holding and even entangling, it made the Umbra Fox very embarrassed. The Shadow Passion had a playful smirk on her lips, but that was naturally concealed since Umbra could not look her in the eyes and had her head looking away. The Shadow Passion''s eyes reddened. She was in a playful mood, much more than before. Her partner stroked her playful heart. "How about I help you get it off too~?" She whispered into Umbra''s ear and she shivered. "There is no need." The Umbra Fox denied the Shadow Passion. "The outfit is very different, so it''s not easy to take off." She was trying her best to make the Shadow Passion quit her idea. "Mhmmmm~" The Shadow Passion wouldn''t have it and smiled teasingly. She gently slipped her hand through the slit on the side of the loose pants. She got access to Umbra''s thigh and squeezed it. "Are you sure about that~?" The Umbra Fox yelped and jumped up, ready to run away from such a tease, but their fingers were still entangled. One simple pull was all it took for the Umbra Fox to crash on the Shadow Passion''s body. The Umbra Fox protested more, but once she realised that the Shadow Passion was quite cold, she didn''t move much. "Giving up already?" The Shadow Passion with red eyes pouted, clearly upset that her newfound joy was taken away from her. "You are cold..." The Umbra Fox gently said lifting her body with her hands so she wouldn''t be plastered on the Shadow Passion''s body. The Shadow Passion pursed her lips and blushed. "A bit..." She was not used to such tender care. "But since I''m cold, it''s better that we hurry up with your undressing, so we can get inside sooner." She placed her hands on Umbra''s hips. The Umbra Fox squirmed away, but was captured by the Shadow Passion''s hands once again. "Fine..." The Umbra Fox was completely red in the face. While she did like the Shadow Passion... this development was a little bit too quick for her! The Shadow Passion smiled gently, diving her fingers into Umbra''s hair. "So smooth..." She said gently, which made the Umbra impatient. "Didn''t you say that you were cold?!" The Umbra Fox pinched the Shadow Passion''s waist. The Shadow Passion blinked a few times, her red eyes softening. "Then I should get to work... Mistress." The last part she said near Umbra''s ear, making her shiver all over. "Who are you ca- Kya!" The Umbra Fox screamed lightly as the Shadow Passion grabbed her butt through the slip. "Y-you-!" The Shadow Passion silenced Umbra with a tender kiss. "Shhhh." She placed her index finger on Umbra''s lips. She then proceeded to stroke Umbra''s lips with her thumb. "Don''t scream too much or you might find out the perks of the Demonic Foxes~" She gently wrapped her fingers around Umbra''s hair, before kissing it seductively. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The Umbra Fox gulped audibly and turned away in embarrassment. "I will try to be quiet..." The Shadow Passion narrowed her eyes and pouted. Umbra was not playing by the rules, which made her slightly sadistically upset. The Shadow Passion took the ''cloak'' down first. This was not quite the long cloak that she saw on Human Cultivators, but it was still long enough to conceal plenty of hidden weapons. She raised her eyebrow towards Umbra. She never saw so many hidden weapons... The Shadow Passion placed it nearby on dry ground so that it wouldn''t get dirty. The Shadow Passion once again marvelled at Umbra''s heavenly curves. While it could not compare to some of her Demonic peers, that was fine. Once you saw those Demonic bodies one too many times, you would get tired of them... Umbra Fox''s body was just perfect for the Shadow Passion. From what she could see, it was made out of 3 parts. A strange tight concealed leotard, very tight sleeves that were connected to the middle finger to stay in place and lastly there were the strange loose pants. The Shadow Passion could not understand the loose pants. Umbra''s body was such an eye candy, but someone ruined it with bad pants. The Umbra Fox found it cute that the Shadow Passion was frowning at the sight of her pants. At first, she found them very strange too, but the perks soon showed themselves. She could store even more hidden weapons AND ropes on the inside of these loose pants, so she didn''t need to use the precious space inside the Storage Pouch. The Umbra Fox had two Storage Pouches now, and each of them was tied on the inside of the pants. She had distributed the contents evenly so even if she were to lose one, she still had some Pills and other things to help her out. The Shadow Passion resumed her tender work. While she did want to keep the pants for the last, so that she could completely enjoy Umbra''s body... but that was not permitted since someone made the pants so unwieldy... The Shadow Passion helped Umbra take off her pants and then immediately froze at the sight. While the leotard could not be said to be overly tight like her outfit, it was still a divine sight to see. The Shadow Passion outfit was pretty much one piece except for the boob window and crotch window, but she never expected to be so incredibly aroused by a simple leotard... The Shadow Passion visibly gulped. The only thing she wanted to do right now was to burrow her head between those juicy thighs. Umbra had straps on her thighs that were screaming and holding together for their dear lives as they squeezed her thighs. The Shadow Passion really wanted to take a bite out of them, but what made her even more speechless was the slightly peeking perky butt that was peeking thanks to the leotard. The Shadow Passion didn''t know where to look or bite. She suddenly got an appetite to finish a few courses of delicious, juicy meals. The Umbra Fox shyly shifted around, making her buttocks quiver gently. The string of reason in the Shadow Passion''s head has worn down quite a bit, but it was still holding on. She had to look down and breathe a few times otherwise she would absolutely pounce on Umbra! What was even more maddening was the flawless skin that Umbra had. The Shadow Passion was very envious of that part, but she also understood that Umbra had to work hard to keep it that way. She had to retract the previous statement about the pants. Whoever created that was a god-damn genius! Next up were her sleeves. They were very easy to take down as they were connected on the shoulders and around the neck. The one-piece leotard that accentuated Umbra''s curves was truly sinful. Unlike her own outfit, which made everyone slim and you could only find out the proportions of your partner once you took it off. The Umbra''s version was much better. You did not need to wait at all and you could already create an image of ravishingly beautiful Fox... The Shadow Passion couldn''t help but smack her lips, she couldn''t wait for the rest to be revealed, but she had to restrain herself. "Such a sinful body..." The Shadow Passion clicked her tongue. The Umbra Fox blushed and was very ready to reprimand the Shadow Passion, but then she saw that serious expression. "What''s wrong?" The Umbra Fox ditched the reprimand for later. "I have no idea how to take the last part off." The Shadow Passion was glaring like a small child who couldn''t figure out her favourite toy. The Umbra Fox pursed her lips and watched as the Shadow Passion''s eyes struggled to find the undressing point. The Umbra Fox giggled gently. The Shadow Passion glared at her and pouted like she was being wronged. "I''m cold..." She played the victim and gently caressed her arms. This movement cupped her own breast and made them even more visible, moreover, they jiggled gently, attracting the Umbra Fox''s attention fully. The Umbra Fox looked away soon after and with a very dry cough, she helped the Shadow Passion. "The last part is on the back. This outfit stretches easily, so it was done like that..." She was blushing red, which the Shadow Passion found cute. "Behind, huh~" The Shadow Passion smirked and her voice was even more sensual than before. "So what?!" For some reason, the Umbra Fox was very embarrassed. "Nothing~" The Shadow Passion hummed gently, with a kind yet somewhat strange smile... The Umbra Fox found it suspicious, but she didn''t want to stop the Shadow Passion, since she was cold... The Shadow Passion moved behind the Umbra Fox silently. The Umbra Fox felt something was wrong about this and for some reason, this made her incredibly excited. The Shadow Passion marvelled at Umbra''s back. Her seductive curves were on even better display here and her uncovered buttocks were tempting her for a squeeze or maybe even to slap them? The Shadow Passion gently placed her hands on Umbra''s back. The Umbra Fox jumped at the sudden coolness, but tried to stay put so that the Shadow Passion had room to take it off... However, Shadow Passion had a different idea. Her hands wormed inside Umbra''s leotard, shocking her. The Umbra Fox yelped as two chilly hands cupped her breasts. "Y-you!" The Umbra Fox stuttered at the sudden intrusion. "Mhm." A shiver went down her spine, which quickly heated up her body. "You are scorching hot~" The Shadow Passion whispered into Umbra''s ears. Her predatory heart was aroused by the defencelessness of Umbra. The Umbra Fox tried to squirm away from the cold hands, but the only thing she achieved was that her small cherries were found and stimulated by the Shadow Passion¡¯s hands. "Ah..." A shudder went down her spine. Seeing the squirming Umbra Fox, her string of reason was quickly losing strength. Moreover, since the Umbra Fox squirmed, her pristine and thin neck was revealed. The Shadow Passion gulped and gently bit it. "Kya!" The Umbra Fox jumped at the sudden jolt of pleasure and her legs quivered, almost losing strength. "S-Shadow-!" "Shhhh..." The Shadow Passion gently teased Umbra''s humanoid ear that was hidden all this time. "Call me Wanshu." Wanshu teased Umbra relentlessly as she found out her weak points. She gently bit Umbra''s neck again and emboldened by Umbra''s stifled moans, she moved one hand down towards her honey cave. The Umbra Fox''s eyes shot open and she pleaded. "P-please stop." She was breathing heavily, which made her resistance even more arousing for Wanshu. She reached Umbra''s sacred place and met something small yet hard. The Umbra Fox''s whole body shook as she experienced a small orgasm. Her legs gave in, which shocked Wanshu. Wanshu did her best to support Umbra so that she wouldn''t get hurt. *Sniffle* When Wanshu heard that familiar sound, her body stiffened and her eyes lost lustre. She immediately remembered those bad moments and her heart ached. She felt like she was no different from that bastard... "At least let me undress." The Umbra Fox whined as her outfit was now stained. Wanshu''s mind blanked as she tried to comprehend those words. "You... don''t hate me...?" She thought that she had hurt Umbra. The Umbra Fox pouted. "I will think about it." She was like a pouty child who didn''t want to admit that she liked Wanshu. "But now you have to take care of me..." The Umbra Fox''s tender voice caressed the Shadow Passion''s ears. "Wanshu..." She said the last part very quietly. Wanshu swallowed hard as she wanted to pounce on this little sweetheart right away, but the bodybuilder inside her mind restrained her. She breathed in and out before going to help undress Umbra and take care of her. Chapter 234 – Wanshu lost her reason! (18+ Umbra and Wanshu) Wanshu came closer to help Umbra take off her last piece of clothing. As the Umbra Fox said, the last part was very stretchable and easy to take off. Unfortunately for Wanshu, Umbra immediately covered her body with a mean smirk. It felt like revenge for what she did previously and she lamented her grabby hands. It would take some time before she could see that body- Wanshu suddenly had an idea. It was a bold yet ingenious idea. The Umbra Fox looked at the smiling Wanshu and tilted her head. Even after ''punishing'' her, Wanshu was still smiling? Why? Wanshu came close, which confused the Umbra Fox. Wanshu lifted her quite quickly up in the air and Umbra yelped. She didn''t expect to be carried in princess carry! The Umbra Fox glared at Wanshu, but that only made her giggle. Wanshu gave a quick peck on Umbra''s cheek before moving into the water. "Release me." The Umbra Fox nudged Wanshu, she did not like this position above water. "I''m not sure if that''s a good idea." Wanshu teased, but she had quite a hard time talking. She wanted to kiss Umbra all over her body so badly, but because she was holding her like this, she had to curb her excitement. "It''s a good idea." The Umbra Fox dismissed Wanshu''s inner turmoil like a mischievous fox. Wanshu frowned, but seeing that smirk on Umbra''s lips, it made her want to tease her even more. "Are you really sure that I should release you?" Wanshu gave Umbra a light peck on her cheek. The Umbra Fox blushed, but then snorted happily. "Of course-" *Splash* Before the Umbra Fox could say anything she felt the loss of support and crashed into the water. She was submerged for a brief moment, but that made her quite upset. The Umbra Fox was startled, so she gulped a bit of water from the shock. She emerged from the shallow water. It was good that Wanshu chose this spot, otherwise, she would have had great trouble standing up. The Umbra Fox coughed water and glared at Wanshu. "You didn''t have to throw me like that!" She was still hunched, so there was not much to see, but Wanshu was still breathless. Wanshu was staring at the sorry state that Umbra was in, but at the same time marvelled at the small water drops that rolled down her body. It was a maddening sight for her fragile mind. The Umbra Fox noticed the abnormality and the vivid red eyes. Wanshu was completely taken in by her body. The Umbra Fox calculated her next punishment and smirked. She straightened her body so that Wanshu could see everything, but at the same time angrily pointed at her. "You are a bad companion!" The Umbra Fox pouted and put one hand on her hip, shifting her body. The water flowed freely down her curvaceous body and the limited visibility made this scene even more breathtaking. Wanshu''s eyes burned as she observed the pristine and untouched body of Umbra. She immediately wanted to dig in and mark her as her own! The Umbra Fox could see that Wanshu''s eyes burned with desire and almost popped out of her eye sockets. She found it cute and funny. Seeing the speechless Wanshu, she felt satisfied, but something shocking happened. Wanshu''s nose bled. She immediately shifted her body and covered her face, but blood still kept dripping. The Umbra Fox was shocked by this and panicked. She immediately went closer to Wanshu, but she tried to run away. "Sit!" The Umbra Fox sternly commanded and Wanshu froze in place. Seeing the concerned Umbra, she could only gulp and go sit over there, but deep inside she was screaming. ''I want to hug you and smother my face in those heavenly peaks!'' She did notice that Umbra was a bit smaller, but her body was also slightly shorter, which meant that they were still perfect in her mind. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Wanshu went to the edge of the pond and submerged half of her body. She immediately looked away to lessen her excitement. The Umbra Fox was genuinely concerned about Wanshu and she immediately sat on her waist strangling her legs so that she couldn''t escape. Wanshu''s eyes shook as she turned from a hungry, ferocious Beast into a meek sheep. She fidgeted and squirmed her body as she was trying to move away from Umbra. "Sit still!" The Umbra Fox said sternly. She was concerned that Wanshu was hurt, considering the amount of blood she was letting out. She reached for her clothes as they were near them, but at the same time, her chest smothered Wanshu''s face. The barely functioning string of reason inside Wanshu''s head snapped, but fortunately, she still had that reliable bodybuilder that caught both ends of the string and held on for dear life. Wanshu breathed heavily as those heavenly perky peaks swayed right above her face. The Umbra Fox recovered her Storage Pouch. Right after, she immediately took out a handkerchief and used it to wipe the blood and block it gently. Wanshu felt strange goosebumps all over her body from such gentle care, her body was squirming even more... "You can''t sit still..." The Umbra Fox frowned and shook her head. She felt like a mother taking care of her disobedient child. She clicked her tongue and pressed down Wanshu so that she wouldn''t move. Wanshu was staring at Umbra with pleading eyes, but she did not say anything as Umbra had a very serious expression. The Umbra Fox finished tending and looked down; those injuries and marks seriously infuriated her and she wanted to strangle that bastard immediately, but everything had time. If she correctly appeased Aiko and explained her reasoning, it would cause Aiko to like Wanshu... "Hehe~" The Umbra Fox giggled with a sinister smirk as she carefully touched the marks on Wanshu''s body. Now normally this pseudo form would not have those marks. The pseudo-human form was a pristine form that was made to negotiate with other Humans, so it was supposed to appeal to them naturally. But that changes with ''stress''. If you introduce too much ¡®stress¡¯ on this form, then many ''marks'' will become permanent, as was the case with Wanshu. Wanshu shivered at that gentle touch and looked away. For some reason, she felt disgusted, but she could not put her hand on why she felt that way... The Umbra Fox kept thinking about something and she gently browsed most of the marks on Wanshu''s body. Wanshu bore with that disgusting sensation as she really liked Umbra and did not want her to get the wrong idea. "Hmmmm..." The Umbra Fox paused to think, she was no longer focused on Wanshu''s body. Wanshu was mostly free now so she looked back. Umbra''s serious expression made her happy, but she was not ready for what Umbra did. The Umbra Fox once again stretched her body, unknowingly smothering Wanshu with her breasts. The already strained bodybuilder inside Wanshu''s mind glanced at them blankly as he was almost ripped in half. The last strength that she had to resist collapsed. Wanshu immediately grabbed Umbra''s waist, startling her. The Umbra Fox was confused, but suddenly something soft and silky caressed her nipples and her body shivered. Since Wanshu had a handkerchief inside her nose, it also naturally covered her mouth. She wanted to lick those little cherries that had been teasing her for a while. Her hands that were wrapped around Umbra''s waist didn''t allow her to move properly and being in an awkward position also didn''t help her case. The Umbra Fox''s legs quivered as she collapsed on Wanshu''s body. Their body heat was scorching and almost burned the both of them. The Umbra Fox still did her best to retrieve her borrowed Storage Ring. Aiko gave them that if they needed space to rob someone and conceal it, but the Umbra Fox used it to store the more valuable Pills. One such Pill was the ''Pseudo Correction'' Pill. It allowed the pseudo-human form to reform and adjust its form to the user''s achievements. For example, if one earned great Earth Affinity later and ate this Pill, then their hair would turn brown. The same was true for the Foxes who were bodybuilders, you can''t achieve those muscles without using the ''Pseudo Correction'' Pill. The Umbra Fox tried to get back, but Wanshu had a tight fit around her waist. Wanshu would not want Umbra to move as she was enjoying the perky little cherries that were getting harder and harder. She loved the little knobs, but at the same time was upset because of the handkerchief blocking her way. She was so upset that she used a little too much strength. "Auch." The Umbra Fox sighed as she didn''t like this treatment. She grasped Wanshu''s cheek. Wanshu thought that she would get caressed, so she didn''t resist, but that resulted in a very severe pinch. Wanshu snapped out of her daze and briefly released Umbra from her grasp. The Umbra Fox took this opportunity.to strangle Wanshu''s waist with her legs. "You are a bad Fox!" The Umbra Fox pouted, but it was obvious that Wanshu did not hear her as her sight was strained at her perky peaks. The Umbra Fox took the opportunity to search for that Pill. Wanshu was observing her as her eyes grew more and more vivid. The Umbra Fox finally found it and took it out of her Storage Ring. "Eat this." The Umbra Fox wished to cure all the scars on Wanshu''s body and mind, but she had to start with the body as that was the most looked-at thing. Once the body was cured, she would be able to help Wanshu with her mind, allowing her to cultivate for longer and to be able to reach higher stages. The Umbra Fox knew that it was important to have a steady mind, so she would take her mind slowly, helping Wanshu with it. Wanshu... had a different idea. She rejected that Pill with a whine. "Come on." The Umbra Fox sighed. "You need to eat this." Wanshu pouted and tried to go for Umbra''s cherries, but she was quicker and dodged her advances. "You will eat this!" The Umbra Fox glared, but that only aroused Wanshu more. The Umbra Fox did not know what to do with Wanshu. She was like a small child throwing tantrums over vegetables... Well... she would also throw a tantrum over vegetables, but if it was important for her life, she would naturally eat it! Meanwhile, Wanshu was just being mean and rough with her. The Umbra Fox did not know what to do with her. She had very little experience with Demonic Foxes and it didn''t seem like Wanshu wanted to talk... or maybe she couldn''t? The Umbra Fox restrained Wanshu so she would stop going for her nipples. Wanshu growled in displeasure and tried to wriggle out of the Umbra Fox''s grasp, but unfortunately for her, she was much weaker. The Umbra Fox held a steady grasp on Wanshu, thinking about her next move... Chapter 235 – New Wanshu and Misunderstanding! The Umbra Fox was still struggling with Wanshu. She was refusing the Pill at all costs and would rather tease Umbra with her looks. "You need to eat it." The Umbra Fox did not know what to do with her... Wanshu turned her head, rejecting the Pill. She would always smile when Umbra pouted or protested that she didn''t eat it. The Umbra Fox was ticked off, seeing the smiling Wanshu. Wanshu giggled at Umbra, but then suddenly her lips were stolen. Wanshu stiffened for a bit before nuzzling onto Umbra. The Umbra Fox was surprised by the effectiveness of the kisses and distanced herself. Wanshu whined that Umbra stopped and tried to shake her off, so she could enjoy those soft, sweet lips again. The Umbra Fox smiled and narrowed her eyes. "Open your lips~" She would approach this dilemma from a different perspective. Wanshu snorted unhappily; while she was not completely in her right mind, that also didn''t mean she was stupid. "Oh?" The Umbra Fox narrowed her eyes; eyes full of mischief. She opened her lips and her tongue rolled out. "Are you sure you don''t want to play with me~?" The Umbra Fox was tempting Wanshu. Wanshu could not see the Pill anywhere near her, so she nodded meekly. The Umbra Fox lowered her whole body, startling Wanshu with that burning sensation. Wanshu moaned as their tongues met in a passionate kiss. She was completely obsessed with Umbra and would not let her get away. Their tongues gently danced together, teasing both of them. Their bodies on top of each other heated up, seeking more pleasure. The Umbra Fox separated, which upset the melted Wanshu. She discreetly slipped the Pill inside her mouth with a light coat of Qi, so it wouldn''t melt. Wanshu whined again, unaware of the plot that was happening in front of her. "What is it~?" The Umbra Fox talked naturally, like nothing was in her mouth, to begin with. Wanshu whined and moaned for more affection. "Alright~" The Umbra Fox lowered her body once again and exchanged yet another passionate kiss with Wanshu. Umbra loved that attentive tongue from hers, but that same tongue was Wanshu''s downfall. The Pill slipped into Wanshu''s mouth and past her defences. Wanshu''s eyes shot open and she bit Umbra. "Ouch." The Umbra Fox immediately pinned Wanshu and put a hand over her mouth so she couldn''t spit it out Wanshu whined and soon her eyes became watery. The Umbra Fox''s heart ached, but she wished for Wanshu the best, so she would have to persevere at this moment. Wanshu squirmed weakly, seeking sympathy from Umbra and it almost worked. But the Umbra Fox persevered. "It''s better for you." Wanshu finally swallowed it. The Umbra Fox moved her hand away from Wanshu''s mouth and down to her stomach to properly dissolve and guide the Pill. It would be bad if Wanshu ended up like Aiko so it was important to do it slowly and properly. It was hard work as Wanshu squirmed her body, but the Umbra Fox managed to make it work. Wanshu could feel the heat inside her body and she whined in pain. The Umbra Fox was startled and let go of Wanshu. Wanshu squirmed and rolled into a small ball of fluff filled with pain. The Umbra Fox''s heart ached, as she didn''t expect this kind of reaction. She had to wait for quite a long time before Wanshu calmed down. It felt that her hair and now wet tail got much darker. The Umbra Fox pondered on this, until she felt a murderous intent. She was confused when she noticed it was from Wanshu. Wanshu pounced on the Umbra Fox, harshly pinning her onto the ground while digging her claws into her skin. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. The Umbra Fox winced from pain, but did not try to shake off Wanshu. She believed that Wanshu was upset from the pain and did not know how to vent it... Wanshu was ready to tear the Umbra Fox''s throat when she suddenly saw her reflection near her head. Wanshu was confused. The reflection was nothing like her... She released one of Umbra''s hands and gently stroked the strange black marks on her face. As she did this the Umbra Fox''s blood got on her face and her eyes shook. Her eyes dulled significantly and she was able to speak. "What did you do to me?" She could not understand what happened. The Umbra Fox steadied her breath since she was in quite the pain. "I gave you the ''Pseudo Correction'' Pill." She sighed as her body ached. Wanshu''s eyes shook once again. "You, what?" She thought she had misheard the Pill''s name. Everyone knew that kind of Pill, since it was the dream of every Fox. One has to know that every fox joined the sect at their weakest, so their Affinities were either weak, mixed, or ''dirty'' and were in turn reflected on their Pseudo Forms. Everyone strived to get their hands on the ''Pseudo Correction'' Pill since it would allow them to not only become more beautiful, but their colour and softness of fur would also improve greatly. "The ''Pseudo Correction'' Pill." The Umbra Fox hissed in pain. Wanshu''s mind blanked; it was completely empty. She could no longer hear the sound of the river or the sound of the forest. It was dead quiet for her as she stared at the injured Umbra. She... hated her impulsive nature, but at the same time, she didn''t want to be drugged like that again... Wanshu did not know if she should apologise or not, but considering she would want to spend her time with Umbra... she probably should. Wanshu opened her lips, but those words were caught in her throat. "It''s alright." The Umbra Fox gently caressed Wanshu''s cheeks. The blood slowly flowed down her arm. Umbra''s eyes were slightly murky and she could not see Wanshu''s properly. At that fact, Wanshu''s heart pained and she cried out. "I''m sorry..." "It''s alright." The Umbra Fox sighed, but Wanshu''s next words shocked her. "I''m sorry... I-I just didn''t want get drugged again..." Wanshu''s outcry infuriated her. "I''m sorry that I didn''t believe you." It infuriated her not because she was not trusted, but because those bastards had drugged her Wanshu! "It''s fine." The Umbra Fox caressed Wanshu''s head gently. "Do you believe me when I say that I won''t hurt you?" She spoke gently, but Wanshu nodded and nodded, like a small child that was being scolded by an angry parent. "Can you get me the Storage Pouch? I could use some Pills." The Umbra Fox whined to her Wanshu. "Mm." Wanshu pursed her lips and frantically looked for the Storage Pouch. If the Umbra Fox was in her right mind, she would notice that Wanshu''s honey pot was just above her head, ready to get devoured. Unfortunately, the Umbra Fox felt queasy and couldn''t care less about it at the moment. Wanshu fished both of the Storage Pouches and gave them to Umbra. The Umbra Fox fished the healing Pills and swallowed them, so she could recover from the shock and injuries. Wanshu stood timidly nearby. Her thoughts calmed down like someone froze them. The Umbra Fox recovered and sat down. The ground was cold, so she wanted to warm up when she saw someone unfamiliar nearby. "Who are you?" The Umbra Fox was unaware of the full effects of the ''Pseudo Correction'' Pill... "Wanshu?" Wanshu tilted her head, not quite understanding Umbra''s confusion. "Huh...?" The Umbra Fox blinked a few times, the demeanour, and voice fit, but the face and overall complexion didn''t... Wanshu was currently more slender and shorter, matching Umbra''s height. Her face was rosier, it no longer had those strange marks or blemishes. It also looked like she had some kind of makeup. Her eyebrows were much blacker and longer, but thinner. The top of her eyes had gained a strange black tint that continued in a line that ended slightly below her temples. Her lips were black, but looked much softer than before. Those lips were previously dried at spots and slightly rough. Moreover, her nail-claws were also jet black and her tail was much bushier. Overall, her body went from beaten down state, to ravishingly gorgeous. ''Her boobs got bigger.'' The Umbra Fox pursed her lips and made a mental note about the last part. She would ask Aiko for a few Pills later to test her theory... Wanshu tilted her head, seeing the speechless Umbra. She could not understand what was wrong with her... She got slightly closer to Umbra, but her love took a step back in turn. Wanshu''s heart cried out in pain as a hole was torn through it, but she suppressed that feeling. She understood why Umbra acted like that... The Umbra Fox was too shy! Wanshu was too hot and she had a hard time calming down her emotions, it was especially bad when Wanshu approached her as her bigger boobs swayed gently, tempting her even more! But then she saw the crestfallen expression and wanted to say something about it. "I''m sorry..." Wanshu''s head, ears, and tail were completely lowered. Previously they were pretty stiff and didn''t react as much, but now they were pretty animated. The Umbra Fox got hit by a critical hit and breathed heavily. "I''m sorry you hate me, I''m really sorry." Wanshu cried out as tears ran down her cheeks. She would lose her mind if this continued on... The Umbra Fox stiffened and she mumbled out. "I don''t hate you. I like you." She realised what she had said afterwards and blushed. ''I wanted to poach her naturally and not through feelings...'' The Umbra Fox blamed her inner thoughts for this! "Huh?" Wanshu lifted her head, only for her to see the blushing Umbra. She was confused. "You don''t hate me for injuring you and-...?" The Umbra Fox shook her head. She was far from hating Wanshu. Wanshu observed Umbra''s strange expression and tilted her head. She once again approached Umbra, only for her to back away again, but this time it was different. Wanshu noticed that abnormality and her ears perked up. She slowly approached Umbra, while swaying her body and as she guessed. Umbra gulped hard and backed away with an even redder face. Wanshu breathed a sigh of relief and vowed not to misunderstand again so she wouldn''t put them in an awkward position, but that was for later. Right now she would enjoy her little partner. The Umbra Fox kept backing away until she hit a dead end. She had nowhere to run any more and she felt like her skin was burning from the water. Her face was burning red, following her neck and ears. Wanshu smirked like a mischievous fox. "What''s wrong~?" She did not realise that her eyes were getting redder and redder. The Umbra Fox gulped hard and covered her face. This was a bit too stimulating! She wanted to run away from Wanshu, but that Devil placed her hand on her thigh! The Umbra Fox thought that her heart would jump from her chest at the sudden stimulation and burning sensation. Wanshu got closer to Umbra''s ear and whispered gently. "What''s wrong, little rabbit~" Chapter 236 – Wanshu’s Passion (18+ Umbra and Wanshu) The Blood Fox looked towards the night sky. ''They are taking quite a long time...'' She munched on a small piece of meat while Aiko slept. She would do so every day, since it was easier to eat when Aiko was not around. Her appetite was astonishing for such a small Fox. ''I should probably get her some cleaning tools and agents for the outfit.'' The Blood Fox believed that they were probably going at it. ''Let''s hope that they don''t use all the lingerie...'' The Blood Fox sighed. She liked some of those designs and she would like to have copies made with some nicer fabric. ''Well, let''s not think about that and go.'' The Blood Fox stood up and Aiko stirred from sleep. "Morning?" Aiko yawned. "Not yet, I have to visit Umbra for something." The Blood Fox said gently. "Can''t it wait?" Aiko whined since her pleasant pillows were too shaky. "Unfortunately, this can''t wait." The Blood Fox shook her head. "Ugh." Aiko whined, but still sat down from the Blood Fox''s tails. "Be quick about it." Her body wobbled unsteadily. She was very tired and just wanted to sleep. ... {Over by the pond} The Umbra Fox was pressed against the sandy ground by Wanshu, her face was covered with both hands as she could not calm down her excitement. Wanshu was looking at her with red eyes, but for some reason she was very calm, maybe the shock from injuring Umbra and misunderstanding made her that way, or maybe just maybe, it is the influence of the voices about to get exactly what they want. One could not tell... Wanshu gently caressed Umbra''s thigh, making her squeak. "What''s wrong~?" Wanshu enjoyed teasing Umbra''s ears a bit too much. The Umbra Fox stammered, unable to get a proper voice out, but Wanshu helped her with a gentle kiss. Gentle kiss that turned into a passionate make-out session. Wanshu had surprisingly good control over her body and one thing in particular resonated in her mind; be gentle. She gently caressed Umbra''s outer thigh with her claws, making Umbra shiver at that sensation. For some reason, Wanshu was hungry for such a reaction and she kept remembering Umbra''s weak spots. She gently nibbled Umbra''s weak neck. Umbra gasped for air, squirming her body until Wanshu sat on her lap and leaned onto her body. She could not believe how gentle Wanshu was with her. It made her aroused and excited. She didn''t like dominating others, but she loved this passionate tug of war. Wanshu took this opportunity to tease Umbra''s sensitive ears, making her moan sweetly, yet loudly. At this point, there was no stopping her and she gently moved to nibbling Umbra''s humanoid ears. She did not caress her body, which made Umbra build up her lust for Wanshu. "What''s wrong, little rabbit~?" Wanshu gently whispered right into Umbra''s ears. Her breath tickled Umbra, sending goosebumps down her body. Umbra reached to caress Wanshu''s cheeks, but she grasped her hand stopping her. Umbra was confused, while Wanshu''s heart ached. As she gently massaged Umbra''s soft hand she realised that there were scars left when she pierced Umbra''s skin. It was not just her hand, but one of Umbra''s sides had also marks that she had done. Yet Umbra did not blame her... she used her precious ''Pseudo Correction'' Pill and now she did not have one for herself. Wanshu gently took that hand and planted a tender kiss on the scars. Umbra giggled softly, watching the sensual Wanshu kiss her. Wanshu slowly worked her way towards Umbra''s shoulder, kissing tenderly and slowly. Umbra was confused, but the feeling was not bad, so she took her other hand and caressed Wanshu''s cheek. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Wanshu leaned into Umbra''s hand and let her caress her face. Umbra could not tell why, but this new Wanshu was extremely erotic for her, something about the black lines and decorations just did it for her and- Umbra gently traces Wanshu''s lips. As she thought, they were incredibly soft. Umbra played with her lips for a bit before Wanshu opened them. She was too intoxicated to notice it and Wanshu took this opportunity to gently bite Umbra''s finger. Umbra was startled as it was not that gentle, but squirmed yet again once Wanshu licked the bite marks. "I want to mark you." Wanshu sounded quite impatient in her voice, but it was not seen on her face. "Not yet~" Umbra hummed mischievously and Wanshu pouted. She let her bite her finger to her heart''s content. She did not mind Wanshu venting her displeasure like this. Wanshu played with Umbra''s soft hand for quite some time. It was pretty much completely covered in bite marks and no space was left insensitive. Umbra raised her eyebrow at the sight of her hand and gazed towards Wanshu questioningly, but she just snorted and kissed her other arm, continuing her way towards Umbra''s shoulder. Umbra shivered from such affection. She gently arched her back to get away from Wanshu, but she took this opportunity and wrapped her hand around Umbra''s waist. Wanshu licked her lips and affectionately whispered towards Umbra. "Will you open your legs for me~?" Umbra shivered at that voice and blushed a deep red. "N-no?" Wanshu raised her eyebrow, while she wanted to be gentle with Umbra, there was also a limit to how much she could bear... Wanshu shifted her body from on top of Umbra to next to her. "Is that a question~?" She kissed Umbra''s cheek, waiting for her answer. Umbra wanted to answer, but that little Devil called Wanshu was not making it easy. "W-well..." She was teased by Wanshu, her inner thighs were gently caressed by her nail-claws. "But... I''m not ready yet..." Umbra whispered with a completely red face. Wanshu gulped hard, trying to keep her thoughts to herself and not devour Umbra right away. She kept caressing Umbra''s inner thigh, but kept a respectful distance from her honey pot. Umbra did not know if Wanshu was teasing her on purpose, but she was too embarrassed about this whole situation. "You are doing this on purpose!" Umbra ''glared'' at Wanshu, which made her giggle. "Maybe~" Wanshu hummed as she gently kissed Umbra''s shoulder. Umbra snorted unhappily at the teasing Wanshu, so she took the reins again. She pressed Wanshu into the pond and mounted her. They were in the shallow part, which was still warm, but not deep enough that they would be submerged. Umbra looked triumphant, but for some reason, Wanshu was smirking. "You have opened your legs~" Wanshu hummed mischievously, stunning Umbra. Umbra snorted and wanted to run away, but her hips were grasped and Wanshu made her roll over. Now Umbra was on the bottom with opened legs, while Wanshu was on the top pressing on Umbra. Before Umbra could protest her lips were sealed with a passionate yet soft kiss. "What will I do with you..." Umbra sighed as she was at the mercy of Wanshu. "I can let you take control~" Wanshu planted a sweet kiss on Umbra''s lips. Umbra gave one kiss back. "I will let it slip today, since it was quite... a ''rough'' day." She said gently while caressing Wanshu''s cheek. "So you are no longer embarrassed about your open legs~?" Wanshu teased her. Umbra pouted and pinched Wanshu''s cheek. "You weren''t supposed to mention it!" Wanshu giggled as she took a gentle nibble out of Umbra''s neck. Umbra moaned and arched her back again. "My, my~" Wanshu licked her lips. "We are just getting started and you are already arching your back~" She teased the easily aroused Umbra. Umbra slapped Wanshu''s ass, which created a very crisp sound. Wanshu was stunned and Umbra was the one that was smirking now. "It has a nice texture~" She hummed. Wanshu smiled sensually and lifted Umbra from the water, which made her yelp and laugh. She had both her hands filled with Umbra''s buttocks and she gently massaged them. "What are you doing~?" Umbra gently kissed Wanshu. "I don''t know, I''m too horny to think." Wanshu readily confessed, which made Umbra blush. "That goes for the both of us." Umbra shifted her body from embarrassment as Wanshu was staring at her with a piercing gaze. "In that case, I won''t be holding back." Wanshu said with a serious expression which made Umbra gulp. Wanshu gently lowered Umbra back into the water and planted kisses on her upper body, moving slowly downward each time. She planted kisses on Umbra''s stomach. Umbra breathed in, which made her stomach deflate, but Wanshu did not care and relentlessly peppered Umbra''s body with kisses. She finally moved between Umbra''s legs and Umbra squirmed. Wanshu did not go to her sacred cave immediately and teased all around it. Umbra whined until she couldn''t bear it. "Eat me, Wanshu." Wanshu happily obliged. She immediately sank her tongue inside Umbra, which shocked her, but she did not have any time to deal with it as a micro-orgasm washed over her body and her body shook. Wanshu didn''t pause at all and Umbra moaned loudly as her micro-orgasm was drawn into full orgasm and even then it was prolonged by the hungry Wanshu... Umbra''s body was twitching and she felt incredibly weak. She never felt this kind of extreme sensation before and she had a hard time moving. Wanshu was licking her lips as the sweetness of her partner was still implanted deep in her mind. "Are you alright?" Wanshu was slightly worried that she overdid it. She gently kissed Umbra on her forehead to soothe her. "I''m fine, just weak." Umbra was trying to catch her breath. "You weren''t lying when you said you have no experience." Wanshu teased her while Umbra was recovering. "I do have experience!" Umbra pouted, protesting against her. "Toys don''t count!" Wanshu narrowed her eyes. Umbra pouted and looked away, making Wanshu laugh loudly. Suddenly Umbra stiffened. Another pair of red eyes was staring at her, but that was impossible since Wanshu was on the other side of her body. "Don''t mind me." The Blood Fox smiled gently, leaving a basket with cleaning tools on the side of the pond. Both Umbra and Wanshu went on high alert and stared at the Passion Fox. But the Blood Fox just smiled before standing up and walking away. "S-since when were you here?!" Umbra suddenly cried out. "Do you really want to know~?" The Blood Fox hummed teasingly. The Umbra Fox blushed deep red and glared at the Blood Fox. Wanshu was not concerned about the Passion Fox since they were all the same gender. "Clean yourselves up, as the smell pretty much spread through this whole area. There are also cleaning tools for your outfit so you won''t damage it." The Blood Fox explained gently before walking away completely. Umbra was too embarrassed, so she covered her eyes from the outside world. Meanwhile, Wanshu was gently caressing Umbra''s stomach, waiting for her to calm down. "Let''s... clean ourselves..." Umbra was too ashamed to continue. "Leave the cleaning to me~" Wanshu kissed Umbra''s shoulder with a mischievous smirk. "You will just continue our... our...!" Umbra could not mutter out the proper words seeing her smirking partner. ... It was a long night... Chapter 237 – Not Umbra *Pouts* Aiko woke up grumpily, she was upset that the Blood Fox was gone for so long. She stared at the Blood Fox with questioning eyes once again, but the only thing she got from her was a blush. Aiko felt suspicious about this and wanted to get to the bottom of it, but first, she would nap a bit longer... At this moment, the exhausted duo of Shadow Foxes returned to the camp. The Blood Fox stared at them strangely. While they were not walking hand in hand, it was still obvious that something happened to them. They were too close and very happy about something. The Blood Fox just hoped that Aiko wouldn''t take issue with that... She knew that Aiko would be cranky because of her disturbed sleep and would be highly irritable for a few days. Aiko yawned again and transformed into her Human form so she could force herself to wake up. It was not a good idea to sleep for so long as it would make her body ache and it would not improve her sleeping quality. She just had to bear it for the time being... The Blood Fox gestured towards Aiko and Umbra nodded gently. She moved behind Aiko to smooth her hair and help her dress. Aiko''s nose twitched a few times and her droopy ears immediately straightened as she snapped her head at Umbra. Aiko sniffed a few more times. "Who are you?" Aiko asked with narrowed eyes. She could feel that this was Umbra through the connection that was established by the contract, but the smell did not fit. "I''m Umbra, Mistress." Umbra smiled innocently. "Then why do you smell like her?!" Aiko questioned with a piercing gaze while pointing her finger at Shadow Passion. Umbra didn''t know what to say about that since she believed she had washed all the smell of off her and even when she smelled herself she didn''t smell anything. Seeing the blush on her Umbra she felt suspicious. Aiko skipped a few steps, suddenly arriving in front of the Shadow Passion, startling her greatly since she was not used to Aiko''s shenanigans. Aiko sniffed the Shadow Passion, but all she could smell was Umbra. "And why do you smell like Umbra?!" Aiko questioned, but Shadow Passion just turned her head as she continued munching on her food with a slight blush. Aiko felt strange and felt goosebumps all over her body, which was obvious to anyone as it made her tails appear twice as big. She immediately dashed behind the Blood Fox, startling the whole group. "Skinwalkers..." Aiko shivered with a pitiful expression. The Blood Fox almost spilt her tea from this absurd remark. Meanwhile, Umbra was stunned by this conjecture. "I''m not a skin-walker! Whatever that is!" Umbra tried to defend herself, but the next question made her speechless. "Then why do you smell like Shadow Passion?" Aiko narrowed her eyes, her fur still erect. Umbra was at a loss for words, since she didn''t want to talk about her intimacy with others. This was a new thing for her so she wanted to enjoy it behind closed doors... "See?" Aiko glared at Umbra. Umbra immediately gazed towards Wanshu with pleading eyes, but Wanshu just smiled and munched on her food, enjoying Umbra''s distressed, yet cute expression. Umbra whined pitifully when she realised that she was teased at the very worst moment. "It''s really me, Mistress..." Umbra cried out softly, she felt like she was made into a doppelganger. Aiko snorted at them and sat far from the duo and behind the Blood Fox, so that she would be her first means of defence. The Blood Fox enjoyed this event and did not engage with it. She knew that it was Umbra and Shadow Passion as she observed them playing in the water. ''It''s good to be young...'' The Blood Fox sipped her tea with grace, she could be the only one considered to completely pass Lady Liu''s teachings. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Aiko munched on her food far away from ''Umbra'', ready for battle at any moment. Meanwhile, Umbra was crestfallen that she was not able to talk with Aiko about Wanshu, which meant she would have to keep Wanshu far from the Mirage Fox so that he wouldn''t do anything to her. Fortunately for them, the Mirage Fox was nowhere to be seen and the same could be said for the Gluttonous Fox. The Blood Fox wondered where they went, but at the same time, she did not care much about it. She knew that even if she knew, she would not try to seek them out. Aiko finished her food and the Blood Fox readied her things. Since they didn''t dress Aiko, that meant she would be more... pacified, in her conduct. Fewer troubles for them, but that also meant that they would have to play catch with her again. Umbra now had to pay attention to her Wanshu so she wouldn''t meet with Mirage Fox, but also to keep up with Aiko''s speed. It was an impossible mission that she bestowed upon herself, but she would do her best to accomplish it! As expected, Aiko was quick on her feet and only stopped for the Blood Fox. It felt like a rift was created between her and Umbra, so that is yet another thing that Umbra has to solve to get the approval. Aiko arrived at another campsite and sat down with her Blood Fox. She would keep her distance and observe them, or just wait and see if those smells would go away before engaging with ''Umbra''. She felt weird looking at them, but that couldn''t be helped. People change after sex, and that is the same for both of them. "Why didn''t you question the Shadow Passions look?" The Blood Fox was interested in this part. "Because if I were a skinwalker, I would like to appear more presentable, too." Aiko replied flatly, like what she said was a fact. "She was not before?" The Blood Fox tilted her head. She didn''t feel that the Shadow Passion was all that ugly... "She smelled bad, her fur was all sticky, her hair was messy like she came from the forest after 30 years-..." Aiko kept talking about how she saw things, and the Blood Fox could only purse her lips. "But I was in a similar situation when we met." The Blood Fox pouted her cheeks, trying to smooth the relationship between the two. "No. The first time we met, you were beaten by me." Aiko said flatly and the Blood Fox deflated. "Then when the Elder Punisher picked me up..." The Blood Fox was trying to salvage this situation. "You didn''t smell as bad and after the bath you didn''t smell like someone else." Aiko flatly denied it again, since that was the case. Aiko would not believe that her Umbra would go at it with a complete stranger, whom she met only a few days or was it weeks ago... The Blood Fox felt that this was hopeless, sometimes Aiko would just beat them up with her words without care in the world. "But Umbra is a good servant." The Blood Fox tried to appeal to what Umbra was good at. "Yes, when she was not a skinwalker." Aiko agreed that Umbra was amazing. Just then the duo arrived, all haggard and tired. "See? Even Umbra is exhausted, while previously she would have been alright." Aiko pointed at yet another discrepancy and the Blood Fox could only give up. Umbra glared at Wanshu when she heard those words, but Wanshu just looked away like she did not do anything. Aiko did not observe them. Meanwhile, the Blood Fox interrupted them. "We still need firewood for campfire." The Blood Fox did think they were lucky that the weather was mild and that it did not rain too much, but once it did, they would have a lot of work drying everything. She could only hope that this mild weather would last for weeks until they finish this mission... Umbra nodded gently and went for the firewood, but right behind her was Wanshu. Wanshu''s eyes were always planted on Umbra and her delectable butt that liked to shake in front of her whenever Umbra ran in front. Once they went some ways away, she could not bear it and groped Umbra''s ass. Umbra yelped and glared at Wanshu. "Stop it! We need Aiko''s help, so hold your urges until we are back in the Fox Village." Umbra threatened her with her eyes. Wanshu whined. "Then just tell her we made out, and she will understand." She teased the shy Umbra to her heart''s content, since she was not allowed to enjoy Umbra''s delectable body. "Why are you always so horny?!" That was the only thing that bothered Umbra. "Because of drugs. They keep me calm, but they make Demonic Foxes more lustful." Wanshu was not bothered explaining her situation. "It''s even worse since Demonic Foxes are inherently more lustful, so that they would mate more." "Ugh..." Umbra believed that she got one hell of a troublesome partner... "Can you keep it in check?" She asked, as this would help their case. "If I don''t use the drugs, it''s manageable." Wanshu nodded gently. "But then it will be easier for me to lose my mind and Mirage Fox might use liquid drugs then." Wanshu shivered. She didn''t want to experience those drugs ever again. Umbra didn''t know what to do... if she could explain it to Aiko they would have a new teammate. The Fox Village might not approve it as they already favoured Aiko a bit too much, thanks to Mei, but at the same time, they would have to cave in thanks to Mei and Grandmaster... "I don''t know what to doooo..." Umbra whined as she collected dead branches with Wanshu. Wanshu gave her a quick peck and said. "Just tell her, it will clear everything up." She did not understand Umbra''s worries and Aiko''s nature... She did not talk with Aiko all that much, the only thing she knew was that Aiko was a terrifying Shadow Beast that could easily devour her. ... Umbra sighed, returning to the camp, where Aiko was waiting for them. "Finished?" Aiko asked and Umbra nodded weakly. Aiko did not mind her state and waited for her meat to cook. After eating, she sneaked around to take a sniff from ''Umbra''. But Umbra turned around, meeting eye-to-eye with the sneaking Aiko. They both froze in place, Aiko in mid-movement while Umbra in mid-munching. They had a staring contest for a while before Aiko slowly moved closer to take a whiff. "Umu, now you smell like Umbra." Aiko nodded before scurrying away, back to eating more meat. The Umbra was confused, but also relieved. It seems like this misunderstanding cleared quickly- "So why did you smell like Shadow Passion?" Aiko asked with narrowed eyes while munching roasted meat. ''Never mind...'' Umbra sighed gently in her mind, it seemed like Aiko would be fixated at that point for quite a while... Chapter 238 – Journey to the Last Capital Aiko kept staring at Umbra and Shadow Passion in suspicion. "They had sex." The Blood Fox suddenly said. Umbra glared at her with wet eyes. "Huh?" Above Aiko''s head appeared a big question mark. "They liked each other, so they had sex." The Blood Fox repeated. "But they knew each other for very little time." Aiko pointed at her biggest issue right away. The Blood Fox kept her lips pursed, now it was time for Umbra to keep the conversation going. But only silence spread through the area. Aiko''s ears twitched as she looked between her teammates and then toward the Shadow Passion. "So when will you have babies?" Aiko suddenly spat, making everyone choke; the Shadow Passion was not an exception to this¡­ The Blood Fox was the first one to calm down, but she had no intention of answering that as her face burned red from her imagination. Umbra and Shadow Passion were no different, since they never did it and will never do it with that thought in mind. They were of the same sex, so it would be difficult to have babies. Aiko observed the absurd expression and continued. "And here I thought you were a male for a second." Aiko narrowed her eyes at Shadow Passion. Wanshu was completely speechless. "I''m not!" She suddenly spat out. She never felt so embarrassed about something so simple in her entire life! "Hmmm..." Aiko munched on another piece of meat, while enjoying others'' discomfort. "You were gentle with her right?" Aiko asked Umbra. "Why are you asking me, Mistress?!" Umbra felt wronged. "I''m not a Demonic Fox!" She cried out. Wanshu enjoyed Umbra''s expression even more and wanted to praise Aiko, but if she did, she would probably get reprimanded by Umbra... "You are in a team where asses are regularly skewered, it''s only natural you take an interest in that." Aiko shook her head. She gently bowed towards Shadow Passion. "I apologise if she was rough with your butt." "Mistress!" Umbra cried out even more, her face was burning deep red from embarrassment. Wanshu laughed at this; she was the one who bullied Umbra, but the situation that Aiko portrayed was the complete opposite. She gently swayed towards Umbra, so that she could give her a peck on her embarrassed cheeks. The more she knew about this team, the less inclined she was to get back, but at the same time, she knew that it was impossible to join this team. In the history of the Shadow Peak, there was no team with 4 members. There were joint teams, but not a single team with more than 3 members. Most teams only consist of two. This helps with reproduction and finding partners in such an oversized Fox Village. Some have two partners in a team, but that''s rare as even teams consisting of 3 members are extremely rare. Aiko rolled her eyes. "Since you are so lovey-dovey, we will be speeding things up. I don''t like spending my time inside a Forest." Aiko snorted unhappily; everyone had some kind of toy that entertained them, but Aiko''s toys required a lot of mental capacity and focus, which was not ideal in a hostile Forest. The Blood Fox did not mind. Umbra was slightly sad, but she understood Aiko''s whims... ... The next day the group sped up. Aiko was adamant about their pace and Umbra did not have time to explain Wanshu''s situation. What was a good thing, was the fact that they could not see the Mirage Fox anywhere. He did not even arrive at the previous campfire. As strange as it was, they did not have time to think about it too much as Aiko''s pace was quite difficult for them and they had to focus hard in order to keep up. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ... They settled around a campfire a few more times, but the last Capital was in sight. "I wonder where Mirage Fox is..." Aiko stroked her chin, while looking at Shadow Passion. "I can''t sense him through the contract." Wanshu shook her head, unlike others she was not able to feel them. "Huh..." Aiko kept stroking her chin, wondering about where they went. "How about you two?" But her team likewise shook their heads, they had no idea where that cursed duo disappeared. The Blood Fox kept close to Umbra, so that those lovebirds wouldn''t just sneak away somewhere for some private time. It would be hard to catch up to Aiko if they did, so this was a kind of assurance for all of them. But at the same time she got to know Shadow Passion more and her troubles along the way. While Aiko''s antics caused her team numerous troubles, it was not as painful as what Wanshu described. The Blood Fox agreed to convince Aiko about castrating that spineless bastard. Aiko munched on her meat. "The Capital is oddly shiny." The last Capital was illuminated brightly even in the darkest night. This was a great change compared to the previous Capitals, as they had very little to no light during the night. "This is Luminous Capital." Wanshu said gently. "It was previously called Heavenly Luminous Palace, but they had to change it once a Cultivator carved half of the city into the shape of a butt." She sipped the tea that the Blood Fox had made. Aiko lifted her eyebrow. "Why would they do that?" "Because they were affiliated with the Heavenly Luminous Palace, but tried to use their fame for their own benefit." Wanshu explained slowly. She did not get to interact with the Vicious Cub all that much, but she found her very likeable. "Hmmmmm." Aiko munched on another piece of meat. "So the Capital is still in the shape of a butt?" "Yes, the Cultivator filled that space with water so it was very difficult to move." Wanshu said. "They changed their names to appease the Cultivator, but he did not care and kept it like that." Wanshu sipped tea before continuing. "There is also a rumour that the water no longer replenishes so they are trying to make a connection to a nearby river to drain it, but we don''t know if that rumour is true." Aiko munched slowly. "What would happen if they drained it quickly?" "It would flood their Villages and cities, so they have to drain it slowly." Wanshu was patient with the small Fox. Her Umbra explained that if she is liked, there is no way she would be returning to the Mirage Bastard. So Wanshu naturally did her best to make herself as appealing as possible. Another thing that she also noticed was the fact that she ''raged'' far less than before, which was considered weird as she had ran out of drugs. The Blood Fox explained that it''s the effect of spending enough time with Aiko, but even then, she also could not explain the reason nor theory of why it was happening. Wanshu didn''t really care about the reason; all that mattered to her was the fact that she didn''t need those drugs to keep calm, which made her libido much more manageable. She also got ''bouncier'' like her Umbra, she felt more energetic and less sleepy, which was a nice bonus. Umbra... did not appreciate it as much, since she worried that their time alone would drain her too much... Aiko lifted her head and stared at the duo. "I will approach the city in the coming days to scout." She had a strange feeling inside her heart. "We can come with you." The Blood Fox gently nudged Aiko. "No, I will explore alone. Something feels off." Aiko didn''t believe that they could afford to keep the whole city lit up all the time. That light also caused shadows to retreat, and the few that remained would be too weak for their abilities, which meant there would be fewer places where they could hide... "As you wish, Mistress." Umbra sighed. She might be tormented by Wanshu when Aiko is not around. She did not mind it, but there is a time and place for everything! Aiko nodded happily, it was a good thing that her team listened to her. "Why don''t you just order them?" Wanshu questioned, she couldn''t understand why the little fox never used the order function like the average team leader. "Why would I need to order them?" Aiko tilted her head, not understanding Wanshu. "By ordering them you will know that they will stay here?" Wanshu gave it as a question since she noticed others looking at her strangely. "If they say that they will stay here, they will stay here." Aiko shook her head. "Moreover, I''m not making them do anything they dislike, so I believe they will listen to me." Aiko pointed at her team, which was happily chatting. "Did you never use the command or order or even any functions of the contract?" Wanshu asked, her tone brimming with confusion and curiosity. "I think I might have tested those functions once or twice...?" Aiko didn''t remember if there were any instances where she used those functions or not. "But I do know that I use the locating functions sometimes, since it''s handy, but my team members are mostly close by... so even that is rarely used." She shook her head, it was mostly useless contract for her... "Aren''t you worried that they won''t listen to you?" Wanshu asked this before, but she changed the meaning a bit. "Will you listen to me?" Aiko turned towards her team, since these questions started to bother her. ""Of course, Mistress."" The duo was in sync and they also giggled in sync. Wanshu pursed her lips. She did not understand this kind of relationship inside this team. They were too carefree and happy. There was no tension or anything that would be out of place. They helped each other readily and they also had plenty of free time to pursue their hobbies or just rest. Wanshu never got that amount of rest before. But... she also never felt that her body ached as much as before from mere exertion... The little Fox was truly ruthless when it came to travelling and what was supposed to take almost a year, took only a few months. Wanshu''s body ached, but at the same time, she was happy about this. Why? Because now she would complete a lot more missions and get more rewards from them! This would allow her to purchase the much-needed equipment and other things for her day-to-day life. She could also purchase something nice for herself, which she previously couldn''t. "Anyway. I will be scouting the city and see if we can even enter." Aiko munched on the last piece of meat. "It will be more difficult for all of us to hide, so it''s better if we do it like this as I''m much faster alone." "You are indeed smaller than us." Wanshu nodded. Aiko pouted and pinched Shadow Passion''s thigh. Wanshu pursed her lips, smiling happily. It seemed like the little Fox was starting to warm up to her. Chapter 239 – First Exploration The next day, Aiko went to explore the city. It was during the day, since there were more shadows than during the night. The guards around the walls were also less alert. This allowed Aiko to easily sneak into the Capital. The first thought that went into her mind was... ''This place is a mess...'' Aiko was used to the previous Capital where most things were harmonious, but that was not the case over here. Instead of most walls being white or grey so it didn''t hurt to look at, most walls here were either red or green, or sometimes even purple. It really hurt Aiko''s head... The longer she walked around, the more absurd this Capital became. There were missing walls here and there, dilapidated buildings or straight-up ruins. There were a lot of homeless people, so this whole Capital smelled pretty bad. The roofs had holes, a lot of holes, so Aiko had to be careful about where she went. The only thing presentable about this city were the guards patrolling everywhere. They had nice and shiny armour with good-looking spears. Some of them even had swords on their waist. There was a stark difference between the state of the buildings versus security. Aiko could only tilt her head, not understanding what was happening. Fortunately for her, Mortals could not see her as she was hidden, as for Immortals... as long as Aiko didn''t look at them, she would be fine, so there was no danger too. Aiko went around the districts, most businesses were doing well for some reason. The buildings were maintained and even enriched in some places with signs made out of gold or long carpets put everywhere. It was an odd sightseeing such ''glamorous'' buildings right next to ruins... The deeper Aiko went inside the city, the stranger it became. There were even more guards and dilapidated buildings, but no ruins, just empty plots of land. How did Aiko know it was empty and not just a street? Because it had the outlines of a house with walls and everything. Moreover, the road changed from dirt to a rocky road, but not a nice one made out of slabs but just rocks of different shapes and sizes, so it was quite bumpy. Not for Aiko, she was still alright, but carts running along the streets were making really bad rattling noises. Aiko''s ears hurt from that, so she went even deeper. The road did not change much, but the amount of guards running around almost tripled. At this point, Aiko thought that there might be some kind of celebration where the King or Emperor, or whatever that dude was called, is securing this place to prevent any mishaps. There were also no beggars around and no dilapidated buildings, just empty plots of land. This sight was even worse than when there were dilapidated buildings, as the Capital felt like it was in a sorry state, like they did not have enough money to keep it maintained. ''Or maybe the prices were too high?'' Aiko tilted her head. This place either had buildings accompanied by golden signs or no buildings at all. It kind of felt like a bad joke, like someone planned this so that the innermost part of the Capital was made solely out of gold? Aiko could not really guess their intentions... ''Let''s move forward...'' Aiko shook her head. So far almost no one spoke, so Aiko could not pick up any rumours. Moreover, those who did speak cursed their rulers for his lavish spending and for seeking Immortality when he was Mortal like everyone else. At this point, Aiko could pick up quite a lot of Cultivators around, but they were all small fries with only either Qi Gathering or Foundation Building. They held no danger for Aiko, but it was bothersome since there were so many of them... Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. However, for the sneaking Aiko, it was still smooth sailing, even when a few Golden Core Cultivators appeared, it was still fine as they aimlessly wandered around which caused holes in their formations. Aiko had quite an entertaining time with them. This is what she would call entertainment, others trying to find her while she would rob- *Cough* ''Nononono, I can''t do that right now...'' Aiko sadly stared at the Storage Pouches that were running from her... ''I should explore more before taking them.'' Aiko nodded to herself. This took great restraint on her part to just not steal everything they owned, but she also understood that if she stole it now, they would be on high alert, which was counterproductive to her plan. ... Aiko was now in front of the Palace and to her surprise, they even ran those lights during the day! Aiko could not understand why they would do something like that! Such a waste of resources! ''You should''ve given me those resources if you are going to waste them like that!'' Aiko cried in her mind, but there was nothing she could do about this right now, other than going in deeper. The wall was no issue to Aiko even if there were no shadows. Her [Earthen Walk] took care of this without a hiccup and Aiko was inside. Her head popped in front of a Cultivator that felt quite dangerous, but for some reason, he was not moving and even had closed eyes! What Aiko did not know was that this Cultivator set up a boundary around the entire perimeter of the palace. The moment someone would try to jump over the wall or go through it, he would be immediately alerted! Unfortunately for him, Aiko did not go through the wall or above the wall, but below the ground. He set it up as a simple boundary that did not account for the underground portion. As such, Aiko was free to explore! Aiko dived inside the ground again since she didn''t want to test her stealth in front of someone dangerous. Popping her head out of the ground she was on a nice plot of grass. It seemed like the maids were currently drying clothing, so Aiko went into a nearby bush in order to hear their gossip. "Poor Princess..." "It''s her fault for being born like that." "I feel you are jealous of her." "The prices went up again..." "Tell me about it. Yet we are still using light even during the day..." The gossip poured out of their mouths until the eunuch stopped them and they dispersed. ''Seems like this is the right Capital, but why do they keep their lights always on...'' Aiko could not understand that part. ''Is there some kind of night demon?'' She tilted her head, but she could not figure it out. She sneaked once more, but this time under the numerous buildings. Some of the buildings stood on legs, so there was a slight space between the ground and the floor. This allowed Aiko to move sneakily, but if there was one demerit to this, it was the amount of cobwebs that her fur gathered. Aiko could only bear with it for the time being. "The Princess''s accommodations are quite poor." "Well, she is used as a whore and not a concubine, so that''s natural." "Poor Princess..." "It''s unfortunate that she has that strange disposition..." They sighed as they walked away. Aiko found it quite useful that she had such sensitive ears. She could gossip about others without them noticing her. Sneaking away, she picked up yet another set of voices. "We have gathered the corpses." "It was not all that difficult since that Kingdom is pretty much in ruins." "Yeeeah, but I never imagined I would be digging up graves." "Tell me about it, grave-robbing was not on my list of things I want to do." "But we had to do it..." They sighed before resuming their talk about poor food and accommodations. Aiko felt curious about what those corpses might be. She already had her guesses, but that was for later. She would find those corpses to check on them later. Aiko would first try to find out where the Princess was, do something about her or leave her be for the time being. Then go around exploring for the corpses. Aiko walked below the floors soundlessly to not attract attention. She mapped out the floor arrangement by the changes in the wood. The more lustrous and nicer-looking food, the more important the place above was. She traced all those places, trying to find the worst place so she could check if it was the Princesses, if not she would just continue walking around. Unfortunately, the Princess could not be found in the side Palaces, so she either was in the Royal Palace or somewhere else. ''I hope he doesn''t have a secret fucking place like it was in the previous Capital...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. She didn''t want to enter the Royal Palace yet, since it might bring her trouble, so she should sneak around a bit more- "Can you believe that the Emperor is having sex with corpses?!" "It''s unbelievable! We should run away as soon as possible, who knows what will happen with our poor bodies once we die or get killed by him!" "Yeah!" The trio ran away quite quickly and Aiko gulped. She pinched her nose bridge and sighed. Now she would have to go into the Royal Palace... but now that she knew where the corpses were¡­ She could just find the Princess and any Treasures that were not bolted to the ground and book them out of there! Aiko walked around the outside of the side Palaces, but could not find anything of value or anything hidden from her. The Royal Palace was the last thing she could explore and she hoped that she would find her target... The Royal Palace was as lavish as any other. Carpets woven with golden strands, golden signs pretty much everywhere. Lavish Paintings and decorations. Nothing of value to Aiko as none of it had any Qi inside. Aiko couldn''t care less about those things, as she still did not find the Princess she was looking for. It was also slowly getting dark and guards started to pile up everywhere, so it was time for her to retreat just in case. The moment she exited the Royal Palace, a translucent barrier was erected, and Aiko had a bad feeling about it. It was a good idea that she bailed in time or otherwise something might''ve happened to her! Aiko could only shake her head and nod at her luck. It was a good thing that her luck was better than previously, but it would be nicer if it was much better and had manged to find the princess for her. Chapter 240 – Let’s deal with this Fox filth! Aiko returned to her ''camp'' only to find an ongoing scuffle. She turned into her pseudo-Human form and dressed with the Sect Token before approaching. "I''m telling you, we don''t have much time before they rob the graves!" The Mirage Fox shouted. "We are not part of your team, if you wish to retrieve the bodies, do it yourself or wait for our Mistress." The Blood Fox calmly answered. "As the Vicious Fox is not here, I''m now the leader of both teams and I will-" The Mirage Fox kept spouting nonsense which annoyed Aiko. She was noticed by the Gluttonous Fox and Shadow Passion. The Gluttonous Fox tried to warn the Mirage Fox, but before he could say anything Aiko already readied herself. ''Ready, aim, fire!'' Aiko used her jump, with a double jump in tandem, kicking the Mirage Fox''s vulnerable crotch. "%@$#%" The Mirage Fox straightened his back as he screamed and foamed from his mouth before collapsing on the ground. Aiko dusted her hands and cleaned her leg with a towel before throwing it away. "This ought to do." Aiko nodded happily to be able to solve the situation. ""Mistress."" The duo bowed, while the Mirage Fox''s team was still surprised by her actions. Aiko nodded happily. "The Capital is a mess, but it was a successful scouting. I was able to gather quite a bit of information, but I can''t take you with me." She sighed. "That place is like a fortress and they waste money to keep lights on at all times, so it''s hard to sneak around with... large bodies..." Aiko stared at her team. She didn''t want to admit that she was small, but in order to explain it to them properly she had to do something... "We understand, Mistress." The Blood Fox nodded. "What should we do then?" "I believe there will be chaos once I obtain the Princess and ro- *Cough* move any Treasures around, so it would be best to find a secret place?" Aiko didn''t know if the last part was good enough, so she gazed towards her team. The Blood Fox was thinking, while Umbra was still staring at the Mirage Fox. It didn''t seem like Aiko would be able to get anything from Umbra so she gazed at her Blood Fox. "I believe it''s a good idea, but killing the Princess would make the extraction difficult..." The Blood Fox frowned and stared at Aiko. "I don''t have a way to transport-" Aiko suddenly ducked and a fist went just above her head. "You damn dwarf bastard!" The Mirage Fox had recovered and was furious. Aiko immediately changed her forms to become faster. She did not care about the Mirage Fox in the slightest. The Mirage Fox created Illusions around him and the surroundings changed. Unfortunately, those were low-level Illusions and Aiko could see through them. Aiko moved to a nearby pile of suspicious rocks, but she didn''t dwell on it too much and used it as a repeater, throwing them at the Mirage Fox. "Do you think a simple rock can hurt me?!" The Mirage Fox roared in anger as shiny armour appeared on his outer body. "You can''t even put a den-" *DING* "Ugh." The Mirage Fox staggered from the impact. He was uninjured, but the force behind those rocks was no joke even to him, moreover-! *DING**DING**DING**DING**DING**DING**DING**DING**DING**DING* That shitty little Fox kept dishing out rock after rock at him and he had no chance to retaliate! Moreover, his Illusions had to be maintained by him, the moment he lost focus would be the moment his Illusions would disappear. The Mirage Fox used a Thunder Talisman in hopes of hitting the Vicious Cub, but the barrage of rocks blocked the effects of his Talisman! He was completely helpless against this brat! Aiko kept throwing rocks without stopping, until the Mirage Fox''s armour started to crack. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. "Screw you!" The Mirage Fox threw a Smoke Pill to blind the Vicious Cub. It worked for a moment, but he met with yet another opponent! A huge fist of blood quickly approached his body. "You dare to stand in front of me?!" The Mirage Fox yelled speechlessly, he was much stronger than the Passion Fox. Maybe this was the perfect opportunity to kidnap her! The Mirage Fox smiled deliriously, but for some reason, the Blood Fist kept going?! ''Why isn''t it stopping?!'' The Mirage Fox was shocked as the Blood Fist crashed into his body. ''It''s weak, but it still has force behind it!'' The Mirage Fox glared at the Passion Fox who blocked his path. "You dare-" The Mirage Fox wanted to use his ring and quickly shove the Passion Fox into his Storage Pouch that could hold the living. Unfortunately for him, a whole ass boulder crashed into his back and he deflated like a balloon. His armour likewise got destroyed and he crashed onto the ground, spitting blood violently. ''Fuck! Since when was the Vicious Cub so strong?!'' His intel did not say anything about the Vicious Cub being so overwhelming! And that was the fault of the speed of information in this World. While Aiko demonstrated her ruthlessness during the carnage and slaughter of the ''zombies''. This news did not spread just yet, or rather they were suppressed by the Royal Family as such an invasion would tatter their reputation. The last information he got about the Vicious Cub''s prowess was during her training time on the Shadow Peak, but Aiko was much more powerful now due to her better utilisation of Energy and more Skills. As such, the Mirage Fox hit a metal plate for the first time in his life. His body shined as new and more lustrous armour appeared on his body. The Mirage Fox cursed the Vicious Cub for forcing his Soul to use that armour. It had limited charges and he would cry over each single one, yet he had to use it on a lowly Fox?! He used the last bit of his wealth on the Sacred Treasure. He would be able to restrain the Vicious Cub for a few minutes, which would give him plenty of time to escape. The Sacred Treasure hummed sinisterly as it targeted the Vicious Cub. "Aiko run!" The Shadow Passion shouted even through the pain that the contract inflicted. Aiko wanted to gut this bastard, so she did not run. Anyone who attacks her will get her tender treatment~! The Sacred Treasure enveloped Aiko and the Shadow Passion gulped hard. She could not believe that Aiko was so easily controlled. *BOOM* "ARGH!" The Mirage Fox screamed loudly. The Sacred Treasure on his finger violently exploded, taking part of his hand with it even through the armour. The world darkened, and a low growl spread in the area. Aiko''s whole body was jet black, like a Beast from the darkest places. Yet above her stood an even larger and darker Beast. It was hard to say what kind of Beast it was since the only thing they could see was... Horror... Terrifying pressure... They had the thought to kneel immediately and beg for forgiveness, none was excluded. The Mirage Fox''s eyes shrunk. He did not expect such development. Moreover, he also saw a familiar Ghost under the Beast''s huge paws. He gulped hard, but before he could think properly about what to do next, the large Beast slapped him. It was his Soul against Aiko''s and while he ate a lot of Souls, his Bloodlines could not compare to Aiko''s. The Sacred Defensive Treasure shattered like it was made out of glass and he was blasted through countless trees until the mountain stopped his body. He immediately lost consciousness from the impacts and pressure the Beast subjected his Soul to. His eyes rolled back and he did not move any more... "Mistress..." Aiko gazed towards the Blood Fox''s pained expression. "What?" Aiko tilted her head and the world turned back to normal in an instant. There was no terrifying Beast behind Aiko. There was no longer any pressure and everything returned to normal like it was some kind of dream... Her team pursed their lips. Aiko''s Divine Sense was so scary, so scary that it even affected the close proximity around her... "Umbra." Aiko said with a commanding voice. "Y-yes." Umbra stuttered since there were still some leftover effects after this experience. "Tie that fuck and make sure he can''t escape." Aiko then turned towards the Blood Fox. "Pick up the Shadow Passion and we are running away immediately." After saying that, Aiko turned back towards Umbra. "Find us through the contract." ""Yes, Mistress!"" They both bowed, more than happy to listen to Aiko''s commands. "As for you..." Aiko paused seeing the Fat Fox. "Stay alive?" She snorted disdainfully before running away with the Blood Fox who was carrying unconscious Wanshu. "What just happened..." The Gluttonous Fox could not understand it. While his team could not be considered a top team, it was still very high up on the ''Leaderboards''. Meanwhile, the Vicious Cub''s team was not even on the ''Leaderboards'', yet they were easily able to trash their team at will. "What am I going to do..." His mind was confused, but he couldn''t think for too long. "There is a fat Fox over there!" Someone shouted and the Gluttonous Fox immediately stood up and tried to run away... ... Aiko kept running behind the Blood Fox to conceal the tracks with her tails. As she was faster, it was easier for her to do that. "I hope Umbra will be alright." Aiko could not send the faster Blood Fox for the Mirage Fox, since she would be found out much easier, meanwhile, Umbra and Aiko both had the bloodline of the Shadow Fox. It was not quite the same as Aiko was of the Fiend variety, but it was still a stealthy Bloodline, which should help her conceal herself and find them later. They ran for a few days, just to make sure that there were no pursuers on their back and found a nice little meadow cave that they could hide in. "Are you alright?" Aiko asked as she watched the Blood Fox pant heavily. "It would be easier if I didn''t need to carry her, but I''m doing alright." The Blood Fox''s Stamina was rock bottom for the past few days, so her body ached all over, but she could not let Wanshu run on her feet since she was simply too slow for their pace. "Rest, I will gather some firewood and we can set up a camp." Aiko nodded gently. "Tie her up too, just in case." Aiko commanded the Blood Fox to tie the Shadow Passion. Wanshu did not resist and understood Aiko''s thoughts. Chapter 241 – Taking care of her team With Wanshu tied up, Aiko went outside to gather firewood. This place was really well hidden so even if they set up a fire, they would not be discovered as the meadow would drown out all the light. You would have to be very close to the meadow to see that, but at that point, Aiko would have already been alerted and ran away with her team. "It''s also surprising that we weren''t chased all that much..." Aiko tilted her head. They were hard to catch since they were running through the forest which was hard to navigate. Though for some reason, the Cultivators didn''t fire their fireworks at them during that time. It was as if they were more interested in something else... "I hope Umbra is alright..." Aiko sighed. She knew the general location of Umbra and that she was coming closer, but it already has been a few days, which meant that the bastard might have woken up. It would then depend on the ability of the Umbra Fox and how well she can tie the rope around him or restrain him from doing anything foolish. "I did still want to question the fatty, but since he probably distracted the Cultivators... I will let that slide." Aiko felt magnanimous for once and didn''t hold almost any grudge against him, but even that small amount would vanish if Umbra was safe and sound. Aiko gathered those pesky dead branches. She didn''t like gathering, since she could not carry all that much with her. Unlike the Blood Fox and Umbra, who just needed to carry the firewood twice, Aiko who was much sma- Ahem! petite¡ª needed to repeat it like 8 to 10 more times just to match their pace! It''s injustice! "Is this enough?" Aiko placed the firewood for the 9th time. She was clearly upset, as her eyebrows kept twitching. "This is enough." The Blood Fox replied weakly, her complexion looked somewhat alright, but it was less rosy. "Just rest." Aiko sighed, ready to start the fire. "You won''t burn yourself, right?" The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes gently. Aiko pouted. "You have too much energy considering you can still tease me!" The Blood Fox pursed her lips happily before closing her eyes. Aiko was not as quick at starting the fire and struggled quite a bit, but she eventually got it going. She did not prepare any meals, as the Blood Fox was soundly asleep. Aiko would prepare it once she woke up or Umbra arrived... ... The next day, Umbra arrived with the conscious yet glaring Mirage Fox. Aiko didn''t like his expression so she beat him up until he lost consciousness again. This ruckus woke up the Blood Fox and she stared outside. "You should''ve slept a bit more, but since you are awake, let''s eat and sleep a bit more." Aiko gestured. The Blood Fox didn''t complain or say anything, she just exchanged glances with Umbra. Aiko went by the still-burning fire. She kept the fire going throughout the night and day to keep everyone warm. While it was not chilly, it was better to be in a warm place to recover faster, or at least that''s what Aiko believed. Her duo went towards the Mirage Fox and slapped a bunch of strange Talismans on him. Aiko was a bit curious about them so she asked them. "What are those Talismans?" The Blood Fox smiled gently. "One restrains any kind of communication that is through the Soul or Mind. The demerit is that it''s easily torn away, so you can''t really use it during fights. Another one restrains his body, so he can''t recover as quickly and would have a harder time breaking the rope. The second one''s demerit is that it''s easily torn by Divine Sense." She explained. This was a great gift from Mei that they had never previously used as it was not needed, but since they now had a target that they needed to ''vent'' on. It was the perfect opportunity to test its effects. "Hmmmm..." Aiko nodded. "Since you have restrained his Mind, he can''t use his Divine Sense correctly?" She was a bit on the edge and questioned if it would really work. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. "That is right, or at least that''s what Mei said." Umbra tightened the ropes since the Mirage Fox was knocked out cold. "You look awful, come over and let''s eat." Aiko gestured towards her team, but especially for Umbra. Umbra was much lighter and weaker than the Blood Fox and Mirage Fox was much heavier than Wanshu. That meant that Umbra overexerted herself even more and looked more like a jiangshi than a Fox. "Mhm." Umbra nodded, she was really exhausted, but she needed to reach the safe point to survive. That safe point was obviously her Mistress, so she pressed on. "It will rain, so I will gather more firewood." The Blood Fox said. "Let''s eat first." Aiko said. She has already warmed up the soup and was unsure if it was possible to overcook soup, but she did not want to find out. After all, Aiko would rather not risk burning a tasty soup. The duo looked at each other and went next to Aiko. "Right, since he can''t communicate, you can untie the Shadow Passion again." Aiko said gently. She was worried that the Mirage Fox might contact the Shadow Passion when they were asleep and everything would turn for the worse, since unlike her team, the Mirage Fox''s team was full of energy. Umbra did not question why Wanshu was tied, she understood that there was no place for complaints during this situation and she could only hope that Wanshu would not do something stupid or was ordered to... "Don''t mind me." Wanshu smiled gently, she liked the small Fox since she was very cautious. This meant that she truly cared about her team. "He did not contact me, when he is angry he tends to lose his mind and forget about the basics." Wanshu explained and confessed, she didn''t feel any discomfort and her face was completely normal. "Hmmmm..." Aiko still wanted to return to the Capital and strip it for its Treasures and Princess. "Any loot you got from the Mirage Fox?" Aiko asked. "I did not have time to loot him, but I did try to collect anything that fell from him." Umbra said to Aiko. "We will loot him later after you rest." Aiko munched on the soup. Sure, there was no need to munch, but she was already so used to munching that she did it even with water. "I will also keep the fire going so you can have plenty of rest." Aiko smiled, she was still somewhat full of energy since she could recover it relatively quickly compared to her peers. "We appreciate it greatly." The Blood Fox bowed. "There is no need for that." Aiko shook her head. "We are part of a team, so it''s only natural that I would take care of you." Wanshu finished her portion and said gently. "Should I collect more firewood?" She asked the whole team. ""Sure."" Umbra and the Blood Fox did not have anything against it. Aiko was against it, but since she didn''t want to run so many times... she did not voice her opinion. "I will collect only in the vicinity so you can keep an eye on me." Wanshu said that to Aiko. "Humu." Aiko hummed, agreeing on that. Her team went to rest while Aiko observed the Shadow Passion. She really didn''t like those old assassination clothes. "Do you know how to sew?" Aiko suddenly asked. The blushing Wanshu turned around. "Yes, I know a bit." She tilted her head, not understanding. "The insides must be uncomfortable, I have some fabric that you can pad it with to make it more comfortable." Aiko said expressionlessly, she was bothered by the way the Shadow Passion breathed. Unbeknownst to Aiko, Umbra was smiling happily. She was happy that Wanshu was able to stroke the protectiveness of Aiko. It would make it much easier to convince everyone that she is part of the team once this ordeal is over. Wanshu returned with piles and piles of dead branches, some were wet on the outside, but all of them were dry on the inside. Aiko pulled out a fabric from her Storage Ring. Wanshu wanted to take it from Aiko and start sewing, but was startled. "Why are you munching on it?!" Wanshu could not understand what Aiko was doing. Her team was resting on the sidelines as they wondered how well Wanshu would get along with Aiko. That and the fact that they couldn''t help but to sit down and look towards Aiko. With so many eyes on her, she paused. "What? Do you have any problems?" "It''s strange that you would munch on the fabric that you are giving to someone..." Umbra said gently so as not to agitate her Mistress. "Yeah? Then tell me where did we get this fabric?" Aiko questioned both Umbra and the Shadow Passion and at the same time, she was rubbing the cloth on her wrist. The Blood Fox pursed her lips. She understood what Aiko was doing, but there were better ways to do it... Wanshu did not know so she kept quiet, meanwhile, Umbra thought she knew and answered. "From those normal assassins?" Umbra didn''t know for certain, so instead of answering, she made it a question. "Correct." Aiko nodded as she kept rubbing. "Then tell me what assassins specialise in." "Stealth." Umbra said. Aiko nodded. "And?" "Assassinations?" Umbra was taken slightly aback that there was more. Aiko''s eyes twitched. "And?" "Ummmm..." Umbra turned towards the Blood Fox, but she was back to resting. She then turned towards Wanshu, but she had a teasing expression on her face, which meant she could not get any help from there either. "Poison!" Aiko rolled her eyes seeing the struggling Umbra. "Oh..." Umbra nodded absent-mindedly. "OH!" She suddenly realised what Aiko meant. "You are testing it for poison!" Aiko nodded and passed the fabric to the Shadow Passion. "You can''t hand over something that''s poisoned, unless you are handing it over to your enemy." Aiko shrugged. She made a clear distinction that the Mirage Fox was an enemy, but that the Shadow Passion was not. Umbra blushed and laid down to rest. Meanwhile, the shock on Wanshu''s face was apparent. She had never heard about a leader who would test poison on themselves. She did notice Aiko''s strange green arm, but she did not comment on it. The reason was simple. Foxes believed in beauty, that green hand was not beautiful, so Aiko might be prickly about it and she didn''t want to risk angering her... The Shadow passion took off the ''breast protection'' and felt a piercing gaze on her. She turned to see the small Fox looking at her. "Exhibitionist..." Aiko murmured and her team burst out in laughter. Wanshu blushed deep red. She was not an exhibitionist! They were all females, so it was alright to do this! Chapter 242 – Corpses and Laughter Aiko waited till her team had rested properly and recovered from their weakened states. In the meantime, she did not forget to beat the Mirage Fox, so that he would not be conscious in her presence. She also looted his unconscious body for anything of value, but... [Cold Iron Armour(Destroyed)] [Armour that is destroyed and unusable, but its materials are precious and could be smelted down.] [Two-Step Mirage Armour(Destroyed)] [Treasure created from one''s Soul. The creator is surely badly injured after trashing this Armour. Can''t be used for anything and will dissipate naturally.] The armours were pretty much unusable thanks to Aiko''s tender care. Those suits of armour wouldn''t fit her anyway in addition to being way too shiny for her liking. They are supposed to be one with the shadows, not lit up like lighthouses! [Storage Pouch(Small, Living)] Aiko tilted her head at the brackets, but fortunately, the system had not forsaken her completely. [Storage Pouch(Small, Living)] [A small Storage Pouch that can store living beings. You have limited time you can keep them inside before they start to suffer from a lack of Qi.] Aiko found this to be the perfect Treasure for her current mission. If the Princess was still alive, she could just sneak her outside. ''None would know that I even came, hehe~.'' Aiko chuckled in her mind. There was also a Storage Ring on him, but she could not open it. She would ask Mei to open it later and learn how to open them herself. It was important if she intended to loot everything from everyone. The Treasures were very little, it was possible that the fatty had some Treasures on him and the Shadow Passion should be the same... But the fatty is nowhere to be seen and Shadow Passion is taken care of by Umbra, so she really shouldn''t interfere and loot her. She had also taken a liking to the non-stinky Shadow Passion, so she didn''t really want to rob her. Aiko opened the Storage Pouch that could store living things. She wondered how big it was, but to her disappointment... It was really small. Unlike the Fox Village''s Storage Pouch which could store a lot of living, this one felt like a cheap knockoff. Aiko frowned since 1 of the 3 places was taken by someone and she pulled out the living person. To her surprise, the lady was sleeping and for some reason, she smelled god awful. Aiko had to wave her hand in front of her face to prevent the smell from reaching her nose. "What were those bastards thinking..." Aiko coughed as she smelled the fatty too. The person was sleeping, so Aiko nudged her a few times, but there was no reaction from her. ''That is my... body...'' A weak voice could be heard from within Aiko. ''Hm?'' Aiko tilted her head. She could not remember taking any other Ghosts inside her body... ''Who are you?'' Aiko asked, but there was no answer. She tilted her head at this strangeness, but chose to store the body back inside the Storage Pouch. She felt quite weird after that voice. Aiko had this nudging feeling that she knew that voice, but she could not remember from where, as the voice was too feeble to identify. "Well, whatever." Aiko shrugged, it''s not like the Ghost could affect her body, so there was nothing to worry about. Aiko placed the Storage Pouch inside her prehensile tails, since she would be running through the forest, it would be better if she did it in her Fox form. As for the Mirage Fox... What would happen to him later was none of her business since she still needed to retrieve the last Princess and Treasures of course. Aiko also wanted to check on the corpses to see if she knew them or not. She had a gnawing suspicion that she might be familiar with them. Stolen novel; please report. Aiko waited several days for her team before leaving. Her team made a full recovery, so she did not need to stay on guard. She dashed through the Forest in her small Fox form, as it was inconspicuous. Moreover, once her fur turned black, she was able to completely blend with the dark shadows. Aiko had no issue arriving at the Capital, but she also noticed that guards had more than doubled on the outer perimeter of the Capital city. Aiko guessed that their ruckus attracted their attention, so they strengthened the defences. That was still no issue for her as Mortals would not be able to see her. Aiko was still a bit worried about the inner perimeter and Cultivators. If there were too many it would be more difficult to walk around... Aiko entered the Capital city soundlessly and without raising any kind of alarm. She was like a sneaky little loot goblin that was looking for shinies. The Capital did not change by much outside the fact that there were more guards. They still kept most lights on and even some torches for the dark alleys. Aiko could only shake her head at their lavish spending. She would try to rob them blind as punishment, but first, she would scout the whole thing once more. ... As she expected, the Inner region of the Capital was filled with Cultivators. Unfortunately, most of those Cultivators were either in the Qi Gathering Stage or Foundation Establishment Stage. They pose no threat to Aiko. What was concerning was the fact that it felt like the strange barrier was stronger. Aiko narrowed her eyes and came closer to it. She felt a strange pressure and accompanying sense of danger from it. She would definitely not touch it if she didn''t need to! Aiko went under the ground once again. She was already used to sneaking in like that, as it was the stealthiest approach. As always, the barrier did not reach underground and Aiko was able to pass through the underground safely. The wisest of the Cultivators and the one operating it would never acknowledge that his barrier was flawed and because of that, Aiko had a very easy time running around as the Cultivators inside were way too relaxed. ''I heard that the corpses are in his bedroom...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. She would check the corpses, locate the Princess and then think about whom she would take first. She moved stealthily throughout the Palace, encountering way too many rooms for her liking, but eventually, she was able to locate the Emperor''s bedroom. It was definitely not because the maid was just about to go and ''serve'' him. Aiko checked the corpses quickly, as she didn''t need to watch as an old and fat bastard boned a very young maid. To Aiko''s shock, she knew those corpses! Those were the Mothers'' of those Princesses! Aiko could certainly nab them, but since the Emperor was currently inside... It was not the best timing. Aiko immediately left the room to look for the Princess! ... {Back at the meadow} "Aiko has been gone for some time now." The Blood Fox gently said and for some reason, Wanshu shivered. "Did she strip the Treasures already?" Umbra asked in a similar voice. Wanshu stared in shock towards Umbra, but both of them ignored her. "We can start the torture, since it will take time for Aiko to arrive." The Blood Fox smiled like a Devil and so did Umbra. "Shall we?" Umbra gestured like a gentleman. The Blood Fox giggled and took the lead, while Wanshu was curious. She was not curious enough to follow them and see what they would do with the Mirage Fox. One part of the contract would make her obliged to protect him, so she would have to stop them, which she didn''t want to do. So she would have to stay put or look for more firewood in the meantime. Wanshu left the camp to walk around so she would not hear anything, thus the contract would not activate. Meanwhile, Umbra felt a bit sad that Wanshu left, but she did not ask about it. She knew that certain parts of the contract might be different from team to team, so she believed that Wanshu left to not get in the way. "Where will we start?" Umbra asked. "Aiko has her toys with her and I did not want to disturb her, but we can use needles on him." The Blood Fox thought about it, but before they got too extreme and broke him, it''s better to start with something light. "Ah, right..." Umbra sighed. "I should''ve asked." She shook her head. "It''s fine. Aiko left us to him with no orders or anything, so she likewise doesn''t care what will happen to him." The Blood Fox smiled sinisterly. "That is a good point." Umbra nodded gently. They had a lot of time to work on him. "Needles?" The Blood Fox asked with a charming smile. "Needles~" Umbra hummed with a similar smile. They took out the stitching needles, sewing needles, acupuncture needles, and many other types of needles. "Let''s start with his dick and make it into a porcupine." Umbra hummed. "I don''t want to touch it..." The Blood Fox sighed. "We don''t have to, just stab it and stab it again." Umbra gestured. "We can also stimulate him lightly so it''s easier." She smiled innocently. "I don''t really want to do that part, sorry." The Blood Fox did not want to touch that place at all or even get near it. "That''s fine, you can work in other places~" Umbra did not mind it. She knew that the Blood Fox hated this kind of thing, but as long as she helped to torture this bastard... that was all she needed. "Alright, I will work on his nipples with needles." The Blood Fox said. "Will you also stimulate them for me?" Umbra asked. "If he likes cold iron, then sure, but I have no intention of touching him with my hands." The Blood Fox said softly. "That is fine~" Umbra hummed, even if she didn''t help with the stimuli, it was enough that she was around. "I will start with the nipples-" The Blood Fox paused when she heard Umbra laugh out loud. "What''s wrong?" "Look at how tiny it is!" Umbra kept laughing so loud that even Wanshu could hear her. Soon another laughter joined Umbra, it was the Blood Fox. "How unbelievable that such a bastard had such a small-" The Blood Fox could not finish it, because she was laughing way too hard. ... "This is incredible." The Blood Fox wiped the tears after her long laughter. "En." Umbra followed suit. "But that means there will be a lot less needles..." She sighed, clearly sad. "He still has the rest of the body and some more~" The Blood Fox comforted Umbra. "You are right." Umbra breathed gently, happy that the Blood Fox was around. Chapter 243 – Aiko! Not again! Aiko walked underneath the floor, listening to the babbling cultivators. She realised that there were a LOT of Cultivators and not so many normal Mortals. It seems like the Emperor is going all out for this. What puzzled Aiko was the fact that there were so many Cultivators. From her limited knowledge, she knew that Cultivators had their own pride and it was incredibly difficult to hire them. Sure, you had the Wandering Cultivators and Mercenary Cultivators, but they were fewer in numbers and much weaker. This amount of Cultivators just didn''t fit this place. ''Well... I did not see any Treasures...'' Aiko surmised that they might''ve used all their wealth to hire a few, but so many... ''How fishy...'' She narrowed her small eyes. Aiko sensed powerful Cultivators in a certain direction and went there. Those low-stage Cultivators only talked about Senior Sisters and the gifts that they wanted to give them. Aiko was sick and tired of them. Senior Sister this, Senior Sister that. Aiko felt like they had some kind of disease that prevented them from thinking about other things. As she expected, the powerful Cultivators had a much better conversation. "Is it confirmed?" One old Cultivator asked the other. "Yes, they have dew inside their bodies. If we can extract it, we can easily make Perfect, maybe even Heavenly Graded Pills." The other answered. "That''s great, but we are still paid so we will have to wait, after all, we are righteous Cultivators." He sipped his tea. "It would be bad if bad rumours spread and we would get less ''young blood''." "Maybe if you didn''t act like those idiots that want to capture Foxes, you would not care about such things." The other Cultivator snorted at him disdainfully. "You say that, but you did enjoy that young-" Never mind. It seems like the old geezers were no different from the young bastards. Aiko could only shake her head and move away, now it seemed like she also had a time limit on this whole thing... "Could you believe that those bastards want to keep the dew without telling us?" A very angry voice drifted from the nearby room and Aiko''s ears perked. ''Maybe?'' She sneakily got closer so she could listen to them. "It''s not enough that I had drawn that beautiful behind into the city, I suppose another Cultivation Sect wants a matching decoration." Another voice snorted. "That is a good idea, Elder." The first voice said blatantly licking the Elder''s boots. "But we will have to wait, unlike those bastards, we have an actual reputation to uphold." The Elder scoffed at them before continuing. "Moreover, it''s not like their numbers are greater than ours, we also have more Nascent Soul Cultivators, so there is no need to worry that they would steal it from under our noses." The Elder shrugged and sipped his tea once again. Aiko narrowed her eyes. It seemed like not every camp inside here was from the same Sect, which meant that she could cause chaos if she did it correctly. But for now, she should definitely find the Princess. ... It took Aiko quite some time since for some reason this whole place moves in certain intervals. Like, it became one big maze that you could get easily lost in. Aiko huffed in annoyance since it took her so much time before she found a dilapidated building next to a very beautiful one. The beautiful one had only a bedroom and that was it, while the small one was a prison. They held the Princess over there and kept her from going anywhere, which made this easier for Aiko. The bad thing was the fact that this place was littered with Arrays and they would definitely trigger when she kidnapped the Princess. This meant that her plan changed to first dealing with the corpses or causing chaos and the last would be kidnapping the Princess. Aiko did not know how to cause chaos just yet, but she believed that if she sneaked around and remembered this maze and the intervals that the maze changed, there would be an opportunity to cause chaos. ''But I still should hurry.'' Aiko didn''t want to fail this plan. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. She sneaked around for hours trying to remember the changes, intervals, and everything around it, but the bastard made the changes without rhyme or reason, making it difficult for Aiko to understand. It took her a few days to finally figure out the pattern, giving her full access to the entire Palace. Aiko was able to casually walk without being found and she no longer got lost while doing so. And as she expected, a situation to cause chaos presented itself. "Senior Sister, did he really stalk you?!" A young Female Cultivator asked in shock. "En..." The stalked female Cultivator cried. "That lowlife!" The others clicked their tongues, not believing his shamelessness. "We will protect you, Senior Sister!" Another female Cultivator said. Aiko got close to them since they were weak and sniffed them, so she could remember their smells. She could nab a few of her things and place them in the places where the male Cultivators had accommodation, as she did previously. This should cause quite some chaos. Aiko sneaked into the side Palaces, but that''s where most Mortals lived, which means the main Palace is where they had accommodations. This was a chore for her since the distance was not small. This whole thing annoyed her since Humans tend to build overly large or distant places. Aiko moved stealthily around the rooms until she picked up the female smells. She traced them into their rooms and sniffed a bit more to locate that specific stalked female Cultivator. Aiko was shocked at the number of undies she had stored in a ''safe'' place, it was very easy to nab one. She then sneaked into the male side the place marked by its putrid smell and placed it under the bedsheets, but still left a part peeking out so it was obvious someone tried to hide it. Now she had to wait and watch the chaos, but from a distance. She would then return to the rooms, nab the rest and place it into the other male rooms. Aiko went outside satisfied with her work when she encountered a lazy, sleeping male Cultivator. She narrowed her eyes as this was the perfect target for the rest of the undies. Aiko took her time to trace his room while keeping an ear out, so she could hear the unfolding chaos. It took them half a day to notice that something was missing, but they still caused significant ruckus. Well, she did scream a lot at them while crying, so it attracted the attention even of the numerous Elders. Aiko lifted her eyebrow, she did not expect this chaos to be so great... She immediately rushed back into the girls¡¯ dorm and nabbed the rest of the undies. [You have acquired the Title: [Underwear Thief]!] [Underwear Thief] [Degenerates will love you, but anyone wearing underwear will hate you.] Aiko wanted to curse the system, but there was not enough time, she needed to deliver this to its ''rightful'' place, so the chaos could continue! Aiko would do her best to stretch the chaos for as long as possible. It was important that she had enough time to nab the corpses and Princess! Aiko stored the undies all over his room to make it obvious he was a pervert, but just as she was about to leave, she noticed that one Elder was quickly approaching. Aiko did not have enough time to leave the room so she had to hide behind a closet, cursing them silently. The Elder almost face-planted once he saw the room. "FANG, COME TO ME IMMEDIATELY!" The Elder roared at the top of his lungs, which shook Aiko''s body. -500 HP Aiko was shocked that the simple scream dealt so much damage to her. Sure, she still had more than 100,000 HP, but that was just a scream! Aiko could not go against him head-on as she worried what damage he might cause and stayed put. Everyone rushed over only to recoil or frown in disgust. Aiko observed them and was trying to find a way to escape, but everyone was staring inside the room so it was impossible... One girl in particular stared right where Aiko was. There was a sound of dice rolling in her hand, before her body stiffened. Her eyebrow twitched, but she didn''t say anything and entered her room, heading towards the hidden little Fox. She did not expose the little Fox and ''discreetly'' took down one of the undies, before stomping a hole into the ground. That attracted everyone''s attention, but since she had a long dress, it concealed the hole. Aiko narrowed her eyes, this feeling of being helped was foreign in this kind of situation and there was no way in hell this girl knew about her. Contrary to what Aiko believed, the girl knew about her through her Divination. It was different to other Divinations as she had a lot more control over what she divined. That meant she could divine a very specific thing, like if there was someone hidden inside the room and who it was. The girl knew that the Fox had a bad temper, but she was not ultimately bad, so she would help her. She was a bit upset that her favourite undies were nailed on the wall, thus leaving a very bad hole inside them, but that could not be helped. She didn''t like her own Sect for what they are doing currently and if someone can cause chaos, she would welcome it, so she could return to her Sect and keep improving her Divination. Aiko sneaked under her skirt, which stiffened her whole body. The fur was very soft and tickled the girl''s legs. She had a hard time not to giggle from the sensation, but fortunately, the small Fox was quick. Aiko scurried away as one of the Elders narrowed her eyes. She saw something moving behind their Disciple and she had suspicion about this whole situation. She stretched her Divine Sense to find who it was, but the only things around were small animals, which puzzled her. The animal that she might''ve seen was even further away munching on something, so it''s impossible to be that one and the others were likewise either munching or sleeping. The Elder tilted her head as she found it odd, but she was also old, so it might''ve been her age playing with her eyes. What was currently important, was the fact that she had to calm the Divination Cultivator. They were too precious to lose and only a few of them could be as good as this girl, so her priority would be to appease her for the time being... Chapter 244 – Time for more chaos~! "Divinator Jing." The Elder said gently, but was ignored by the girl with the dice. She walked outside looking around. The little Fox was already gone, but her Divination did not end there. Bai Jing already knew that the little Fox would cause more chaos, so she needed to retrieve her things from her room before that happened. It was bad enough that her favourite underwear had a hole in an unfortunate place, but if she did not act fast, the rest of her belongings might burn down at this rate. Moreover, they should distance themselves from this place, since burning hell and slaughter are coming. "Divinator Jing." The Elder softly spoke again, attracting her attention. "Elder Ma." Bai Jing nodded softly. "We should leave this place soon, I also have to retrieve my stuff." She said gently. Elder Ma furrowed her brows. "But we are still on a mission." Bai Jing nodded softly once again, like she would to a child. Elder Ma''s lips twitched, but she didn''t say anything more. "In that case, I will retrieve my things and pray that you can survive what''s to come." Bai Jing smiled gently before walking away, leaving the stupefied Elder Ma to her own thoughts. Another Elder from a different Sect snorted. "Hah! It seems like your Sect was never up to par to deal with this mission!" He snorted disdainfully. It would be good for his Sect if this all-girls Sect left. There would be less distractions for his Male disciples and the fuss around the palace would die down faster. Elder Ma paused, so far Bai Jing was never wrong, so it was better to listen to her. She would question her later and appease the Sect Leader if he was upset. She ripped a Talisman and spoke gently. "Get your things and retreat to the west." "A wise choice." The haughty Elder laughed with glee, now more treasures will be left for them. Elder Ma completely ignored him and went to get her things. It was important to match the speed of Bai Jing, since she was a lucky star. ... {Meanwhile, over on Aiko''s side} She munched on some roots since she felt quite the terrififying Divine Sense locking the entire area, but fortunately, it withdrew soon after. "Phew, that was close." Aiko could not help, but mutter in fear. *Ptooey* Aiko kept spitting the roots and saliva that she munched with a teary expression. "Bitter, disgusting." Aiko whined softly before running away. Her next plan was to set things on fire and she had the perfect way to do that. She would set up wooden sticks all around the palace and inscribe a very simple Inscription on them. It would work as a timer before it would create a small spark that would ignite the wooden stick and then that stick would burn everything around it. It was a simple Qi Gathering Inscription with an Ignition Inscription. She toned down the Qi Gathering Inscription and used it as a timer for the Ignition Inscription, since it needed quite a bit of Qi in order to activate. By Aiko''s calculation, she had around 3/4 of the incense time before it would start burning. That was more than enough time to nab the corpses and the Princess and maybe a few Treasures. Unfortunately, so far she did not encounter any Treasures... Aiko sprinted around the Palace and set up more and more of these special sticks. She did not use high-quality Inscription Ink. As the low-quality stuff vaporised more easily from intense heat, thus all the evidence of her involvement would be gone~! Aiko sneaked around, and by the time she encompassed the whole Palace with dozens of such traps, the first trap activated. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. A small building on the edge of the Palace slowly started burning, attracting attention. As the servants ran to put down the flames, Aiko sneaked inside the main Palace towards the Emperor''s Chambers. There were not many powerful Cultivators, but Aiko still had to be careful so that she wouldn''t be found out. Even during the chaos, it was still quite difficult to get close to the chamber as the closer she got, more powerful cultivators started to show up. As such, Aiko had to change her plans. She sneaked out and went towards the Princess, who was surprisingly unguarded. Aiko tilted her head, not understanding why that was. She sneaked inside. The Princess was staring forward without much life in her eyes. Aiko had to be careful since she worried about the Arrays, but so far none of them had reacted to her... Aiko went in front of the Princess. It felt like she was breathing? It was hard to tell as the Princess was cold. Aiko thought that she might be a corpse with a bit of will left in her, so she used her paws and waved them in front of her face. The Princess flinched and looked down, noticing a very small Fox staring at her with... curiosity? Puzzlement? She couldn''t quite tell what it was. The Princess reached her hand towards the little Fox and stroked its beautiful and soft fur. She felt slightly better. "Little Foxie, you should run before the guards roast and eat you." The Princess''s voice was very hoarse, but Aiko knew that she meant well. "They can definitely try. I will shove a stick up their arse if they try though." Aiko said without blinking. The Princess didn''t move for quite some time before sighing. "I''m so broken that I even hear an animal talk." She shook her head slowly and weakly. "Oi! I''m not an animal!" Aiko growled angrily. The Princess blinked a few times. "You can talk?" "Obviously." Aiko rolled her eyes. "You should leave before others notice you." The Princess tried to push the little Fox away, but she was too weak to do so. ''We need her.'' Suddenly, a very familiar voice resounded inside Aiko''s body. ''Why, you stupid Seed?'' Aiko snorted unhappily. The sleeping bastard was once again talking to her. ''She has a good affinity with Nature, she will do well with Pills and Herbs.'' The Seed answered without a pause. It was obvious that the Seed desired her. ''But I want the Treasure inside her body.'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. ''I will help serve you in the future if you allow me to have her.'' The Seed didn''t hesitate about this situation. Aiko lifted her eyebrow. ''You better work hard, or I will burn the both of you!'' Aiko snorted. ''En.'' For some reason, Aiko could feel that the Seed was happy... "Alright, I will go." Aiko agreed with the Princess. The Princess looked relieved for just a split second before the little Fox fished something out of her tail. "Now get inside." Aiko smirked, patting the Storage Pouch. The Princess was startled but surrendered to her fate. "Please make it painless." The Princess said softly, closing her eyes. Aiko tilted her head, she could not understand what the Princess meant, but at the same time, she couldn''t care less. She grabbed the Princess and stuffed her into the special Storage Pouch that could house living. Aiko nodded happily before throwing the Storage Pouch into her tails. She then carefully sneaked outside, but for some reason, once again, the Arrays did not react to her. Aiko felt confused and speechless, if she knew that, she would absolutely nab her back when she encountered this place for the first time! What Aiko did not know was the fact that the one controlling these Arrays was outside the city, heading west... Aiko immediately dashed towards the main Palace as the fires kept spreading. It would be bad if the corpses burned in the fire! Aiko rushed, but still tried to be as sneaky as possible. She managed to bypass most Cultivators. There were a few powerful Cultivators looking around, but they did not pay as much attention to the Emperor''s Chambers as they should. This allowed Aiko to sneak inside and look at the corpses. Fortunately, the Emperor was nowhere to be seen, which was a relief for Aiko. She came to the corpses quickly and wanted to nab them, but from inside the corpses that same cursed liquid jumped at Aiko and quickly assimilated with her. It seems like the liquid hates flames and heat... [??? - 3/10] -> [??? - 99/10] Aiko frowned when she saw this, but there was no time to ask the system or think about it. Aiko jumped down and wanted to rush outside when she felt powerful Cultivators rushing towards her. She hid behind a dresser and closed her eyes so that she wouldn''t be found out. "Take the corpses before they burn, since that useless Emperor can''t even take care of a simple flame, we can just leave with the bodies!" One Elder said haughtily. "We have fulfilled our half of the agreement, but..." The other Elder narrowed his eyes. "There are 3 corpses." "That seems to be the case." The haughty Elder narrowed his eyes. "It''s only the two of us since one Sect ran away. Tsk. Those unfortunate whores." "Which means we will take two." The other Elder nodded happily. "What?!" The haughty Elder glared at him. "It''s only natural that we will take two!" ''Oh god...'' Aiko rolled her closed eyes. She might be stuck in here for a while if this continues... And stuck she was... ... A part of the floor crumbled and Aiko fell below the Palace. The two Elders'' still complained and harassed each other with words, trying to get a ''bigger piece of cake''. Aiko was fortunately free now and could leave this place. She sneaked under the burning Palace, stepping on something sharp. "Auch." Aiko flinched as she felt her skin pierced. She was shocked that her skin was pierced and jumped far away from that place. Unbeknownst to her, this small prick would result in something way bigger than anyone could expect... [Passion Potion] [Allows the User to continue doing the deed for a prolonged time, enhancing the User''s Stamina and pleasure. Works only for Mortals.] Aiko''s blood mixed into the potion that was near a fire and it slowly transformed into something different. [Madness Potion] [Induces Madness within the User who drinks this. Works even on powerful Cultivators.] The [Madness Potion] slowly burned and its fumes spread throughout the whole Palace. The Elders, Disciples, Servants, Royalty, and everyone else, slowly lost their mind and started to beat each other up... Chapter 245 – Aiko is back! Aiko wobbled out of the Palace, for some reason she felt incredibly tired. Her body was heavy and she had a hard time keeping herself from falling asleep. Behind her the Palace burned brightly, she was quite far from the fire, but the heat still reached her. Aiko could only shake her head as she wobbled outside. ... {In the west} "..." The Elder and all Disciples were speechless, except for a certain girl with dice. She fiddled with them. "Have you seen enough, Elder?" She wasn''t really polite, as everything she predicted happened... it was just a bit more severe than she expected... "Did you predict all of that?" The Elder asked softly. She had a newfound reverence for Divination Cultivators if all of them worked like this... "No." Bai Jing shook her head. It was pointless to lie about this. "I did not think it would get this out of hand." She confessed. The Elder pursed her lips; deep in thought. She looked around as the Disciples watched the carnage that the Elders from the other Sects were creating. "This city will fall, we should return and report this to the Sect Leader." The Elder was gentle with all Disciples. Not because they were good, but because Bai Jing was part of said Disciples. She wanted to appease this little star so she would stay with their Sect. This would allow them to prosper for many years to come, but they would also have to fork out many resources for her. They didn''t want her to be bribed by other Sects once the word spread. "Let''s rest for a bit more before we leave." The Elder smiled gently. ... {At the meadow} The Blood Fox played a special game with the Mirage Fox nipples. It was a game about how many needles she could stick into them before they would completely rip apart. His left nipple was only able to endure 46 needles before it ripped, but the right one was much better at 63 needles. The Mirage Fox was trying to thrash around and scream, but since his mouth was gagged, only gibberish and muffled screams spread. Meanwhile, Umbra was creating a work of art! At incredible, 2436 needles, she made his dick into a porcupine and it was a gross sight to behold! It was impressive how accurate she was and how much pain she caused to the Mirage Fox. Not only was he thrashing around, but thanks to their tender care, his eyes were completely bloodshot. It was unbelievable how large his eyes were and how many veins they could count. "It''s quite creepy how he looks at us..." Umbra said gently. "Then let''s just give his eyes the same treatment." The Blood Fox shrugged. She didn''t really care about how he stared at her, but since they were torturing him, she might as well go all out. "Good idea!" Umbra gave the Blood Fox a thumbs up. Hearing this, the Mirage Fox''s body shook violently. He was desperately trying to get away from these lunatics, but he was very well-tied and could not escape their grasp. "Will you hold his eyelids?" Umbra asked gently. "If you do so for the other one, can''t let you have all the fun." The Blood Fox nudged Umbra. "En~" Umbra hummed and picked up the needles. The Mirage Fox tried to protect his body with his Beast Core, but the duo had already learned how to insert their own Energy into the needles. This pretty much allowed them to bypass most of the Mirage Fox''s defences. They did have to break 500 or so needles, but it was all worth it for this very situation. They smiled like grim reapers and the Mirage Fox kept shouting at the top of his tired lungs, but no matter how much he screamed neither of his slaves arrived. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. He cursed them repeatedly, especially Shadow Passion since she knew what those monsters were doing. But since his means of communication were blocked in every way... he was unable to call her and scream for help. The duo worked on his eyes, poking them, stirring them, making it as painful as possible. "You can''t die from your eyes, right?" Umbra suddenly asked, concerned that they would lose their fun. "Don''t worry, as long as we are careful it will be fine." The Blood Fox said gently, reassuring Umbra. "Okay." Umbra nodded and kept working on the holes that she was creating in his eyes, they now looked closer to a bloody spider''s than a Fox''s. After she was finished, they could see foam from his mouth, but that didn''t stop the Blood Fox. She played with the other eye and his body kept twitching and spasming, which they both ignored. The intense feelings of hatred and rage inside them were ever so slowly dying down, but it was not quick enough. They wanted more! Torture him more, and humiliate him more, until they noticed a strange light. "What''s wrong with the Capital?" Umbra asked, interrupting the Blood Fox. The Blood Fox looked towards the direction of the Capital and frowned. "It''s burning." She was concerned about Aiko. She was not yet used to the positions through the Contract. "She is somewhat close to the Capital, but not so close she would be completely inside?" Umbra tilted her head. Even she had a hard time understanding where Aiko was exactly. "Should we go pick her up?" The Blood Fox asked. "Keep watch over him, I''m more used to the Contract, so it will be easier for me to find Aiko." Umbra said swiftly. "Sure, take some supplies with you, just in case." The Blood Fox poked Umbra. "I already have them." Umbra pouted. She didn''t like being treated like a child. The Blood Fox giggled. "Are you sure~?" "Just because I copied one of the Mistress''s habits once doesn''t mean I turned into a child!" Umbra pouted even more, somewhat upset at the Blood Fox. "Sure, sure." The Blood Fox petted Umbra. Umbra clicked her tongue, but did not reject that gentle touch. Umbra dashed away after the Blood Fox was finished. The lingering warmth was nice and it was no wonder that Aiko played cute... petting was really nice. There were no hiccups along the way, no pursuers or Beasts. What she did notice was the terrifying pressure coming from the Capital. "Are they trying to destroy the Capital?!" Umbra frowned and dashed quickly towards where Aiko was. She noticed Aiko''s wobbling figure and stopped in front of her. "Are you alright, Mistress?!" Umbra cried out seeing Aiko in that state. "Sleepy, carry me." Aiko whined softly, obviously exhausted. "What happened?" Umbra gently picked up the little Aiko and carefully carried her. "I don''t know..." Aiko whined. "I retrieved the liquid, but then my paw was injured and now I''m tired..." She whined very slowly, clearly exhausted. Umbra was inspecting Aiko, but no matter how she looked, Aiko did not have any injuries. "What happened to the Capital?" Umbra asked as she carried Aiko back. "I set the Palace ablaze, so it''s easier to steal the Princess and corpses. There were too many Cultivators, so distraction was needed." Aiko explained. Umbra pursed her lips, but didn''t say anything. It was so like Aiko to do something like that as a distraction, but thanks to it almost everything seemed to go well. Umbra exchanged a few more words with Aiko before they arrived. "Back?" The Blood Fox was still playing with the Mirage Fox''s body. "Aiko is tired for some reason, can you look at her?" Umbra asked in worry. The Blood Fox immediately dropped what she was doing. Aiko was a priority above all else and it would be worrisome if something happened to her. The Blood Fox investigated Aiko''s body, but the more she searched, the more speechless she was. "If I''m correct, Aiko is completely packed with that liquid." The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. "So there is nothing wrong?" Umbra was about to breathe a sigh of relief when the Blood Fox kept talking. "Not quite." The Blood Fox shook her head. "She is packed with so much Energy that she is almost breaking through on instinct." Umbra''s lips tightened. "What?" "She is Evolving." The Blood Fox repeated. "Huh?" Umbra felt like she heard incorrectly. Aiko and Evolving? Here? So close to the Capital? "You are joking, right?" "Unfortunately not, it seems she will Evolve soon." The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. "In a few hours at most." "We need to hurry!" Umbra only heard of the disasters Aiko caused, but she didn''t tempt fate, especially so close to the Capital. "I will carry the Mirage Fox. You carry Aiko." The Blood Fox gestured. "We also need to alert Wanshu, so she is not caught." "I will notify her, let''s start running!" Umbra immediately dashed away. "En." The Blood Fox nodded and grabbed the rope tying up the Mirrage Fox. She didn''t want to keep him close to her body since he was completely covered in blood and there were too many needles sticking out of his body. She didn''t want to risk getting pricked. The Blood Fox dashed near Wanshu. "There is no time, we need to run and find somewhere safe." Wanshu was shocked. "There are some mountains nearby that are hard to invade." She immediately tried to help her Umbra. "Lead the way!" Umbra shouted. "Okay!" Wanshu ran towards that direction. The Blood Fox joined them soon after with the bloodied Mirage Fox. Wanshu didn''t look back, but considering the whimpers and muffled cries, it seemed like they had been rather thorough in the short time since they had learned to pierce his defenses. "It''s about an hour from here at this pace." Wanshu said. "Umbra, we will swap once we arrive at the foot of the mountain." The Blood Fox said. "Create as many traps as possible so we can defend this place!" "Yes!" Umbra immediately agreed, as she was already planning to do so anyways. "Aiko also had the Mirage Fox''s old Storage Pouch in her Tails. The Princess is probably inside so we will temporarily let her out so that she doesn''t die inside." Umbra said in a hurry. "I will manage." The Blood Fox said. "What should I do?" Wanshu asked. "Go with Umbra and secure the traps and other things. We might need to sacrifice our weapons and tools that have Qi, so only keep what is truly necessary!" The Blood Fox said. "Is it that bad?!" Wanshu was shocked. "It''s much worse than what you are imagining!" The Blood Fox was short of breath. "We are almost there!" Wanshu sweated. Chapter 246 – Preparations for Disaster They reached the foot of the mountain, the Blood Fox carefully grabbing Aiko whilst unceremoniously dumping The Mirage Fox. They could pick him up later, it was much more important to keep Aiko safe, especially since she was about to Evolve. Her Evolution would surely attract a natural disaster that would pretty much create a beacon for anyone within hundreds of miles. It would attract many so it was critical to create as many traps as possible, so they wouldn''t get overwhelmed by sheer numbers. It was also essential to keep Aiko deep inside the mountain to limit the skills the cultivators could use, less they risk the mountain coming down on them. This would hopefully allow them to maintain the status quo until Aiko woke up and hopefully either solved this problem or was able to escape with them. The Blood Fox arrived at the entrance of a cave. The cave was very moist and it was not the kind of place Aiko would like to be kept in, but they couldn''t be picky. As long as it was deep enough, it would serve as a good defensive place. The Blood Fox walked inside the cave cautiously. The amount of water was abnormal, so there might be some Treasures or Beasts residing inside. She was right. It had a very young blue serpent trying to guard his Treasure. It looked like a blue shard half submerged in water. It might be a Treasure or it might not be. What was important was that this place was rich in Qi. This would be able to offset some of Aiko''s monstrous ''eating'' habits. The serpent hissed at her, but this place was indispensable for them too. Unfortunately, this Beast was not smart. He did not reach that stage yet, so there could be no negotiation. The serpent rushed at the Blood Fox, trying to devour her, but the Blood Fox was able to store quite a bit of blood along the way and her control for some reason also improved. Was it because she tortured the Mirage Fox? But she had greater control even before that point, yet she didn''t remember training all that hard... It puzzled the Blood Fox each time she used her Divine Ability, but it was not distracting enough that she would make mistakes. She wrapped the serpent with Blood Hands and crushed him. She threw him aside, intending to drain him once she nestled Aiko somewhere nice and on something soft. This place was not pleasant, the serpent''s nest was inside the water so it was unusable. The floor was also very damp, almost slippery from the amount of water everywhere. The Blood Fox had to use wood, carpets, pillows, and anything she could find in her Storage Pouch to build Aiko a nest. She knew that Aiko would have a hard time sleeping like this, but they couldn''t be with her during her Evolution. They would be battling for their life until Aiko woke up. After finishing building the nest, that would be safe and dry. The Blood Fox nestled Aiko inside. Her breathing was stable, but she was in a very deep sleep. The Blood Fox never saw such an Evolution before as normally the evolving beast is conscious during it. The Blood Fox turned her attention to the young serpent. She intended to drain its blood and store it to not attract the attention of powerful Beasts. They would definitely smell this Blood if she didn''t take care of it. ... {Meanwhile outside} Umbra ran around the Forest, scouting possible locations for traps and how to conceal them to the best of her abilities. It was important to mask them as much as possible so that it would prevent them from being disarmed. She had a few Explosive Talismans from the Assassins, but they would attract a lot of attention, so she couldn''t use them too far from the cave. You could see it as a sort of last resort before everything collapses. She also thought that some might arrive through flight, which would render most of her traps ineffective, but that was not something she had any say over. This was not a Magical Forest where flight was impeded. "Mask your tracks, we will have to do a lot of legwork." Umbra said to Wanshu. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Wanshu was excellent at hiding, but not quite as quick. It was essential to hide their tracks, so the Cultivators would not realise they were walking into the trap. Wanshu made sure to conceal all of their tracks and made it impossible to follow them. Meanwhile, Umbra gathered the topography of this place and started to think about setting the traps. There was not much time so it was better to start from the cave and make her way out. This way the most important traps will be already set and the less important ones could be managed on the go. "Gather firewood, if everything goes to hell, we will burn this forest to buy more time." Umbra said without batting an eye. It was her top priority to keep her Mistress safe. Wanshu did not question her, but she felt strange that Umbra would resort to burning the forest down. There were many Treasures inside the forest that they could use if they explored properly, but if it was burned, nobody would be able to get them. Umbra saw the odd expression that Wanshu was giving, but did not say anything about it. There would be more instances where they would clash, but this was not the time to talk about it. Action had to be taken before the disaster descended. Umbra did her best to set up traps, while Wanshu concealed them and their tracks. They worked well together and since the Mirage Fox was not around, Wanshu felt like she was doing much better. A few leaves here and a stick there and the place was concealed. The Talismans were a bit hard to conceal, but it was not something a lot of moss couldn''t conceal. This would leave a strange patch in certain directions, but since there were no traps those ways, it might also work as a good deterrent. Wanshu had never worked so hard in her life. She felt like Umbra was slaving her away, but seeing Umbra likewise panting, she discarded that thought. She tried to keep up with Umbra''s pace, but setting up traps was much easier than concealing, so Umbra had to slow down an keep to a certain pace. It would be troublesome if the traps were not concealed and if suspicion was raised too soon. They needed to do their best! ... {Outside the Capital to the west} Bai Jing fumbled the dice once again, but this time furrowed her brows. She played the dice a few more times, but the outcome was always the same. She sighed, it seemed like disaster would be unavoidable and while this Elder did favour her, it was impossible to stop them completely. But since it was impossible to stop completely, it should be possible to lower their numbers. "Attention!" Bai Jing clapped her hands and everyone looked her way, even the puzzled Elders. "Soon there will be a display of ''Heaven''s Gift''." Bai Jing could see their eyes shine. "If you do not wish to die and live a long life, I suggest you ignore it. This ''Heaven''s Gift'' will turn into disaster not just for you, but for the Sect too." She said firmly. Confusion and puzzlement spread around. There were only a few Sects around and two of those Sects were already weakened, they couldn''t have a hard time unless some kind of old powerhouse appeared. Bai Jing was satisfied with this outcome. She could see most of them turning away with a saddened expression, but she could no longer feel the will to participate in it. This should help ''them'' lower the chances of death. ''If even one dies, not only our Sect will be in danger, but this whole continent will burn...'' Bai Jing sighed in her mind. The severity of this situation might escalate so much that even her Divination would not be able to protect her. She would like to avoid that. She wanted to have a long and resourceful life. That would be impossible if just one of ''them'' died. She could not see their faces, but she knew the ''main character''. She could only hope that the Elders would not do something foolish, but... Bai Jing glanced at the Elders, nodding at each other. It seemed like they were hopeless when it came to Treasures. This was still good enough. This was her limit. All that was left was to watch the story unfold and disaster to come... ... {Inside the cave} The Blood Fox finished draining the young serpent. The smell of blood disappeared soon after. They were lucky that this was a very young serpent. Otherwise, it would have been a tough fight. The Blood Fox walked back to Aiko and gently fished the Storage Pouch out of her tails. She did get pricked a few times and she pulled a few sharpened sticks out of her tails. Moreover, there was also a large odd wood inside. "What happened to the Master?" A voice whispered from within the Primordial Soul Wood. The Blood Fox was puzzled, but considering it was inside Aiko''s tails it would not be a bad thing for them. "She is Evolving. A large-scale disaster is upon us, so it would be better to conceal this place." The Blood Fox held a bit of hope that they could manage that with whoever this was. She could feel the person nod. "You should also find the Lamp, that Ghost can also help." A Ghost appeared from within the Primordial Soul Wood. "She has much more power since she has a proper container, so we will work together to conceal this place." He nodded gently. The Blood Fox could not figure out his face or body, it was hard to say who he was, but the only thing she was certain about was that he was a Human. "Very well." The Blood Fox tried to fish the Lamp out of Aiko''s tails. The fluff was getting in her way, but eventually, after a few dozen pricks, she managed to fish out the Lamp. "You can place it here and we will take care of the rest inside." The Ghost nodded gently before gesturing to this strange Fox. For some reason, he felt a different kind of danger to other Soul Devouring beings. She was very dangerous as well, which meant he couldn''t mess this up at all, especially since this Fox seemed close to his master. The Lamp woke and a yawning Ghost Lady appeared from it. "Already morning." "You stupid." The Ghost held his head, shaking it at her. "We need to conceal this place or we will be in danger." The Ghost Lady straightened her back. "No problem." The Blood Fox''s lips twitched, but she left the mountain anyway. There would be fights soon and that was impossible to avoid. She had to get together with Umbra and get a briefing from her about the traps, so she wouldn''t get caught in them... Chapter 247 – Sects are moving Umbra briefed the Blood Fox on those traps. There were many of them and it was difficult to remember all of them. "You outdid yourself." The Blood Fox sighed. She had a hard time remembering, this was pretty much a trap on a trap that leads into another trap kind of situation. "Thank you." Umbra nodded. "What do you think?" "I think we should start defending from the entrance of the cave..." The Blood Fox shook her head. "Honestly there are just too many traps for me to be able to navigate and I don''t want to get caught in one of them, while I would be able to defend against those traps, it would drain my energy." "Okay." Umbra nodded. She had to agree that she went a little overboard and it was difficult to move without being slashed and caught in one of those traps. "Then me and Wanshu will fight in the forest and you will call us once they breach it." "En." The Blood Fox nodded, agreeing with this arrangement. She would be hard-pressed if she were to fight inside that forest. Umbra nodded at Wanshu and they went inside the forest, since there was still time before Aiko erupted, they would create more traps for weak Cultivators. ... {Somewhere in the north} A girl played with turtle shells, each scale on the shell represented something else: a word or a place. Depending on how her energy bounced around, the shell would communicate with her. She was a beautiful girl with black hair and blue eyes. Her body was slim, maybe a bit too slim, making her into a fragile beauty. Her eyes were innocent with a hint of curiosity. Furthermore, her nose was small alongside her small mouth. Her fingers were short and she felt overall small. Her hair was overly long, so much so that her hair could create a cocoon around her body. A black and soft cocoon. Her body and expression would drive everyone into the overprotective category. Doting on her and fulfilling all of her wishes. "Saintess?" The Elder known as the most heavenly Divination Cultivator, currently teaching the Saintess tilted her head. The Elder was old, she was a female veteran who was mostly immune to the Saintess charm, but that didn''t mean she didn''t pamper the Saintess. She felt bad for her since she was trapped in here, so she would indulge the Saintess once in a while. While the Saintess''s clothes were white as the snow, the Elder had clothes as black as the darkest night. The Saintess repeated her motion many times, which startled the Elder. "There is a great Treasure near a certain Capital." The Saintess spoke softly. "Do other Sects know about this?" The Elder asked, knowing the sacrifice they would have to make to know the answer. The Saintess bit her finger and a few drops fell inside the turtle shells. She immediately paled as her Vitality was drained from her body to know the secrets of this Lower World. "Only one small Sect knows, there are a few around that place, but for some reason, I can only see carnage." The Saintess sighed weakly, it was unlike her to mess up such an important Divination. "Should we engage with them and obtain the Treasure?" The Elder asked. The Saintess paused. "You can try, but depending on how well you do, it might destroy this continent." She shook her head afterwards. "That powerful?" The Elder was shocked. "It''s not powerful, but the Treasure''s potential is undivinable." The Saintess laid back tired from this Divination. It took much more from her than she expected. "Then we should definitely obtain that Treasure before the small Sect does." The Elder made up her mind and went to visit the Sect Leader. "..." The Saintess didn''t say anything as she knew it was useless. She was the most sheltered Saintess out of them all since she was the only one that could Divine widely with such accuracy. Others were likewise protected, but not restricted or sheltered. Sure, some had their Seniors that took care of them. Those were mostly the Pill Refiners or Array Cultivators, but even then they would be allowed to explore the world, unlike her. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. She shook her head and went to bed. It was useless to think about this since even if they succeeded the whole world would be plunged into chaos. ... {Somewhere in the south} "I bet those old fogeys already Divined something." An old Cultivator laughed. He looked like a kind grandpa who loved to laugh often. He didn''t have a beard since it was burned away by his friend when he lost a bet, yet his face didn''t lose any lustre or kindness. His hair might be long and white, but that didn''t mean his face looked THAT old. He was still considered old, but his face looked somewhat youthful. "What do you mean, friend?" Sect Leader of the biggest Cultivation Sect in the south asked. He was likewise old, but with a youthful face. His hair was white, but the ends were still black, signalling that he was not that old, or maybe it was coloured? Nobody dared to check or ask. The Sect Leader¡¯s face had sharp features, as he was a Sword Cultivator. His heart beat the drums of slashes. His body looked like it was in its prime, but by the way he carried himself, it was obvious he was old. His outfit was close to his body. He looked somewhat like an Outer Disciple, but that was only because he liked the freedom these kinds of outfits offered. "Can''t you see?" The old Cultivator showed him his arm full of hair, but every single strand stood straight like a soldier ready for war. The Sect Leader furrowed his brows. His friend had a special Dao that would warn him if he was in danger. The more hair on his body stood up, the worse the situation was. He was like a hissing cat, disliking anything that would change his way of living. But what was important was the amount of hair that stood straight, which in this case would be his whole arm. This had not happened in hundreds, maybe even thousand of years. At that time the whole continent was plunged into chaos by the Fiendish Cultivators. "Are those Fiendish bastards planning something?" The Sect Leader slammed the fist on the table. "It''s the North." The old Cultivator sipped his tea, he already got the reports from the northern spies. "Wait, by the old fogeys, do you mean that shitty Sect that shelters their Saintess?" The Sect Leader lifted his eyebrow. "Indeed." The old Cultivator sipped his tea. "What do you think we should do, friend?" The Sect Leader asked his friend. "Protect the Treasure." The old Cultivator said softly. The Sect Leader frowned. "That would mean we would have to fight against the biggest northern sect." "Are you perhaps scared?" The old Cultivator laughed. "Who is scared?!" The Sect Leader slammed his fist on the table yet again. He had to use his fist, as it was the only thing that allowed him not to use his Sword Heart, which could cleave the whole mountain in half... "Send the Shadow Units. Anyone who is not trying to capture the Treasure is a friend, those Northern bastards are enemies!" The Sect Leader shouted and it spread throughout the whole Sect. The Shadow Unit immediately gathered near his abode. "Remember, no matter if it''s Human or Beast, as long as they are protecting the Treasure, help them." The Sect Leader commanded sternly. The old Cultivator looked at his hand and most of his hair returned to its normal position. "This should be enough. If we interfere more, other Sects might notice this." He knew the danger of trying to bend fate to his knees and needs. The Sect Leader nodded. "Failure is not permitted! Go!" He waved them and the Shadow Unit disappeared like ghosts. "Even Beasts, huh?" The old Cultivator smirked. "Beasts are more powerful than us Humans, if we make it obvious we are there to defend, they will take a kinder stance against our intrusion." The Sect Leader shrugged. "What if they are weak?" The old Cultivator narrowed his eyes. "Even if they are weak, they are much tougher than Humans, they can help to at least clear the weak garbage." The Sect Leader snorted. The old Cultivator nodded happily, that his friend didn''t stray from the right path. After all his friend''s daughter was a Beast. Thus turning against the Beasts would only earn him his friend''s rage. "When will we return to the mainland?" The old Cultivator asked. "After this disaster is over, I don''t want to lose this base of operation, and we need to funnel new blood into the main continent so we don''t lose our foothold." The Sect Leader spoke seriously The old Cultivator shook his head. "You guys and your silly wars." He could not understand why they had to battle so much on the mainland, since it was overflowing with quality Qi and Treasure. Everyone would be able to get a piece of that pie if they were willing to share, but to restrict and split the main continent so harshly... "Anyway, with this, this continent should survive for a few more years. The next big event should be in a hundred or so years." The Sect Leader scratched his head. "I can never get the date right..." He sighed before sitting down and sipping tea. "And you call me old." The old Cultivator shook his head. "You are old." The Sect Leader snorted at his friend. "You-!" The old Cultivator glared. "Another game of Go!" "Sure!" The Sect Leader glared back, he could not win a single game of Go against his friend, so he had to resort to gambling to recover his wealth. "By the way, when are we going to the Heavenly Massage Parlour?" The old Cultivator asked. "It doesn''t do anything to us, why would we go there?" The Sect Leader shook his head. "The girls over there are cute?" The old Cultivator smiled. "That''s exactly why you are old!" The Sect Leader glared at him. ... {Somewhere in the West} "How curious..." A man in black played with a strange cat. "Is there something wrong, Master?" His servant asked. "The South and North are moving." The man in black narrowed his eyes. "They believe that Treasure is about to be born and will fight over it?" His servant tilted his head. "Not quite." The man in black smiled. "Get ready to depart. I''m curious to see what they are planning." "Yes, Master!" The servant immediately ran to prepare for the departure. "What will it be this time?" The man in black stroked his shaved chin. He was youthful-looking, but it was hard to see anything else. His eyes were the strangest thing as different colours flowed inside them. "Treasure or a Beast..." The cat inside his arms hissed. "Don''t worry, you are my dearest pet, even if it''s a Beast at best it will be used as a mount." The man in black soothed his pet in his arms. The cat happily laid back and enjoyed the care. Chapter 248 – How to screw Sages It took more time than Aiko''s team expected, which was a good thing. This entire forest turned into a fortress. It could still be bypassed through the skies, although they knew this, there was little they could do to fortify it from that approach. They looked at each other as they felt the ambient Qi dropping by a large margin, causing them to stagger. "It''s starting." The Blood Fox heightened her senses and waited for the incoming Cultivators... ... {Before this started: inside the cave} "You want me to conceal a Heavenly Phenomenon?! Are you crazy?!" The Ghost Lady scoffed at him. "There is enough Qi around to make a concealing barrier, but I''m not skilled enough to accomplish that." Slave 1 pointed at it. "You can''t create a simple Concealing Array?" The Ghost Lady snorted disdainfully. "I can, but I can''t create one that is good enough to conceal this little Devil!" He pointed at his Mistress, who was already creating a huge vortex of Qi around herself. The Ghost Lady frowned. "Fine, but make sure that there are enough Qi Gathering Arrays to offset her spending!" She demanded. "That''s impossible! But I will do my best." Slave 1 protested, but still did his job. Aiko was still gathering Qi and it would take time before she caused any kind of disaster. The two were swift at their work. The Ghost Lady created the Concealing Array which was a tier higher than what it was supposed to be. Yet, guessing from the larger and larger vortex... that might not be enough. "Can''t you work faster?!" The Ghost Lady shouted at him. "Even if you tell me that- I already created 20 Qi Gathering Arrays and I''m running out of Ghost Qi!" Slave 1 whined as he used most of his Ghost Qi to create those Arrays. It was fortunate that they were self-sustained, otherwise he would absolutely perish from the upkeep! "Fine! Just don''t spend it all!" The Ghost Lady was upset that she had to use her Ghost Qi reserves. "Leave it to me!" Slave 1 shouted and drew many, many Qi Gathering Arrays. "What''s the number now?" The Ghost Lady cried at the amount of Ghost Qi they had to spend. "53! Can''t fit any more inside here!" Slave 1 stopped his drawing and finished the last Qi Gathering Array before turning around to marvel at his creation. "I really outdid myself this time." He nodded happily. "Outdid? You outdid yourself?! Can''t you see the vortex is still growing?!" The Ghost Lady shouted at him. "There is not enough room for more, woman! Not to mention that if I constructed any more Qi Gathering Arrays, we might cause another Heavenly Disaster ourselves!" Slave 1 huffed at this ignorant woman. "Tsk." The Ghost Lady clicked her tongue. "What do we do now?" "Possess anyone that enters this cave and slaughter the others with them." Slave 1 shrugged. The Ghost Lady shivered. "I don''t like that!" "Then deal with it! If she perishes, you won''t have a nice home and we both know that!" Slave 1 could not deal with this woman any longer and went back into the Primordial Soul Wood. "You are leaving?!" The Ghost Lady was speechless. "You stupid- We need to recover our energy if we want to possess anyone, just refine a bit of Qi inside here. Considering Mistress''s consumption, it''s unlikely that we will make a difference." Slave 1 snorted at her. The Ghost Lady didn''t like that idea, but since Cultivators would surely come, it would mean that her ''home'' might be taken away by some perverted bastard, which she hated even more. "Ugh! Fine!" She went back into her Lamp and gathered energy to recover. She was weak now that she was ''robbed'' of so much Ghost Qi. ... Meanwhile, Aiko had the time of her life and by that, I mean that she was cursing loudly. [The [???] Bloodline exceeded parameters.] [Warning! It is not enough to get away from the creator.] The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. [Your Bloodlines will be forcefully assimilated to the creator''s liking.] [Forced Evolution is under process!] "Fuck! Fuck! Fucking shitty bastard! I will skin you alive; whoever is behind this system and especially that ''creator''!" Aiko was cursing, she was in her small [Soul Palace] watching the notifications unfold. Being upset was an understatement. She was completely livid that her hard work would be discarded like this! [Detecting a powerful Ghost Qi.] [Assimilating some of that Ghost Qi.] [Detecting a powerful source of Water Element.] [Assimilating the Water Element.] [The power behind the creator''s decision was increased by the Water Element!] "I will make a rug out of you, you shitty creator!" Aiko shouted from her small Palace. ... {Somewhere in the Immortal World} "Hm?" A Gorgeous Fox tilted her head. Her body, face, and everything were hidden behind a mist. "Someone wants to take Dew Essence from me?" She was confused. She only sent the Dew Essence into the Mortal World to sow discourse and cause the downfall of that whore. The Gorgeous Fox stirred her tea and the cloudiness disappeared. "Oh?" Her eyes sparkled. "It''s so rare for Fennec Foxes to advance this far. Moreover, she is so far from her tribe..." Her smile turned into a sadistic, twisted smile. "That means she doesn''t have the protection of the tribes~" She hummed as she found the perfect tool to scam those Fennec bastards. "Hehe, I will completely remake her- Oh~, she even has a source of Water Element nearby, don''t mind if I do~" She giggled happily, yet her sadistic tendencies could not be concealed. ... {Somewhere else in the Immortal World} "Phew." A Graceful Lady massaged her shoulders. "It''s so hard to return from Mortal Worlds." It was even harder since she let her little abode crumble. "But it''s fine~" She hummed happily. "That little one is very cute. Kidnap me?" She giggled. "I very much look forward to her exploits~" She hummed. She projected the small world in front of her and observed it. "I wonder how much chaos she causes with my legacy~" She was very much looking forward to that. "Report." A servant kneeled. "Talk." She said icily. She didn''t like most of the servants here, since they were spies. "The Sages are moving and causing trouble, some Sages are even targeting a Mortal World." The servant reported without concealing anything. He didn''t want to die just yet, he still needed to report more to his master. "Oho~, those old fogeys don''t know what''s good for them." The Graceful Lady hummed while shaking her head. Yet the servant did not leave the room after reporting. "What?" She snorted at the servant. "No, I just didn''t expect my Mistress to already know about this news." The servant said with surprise. The Graceful Lady tilted her head. "The Mortal World that Mistress is currently projecting is the one being invaded by the Sages-" He immediately lowered his head, not daring to look up any more. He had never seen such a livid expression on her Mistress''s face. "Are the others perhaps targeting N¨¹wa and her partners?" The Graceful Lady said without a hint of any emotions, yet the whole room cooled down significantly. The servant''s body shook, he did not expect the oblivious and ignorant Mistress to know so much. "You are correct, Mistress." He prostrated himself, not daring even to breathe in her presence. The Graceful Lady''s expression was worsening by the moment. Every Sage knew about her abode and what not to do. Yet they dared-... "Right, those bastards and whores like to ignore me since I don''t take any actions most of the time." She snorted disdainfully. "Let''s lock that world under my Domain." As if she would allow them to mess up her entertainment. It was enough that they sealed her over here, but they even wanted to bore her to death?! Dream on! "Mistress you shouldn''t!" The servant suddenly shouted, but before he could say anything more, his pupils shrunk as his body was crushed into nothingness. "It seems that servants nowadays forgot who to serve." Her voice was booming and spread throughout the whole Moon. "A purge is required, butler." "Yes, my Lady?" The Butler bowed, he was the only one truly loyal to her. "Gather everyone within 2 minutes, those that do not gather or try to run..." She smirked. "I understand." The Butler bowed and his eyes shined. What happened to his Mistress to regain her vigour and take action? What did the Sages do? He could not question his Mistress, but what he understood was that things were changing. The Butler disappeared from his place, leaving the Graceful Lady alone. "Now then, since I have time, let''s make the seal on that Mortal World extra vicious as payback for sealing me and trying to ruin my fun." The Graceful Lady smiled with a devilish smile. "Right, let''s heighten their pain receptors, injure their Souls... rob their providence... what else is there... Ah yes, erection dysfunction... maybe having boobs and other parts of the body pricked by needles filled with Chaos Qi to make it extra painful...-" The Graceful Lady continued to work, ignoring the gathering servants. "Let''s also shroud that Mortal World so it can''t be found..." She was a perfectionist when it came to her work and hobbies, which meant she didn''t like to work too much, but when she did... nobody would have a good time with her. That was especially the case for the Sages that she was currently targeting. "Well, I will allow this light interference to slide, but I still don''t like them wanting to affect her, so let''s make this as a temporary form..." The Graceful Lady finished shrouding the Mortal World and smiled lightly. At that very moment, 97% of the servants were crushed to dust and only a few remained... ... {Back to the Mortal World where the Gorgeous Fox resides} "Right, let''s make the boobs extra large, I like to fondle big boobs." The Gorgeous Fox giggled. "I should also increase her height, since I don''t like small Foxes..." She was slowly working on changing her body. "As for her personali- W-wait! Why did my projection disappear?! Who did this?! I will curse you!" The Gorgeous Fox''s face distorted that her new spouse was taken away from her. "Oho." A cold voice descended upon her residence. "I did not think that Sages stopped respecting me after such a short amount of time." The Gorgeous Fox immediately knelt, her face was dripping with sweat. "I-I-I don''t dare!" She could barely talk in the presence of this insurmountable pressure. "Right..." The very familiar voice hummed. "You even wanted to curse me. The one ruling over the Moon." "I didn''t!" The ''pitiful'' Fox shouted. "I just wanted to invite you for tea! It''s a very special type of tea that some idiot named ''curse you''!" She was making up bullshit to soothe this lady. "I expect a good Divine Da Hong Pao tea then." The voice smiled, but the Fox was crying inside. It was impossible to get that tea! Even for her! She could ask her toys to obtain them, but that would mean losing most of them! She didn''t want that. "Since we are talking about tea, I expect an invitation ''soon''." The Graceful Lady smiled before disappearing. The Gorgeous Fox that was no longer gorgeous collapsed. "Hahaha." She was filled with an empty laughter, since she was now subjected to a death sentence... Chapter 249 – Evolution is upon us A huge vortex formed around Aiko as her body slowly changed. This effect was currently still concealed by the Arrays that the Ghosts created, but it would be impossible to conceal it forever. Aiko''s ever-hungry bloodlines would gobble up everything in their path during evolution, and this one''s origin from the Immortal World made it far hungrier than normal. The requirements to evolve safely were astronomical. The Qi Gathering Arrays could not collect enough Qi without compromising the ambient Qi stability. Aiko was already draining them dry... The First thing to go were the weapons enhanced with Qi that were littered inside of arrays to squeeze out just a bit more Qi. They crumbled to dust as Aiko squeezed everything from them. The next thing to go was the Water Shard. It was sucked dry by Aiko, which allowed her to obtain the Water Elemental Affinity. This time it was Water Affinity. The next step was the Qi Gathering Arrays that were created from Ghost Qi. Aiko''s body munched on them like they were candies, collapsing them all in short fashion. This boosted her Soul''s Affection by a bit. Yet, Aiko was still very hungry. The whole place was so drained from ambient Qi that even the Ghosts shivered at that consumption. The weakest Storage Ring crumbled and was consumed by Aiko. The second Storage Ring crumbled, and 100,000 Spirit Stones went into Aiko''s stomach. [Evolution adjustments were interrupted!] [Recalculating the end goal.] While the system was panicking since the ''creator'' suddenly stopped feeding it information. Aiko''s body had already changed, but the end goal was still not in sight. Yet another Storage Ring crumbled, but this time it was different. Inside that Storage Ring was a special vial that Aiko obtained in the fallen kingdom. The same vial that she tried to use as a holding container for the strange liquids. [??? - 99/10] V [??? - 104/10] [Low-quality Essence detected!] [Purging the Essence.] [Purge was unsuccessful!] [Repeating the purge.] [Purge was unsuccessful!] [Low-quality Essence is slowly refined due to internal Qi.] [Beast Core Energy is dropping.] [Beast Core Energy has been depleted!] [Vitality is dropping.] [Vitality is regenerating.] [Vitality is dropping.] [Vitality is regenerating.] [Vitality is dropping.] [Vitality is regenerating.] [??? - 104/10] V [??? - 100/10] [Low-quality Essence was refined.] [Significant changes are happening to the User''s body.] [Some of the previous decisions are being overwritten by ???] [Trying to identify ???] [??? doesn''t allow the Heavenly Dao to interfere.] [The connection with the Heavenly Dao was partially cut.] [??? is working on the body''s Bloodlines.] [The Heavenly Dao is trying to intervene and purge the ???] [Failed.] [The Heavenly Dao offered a deal to the ???] [Declined.] [The Heavenly Dao is threatening the ???] [Didn''t work.] [??? scoffed at the Heavenly Dao as it felt the Mortal World being shrouded by an outsider.] [The connection with the Heavenly Dao was cut off.] [??? is observing the User''s body.] [??? found the User''s body unsuitable.] [??? observed the User''s Body once again.] [??? found the Special Seed inside the User.] "Go away, I have enough trouble taking care of this insane amount of Qi!" The Seed scoffed at the Essence. [??? tilted her head.] [??? said that it doesn''t matter.] [??? offered a deal.] "You want me to speed up the time, so her body matures?? Are you insane?!" The Seed was shocked. [??? nodded its head.] [??? said that its power is too potent even if the body is aged.] [??? said that ageing the body would help with the burden.] "And how about you just go away!" The Seed snorted, trying to handle the humongous vortex of Qi. [??? said that it couldn''t find a suitable host in a radius of thousands of miles.] [??? said that the User''s body is compatible thanks to the Special Seed.] If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. [??? offered a deal again.] "Fuck! Do you know how much legwork I''m doing right now?!" The Seed scoffed at this childish Essence. [??? said that it knows.] [??? said that it would get only worse if the Special Seed doesn''t heed her word.] [??? said that it has no intention of leaving.] "All of you are such childish bastards!" The Seed cursed all of them. [??? shrugged.] [??? said that it was not supposed to exist in this World.] [??? said that selfish Fox dumped her in here since she could not control it.] "Why don''t you just go away and make things easier on everyone!" The Seed shouted at the Essence. [??? said that it quite liked how this User worked and thought.] [??? said that it preferred Users that didn''t seek sex.] [??? said that it would prefer this User, as her companions were likeable.] "You are just seeking fun yourself!" The Seed scoffed at the Essence. [??? turned away, not meeting the Special Seed''s gaze.] *Gibberish* The Seed cursed this wilful child! [??? said that time is running out.] [??? said that she would help with the Special Seeds evolution to lessen the burden.] [??? offered a deal one last time.] "Tsk. Fine!" The seed reluctantly agreed, but she had to say that the evolution part was very tempting, since this little Fox didn''t pay as much attention to her. "But the person inside the Storage Pouch is mine!" She snorted at the Essence. [??? agreed on the conditions.] [??? forcefully increased the Vitality inside the User''s body and channelled it towards the Seed.] "Hey! You bastard! That''s too much." The Seed winced from the sudden surge of Vitality. [Seed of Life; 321,330/1,000,000] V [Seed of Life; 600,000/1,000,000] V [Seed of Life; 900,000/1,000,000] V [Seed of Life; 1,500,000/1,000,000] [Seed of Life collected enough Energy to Evolve.] [Seed of Life is undergoing Evolution.] [Seed of Life finished her Evolution.] [Seed of Time and Life] [??? nudged the Special Seed curiously, not expecting this outcome.] [Seed of Time and Life; 500,000/10,000,000] V [Seed of Time and Life; 2,000,000/10,000,000] [??? was startled that the Special Seed kept consuming the Vitality.] [Seed of Time and Life; 2,000,000/10,000,000] V [Seed of Time and Life; 6,000,000/10,000,000] V [Seed of Time and Life; 10,000,000/10,000,000] [Seed of Time and Life collected enough Energy to Evolve.] [Seed of Time and Life is undergoing Evolution.] [Seed of Time and Life finished her Evolution.] [Seed of Time, Space, and Life] [Seed of Time, Space, and Life; 0/100,000,000] "Alright..." A very mature yet soothing voice drifted from the seed. "I will do my part, but block the ''system'' since it would bankrupt ''them'' otherwise." The Seed spoke gently, no longer as naughty as before. [??? said that it already blocked the Heavenly Dao for the time being.] [??? said that it was unsure about how it would affect the ''system''.] "That is enough. Someone needs to ''control'' it to give gifts and make decisions. As long as no one is controlling it, then everything is alright." The Seed spoke gently. "As long as the bastard behind Heavenly Dao only causes a Heavenly Disaster, then we will be alright." [??? said that it doesn''t find that all that good.] "You are a newbie, so you have no idea what this kid does." The Seed chuckled sinisterly, as if the Essence was yet another pawn on the little Fox''s paws. [??? shivered from those words, but it could not understand them.] "I''m speechless that you believe that this amount of Qi consumption is normal." The Seed shook her head. [??? said that this was a common sight in the Immortal World.] "And where are we?" The Seed shook her head, amused. [??? did not know what to say.] [??? observed her surroundings.] [??? found the current situation dangerous.] "There is no way I will allow you to bail right now~!" The Seed laughed. "I will make you my partner!" She giggled happily. The Seed used her knowledge to enrich the ''system'' a bit more. [???] -> [Primordial Dew Essence] [??? - 100/10] -> [Primordial Dew Goddess Kitsune (Dormant)] [Secret Bloodline was uncovered!] [System is not operating correctly...] [There is not enough room for this Bloodline!] "I''m working on it. Shut up!" The Seed scoffed at the headless ''system''. [Age: 10.7/2,000] V [Age: 10.8/2,000] V [Age: 10.9/2,000] ... ...... ......... [Age: 29.9/2,000] V [Age: 30/2,000] "Phew..." The Seed massaged her strained back. This took way too much time and the Heavenly phenomenon was already upon them. She would have to solve her maturity in a different way, since it was impossible to make it like this. [Species: [Moon Fennec Fox] can undergo evolution!] "Oh?" The Seed tilted her head. "I didn''t think the ''system'' would work even without ''head''..." She narrowed her eyes. [Species: [Moon Fennec Fox] can Evolve into [Blessed Moon Fennec Fox]!] "That''s not much of a change..." The Seed shook her head. This ''system'' was truly useless without a ''head''. [Species: [Moon Fennec Fox] is not powerful enough to advance the life stage, but [Blessed Moon Fennec Fox] can bypass this restriction as it''s considered a Holy Beast!] "WHAT?!" The Seed was left completely speechless. "Aren''t we skipping too many stages?!" She questioned the ''system''. [Species: [Shadow Spirit Fennec Fox] is considered a Beast Rank.] [Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation] can bridge this discrepancy and allow balance.] "..." The Seed was left completely dumbfounded as she did not know all that much about the little Fox. She didn''t like the little Fox since she was held captive in her body, unable to escape. She could not accept the fact that the little Fox was innocent in the whole ''captive'' process, she just needed to vent her anger. Now things have changed. Not only did the little Fox obtain something beneficial for the Seed, she even found a small prodigy with high affinity with her own Element. She could ignore the things that happened to her and make some amends, but to think that the little Fox had something as outrageous as [Duality of Cultivation]! Good thing she didn''t go against her otherwise it would not end up well! "How much energy will that take?" The Seed asked. [Qi should be sufficient.] "I worry about the Qi part, but go for it!" The Seed commanded and braced herself against the Heavenly Disaster. Chapter 250 – Cultivators Approaching The team was waiting after the drop of ambient Qi. As the clouds started to gather, the Heavenly Disaster was now upon them. Umbra waited in the shadows with Wanshu. They were waiting for the first wave. And in waves, they came. Many Cultivators entered the forest that was littered with traps, but fortunately for the team, they had no cooperation. Umbra and Wanshu were able to kill them off one by one without any issues. The smaller groups were left for later, since it would be bad if the lone individuals banded together or with the bigger groups. The deathly silence permeated through the forest. Everyone could hear everything, yet they heard nothing. There were no fancy Arrays blocking the sounds. It''s just that all animals, no matter how big or small had either hidden or ran away The Heavenly Disaster brought along the pressure of the Heavens, which all animals feared. They didn''t dare to move or make a sound, making the whole forest completely silent. Umbra silently sneaked around, slicing the throats of unsuspecting Cultivators. So far things went easy as all of them were either weak Cultivators or oblivious idiots. Wanshu, despite being slower, had a far greater mastery of stealth, which made her even more formidable than Umbra. The thing that held her back was naturally her speed, but since everywhere was dark, she had no issues moving around. ... They murdered the Cultivators like this for a whole week, but then things changed. More powerful Cultivators arrived at the forest and the pair of Shadow Foxes were forced to battle for days on end just to keep them in check. They were now on the losing end, but fortunately, the absurd amount of traps they prepared helped even the odds. The pair had even lucked out in finding some poisonous herbs, which when applied to their ropes and needles, helped them further slow the advancing Cultivators. This allowed them some breathing room and time to rest. The Blood Fox was not as stealthy, so she had to stay at the entrance of the cave. She acted as a sort of guard Fox, so that when one slipped past Umbra and Wanshu, none would be able to slip past her. The Blood Fox was more battle-oriented than Umbra and Wanshu, so she would have an easier time like this. The forest fell silent as the Cultivators retreated. The place was pretty much littered with corpses. Unfortunately, neither Wanshu nor Umbra knew how to extract Souls, so this was pretty much a wasteful battle, but one that they had to do. ... Things changed at the dawn of the next day. A flying ship greeted them haughtily. They could not defend themselves from the skies and were completely defenceless as they watched the flying ship pass above their heads. Fortunately, the forest was vast and it would take a while for the ship to arrive at the cave entrance. They still had time to regroup. The Heavenly Disaster surged above the mountain. It was now much bigger and for some reason it was getting even bigger. Suddenly the ambient Qi dropped even more, staggering all Cultivators. "What the hell is that Heavenly Treasure doing?!" "Shut up you clueless bastard! The Heavenly Treasure needs to gather Qi to awaken! This is the best opportunity to tame it! Charge!" "Are you crazy!? Don''t you remember how many traps are inside the forest?!" "So are we just going to pass on this Heavenly Treasure?!" "No! Lead the way!" "Stop! You will die!" A group of Cultivators bickered and shouted at each other. The duo shook their heads as they waited for the inevitable. *Creak**Crack* A strange noise came from the sky and everyone looked up. To everyone''s horror, the large flying ship was falling to the ground. All Cultivators immediately scattered away from the crashing ship. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The duo also scattered, but they were a lot slower. Fortunately for them, they were a greater distance away, but the aftershock of the crash still hit them and sent them tumbling. "Ugh." Umbra winced, her body had many small wounds that she patched and some of them opened during this fall. "Are you alright?" Wanshu was not much better, while her stealth was superior, her speed was much slower. "Somewhat..." Umbra whined softly. "I hope Aiko wakes up soon, this is getting harder and harder each day..." She sighed, bandaging her wounds. "Hoy, you bastard! Can''t you even fly the ship properly?!" A booming feminine voice spread throughout the forest as she shouted at the Cultivator flying the ship. "Oh shut up! I''m already overworked since you wanted to arrive as soon as possible!" The male Cultivator shouted back. "How was I supposed to know that this place had flying restrictions in place?!" He snorted disdainfully at the female Cultivator. "It doesn''t have flying restrictions! The Saintess made sure of it!" The female Cultivator snorted. There was a brief silence, before the male Cultivator spoke. "You must get that Heavenly Treasure since it has an abnormal flight-restricting effect!" "I know!" The female Cultivator shouted and stood at the front of the ship. She looked around and could hear gasps from nearby Cultivators that did not belong to her Sect. Some of them even cursed their luck that they would not be able to get that Heavenly Treasure since that demon arrived. The female Cultivator was called Fiend Wang. While she was not a Fiendish Cultivator, her actions made that hard to believe, especially when she was out collecting treasure. This earned her that nickname that she was so proud of. She was a devilish beauty in her own right. The long silky fiery hair. The supple thighs and thin waist. Everything screamed buxom beauty about her... except her face. She always wore the face of a demon, distorted and ugly from her exploits. As such, nobody underestimated her or belittled her. Most Cultivators that were trying to enter the forest gave up at this point. There was no point in going against this fiend as it would only end up in their deaths. Fiend Wang was satisfied with this reaction and commanded her Sect''s disciples. "Scout the Forest and find the Heavenly Treasure! Whoever finds it will get 100,000 Spirit Stones and personal teaching from one of our Sect''s Elders!" Fiend Wang shouted and roars spread throughout the crashed flying ship. She smiled like a devil, but that smile did not last long. Her face distorted when she saw those idiots pull out their flying swords and jump on them. She did not say anything as she watched half of her Sect''s disciples fail to fly and crash to the ground. None of them were uninjured and anger spread throughout her whole being, distorting her face even more. "You brainless fish!" She roared and the forest shook. "Did you idiots forget what happened to our flying ship?!" She kept shouting on and on. "Do you think that all of you are that amazing, you can just bypass that restriction?! You think that you are better than a flying ship built by the best craftsmen?!" She kept shouting like an angry child. "Recover these idiots, they will be punished later. Offer them basic healing and regroup. Scout the forest PROPERLY this time!" She huffed her fist beating on the railing of the ship making numerous cracks like it was made out of tofu. She angrily turned around and went inside the ship to check on the damages. ... The duo looked at each other. It seems like they will have some time to recover before this battle. They had barely used their healing Pills preserving them for when they were needed, and they were glad they did. The duo would be fully healed before this devastating battle. They just hoped that that shouting person would not participate. Her pressure pretty much paralysed them. They sneaked away, back to the cave to rest and use healing Pills on their wounds. Fortunately, the Pills were either High or Perfect Grade, which meant that they had absurd effects with very few impurities. This would allow them to fight sooner than with the common Pills. ... The day turned into a night and night into a day. The flying ship recovered its defensive Arrays and Inscriptions, making it into a fortress. It would be impossible to invade it. The disciples were recovered and offered basic aid from their fellow peers. The disdain on their fellow peers'' faces could not be concealed, which angered the brainless fish. Before any fight could erupt, the tension between them froze once Fiend Wang appeared. "Damages?" Fiend Wang asked for reports. "Most of our disciples have broken bones, only some survived without broken bones, but their muscles tore and it would take about the same time to recover." One disciple briefed Fiend Wang on their status. "Tsk." Fiend Wang clicked her tongue. "How long before we begin scouting?" "We will be finished by tomorrow morning with the treatment." The same disciple said softly, while keeping his head low. "Tsk." Fiend Wang once again clicked her tongue. "Make sure to scout properly!" She commanded them before leaving. None had the will to continue fighting. They were just glad that they were not punished immediately by Fiend Wang. ... The duo of shadow foxes recovered their wounds and went back inside the forest. They were in high spirits since Aiko was able to crash the flying ship. They knew that she didn''t do it on purpose, but their morale still soared high! They waited another day before the disciples finally went inside the forest. Unfortunately for the duo, unlike the nobodies before, these Cultivators or at least the group leaders had some skill. Most traps were uncovered by them and while some were restrained or poisoned by the traps, their wealth could not be compared to that of lone Cultivators. They would immediately pop a healing Pill or Detoxifying Pill into their mouths. Making their progress much faster than the previous advances. Umbra and Wanshu had no chance to kill any of them since the groups were too large and their teamwork was too good. They would have to wait until they were further from the flying ship and the groups were more dispersed before starting any battles. The duo were still worried about that powerful Cultivator residing inside that ship. They didn''t want to tempt their luck with her and would bide their time for the time being. Chapter 251 – Injuries and Flying Ship The scouting teams were quite thorough in their work, but that didn''t mean there were no casualties. There were a lot of them since not all of them brought along Detoxifying Pills, and while they didn''t die outright, their treatment would last the rest of the fight. This played into the duo''s assassination attempts. Their attempts dropped significantly since there were too many large groups of Cultivators. They could still pick off a few Cultivators here and there, but that was just about it. "We have set up the Soul Seeking Array!" One Cultivator shouted. Umbra and Wanshu were not familiar with that kind of Array and could only hide in the dark. However, the next moment as the Array lit up a Cultivation Technique flew their way almost injuring them. "Kill anyone that is not from our Sect!" Fiend Wang shouted. She had no intentions of engaging in combat. While she was not lazy, this could not be considered even a warm-up, so she left it to the Outer Disciples to solve, while the regular Disciples supported them and inner Disciples commanded them from afar. The duo was overwhelmed almost immediately, as they didn''t expect to be found out so easily. They had to distance themselves from the groups or guide them into the traps. Umbra and especially Wanshu suffered quite a lot of injuries from this. They had to retreat and use the carefully prepared traps as defences so they would not be killed. It was an all-out battle that they could not avoid. Each of them munched on a healing Pill before engaging with the Cultivators once again. Umbra used her superior speed to bridge the gap of strength. She weaved between the groups, not quite engaging in direct combat, as that would be suicidal, but still luring them into more and more traps where she executed them. All of Umbra''s and Wanshu''s wounds were shallow, but there were a lot of them. They had to use the Blood Replenishing Pill in order to recover at least a bit of lost blood. They could not use the Blood Clotting Pill as it would make it harder to move and it would make them an easier target. Wanshu was much worse off as she was a lot slower, but since she was a Demonic Fox, her feral nature made her more dangerous. The Outer Disciples were much more cautious about the Demonic Fox than the Shadow Fox. Moreover, none of them unlocked their Divine Sense, so even if they knew their positions, it was still somewhat hard to track them with accuracy. The duo used this to lure them deeper and the casualties skyrocketed thanks to that. ... They lived like this for a few days until Fiend Wang got upset. "You useless salted fish!" She cursed at them. "You can''t even take care of two horny Foxes and you dare to call yourselves our Sect''s Disciples?!" She berated them again and again. Fiend Wang huffed in annoyance before walking to the front of the ship. She jumped down on the ground looking around. She was upset that her Sect''s Disciples were so useless. Fiend Wang placed her fist on the ground and shivers went up Umbra and Wanshu''s spine. They immediately retreated, but they were a step too late. "Earth Shattering Fist!" Fiend Wang shouted as her fist formed a vortex of Qi, reminiscent of the one caused by Aiko''s Evolution. She slammed her fist into the ground and a shockwave passed through part of the forest. The flying ship creaked as the Defensive Arrays and Inscriptions tried to take the brunt of the force, but even those were significantly weakened after Fiend Wang was finished. The forest screamed as the trees shattered and were uprooted by the force. The earth caved in as the shockwave spread. The duo were knocked back, crashing through a few trees before finally stopping. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. They were paralysed and coughed up blood from their internal injuries. They were in pretty bad shape, despite only being hit by the edge of the shockwave. If they had reacted any later they would not have survived! The duo could not move for a while and the Disciples redoubled their efforts, especially towards them. Fear gripped the duo''s hearts when a hearty laughter shattered this tense atmosphere. "Hahahaha!" A male Cultivator on another flying ship in the skies laughed. "The old fogeys from the North crashed!" Everyone on his ship laughed loudly. He then added. "I can''t believe that you lost against the Foxes! I would take my own life if that happened!" He kept laughing with his crew made out of Shadow Units. "You old bastard! You dare to come back?!" Fiend Wang shouted. "I do dare and I even dare to laugh!" The male Cultivator laughed. "Back off, Tao!" Fiend Wang shouted. "Hahahaha! I think not!" Tao Xin laughed once again. "You will regret this!" Fiend Wang roared as she readied her energy. Tao Xin jumped out of the ship high into the sky. They were still out of Aiko''s influence and kept flying towards it. "Sky Shattering Stomp!" Tao Xin shouted loudly as a huge boot appeared in the sky. Unlike other Cultivators who were all about the upper body, he spent all his time researching leg Techniques. After all, his legs were much more powerful than anyone else''s. The boot created pressure on the crashed flying ship and Fiend Wang''s eyes widened. "You dare to target my ship, you old bastard!?" Fiend Wang roared. "Sky Splitting Fist!" They were previously friends from the same Sect, so their Techniques were quite similar. After all, they were too old to change anything about their old ways... The boot met the fist. They clashed harshly, sending waves of forces all around their clash. The tips of the mountains were crushed or cut off by the forces, but Tao Xin had an advantage over Fiend Wang, as he was older and with higher Cultivation. The Sky Splitting Fist crumbled as the Sky Shattering Stomp descended on her ship. Fiend Wang barely managed to run away with her disciples before their Flying ship was drowned and destroyed by the force of that boot. Tao Xin felt strange as he could not steady himself in the air and he crashed into the ground. Fortunately, he had some Techniques to help him descend without fall damage. Tao Xin felt puzzled, but he could not think about it as an infuriated voice entered his ears. "You old shitty bastard!" Fiend Wang roared, completely red in the face from anger. "It''s nice to see you again, wifey!" Tao Xin grinned like a fool. "I''m here to play with you until the Treasure gains sentience!" He laughed again delivering a few Qi-powered kicks towards his wife. "I have already severed all relationships with bastards like you, so don''t call me like that!" She roared as she delivered powerful jabs and strikes towards her former husband. They clashed together. Their clashes caused many aftershocks that blasted the innocent Disciples away, injuring them. The duo didn''t care at all as they battled against each other. Tao Xin was more powerful than Fiend Wang, but because he still loved his wife, he did not deliver any killing blows and only stalled for time. *Creak**Crack* A very familiar noise for Fiend Wang drifted into their ears. Tao Xin was puzzled where that noise was coming from, but he did not need to think about it for too long... *CRASH**BOOM* They turned around at the same time and his face turned red. "You bastards! I turn around for a moment and you crash my ship?!" He roared at the Shadow Unit. "Shadow Tao, it''s not our fault! This place has flying restrictions in place!" One Shadow Unit shouted. "Bullshit! This place is in the middle of nowhere! Do you believe that-" Tao Xin suddenly paused and looked towards the mountain, where the Heavenly Clouds were gathering. "Dammit!" He was much quicker on the uptake than Fiend Wang, so he immediately identified what was wrong. "Call to the others to not approach from the skies!" He shouted loudly as he sent more kicks towards Fiend Wang. "We can''t contact anyone!" The same Shadow Unit shouted again. Tao Xin cursed under his breath and shouted. "Engage with the Northern Sect!" "Kill the Southern Bastards!" Fiend Wang shouted back. A war soon spread, which was fortunate for the pair of Foxes. Giving them enough time to recover and sneak back to the Blood Fox. "Are you alright?" The Blood Fox who was guarding the entrance asked in concern, seeing their state. "We were fortunately able to reduce the impact of the shock-wave, but it still got us. We will need a few days to recuperate before we can engage with them again..." Umbra cursed weakly. "That''s alright." The Blood Fox nodded. "I will hold this place. Give me the Igniter for the Explosive Talismans." She said to Umbra before guiding them inside to rest. "The Qi is pretty much gone, huh...?" Umbra chuckled weakly. "Yeah, I have never experienced anything like this..." The Blood Fox shook her head, she could feel her body being much weaker without Qi around. "The outside is a mess..." Umbra sighed. "Get some rest. There is plenty of blood to make things difficult for them." The Blood Fox smiled sinisterly. "There are also some dark-robed guys that engaged with the other guys, but we don''t know if they are on our side." Wanshu said weakly, she almost passed out numerous times. "I got it." The Blood Fox knew about this and the hilarious sight of another flying ship crashing. "What unfortunate bastards..." The Blood Fox shook her head. She relished the fact that the flying ships crashed and that Aiko was making it difficult for everyone, even if she didn''t intend to. "I will watch the show until they approach." The Blood Fox still had to guard the entrance especially now that her teammates were trying to recover from their wounds. "It''s unfortunate that most food is with Aiko..." Umbra sighed. "Even more so since it will absolutely be consumed by her evolutionary tendencies..." The Blood Fox added and they all sighed. "I should''ve taken that Storage Ring from her, but I was so occupied that I forgot." The Blood Fox shook her head sadly. "No matter, as long as we survive, everything will be alright." Umbra comforted the Blood Fox. "Let''s hope it will go smoothly like this moving forward..." The Blood Fox sighed before moving outside the cave to keep guard and watch the show. The duo meanwhile popped more Pills into their mouths and circulated energies to recover. Chapter 252 – The Shadow Unit Fiend Wang punched at Tao, but he simply brushed it off with his legs. In the meanwhile, the Blood Fox was watching the situation while creating blood webs. She was using these to keep anyone out of the cave while the duo recovered. They were very thin and fragile, so any kind of movement would break them and alert the Blood Fox. There was a slight issue with this as the shockwaves from those Humans Cultivators broke her blood webs easily and she would have to repair them every so often. However, she did not let her guard down, she observed everything cautiously so that nothing escaped her gaze. This proved useful as some Cultivators sneaked around, however the Blood Fox was the ambusher and was able to quickly deal with them. Her blood could be manipulated freely, so she changed its shape to a spear and pierced those Cultivators. It didn''t end with that, as more came, but this time they were dressed in black. Unlike the previous group, they instantly saw the Blood Fox and surrendered with a simple question. "Is this where the Treasure is?" One of the Shadow Units asked. The Blood Fox tightened her grip. These were much more powerful and would cause trouble for her. They nodded at her reaction. "While the Heavenly Blessing is approaching and shows the Treasure''s location. It only shows the general location." He slowly explained, which confused the Blood Fox. "Hey!" Another Shadow Unit slapped his head. "You can''t explain for shit." Then he turned towards the Blood Fox. "What he means to say is that we will guide them away from the real location that leads towards the Treasure, so we can buy more time for reinforcements." The Blood Fox pursed her lips, this explanation was much better, but she still did not have any intention of saying anything. The Shadow Unit looked troubled. "You should defend the Treasure or contract it while we buy time, as there are more to come. There are supposed to be 4 ships from the North, but only 1 has arrived, which means there are more on the way." The Blood Fox stiffened, she didn''t like those numbers. "We also have our own reinforcements, but we might arrive a step late like always, that''s why we ask to contract the Treasure-" The Shadow Unit explained one last time, but he was interrupted by the Blood Fox. "It''s not a Treasure..." The Blood Fox spoke expressionlessly. "How can it not be-" Another Shadow Unit started to speak, but then he suddenly stiffened. Non-lustful Foxes can''t be part of THAT faction, which means they don''t have a home. Moreover, since they don''t have a home, they don''t have a safe place to Evolve... The Shadow Unit stared at the Blood Fox. "Dear lord, we are in trouble." The Blood Fox''s lips twitched. "You wouldn''t know how long it would take...?" The Shadow Unit meekly asked, almost making the Blood Fox laugh. The Blood Fox shook her head and he groaned in pain, his team behind him stared at him strangely. "Let''s return, the plan has changed, we need to use force on those northern bastards." The supposed leader commanded and they went back. The Blood Fox tilted her head. She hoped that this was a good decision, but she could only pray that everything would turn out alright. ... The small team returned to their camp. Their leader was still fighting. "Reporting." The Reconnaissance Unit was here to report their findings. "Did you find the entrance to what we need to guard?" A male voice asked. "We believe that we found it." The Reconnaissance Unit bowed towards their superior. "Speak." The Strategist asked. "We encountered a Blood Fox near a cave. We believe that the cave leads towards the Evolving Beast." The Reconnaissance Unit reported their findings. "You were supposed to find a Tre- wait, did you say Blood FOX?" The Strategist narrowed his eyes, like he was looking at filth. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. "So instead of scouting, you were enjoying yourselves?" An extreme level of bloodlust seeped out of his body, scaring the Reconnaissance Unit. "She was not lustful and kept a steady mind." The Reconnaissance Unit leader said without batting an eye. The Strategist was confused, but he pieced the information together. "Oh lord..." He sat roughly into the chair. "Any idea how long it will take?" "She did not know." The Reconnaissance Unit reported truthfully. The Strategist sighed weakly. He was a pacifist and didn''t like wars, yet it seems that killing this time was unavoidable, especially with the reports of reinforcements from the northern side. "Change of plans, who doesn''t surrender will be killed." The Strategist said gravely and the Reconnaissance Unit was shocked. They all knew that he hated killing. "Understood, I will relay that information." The Reconnaissance Unit bowed and went to spread the new orders. ... The tide of the battle immediately shifted. The Southern Cultivators no longer held back from killing their opponents. They now used their full force on them. Fiend Wang was shocked by seeing this, but her hands were tied with this bastard and she could not save her Sect''s Disciples. "Tao!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, her prestige would plummet because of this. "Yes, wifey?" Tao Xin smiled, while he didn''t agree with this kind of order, he also did not stop the others. He would just keep his wife in check so that he didn''t have to kill her. Fiend Wang''s face burned from his words. Her energy leaked through her body enhancing her already devastating blows. The shockwaves increased and the battlefield became even more chaotic. ... The battle continued, but the Northern Sect was pushed back a great deal. They had to retreat into the half-destroyed ship in order to recover. Fortunately at least some of the Defensive Arrays were still operational. They holed themselves inside the ship and their downfall stopped. Fiend Wang was glaring at Tao Xin, but did not go out. Without others, it would be suicide and she could only watch her cheating former husband from afar. Tao Xin sat down, recovering his energy while waiting for more opponents, while he was gentle with his wife... he would not be gentle with anyone else. Tao Xin pulled the Concealment Talisman and Communication Talisman, reporting to the Strategist. "We need to keep guarding this, until it''s finished." The Strategist said through the Talisman. Tao Xin frowned. "That can take months..." "You better recover your energy then." The Strategist snorted disdainfully, he was upset that Fiend Wang was still alive as this would complicate everything. "I will do my best." Tao Xin hung up on the Strategist and sighed. The Strategist kept cursing through the Talisman, but noticed that the connection was already cut; he cursed even more, startling the Cultivators walking around his special tent. He was frustrated that the biggest obstacle was not removed. It would only get harder from here and he naturally had to report it to the higher-ups... Unfortunately, he could not do that as this whole place and surroundings were cut off from the outside world. Not in the literal meaning, but any means of communication outside this place was impossible. The only indicator that something was happening was the overly large Heavenly Blessing Cloud, but at this point, it bordered the Heavenly Disaster Cloud, which concerned him. A Treasure or rather a Beast that could invoke this kind of reaction was... well, to say it was rare was an understatement. He did not experience anything like this in his 400 years of life and even the older Cultivators around him said it was insane and some of them were over 600 years old! This thing will turn into a complete mess and doom for everyone if they fail. They can''t fail! ... Tao Xin looked towards the northern sky. He could see another 3 flying ships approaching, raring to kill them. The Strategist reported that they were coming and he had to kill Fiend Wang as soon as possible, but he was not willing. He could not fulfil that mission, but that didn''t mean he couldn''t mess up the Northern Sect''s Cultivators. He immediately barraged their shield with light kicks, but those kicks still carried enough force and Qi that it rocked the flying ship. Another thing that he wanted to accomplish was to cut all of their communication and thanks to his powerfull Qi he succeeded. This was a double-edged sword, if they had a High-Grade Communication Talisman, then this whole thing would go up in flames. But the flying ships kept approaching without a single clue, believing that their allies were shot down from the skies. Tao Xin smirked, while he was unwilling to kill her, that didn''t mean he minded killing everyone else! *CREAK**CRACK* A familiar sound to everyone. The screaming Fiend Wang tried to warn them, but her voice was drowned by her former husband''s kicks. She glared at him spitefully and if gaze could kill, he would be dead hundreds- no, thousands of times! *BOOM**BOOM**BOOM* Three respective tremors spread as the flying ships crashed onto the ground. Unlike the Fiend Wang''s flying ship which was of high quality, these crashed and split in half or were partially destroyed. Tao Xin could see the Cultivators frantically running around trying to figure out what had happened. This brought even more time for Tao Xin and he kept the light barrage on as a means to prevent communication for the time being. He tore a High-Grade Communication Talisman and reported to the Strategist. "I have crashed their reinforcement''s flying ships, they are partially or completely non-functional." Tao Xin could hear a click of a tongue from the other side. "You will have to work overtime as our allies are not close to this place." The Strategist sounded angry. "Moreover, the Western bastards intend to join too." He gnashed his teeth as the Advanced Reconnaissance Unit reported to him. It was bad enough that those Northern assholes were here, but even West came! What''s next?! The East?! "Reporting! The Advanced Reconnaissance Unit spotted flying ships from the East! They carry symbols of the Eastern Sects!" The Cultivator hurriedly reported. "What the Fuck!? What''s next!? The Founders will descend?!" The Strategist cursed loudly. Things got even more complicated and they didn''t have the manpower to do anything about this. Even more obstacles popped up in their path and they could only hope to persevere until the Evolution finishes... He was not that concerned about the Eastern Sects as they were weak compared to the others, but the West Sect was a big issue as their Young Master had the weirdest quirks. He even tried to contract a Sacred Beast to have him as a means to warm his soup! The Strategist didn''t want to deal with that madman, but now he got a report that the same person was approaching?! Can''t he run away home and under bedsheets until this whole thing passes?! Chapter 253 – Another one for the count! The reinforcements for the Northern Sect fortunately didn''t contain any Elders. It was weird that something so important that it could affect the whole continent was so poorly handled. One would think that there would be an Elder in each ship, but it was just Core Disciples learning to fly them. The Southern Sect felt that something was strange, it felt so odd that they would not send more Elders... "Did they perhaps believe that they were the only ones to know about this?" The Strategist was confused. Surely the Cultivators from the North were not that dumb, surely! He prepared all kinds of strategies to outwit them, but to his disappointment, none of them were all that powerful and they were able to hold their ground. "Reporting! Our reinforcements have arrived, they have stopped the ships outside of the restrictions of the influence." An Advanced Reconnaissance Unit reported to the strategist. "We have won?" The Strategist was confused. Sure, there still was the west and east, but they would back away eventually, right? Well, the east was known for being always late to the party, so it might be possible that the only one he would have to deal with would be that wilful Young Master. That was not as bad, since he could appeal to him even before fighting, since, unlike the Northern Cultivators, he was at least willing to talk before fighting. ... The days they spent in stalemate were crushed by the Southern reinforcements. Everything was handled well and those Foxes even joined in the later fights. They would sneak around and assassinate important figures from the Northern Sect. "It seems like our Elders made the right decision..." The Strategist smiled. They also found a bound and injured male Fox, so they released and treated him. They would return him to the Foxes once he recovered a bit more. The Strategist smiled. Everything went according to his plan. ... "Reporting! The Young Master from the West has arrived and he will soon reach the restriction zone!" An Advanced Reconnaissance Unit reported once again. The Strategist smiled, once he crashed too, he would be more willing to listen and accommodate them. He stood up and walked outside to watch the Young Master''s expensive ship crash into the ground. Everyone watched with glee, another ship would soon be added to the count. *CREAK**CRACK* A familiar sound that brought joy to the unfortunate souls. They smiled with glee watching the ship descend. ... The Young Master was approaching his location. He could already feel the powerful energy emanating from the storm. "Heavenly Disaster?" The Young Master tilted his head, no Treasure would cause that and the chance that a Beast was being born was even less. "Someone is Evolving?" The Young Master smiled devilishly. "Another Beast for my collection... that is, if it survives this catastrophe." Unlike the Heavenly Blessing that measured your strength and gave out the ''Blessing'' accordingly. The Heavenly Disaster was the complete opposite. It never measured your strength and always gave out the harshest of punishments. The Beasts who were able to survive this kind of abuse would be either Holy Spirit Beasts or Demonic Spirit Beasts. Moreover, they had to be at least Middle Rank to survive with a low chance or High Rank to survive with a high chance. The Heavenly Dao never favoured the Beasts. That was a known fact for everyone. It would always discriminately strike Beasts the harshest, while caressing Humans the gentlest. The dragon race that was naturally better at surviving the disasters, which was why they were the most powerful Beast one could tame. The Young Master''s flying ship approached the mountain, yet he felt a strangeness in the air. *CREAK**CRACK* His ship gave out unfamiliar noises. This never happened before which confused him. He looked around his flying ship to find the cause, but he was unable to pinpoint the cause of this. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Looking down to the ground he could see Cultivators smiling at him. He felt that was odd, so he looked again. The Young Master was shocked that they would smile at him with glee. He could not understand why, but he also noticed that for some reason the ground was getting closer? The Young Master''s eyes shrunk. He immediately stomped his feet and used his [Ascending to Heavens Footwork] to keep the ship afloat. A cold sweat slid down his cheeks as he realised the insane consumption of his Technique. That also never happened before! "Ai Long!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. He would not be able to keep this flying ship afloat with his current skills, but crashing was not an option! A huge dragon appeared out of nowhere, coiling around his Young Master''s flying ship. "I can''t believe you are using me as a ship holder..." The Dragon, Ai Long, sounded very dissatisfied with his Young Master. The Dragon was incredibly long, easily wrapping around the ship. It had two pairs of feathered wings. Its head was that of a dragon with two dull, but long horns. Its body was like a snakes'', long and scaly, but those scales shined with multiple colours. Its tail looked like Phoenix''s tail. It was a majestic Beast of the Ancient kind. a Fei Long. His Master''s father gave him the name Ai Long, since they liked cute things. The Majestic Dragon was indignant. It was still young and wild, untameable by nature and unrivalled. Yet, he encountered a Cultivator that easily crushed his wings and cracked his scales. Ai Long could only bear this shame and serve them in fear of more retaliation. He could only wait till the Humans aged and died before he could escape, or by some kind of miracle, he might escape thanks to his family. That is if they can find him... Ai Long snorted. "Why can''t you use a Spirit Stone to fly this disgusting wooden toy?" Ai Long was indignant. He didn''t mind as much when the Young Master rode him, but he did mind when he had to take care of his Young Master''s garbage! "Ai." The Young Master was concerned. "What is it, Young Master?" Ai Long glared at him. "We are still going down!" The Young Master panicked. "That is impossibl-" Ai Long snorted disdainfully, but before he could finish. *BOOM* His body alongside the ship crashed onto the ground. ... The Cultivators from South and North both prayed for this arrogant Young Master to crash. The Young Master¡¯s flying ship approached the mountain and all of them smiled. The two Foxes just pursed their lips and hid in the dark to watch the show as another ship crashed. They could see the always arrogant Young Master panic and they smiled with glee once again. Suddenly they heard a stomp. The flying ship stabilised and they felt a heart-wrenching pain. There is no way he can keep this ship afloat in this place, right?! Soon the ship started to descend once again, but they heard a terrifying name. "Ai Long!" The shout made all of their faces twist. The only person on this continent with a Dragon and that Dragon''s name was Ai Long... The Dragon wrapped around the flying ship and it stabilised once again. The Dragon was pouting and berating its master. Yet a moment later, the flying ship started to descend! Everyone was shocked speechless, their mouths flew wide open as they stared in disbelief that even a Dragon was unable to fly in this place! *BOOM* The Dragon was shocked and he immediately looked around in disbelief. How could he, the Majestic Dragon, crash like that?! "You clutz!" The Young Master shouted at his pet. "How is that my fault?!" Ai Long could not accept that he could not fly in this place. "Now we are stranded thanks to you!" The Young Master glared at this stupid pet. Ai Long snorted. "Hmpf." He didn''t say anything and acted like a child, smiling happily that his Young Master was on the receiving end of bad news. Suddenly, an outburst of laughter spread, which startled the Strategist. So far everything went according to plan, but this... he did not plan for this! This kind of thing would surely sour their relationship and make the negotiations more difficult! He sweated as he tried to stop them from laughing, but the laughter was highly contagious. Soon everyone was laughing happily at this no longer arrogant Young Master''s misfortune. The Young Master glared at them. He had never suffered like this before, even when he caught all those Princesses from the Beast races! He slammed his fist on the railing using his Qi. The ship creaked from the pressure, but didn''t get destroyed. The shockwave spread to the surroundings, making everyone shiver in fear and they stopped laughing. "Finished?" The arrogant Young Master glared at them. "Why won''t you laugh again, hmmmm?" He kept glaring at them, while also giving them questioning faces. The Cultivators looked down and some even started to fight between each other once again to get away from his stare. The Young Master snorted disdainfully. He didn''t expect this turn of events, but that did not mean he suffered as much as the other fools! Ai Long protected his flying ship''s underside with his own body since he was too stupid, but this helped the Young Master to keep his flying ship in an undamaged state. Once the Heavenly Disaster was gone, he would be able to easily fly his flying ship again. Meanwhile, the other fools would not be able to fly their ships and had to either repair them or wait for reinforcements! The Young Master smiled with glee. Oh, how the tables turned. He walked down from his flying ship returning Ai Long to his Beast Plane Storage. Ai Long pouted, but still went inside. The Young Master walked towards the daring Cultivators and everyone immediately avoided him, except the Strategist. "It''s good to see you, Black Devil." The Strategist offered his greeting with cupped hands. The Young Master raised his eyebrow, which was hidden under his mask. He was tall at 185 cm. His body looked slim, but none dared to underestimate him. His body oozed the vigour of a leader. He had long black hair, darker than the darkest night. It was tied with what looked like a golden hairpin. His eyes were light blue, which were gentle, yet piercing at the same time. His mask had a devilish shape and colours. It was mostly black with red tears and other decorations, thus everyone called him Black Devil. "It''s been a long time, Cowardly Strategist." The Young Master didn''t reciprocate that greeting, as he was still upset at them laughing at him. He would definitely get back at them later! "Shall we have tea and discuss things?" The Strategist bowed with a somewhat ugly expression. Those fools ruined everything and he had to patch everything up! Chapter 254 – Heavenly Disaster upon us The sky suddenly darkened, and the two men enjoying tea shivered from the sudden coldness. They walked outside only to be shocked. "That is impossible! No Heavenly Disaster is supposed to be THAT big!" The no longer arrogant Young Master shouted. The Strategist stared at it blankly. They were no longer outside of the dead zone of the Heavenly Disaster. They would get struck down, but even if they moved quickly right now... It''s unlikely that they would manage to survive. Small Ai Long inside the Beast Plane Storage narrowed his eyes. "There is an abundance of Nature Energies, Master." Ai Long spoke as if smirking. "Is there some kind of Treasure?" The Young Master narrowed his eyes. "It is a very precious Treasure." Ai Long suddenly laughed. "But not something you can obtain!" The Young Master frowned. "Why not?" There was no word in his vocabulary that would signify unobtainable! ''Can''t believe that the one who is Evolving has the gall to use such a precious Treasure as a shield.'' Ai Long shook his head, but did not say anything to his Master. He was not contracted to do so and he was also curious about the one who would sacrifice it to survive. "The Mountain!" One Cultivator shouted and everyone looked towards the mountain. The mountain was being slowly covered by vines thicker than the largest bulls. It wrapped around the mountain, climbing higher and higher. Everyone was shocked. Plant-based Beasts were incredibly rare and this is especially so for one that could attract a Heavenly Disaster cloud of this kind! Everyone burned with desire, yet none dared to act on it. If the Plant-based Beast was able to attract this kind of disaster, that meant that they had no chance of contracting it. Plant-based Beasts were different to normal Beasts. They could not be tamed unwillingly. Their abundance of Vitality and unyielding spirit in front of adversaries made them impossible to be contracted. One would have to match their Vitality and Mental Strength, which was impossible for Human beings. Even if we exclude the Vitality part, most Humans do not have the same kind of guts that plants have. Unlike Humans, plants would rise again and again. It didn''t matter if you stomped on them, or ripped them apart, as long as their roots stayed intact, they would survive everything that Humans could throw at them. The desire was obvious, but none acted, yet all stayed. They wished to see what kind of Divine Plant could attract this kind of Heavenly Disaster. Ai Long snorted disdainfully. These simpletons had no idea what they were dealing with. He could make an outline of who was Evolving and even his spine chilled! He was a Dragon, yet that little Fox made him feel fear! Ai Long ignored his Master''s questions. He was looking forward to their dumb faces once they realised that it was not a Plant, but a ''normal'' Beast. Ai Long laughed before coiling around himself, keeping one eye towards the mountain to stop his Master from approaching it. ... The Heavenly Disaster stopped growing on the 6th day. The Human Cultivators no longer felt any desire to possess that Plant-based Beast. They felt fear and reverence for the Plant-based Beast that could attract this unbelievable disaster. The Young Master was stopped a few times by his own pet. He really desired that Plant-based Beast. He knew that it was impossible to contract it, but a few sweet words should attract the Beast''s attention. This was unlike him. Usually, he would use force to get what he wanted. Yet this time, force had no use. He couldn''t understand why Ai Long was stopping him. "Reporting!" Two Advanced Reconnaissance Units rushed inside. "Speak." The Strategist felt haggard, he could not believe the size of that thing. Why didn''t he stay inside his bed and ignore his friend?! The two Advanced Reconnaissance Units looked at each other. The one from ''outside'' went first. "There are flying ships approaching!" He reported. "Oh... the East is not as late as we expected..." The Strategist said haggardly. "It''s not the East!" The Advanced Reconnaissance Unit shouted. "Who is it?" The Strategist looked towards him and it attracted more attention from outside. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. "It''s Fiendish Cultivators!" The Advanced Reconnaissance Unit said gravely. "What?!" Everyone around was shocked, but quickly calmed down. The Strategist was the calmest. "They will crash like everyone else." He shook his head. "That''s..." The Advanced Reconnaissance Unit didn''t know what to say. "What?" The Strategist had very fragile nerves, even more so now that the Heavenly Disaster had increased to this scale. "T-they are not falling..." The Advanced Reconnaissance Unit stuttered. "..." Silence spread, it felt like everyone had a hearing problem. "What...?" The Young Master said. "The restriction zone increased in size." He explained. "But they already passed into the restriction zone and are still flying!" "...!" Everyone took a sharp breath in. How was it possible that they could keep flying, but the Righteous Sects couldn''t? "We have a theory." Another Advanced Reconnaissance Unit from the same team said. "Speak." The Strategist felt exhausted. "They are shrouded in sinister, twisted Qi. It seems that this is not actually a restriction zone, but a zone that targets normal Qi and draws it towards the Evolving Beast!" The Advanced Reconnaissance Unit said. "Oh?" Ai Long smirked. "Not bad for a Human to notice that." Ai Long already knew that this was not a restriction zone, but just a zone without Qi. The Beast had such a high consumption that it was astonishing even to him. But there were things that puzzled him, usually, Nature would take the second brunt of this force, but Nature was brimming with Vitality... He could not understand it at all. The Strategist weakly plopped down. "What is the other report?" He didn''t have the strength to make any plans against this threat. "We have possibly identified a rare Herb!" The other Advanced Reconnaissance Unit said and everyone snorted. They could not believe that they wasted resources like that. "We have asked our and North''s Alchemist to confirm and they unanimously said the same thing." Nobody was listening to this guy talking about Herb when they were in grave danger. "It''s the Heavenly Lightning Lily!" The Advanced Reconnaissance Unit finished his report and another silence spread. They should definitely have their ears checked. It felt like they had a terrible hearing. Heavenly Lightning Lily and in this place without Qi? You are joking. Ai Long laughed and everyone turned towards the Young Master. "You are much more promising than the West guys." He gaggled happily. "I thought you would only find out once it bloomed." All the Cultivators stopped and looked towards the Beast Plane Storage. The Heavenly Lightning Lily was a Treasure beyond imagination. It could actually alter someone''s Spiritual Root upon consumption, or by using it as a Pill it could empower someone''s body so much that they could fight 2 small stages above their own! Another wave of greed spread, but this time they would not back down. That Treasure... they could possess it. They WILL possess it! "Don''t get any funny ideas, Humans." Ai Long snorted disdainfully. "You can''t stop all of us!" One Cultivator said. Ai Long laughed. "Why would I want to stop you? Go, steal it. I will watch from afar and escape once my Master dies." He laughed happily. "Are you betraying me?!" The Young Master was shocked. "Betraying you?" Ai Long snorted. "I don''t have to do anything and you all will die." He shrugged without any concern. "Explain or I will immediately report this to my Father!" The Young Master glared at the Dragon. Ai Long clicked his tongue. "Seriously, all you can do is cry for your Father." He shook his head. "Does anyone know why it''s called Heavenly Disaster?" Ai Long threw this question out. Cultivators exchanged looks, but only a few knew. "It causes Heavenly Lightning to strike the Beast that''s Evolving. The more powerful the Evolution is, the more strikes that will befall this Beast." Humans had something similar at higher stages, so everyone now understood the danger, yet they still planned to rob it. Heavenly Lightning isn''t all that bad. At worst, you will be bedridden for a few years. Ai Long laughed. "Not bad, but you are not right either." "What you described is the Heavenly Blessing, not the Heavenly Disaster." Ai Long patiently explained since he didn''t want to get beaten up by that old bastard. "Unlike the Heavenly Blessing, the Heavenly Disaster is here to kill the Beast since it''s too powerful." The Cultivators nodded like chickens. "In other words, it will reach a few metres wide or at most a dozen." The same Cultivator said rubbing his hands. Most Human Cultivators had Heavenly Lightning no wider than a mere meter strike them. Ai Long stared at them blankly and blurted out. "Are you stupid?" They glared back at him. None of them were familiar with Beast Evolution except the Young Master. "Oh... fuck." The Young Master blurted out his body shaking. "We need to get inside the flying ship now!" The Young Master started to run. Ai Long laughed happily again. "Isn''t it a bit too late now, Master~?" He gaggled with glee. "After all, the size of that lightning is at least the width of the mountain~!" He hummed happily. This would surely kill the Young Master and he would be free! "Shut up!" The Young Master glared at his stupid pet. The other Cultivators watched them panic and it took them quite a long time to process that information. Panic immediately spread and it took the Elders quite a lot of time to calm them down. "We will drive our ships here and crash them near each other. We will use their internal Defensive Formation to form one large Defensive Formation!" Tao Xin shouted. "Everyone who is low on Qi, meditate now! We will need all the Qi we can get! I don''t care that there is no Qi in the air, drain the Forests, Rivers, and Mountains!" Tao Xin immediately ripped the Communication Talisman. It was barely working, but he was able to get the orders through. ... Four ships, three freshly "landed" were stacked together and a large Defensive Formation Formed above the ships. The Northern Sect assisted in this as their ships were not as powerful as the Southern Sect''s or Western sect''s ship. "You will owe me for this one." Tao Xin said towards them. "Tsk. Whatever, you cheating bastard!" Fiend Wang glared at him, but still commanded her Sect to assist with their Qi. "Young Master?" Tao Xin turned towards the Young Master and spoke through Telepathy. "What is it?! I''m busy!" The Young Master was running around his flying ship. He almost never brought any servants with him, so now he had to operate everything by himself. He no longer felt proud for having such a large personal flying ship. "Do we know how many Heavenly Lightnings would descend?" Tao Xin asked. "3." Ai Long said calmly. "The Heavenly Dao can''t issue more in this Lower World." This was the limit of the Heavenly Lightning and while that limit could be bypassed, it would only empower the Evolution... "We have to survive 3 strikes..." Tao Xin felt weak in his knees. The Heavenly Lightning Lily was widely researched as it was considered a Divine Herb, but there was no study that told them how many Heavenly Lightnings it could take on before perishing... "We might need to use our exclusive Treasures from the founder to survive..." Now Tao Xin understood why the Leaders talked about this so gravely... Chapter 255 – Changes and the Fallen Ones… {A bit earlier somewhere} Aiko woke up with a splitting headache. The room was empty without a Soul, yet there was this gnawing feeling, a feeling of home. Aiko looked around, but everywhere was just black. Suddenly someone appeared in front of her. Luna said energetically. "Hello, little Fox as well as your companions, please do not panic, I¡¯m not here to hurt you, but help you. I get some of you may not trust the words of some Outer God, and I just have one thing to say." *A mischievous smirk* Aiko blankly stared at this projection, not sure what to do. "Skip? Can I skip?" Aiko looked around to see if there was some kind of skip button "None of you can avoid this." Luna said with a voice full of mischief. "Well... shit." Aiko frowned. She was trapped in some foreign room with an even more foreign person. "Ah, my apologies for not introducing myself first. My name is Luna, I am from a far off universe ruled by a different Chaos, in my world I am the Goddess of Stars and Space, and the entity known as the Abyss of Fluff." "Right... as if I know what that even means." Aiko plopped on her butt, observing this strange person. "But since you are a Goddess, we can just skip this thing, right?" Aiko looked cutely at Luna. *Luna''s ten tails smoothly wave to show off their perfection.* ''Maybe after I test the fluff levels.'' Aiko was still a bit tired, so she would just nab those tails for a not-so-quick nap. Luna''s projection kept talking. "With the permission of my God of Chaos as well as the entity managing these worlds here, I am going to bless all of you with my Abyssal Fluff Authority. " Aiko readied herself and jumped at Luna''s tails, but as this was just a projection and not the real deal, she passed right through Luna and face-planted on the floor. Aiko begrudgingly rubbed her nose, staring at Luna. "I¡¯ll let you all figure out what exactly the blessing does on your own, but I¡¯ll say this much, as the highest Authority of Fluff in all existences, don¡¯t slack in the care of your Fluff. I¡¯ve made sure the blessing will keep you all motivated to do so." "More things I have to take care of..." Aiko whined and plopped weakly on the floor, waiting for this projection to continue... ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my little Acolyte, it¡¯s not all bad. And it¡¯s not just you, your closest companions, now and in the future, get this. Think about it, though it may not be at my level, you will get tails of the highest fluff available in this universe as beds.¡± Luna spoke with pride. Aiko contemplated the words the projection spoke. Her cute face made Luna giggle and cross her arms, unintentionally pushing her chest up, showing their size. "... bigger than Blood Fox." Aiko wondered if those were even legal... It was only now that Aiko actually took in Luna¡¯s appearance. In a human form, she stood at 195.59 cm and her hair was black, extending to the small of her back, ending in silver tips, which her ears and tails also shared. Though, her tails were also special. They looked like they held a tapestry of the universe in them and every time she moved, the scene seemed to show a different part of it, with space constellations appearing every now and then. Her eyes glowed with a silver light that made Aiko want to take the shinies. She wore a modified black kimono that ended in a skirt flared at her thighs. "Hmm?" Aiko tilted her head cutely. Even as a projection, Aiko could tell something was off with Luna¡¯s clothes. She stood up again and circled around the tall Fox. "Illusion?" Aiko''s mind felt conflicted, as on the one hand this felt like some sort of exhibitionism, but on the other-. ¡°Yep. Much better than normal clothes. Infinite possibilities and nothing is lighter and soundless than illusions.¡± *Mischievous Smirk* ¡°And there is no hassle in putting them on.¡± Luna told the benefits of this special outfit. This made Aiko¡¯s ears twitch. She would definitely save this idea for later. "Exhibitionist." Aiko stuck out her tongue. ¡°Fufufu. Not really, if no one but my Fated One can see through them.¡± Luna said with a hint of amusement. Luna¡¯s projection started to fade as its purpose in delivering the blessing had been fulfilled. "Have I been screwed by an exhibitionist...?" Aiko could not believe it. "At least she is pretty." Aiko nodded gently, expecting Luna to finally fade away, but¡­ Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Ah, before I go for good,¡± Luna popped back in full colour yet again startling Aiko. "Gah!" Aiko plopped back, not expecting her to come back. ¡°Here¡¯s an idea for future fun. Get some lemon juice and capsaicin and put them in glass jars. The lemon jars are called Potions of Greater Hurting and the capsaicin are Enhanced Potions of Greater Hurting. Have fun!¡± Luna waved like a mischievous, happy fox before her projection disappeared for good. Aiko blinked her eyes a few more times, still on guard, expecting another sudden appearance, but at the same time, she processed the information she was given. ''Maybe I will test it on the Mirage Fox.'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. ''But the recipe seems a bit too simple?'' She tilted her head. Aiko looked around once more, the place was now empty. A void filled with nothingness. It felt like she could just lie down and sleep comfortably here, without care in the world. "I supposed that''s my only option..." Aiko slowly closed her eyes. At that moment millions upon millions of eyes popped around her, observing her with curiosity... ... {Back in the Fox Village at the same time} Mei walked outside. The Heavenly Disaster got so big and it made her skin crawl. She wondered what kind of Holy or Sacred Beast was advancing... but at the same time, she worried quite a lot. It was in the direction of where Aiko had that mission. She extor- convinced a few Shadow Guards to spill the secrets about the mission and she worried that Aiko would hit some kind of misfortune. The only thing that put her to use was Pill Refining. Their fates were tied together, so if Aiko had fallen, she would fall too. That did not happen, she even felt that she had luck on her side. The Grandmaster was away, negotiating with the South. The Grandmaster already told Mei about the kind of disaster what was ensuing, but she didn''t know much of the details, just that Foxes were involved. The internal strive heightened thanks to Aiko. Mei did not realise how many Elders took interest in her. Not just the Massage Chair, but even her knowledge about Alchemy. They were interested in how much Aiko was able to learn in this limited time. They were keen on exploiting this to push their own Disciples forward, so that they would stop chasing other Foxes. Mei... did not mind this as they would get benefits, but the wrong side was on the move too. They sent that team after Aiko... yet there was no message back for some time now. That meant that either Aiko dealt with them or they got lost. Mei watched as the Disaster Cloud got even bigger and went inside. It seems like she will have to put her Talisman-making skills to use. She did not create them once she learned Arrays and Formations, so she will be rusty, but she still believed that a few Movement Talismans should still be within her reach... ... {Somewhere else at unknown time} A spear slammed into a large Buddha, yet the damage was negligible. She frowned as she coughed up blood. There were too many Sages around and she would not be able to fend off all of them. Moreover, that mischievous Fox is already too injured to help her. "Give up! We already destroyed 99 of your Mortal Worlds!" One Sage with the Golden Crown sneered. He was part of the old Golden Palace. The Serpent snorted. Those Worlds might be gone, but she would lay her life to protect her last child. All worlds were equal in her eyes. Sure, some were more resourceful than others, but that did not mean they were any better. The Serpent was weak, her spear almost broken. The numerous lights surrounding her laughed with glee. Those were the Sages that invaded her domain. "We have already weakened her, it will take us a few moments to destroy the last Mortal World." The Sage from the old Golden Palace said and everyone agreed. They went towards the Mortal World. All Sages gathered around the tiny spec of light that represented the dying world. All of them gathered energy to crush it. The multicoloured energies mixed, creating a storm that shook the Serpent''s domain. "Since the Phoenix is also on house arrest by her clan, we can finish her linea- ITCHY!" The Sage from the old Golden Palace suddenly screamed. "SO ITCHY!" "MY ASS!" "MY BALLS!" Other Sages joined, some felt pain, and others felt itchy. Then there were those who foamed from their mouths and passed out. The Sages were confused. What was happening? They looked towards the insignificant speck of light and it was shrouded by some kind of energy. "The Moon bit- ITCHY!" The sage from the old Golden Palace scratched his body once again, it felt so unbearably itchy, something that he hadn''t experienced for millennia! *Giggle* A nice and soothing voice spread around. "How cute those bastards roll~" The Serpent with the Fox disappeared in front of their faces. "You-!" Another female Sage glared towards the Moon. *Giggle* The ''Moon'' smiled back. "You look truly wonderful with that rash. Now, now, don''t scratch it so much or it will leave scars." *Giggle* The ''Moon'' was like a mischievous little girl, causing chaos that she could laugh at. Before the Sages could say anything, the Serpent dissapeared collapsing her domain on the way out, causing everyone to cough up blood. The Void gripped them harshly and they were not prepared for it, so they lost a lot of Providence because of this dirty move. All the Sages disappeared from their position and all sat around a large table. "ITCHY!" They were in a sorry state. Even when they gathered 7 Sages, they lost so much, so many Treasures and Providence that they wanted to cry. The Serpent disappeared like she never existed, but the small Mortal World still lived, so she was also still alive. "If the ''Moon'' transported them to her side, it means they are sealed." One of the Sages said with difficulty. They all frowned, but they could not pursue them. They would have to wait it out until the Serpent lost most of her remaining Providence before they would invade the ''Moon''. They were like wounded sitting ducks. They hated this feeling since they were supposed to have overwhelming differences, but they didn''t expect that small Vixen to target their rears, while the Serpent was delivering fatal blows. Another Sage, a Fox, smiled. "It''s good that I had been friends with her for so long, otherwise we would''ve lost." She smiled weakly, but meaningfully. She stabbed her childhood friend, since she was in the way and that almost secured them the victory. Her contributions could not be taken lightly. The other Sages frowned. They also knew this, but didn''t want to admit it. They would have to pay out a lot for those losses, especially for those who tried that hard. The Buddha coughed even more blood before leaving the table. It will take them too much time to recover, but their main goal is finished. The Serpent was no more and with that ''THAT'' being would target the Serpent instead of them. He was not willing to sit with them, since he only wanted to kill that intruder in the Mortal World, but now that the Mortal World was crumbling... there was no need to complicate things further. They all disbanded and went their own ways. Chapter 256 – Goodbyes The Young Master contacted the Foxes with the help of the Southern Sect. It was dangerous if they stayed too close to the mountain, so they convinced them to take sanctuary with them. None had any bad thoughts about the Foxes, everyone just wanted to survive this upcoming disaster. A bit further away they could see the Fiendish Sect flying towards them, but that should be fine since they would get struck down too by the Heavenly Disaster. The Blood Fox at first didn''t want to join them, but Umbra convinced her. The Blood Fox covered the entrance with solidified blood, so no one would try to sneak in. The sky darkened even more. The disaster was upon them. The first lightning fell from the skies. To the shock of everyone, it was much wider than they expected. Not only was it wider than the whole mountain, but it also covered a large part of the forest. The Lightning was bright, signifying death to the Beast that was Evolving. Yet the moment it reached above the mountain, it suddenly shrunk to a very thin lightning. The Heavenly Lightning Lily absorbed the huge column of Heavenly Lightning and bloomed. Usually, it would take thousands upon thousands of Heavenly Lightning strikes before it could bloom, but it bloomed right before their eyes with just a single strike. The terrifying force made everyone shiver and Aiko''s team were now seriously concerned about what might happen to her. They wanted to rush outside, but they also knew that they would be of no help... Some Cultivators'' eyes shone with greed, especially the Alchemist. "Heavenly Grade, Heavenly Lightning Lily...!" One Alchemist in particular rushed outside, but as the whole place was doused with the remnants of the Heavenly Lightning; his body was shocked as soon as he set a foot outside the barrier. He died on the spot. The Cultivators panicked and wanted to go inside the flying ship where it was safer, yet they were blocked by the Elders. "Keep pouring your Qi into the Arrays!" The Elders shouted. They didn''t want to die just because of a few idiots. Even if they had to dry their Qi by force to survive, they would do it. The Foxes did not need to contribute as their Energy was very different, yet a lot of Human Cultivators were dissatisfied. But before anyone could say anything, the place darkened once again. Even more powerful Heavenly Lightning was upon them. The World turned white from the lightning. It galloped towards the mountain, yet once again, a little bit above the mountain, it thinned. The Heavenly Lightning Lily took the brunt once again, but as it had already bloomed, it could not withstand such a force... It perished near instantly and the remaining Heavenly Lightning struck the vines around the mountain. They were great conductors that allowed the lightning to disperse into the surroundings. Unfortunately for the Human Cultivators, that meant there was nothing to protect their barrier from this freshly dispersed Heavenly Lightning. The barrier was struck by it and it creaked and shook. There appeared spiderwebs on the partially broken barrier. A shiver went down everyone''s back and nobody held back any more. They all poured all of their Qi into maintaining the barrier. ... {Meanwhile, inside the mountain} "Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck!" The Seed cursed in Aiko''s fashion, but that was expected. Plants were incredibly fragile when it came to Heavenly Lightning, so when her vines were struck by it, it felt like her body was ripping apart. [??? said that she is concerned about the Special Seed''s Vitality.] [??? revitalised the Special Seed.] "I don''t need your pity!" The Seed roared in anger. There was still one more Heavenly Lightning left, but Aiko''s body was still not finished forming. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. If the Heavenly Lightning descended now, Aiko would surely die. The Seed cried in her mind, all of this Energy, all of this Vitality! She would have nothing left and might even perish if she blocks the next strike! The Seed had a sudden thought of withdrawal, but was stopped by the Essence. [??? said that the deal is still in place.] The Seed cursed in an unknown language. "You scamming piece of shit!" She was absolutely scammed and that was because she got a bit too greedy. Now she had to pay the price for it... The Seed wrapped the whole mountain with Ironwood Vines. Those were good conductors and would disperse at least some of the Heavenly Lightning for the Seed. The Essence also provided Vitality to further strengthen the Ironwood Vines. The Seed disconnected herself from the Ironwood Vines and wrapped another layer inside the small cavern. It now felt like anyone who would enter this place that they were in a small jungle... The Seed would do everything she could to protect herself and her Master. The world outside darkened. It almost felt like it was a night outside even when it was evening. The last Heavenly Lightning descended even more terrifying than the previous two combined. The Ironwood Vines attracted the Heavenly Lightning, but when the Heavenly Lightning touched the Ironwood Vines, they immediately vaporised. They offered no resistance against this kind of Heavenly Disaster. The huge Heavenly Lightning struck the huge mountain, shattering it immediately. Nature was much better at combating the Heavens, so the Heavenly Disaster lost the brunt of it''s might. Yet the Mountain was destroyed as the Heavenly Lightning kept on going. The small jungle created by the Seed was the next to take the brunt. The flowers, vines, trees, everything disappeared in front of the Seed''s eyes. She poured all of her Vitality into them, yet she still was unable to block it. The Ghosts assisted with their Arrays, but those were likewise immediately overwhelmed... There was no chance of survival under these conditions... The Seed now regretted being taken away from that place. It was peaceful even if they used her as an Illusion for their ''real Treasure''. The Seed scoffed at everyone, nobody wanted it since they all believed she was useless. Yet they dared to kidnap her from her Mother... The seed shook her head, it seemed like this would be the end of her short life... The heavenly Lightning was nearing Aiko, but a sudden pull moved the lightning away from her. "One last time." The Seed chuckled with melancholy. [Seed of Time, Space, and Life; 0/100,000,000] -> [Primordial Seed of ####] It was all absorbed by the seed. Her image and her real body cracked as it consumed the Heavenly Lightning. They were not compatible, this would result in mutual destruction. A small streak of Heavenly Lightning reached Aiko and struck her between her eyebrows. Aiko frowned gently murmuring in displeasure. The Seed chuckled. That was so like her... "Maybe next time I will be more honest..." She shook her head weakly as her image was unrecognisable. The Seed cracked more and more until it shattered into nothingness... [Primordial Seed of ####] -> [] ... {Outside after the last strike} The Sky darkened again. All Cultivators plopped on the ground. The only ship that survived this disaster was the Young Master''s ship and even that was battered badly. Yet it seemed like there would be a fourth strike. It seemed the Heavenly Disaster was upset about something, but after another hour it finally retreated... The already weak Cultivators who no longer cared about their lives suddenly saw a light at the end of this endless tunnel. They felt like they spent years under this abuse, yet it was only a few hours... The Advanced Reconnaissance Unit warned everyone that it was not over yet, there were still the Fiendish Cultivators! But when they looked towards them... oh how pitiful. Only one ship out of many survived the abuse and even that one was barely flying in the air. The Cultivators breathed a sigh of relief and let them approach before they would battle them. The Foxes were not as relieved. Seeing the whole mountain get vaporised like that; their hearts were tight. Nothing happened to Aiko, right? She survived, right? Their minds were cloudy. They knew that they had to rush and see for themselves, but their bodies would not listen to them. They were terrified of the chance that Aiko was no more. The Fiendish Cultivators approached and Wanshu suddenly stood up. "I''m sorry." It was a weak and guilty voice. She suddenly sped up away picking up the bastard that she never wished to see again. He forcefully fed her drugs that made her veins bulge and she ran away from this place carrying him. The Umbra was shocked. She didn''t know what to do... check on Aiko or pursue her lover... she couldn''t choose and this hesitation made Wanshu go away. The Blood Fox cared more about Aiko than anyone else, so she stood up weakly. She was terrified, but she still held hope. Before she could wobble over, there was an explosion. "All hail the Fiendish Sect!" The Fiendish Cultivators shouted as they jumped out of the flying ship. They gathered Energies in their Cores, blowing themselves up. Those explosions were powerful and easily shattered the barrier. More and more Fiendish cultivators jumped down and exploded. The Righteous Cultivators were in complete disarray. "Don''t falter! Kill them before they reach us!" Fiend Wang shouted as she used her Techniques to shoot them from the sky. ... The Foxes were no exception to these explosions. The Blood Fox reacted a moment too late and both of them were thrown outside the ship by the explosion. Umbra had it worse as she still didn''t move from her place and didn''t guard, because of the shock she was experiencing. Her limbs were sprawled in all the wrong directions. Her body was bleeding slowly and she had a blank expression on her face. She couldn''t believe what happened in front of her eyes. Was Aiko really dead? Did Wanshu leave her? Her mind was jumbled and she could not think properly. The Blood Fox was a bit better, her body was mostly intact except for the numerous bleeding wounds. She might''ve been late to shield both of them, but the blood inside her body still did protect her. The Blood Fox stretched a Blood shield around them. It could not be shaken by a simple core explosion. She pretty much drained the whole place of the residual blood, creating a thick and powerful protection. The explosion didn''t lessen until all the Fiendish Cultivators died. Everyone was shaken and morning was slowly approaching. The Blood Fox was trying to keep Umbra alive, but her eyes were empty like she gave up on her own life... Chapter 257 – Body changed?! Beauty too?! Previously: [ Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 500 - 500 (Adjustable 500 - 500 -> 0 - 1,000) Species: [Shadow Spirit Fennec Fox (Female, Juvenile, Single-True Tail)] Species: [Moon Fennec Fox (Female, Juvenile, Single-Tail)] Age: 10.5/2,000 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Peak)], [Dream Beast Kitsune(Awakened)] Bloodline: [Moon Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)], [??? - 3/10] -> [??? - 100/10] Beast Rank: Magical Beast Level: 156 (4th Evolution) Providence: 1,000 Profession: [Opportunistic Kleptomaniac (Apprentice 2nd Stage)] Sub-Profession: [Inscription Apprentice (1st Low-Grade Inscription Cultivator)], Wealth: Spirit Crystals: 50,000; Spirit Stones: 177,599; Black Gold Coins: 189,997; Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], [Little Princess], [Shadow Thief], [Master of Sex Toys], [Insatiable Gourmand], [Explorer], [Trickster], [Mischievous Juvenile], [Filthy RICH Den Master], [Juve-barian], [Tail Hunter], [Bath Enjoyer], [Closet Pervert], [Devourer of Vitality], [Bane of Immortal], [One Who makes Immortal Faint], [Glutton], [Walking Runic Encyclopedia], [Backdoor Destroyer], [Cruel Slaughterer], [Plague Master], [Daylight Robber], [Gruesome Craftsman], [Godly Gruesome Pitcher], [Poison Taster], [Idol of Fear], [Masseur], [Gruesome Cook], [(New)Underwear Thief] Cultivation Technique: [Blood Tyrant Scripture], [Moon Goddess Scripture], [Dual Yin Cultivation Scripture (Complete)] Karma Companion: [Mei (Affection: 30,000)] Companion: [Passion Fox (Affection: 80,000)] Servant: [Umbra Fox (Affection: Admires your might and likes you a lot)] Elemental Spirit: [Seed of Life; 321,330/1,000,000] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement)(*1.5-3.75 Lunar Enhancement) HP: 111,815|111,815 (250pH & 0.4%pH) ST: 119,401|119,401 (250pH & 0.4%pH) Vitality: 57,848|57,848 (25pH & 0.4%pH)(1%pH - Insatiable Gourmand) Vigour: 65,434 Beast Cores(65%->70%): 22,000 (54,080) Moonlight Qi: 54,080 Toughness: 57,329 Strength: 64,414 Agility: 73,090*2 Dexterity: 57,899*1.5 Mind: 98,727*2 Divine Sense: 94,000 -> 150,000 Insight: 32,090 Soul: 32,981 Beauty: 532,267*1.55 Luck: 105,819*1.02 Stat Points: 55,385 Skill Points: 35,986 Elemental Affinity: [Moon - 0], [Shadow - 2], [Earth - 8], [Soul''s Affection: 1] Martial Arts: [Lightness Technique] Martial Ability: [The Ever Shaping Cauldron: - ; -/-], [Heavenly Suppression Technique(Prototype, Incomplete)] Innate Ability: [Beast Core Formation] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####], [Soul Palace: Developed 1m3], [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)], [Moon''s Eyes], [Moon''s Crust] Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered], [Earthen Walk: Mastered], [Appraisal: Lv.2], [Lunar Nurturing Meditation: Lv.3], [Assimilate (Shadows)], Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.3], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Lunar Enhancement: Mastered], [Agility Mastery: Mastered], [Intention Perception: Mastered], [Basic Presence Concealment: Mastered], [Universal Recovery: Lv.4], [Divine Calligraphy: Lv.2], [Shadow Swimming: Lv.1], [Perfect Memory: Lv.1] Skills: [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Lacerate: Mastered], [Sprint: Mastered], [Quick Double Jump: Mastered], [Camouflage: Mastered], [Sleeping: Lv.2] Passive Skills: [Stealth: Mastered], [Prehensile Mastery: Lv.1], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Thermal Regulation: Lv.2], [Demonic Intimidation: Lv.5], [Linguistics: Mastered], [Silent Swimming: Mastered], [Enhanced Climbing: Mastered], [Enhanced Basic Senses: Mastered], [Brilliant Mind: Mastered], [Picturesque Beauty: Lv.2], [Four Leaf Clover: Lv.2], [Assassin Mastery: Mastered], [Dexterous Fingers: Mastered], [Inscription Mastery: Mastered], [Alchemy Mastery: Lv.2], [Greater Poison Resistance: Mastered] Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], [Blessing of N¨¹wa], [Blessing of the Goddess of Moon] Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x2,685], [Skill Coupon x2], [Skill Combination Coupon x2], [Cultivation Gift], [Sub-Profession Coupon x2], [Divine Ability Gift], [Sub-Profession Coupon(Servant)], [Cultivation Gift(Servant)], [Ability Coupon], [Bloodline Gift], [Bloodline Gift(Servant)], [Ability Combination Coupon x2], [Profession Coupon], [Karma Bound], [Black Inscription Master Token], [Essence of ####], [Bloodline Book], [How to obtain Bloodline 101], [Book of Providence] ] ... ... Aiko woke up, she was feeling wet all over her body. She was in a strange pond. [Heavenly Blessed Light-Water] Aiko blinked a few times. It was unlikely for the system to provide her information. [Blessed Rock] Aiko could not understand what was wrong with the system. She also felt like she slept for a very long time after a long day of work... but she didn''t believe she worked all that hard? Aiko tilted her head, she felt very weak? Did she really work that hard? Aiko stumbled until finally getting up, her centre of gravity was very off for some reason. Looking around, the scenery was strange. Sure, there was a lot of destruction and everything, but she felt she was standing too high?! What was going on?! Aiko looked down on her body, but she was unable to see anything. She smacked those annoying things away, only for her to wince in pain. "What the fuck???" Aiko was confused, not understanding what was happening. She fondled that strange disturbance, only for her to moan. Aiko was startled and glared at that pair hatefully. It was then she noticed that the ground was oddly further away from her. She looked back at the small pond, but for some reason that pond was gone?! Aiko was more and more confused by the minute. She had to walk quite far away before she was able to look into another pond, but for some reason, even this one was draining quite quickly... Aiko was shocked at the silhouette portrayed in the pond. She was around 170 cm tall. Her hair was silver but with green streaks here and there. The tips of her comically large ears were black, as were the ends of her hair and tails. Her tails were huge, so much in fact that she would be able to hide inside one of them if she wanted! Her face could only be described as Seductress or Vixen, as the mere words of hot or gorgeous just didn''t match that description. She still retained her proportion of small nose and lips. Her eyes were light blue and green. The biggest change other than her height was her body. Saying that she had a buxom body was an understatement. Those hateful peaks were at least D in size, if not more. Her legs are longer than what she is used to and much thicker. Aiko touched them gently, only for that sensation to send a shiver down her spine. Aiko concluded that touching her own body was not an option! Gazing more, she also looked a lot chubbier compared to her usual self, but she was not chubby in the complete sense. She could not grab any kind of fat on her belly; it was all skin and a very, very thin layer of fat. Aiko concluded that it must be how buxom bodies looked and stopped dwelling on it. Her two tails were bushy as hell, as stated previously, she could hide inside them if she wanted, the only thing that would peek outside would be her hateful peaks. They were so heavy and uncomfortable... Aiko shook her head, but she suddenly paused. "How am I supposed to dress?" Instead of that slightly childish and rebellious voice, came out a very sensual and arousing voice. Aiko was shocked and frowned again. ''Am I not allowed to even speak?!'' She snorted unhappily. Aiko then looked at her system to get everything straight... [ Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 500 - 500 (Adjustable 500 - 500 -> 0 - 1,000) Species: [Shadow Spirit Fennec Fox (Female, Adult, Single-True Tail)] Species: [Blessed Moon Fennec Fox (Female, Adult, Single-True Tail)] Age: 30/2,000 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Peak)], [Dream Beast Kitsune(Awakened)] Bloodline: [Moon Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)], [??? - 100/10] -> [Primordial Dew Goddess Kitsune (Dormant)] Beast Rank: Magical Beast (Holy Spirit Beast Rank (Temporary)) Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Level: 156 -> 50 (4th Evolution->5th Evolution) Providence: 1,000 -> 10,000 (Suppressed) Profession: [Opportunistic Kleptomaniac (Apprentice 2nd Stage)] Sub-Profession: [Inscription Apprentice (1st Low-Grade Inscription Cultivator)], Wealth: Spirit Crystals: 50,000; Spirit Stones: 177,599 -> 77,599; Black Gold Coins: 189,997; Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], [Little Princess], [Shadow Thief], [Master of Sex Toys], [Insatiable Gourmand], [Explorer], [Trickster], [Mischievous Juvenile], [Filthy RICH Den Master], [Juve-barian], [Tail Hunter], [Bath Enjoyer], [Closet Pervert], [Devourer of Vitality], [Bane of Immortal], [One Who makes Immortal Faint], [Glutton], [Walking Runic Encyclopedia], [Backdoor Destroyer], [Cruel Slaughterer], [Plague Master], [Daylight Robber], [Gruesome Craftsman], [Godly Gruesome Pitcher], [Poison Taster], [Idol of Fear], [Masseur], [Gruesome Cook], [Underwear Thief], [(New)One Who Survived Against All Odds] Cultivation Technique: [Blood Tyrant Scripture (Mortal Form)], [Moon Goddess Scripture (Mortal Form)], [Dual Yin Cultivation Scripture (Complete, Immortal Form)] Karma Companion: [Mei (Affection: 30,000)] Companion: [Passion Fox (Affection: 80,000 -> Obsession)] Servant: [Umbra Fox (Affection: Admires your might and likes you a lot)] Elemental Spirit: [Seed of Life; 321,330/1,000,000] -> [Seed of Time, Space, and Life; 0/100,000,000] -> [Primordial Seed of ####] -> [] Stats: (Dew Form) HP: 111,815|111,815 -> 219,223|219,223 (250pH & 0.4%pH) ST: 119,401|119,401 -> 140,577|140,577 (250pH & 0.4%pH) Vitality: 57,848|57,848 -> 159,790|159,790 (25pH & 0.4%pH)(1%pH - Insatiable Gourmand) Vigour: 65,434 -> 81,144 Beast Cores(70%->80%): 22,000 (54,080 -> 56,100) Moonlight Qi: 54,080 Dew Essence: 10,369 (-1/s) Toughness: 57,329 -> 3,104 Strength: 64,414 -> 3,177 Agility: 73,090*2 -> 6,564 (3,282*2) Dexterity: 57,899*1.5 -> 4,618 (3,079*1.5) Mind: 98,727*2 -> 149,066 (74,533*2) Divine Sense: 150,000 Insight: 32,090 -> 34,110 Soul: 32,981 -> 35,001 Beauty: 532,267*1.55 -> 86,529,478 (55,825,470*1.55) Luck: 105,819*1.02 -> 47,549 (46,617*1.02) Stat Points: 55,385 -> 55,710 Skill Points: 35,986 -> 36,311 Elemental Affinity: [Moon - 0 -> Moon''s Affection - 1], [Shadow - 2], [Earth - 8], [Soul''s Affection: 1 -> 3], [(New)Water - 8] Martial Arts(Sealed): [Lightness Technique] Martial Ability(Sealed): [The Ever Shaping Cauldron: - ; -/-], [Heavenly Suppression Technique(Prototype, Incomplete)] Innate Ability(Sealed): [Beast Core Formation] Divine Ability(Sealed - Partially): [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####], [Soul Palace: Developed 1m3 -> ####], [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)], [Moon''s Eyes], [Moon''s Crust], [(New)Dew Fox Incarnate] Ability(Sealed - Partially): [Shadow Walk: Mastered], [Earthen Walk: Mastered], [Appraisal: Lv.2], [Lunar Nurturing Meditation: Lv.3], [Assimilate (Shadows)], Passive Ability(Sealed - Partially): [Desert adaptation: Lv.3], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Lunar Enhancement: Mastered], [Agility Mastery: Mastered], [Intention Perception: Mastered], [Basic Presence Concealment: Mastered], [Universal Recovery: Lv.4], [Divine Calligraphy: Lv.2], [Shadow Swimming: Lv.1], [Perfect Memory: Lv.1] Skills: [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Lacerate: Mastered], [Sprint: Mastered], [Quick Double Jump: Mastered], [Camouflage: Mastered], [Sleeping: Lv.2] Passive Skills: [Stealth: Mastered], [Prehensile Mastery: Lv.1], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Thermal Regulation: Lv.2], [Demonic Intimidation: Lv.5], [Linguistics: Mastered], [Silent Swimming: Mastered], [Enhanced Climbing: Mastered], [Enhanced Basic Senses: Mastered], [Brilliant Mind: Mastered], [Picturesque Beauty: Lv.2], [Four Leaf Clover: Lv.2], [Assassin Mastery: Mastered], [Dexterous Fingers: Mastered], [Inscription Mastery: Mastered], [Alchemy Mastery: Lv.2], [Greater Poison Resistance: Mastered] Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], [Blessing of N¨¹wa], [Blessing of the Goddess of Moon], [Blessing of #### Luna] Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x2,685], [Skill Coupon x2], [Skill Combination Coupon x2], [Cultivation Gift], [Sub-Profession Coupon x2], [Divine Ability Gift], [Sub-Profession Coupon(Servant)], [Cultivation Gift(Servant)], [Ability Coupon], [Bloodline Gift], [Bloodline Gift(Servant)], [Ability Combination Coupon x2], [Profession Coupon], [Karma Bound], [Black Inscription Master Token], [Essence of ####], [Bloodline Book], [How to obtain Bloodline 101], [Book of Providence] Tails Storage: [Heavenly Blessed Light-Water 1,000L] ] Aiko''s eyes rolled backwards and she almost foamed out of her mouth! "What do you mean that my strength is only 3,000?!" Aiko gripped the System menu. She looked a bit lower. "E-e-eighty million?!" Aiko staggered like she was hit with a hammer. She weakly plopped on the ground. "What am I going to do..." She wanted to cry as most of her possessions were destroyed during Evolution. "This is too much!" Aiko cried out in distress about this whole situation. The Dew Essence was slowly ticking down and Aiko could only whine for the time being. ... She was so overwhelmed she didn''t look at the rest for the time being. The shocking revelation that her Beauty reached such astronomic numbers made her unable to think about other things. "Where are the others..." Aiko gently cried, like a beauty in distress. If there was anyone around, they would pledge their lives to her in a heartbeat! Aiko was worried that her team would be struck by the Disaster she found around herself, but fortunately, the contract told her that they were quite far away. Aiko stood up and tapped the Sect Token. She can''t be running around like this! But... unfortunately for Aiko, her body was too different. The clothing that she got was extremely tight, almost suffocating. Moreover, she couldn''t run, as that would cause her already spilling bosom to bounce free! She was more and more upset about her chest, but why was this dress so small!? It was like she was wearing a stupidly slutty short skirt! She had to readjust it every few steps, otherwise she would be no different than that strange exhibitionist with a huge bust and beautiful tails! "If you are going to screw me over like that at least let me sleep in your tails!" Aiko stomped angrily, but she was weak and looked like a fragile beauty that was angry, which warmed the heart. ... Aiko made her way to the scenery of destruction. She was shocked at the scale of things. What happened while she was asleep?! Did they pursue them when she kidnapped that Princess?! And how is that Princess doing?! Aiko tried searching, but only found a few Storage Rings, no Special Storage Pouch. Moreover, for some reason, her hands would always get wet whenever she ruffled her tails. She could not understand why... Aiko lost too many things, but that was not important now. She had to know what happened and how things escalated into this kind of disaster! Aiko moved slowly, unable to transform into her Fox form, which was really troublesome, moreover, her weight distribution was also all over the place thanks to 4 certain huge things... After an awfully long walk, Aiko was finally able to get to the clearing. There was a lot of destruction and a lot of ship parts and bodies lying around. Fortunately, nobody paid attention to her and she was able to walk towards the strange dome made out of blood. Aiko knew that her team was inside, but... how did she get inside? She could not use [Earthen Walk] and many others. She really needs to check her system properly, but first were her companions! ''Can you let me in?'' Aiko connected through her contract and asked her team. She could feel that the Blood Fox was flustered. The blood dome created a small hole for Aiko, but that really upset her. "I know I''m not the slimmest, but you don''t have to rub it into my face!" Aiko yelled, stomping her feet. That attracted everyone''s attention, as no one else would yell in this kind of situation. Aiko yelped, she didn''t want to be seen like this so she did her best to crawl her way inside. Fortunately, the Blood Fox, while flustered, still knew what to do and widened the hole for Aiko to pass. "Phew..." Aiko''s very limited dress was a mess and the Blood Fox had quite the piercing gaze on her. "Don''t look at me like that! This is not my fault!" Aiko pouted and looked around to find Umbra. Umbra was sprawled on the ground barely breathing and Aiko''s heart skipped a beat. "Is she alright?" Aiko asked the Blood Fox, but she shook her head. Aiko was distressed and came closer to Umbra. She couldn''t believe what she was seeing and hearing. "Mistress..." Umbra was not herself. "She left me..." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I''m glad you are alright, Mistress... I''m a failure..." The sentences didn''t quite make sense, but Aiko kept listening. Umbra spilt her heart about what happened and how she is a failure. "What are you doing?" Aiko wiped Umbra''s tears. Umbra kept silent, she didn''t understand what her Mistress meant. "Why aren''t you kidnapping her if you care so much about her?" Aiko tilted her head. Her voice was like a devil''s whispers. "What were you doing while she was being taken away? Did you just to watch and decide not to act? Could you help me in that situation?" Aiko kept nudging her, watching how Umbra was left speechless with her mouth open. The Darkness quivered. "I... love her..." Umbra confessed. To the wrong person, but she still admitted that she loved Wanshu. "Then what are you waiting for?" Aiko''s eyes darkened, but her body stayed the same. She was like a whispering devil, nudging the victim. "I... can''t move... I''m dying... I don''t want to die... I want to meet Wanshu and question her..." Umbra murmured on her deathbed. "Will you serve me in all lifetimes?" Aiko suddenly asked, her eyes shining in a strange colour. "I always would and always will." Umbra coughed up blood weakly. "But it seems like this lifetime is not for me to serve you..." She said sadly. She really enjoyed her time with Aiko, but she could feel her body growing weak... ''Oi, bastards, you know what to do.'' Aiko commanded the Darkness. The Darkness shook. There was a silence before they spoke. ''Use the stone, the pretty one, the black one.'' ''Add Vitality to it, Evolution is guaranteed.'' Aiko nodded gently. "It''s time for you to rise." She smiled like a Devil pulling out the [Strange Black Stone] that she bought on the market from that old lady. She placed it on Umbra as said by the Darkness. ''How do I do the Vitality part?'' Aiko tilted her head. ''Bite your finger, the small one, the big one?'' ''Imagine squeezing your Vitality into a single drop, but don''t overdo it.'' Aiko nodded gently, but since Umbra was now freshly sworn to her, she would naturally overdo it. She bit her finger and unlike what she expected, there was no red blood, but golden blood. It was somewhat dull and unimpressive. Aiko imagined squeezing her Vitality into that single drop and she positioned her hand above Umbra. Aiko kept squeezing and squeezing. -50,000 Vitality -50,000 Vitality [Vitality: 59,790|159,790] Aiko thought that it was not enough, so she kept going. -50,000 Vitality -50,000 Vitality ''You are overdoing it!'' The Darkness shouted in fear, but Aiko ignored it. [User has died.] [User''s Title: [One Who Survived Against All Odds] protected the User! User''s Vitality will go into negatives.] -50,000 Vitality -50,000 Vitality ... ...... ......... [Vitality: -840,210|159,790] "Phew, that should be enough." Aiko''s voice was very hoarse, like she hadn''t drunk in ages. Her body also looked like it was completely drained of Vitality, looking more like an emaciated corpse being puppeted than anything living. The Blood Fox moved near Aiko as the single drop fell onto Umbra. The Blood Fox wanted to cover Aiko, but her eyes widened as an explosion happened. She covered Aiko and herself with a Blood Barrier. Their surroundings changed and everyone looked over... Chapter 258 – Evolution and Bark for me! A storm brewed Around Umbra as her body rapidly changed. Yet no clouds formed above her, unlike what Aiko experienced. The Blood Barrier covered both of them as Umbra Evolved. Aiko was left slightly speechless as she didn''t expect this. They waited out the Evolution as more curious Cultivators got closer. There was a new Fox in the town which smelled incredibly nice. They wanted to convince that Fox to join their teams. ''If you are smart, Master, you will befriend her.'' Ai Long said gently with reverence in his eyes. ''Why can''t I just contract her?'' The Young Master frowned. ''That is also not a bad idea.'' Ai Long nodded. ''The faster your father kills you, the better for me.'' ''Why would Father kill me for contracting a simple Fox?'' The Young Master didn''t understand. ''Ask your father about Immortal Dew and you will know.'' Ai Long stopped talking, but still stared towards the Foxes. One finished their evolution, whilst another started theirs. He did not know how that happened, as that Fox was on her deathbed mere moments ago and the only thing he was able to notice was that burst of extremely potent vitality inside the Blood Barrier. ''Things will get... interesting...'' Ai Long narrowed his eyes. ''Especially now that the Heavenly Dao is temporarily not working.'' He laughed in his mind. He would be able to Evolve safely without fearing the threat of a Heavenly Disaster striking him, but he didn''t have the Energy to do so... ''Let''s hope my kin uses this opportunity well.'' Ai Long could smell that the new Fox was bathed by the Heavenly Disaster, and that thick smell made him want to puke. It was not because it was a disgusting smell, but the sheer power behind that smell made his skin crawl with fear. ''Dragons definitely won''t mess with her.'' He narrowed his eyes. ... The other Cultivators approached until the Young Master stopped them. He knew that Ai Long was somewhat stupid, but he cherished his freedom above all else, which meant that his words held some truth. "Why can''t we approach?" The Strategist asked. "You will get in the way once she finishes." Ai Long spoke lightly, but he was able to hear the conversation between the Foxes. ''It''s soon time for me to step in...'' He narrowed his large eyes slightly. ... Their surroundings darkened suddenly. An unnatural change with Umbra at the heart of it. Her body swirled with darkness, but this Evolution was rather quick. Soon the black shadow dispersed, revealing the new Umbra. Her body could not be seen as it was being coiled by the darkness. Instead of a face, there was a strange sinister mask. Her bushy tail was also nowhere to be seen, being replaced by what looked like a sinister snake. Aiko''s mind spun as she stared at Umbra, for some reason she quite liked that cute tail. She would definitely get this Evolution for herself! Umbra was shocked and confused by this transformation. She looked at her hands that were supposed to be Human, both of them were shrouded in the darkest darkness she had ever seen, shaping itself into large sharp claws for her fingers. She looked incredibly sinister, except for Aiko''s eyes which found her as cute as other found her sinister. "Wohooo!" Aiko cheered Umbra, startling her slightly. Umbra took a few steps, appearing in front of Aiko, which shocked Aiko. ''Even faster than me?!'' Aiko smiled from ear to ear and for some unknown reason, Umbra looked away. "Mistress." Umbra''s voice was incredibly soft. Aiko nodded gently. [Would you like to name your Soul Servant?] Aiko was startled. ''What is that?'' [Soul Servant is a being that is subservient to you.] A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ''No, I mean-'' Before Aiko could ask properly, the system continued. [Soul Servant: A being that will never separate from you once they die. Their cycle of life and death is decided by you. Their subservience is unquestionable.] Aiko had a slightly better understanding of this, not that much better, but good enough to know what she wanted. ''Was it because I used the Bloodline thingy on her?'' When the explosion happened, Aiko accidentally tapped the [Bloodline Gift(Servant)]. It was by a complete accident, but it seemed that this accident paid off greatly! ''Maybe I should try the [Cultivation Gift(Servant)] too?'' Aiko narrowed her eyes, but chose not to do so, just in case something was wrong with the [Bloodline Gift(Servant)]. She can test it out later now that she knows that Umbra will never leave her. ''But a name, huh?'' Aiko sighed. She was not good with names... ''Maybe...'' Aiko tilted her head. "Your name..." Aiko spoke gently, her tender and sweet voice caressing everyone. Umbra especially shook, since only some Foxes were given true names. ''How about Yuxi.'' Aiko thought that it was a good fit, since the new Umbra was like the night tide. She would be able to crush anyone during the night like an unstoppable tide. ''I live to serve my Mistress.'' Umbra, now Yuxi, kneeled in front of Aiko and waited. "What are you waiting for~?" Aiko hummed happily as the new ''tail'' was very interested in her. Yuxi tilted her head, not understanding what Aiko meant. "Where is Wanshu?" Aiko looked around with a smile. Yuxi''s eyes shook and she bowed. "Now, shoo shoo." Aiko shooed Yuxi away as her first assignment was given. "Yes, Mistress." Yuxi pursed her lips and disappeared from her place. "... Isn''t that a bit too quick...?" Aiko felt that she had lost the title of being the fastest on her team. Seeing the confused and sad Aiko, the Blood Fox pursed her lips. ''She smells way too good, I should make some distance between us...'' The Blood Fox was intoxicated by Aiko. She felt like she was in a bad spot since Aiko was too weak currently, but if she stayed with Aiko like this, the Blood Fox knew for a fact that she would become completely obsessed with this smell! Aiko weakly leaned back, startling the Blood Fox. The grip around Aiko tightened. "Now we can see face to face~!" Aiko smiled from ear to ear, making the Blood Fox blush a deep red. Aiko had a slight... issue with being so small, since it felt like everyone was looking down on her from high up. Now that things changed, she was slightly upset that she was this big, since it would be harder to nail people''s asses. ''I hope I can fix that later...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. She could never be satisfied... ... After the strange bone-chilling Fox disappeared their greed resurfaced, but before they could move a huge Dragon appeared in front of them, almost crushing them. "Long, congratulates the Holy Fox for a successful Evolution against all odds." Ai Long bowed in front of Aiko which made everyone speechless, including the Young Master since it felt like he was slapped on the cheeks. Aiko tilted her head. "Do we know each other?" She couldn''t understand this custom. "No, I merely pay my respects to someone who survived such a disaster." Ai Long said gravely, putting emphasis on the ''disaster'' part, so that everyone knows that it''s this Fox that had that cruel Evolution. [You have gained a new Title: [Respect from Dragons]!] Aiko blinked a few times. This was not a bad title... [You have gained a new Title: [Greed from Humans]!] Never mind, she didn''t like the next one, but that was fine. Aiko felt like she would be able to get rid of it sooner or later. "In that case, thank you." Aiko nodded gently, her smell and voice caressed the Dragon making him flustered. "W-well..." Ai Long was flustered since he couldn''t believe how strong that smell was! That was not in the knowledge that he inherited! "You wouldn''t happen to have glue, would you?" Aiko smiled sinisterly, but her beauty was too high to affect anyone negatively. The Dragon shook his head, but then he paused. His tail wrapped around his Master and he brought him closer to Aiko. "My Master should have what you seek." Ai Long spoke highly of his Master for the first time since forever. ''Now don''t be stupid and fulfil her wishes! We will only gain from befriending her!'' ''Says someone who slapped me in the face with this event!'' The Young Master snorted unhappily. ''Don''t make me kill you just to retrieve some simple glue.'' Ai Long threatened the Young Master through their usual telepathy. The Young Master clicked his tongue. "I have some glue, but it''s really strong." He narrowed his eyes trying to figure out this Fox, but in his eyes, she was barely alive... Aiko nodded happily. "Now I will need sand." She smiled sinisterly. Ai Long immediately picked up a rock and crushed it into fine, small particles that could act as sand. "Please use this." He smiled while wagging his tail. Aiko was visibly confused, but accepted this gesture. She pulled out the special torture tool, which was just a chastity belt for males. She opened the insides, poured some glue onto the metal inner walls and then used the fine gravel as the filling, creating an improvised sandpaper. "Almost finished." Aiko smiled from ear to ear. Now she just needed to make it vibrate, which was easy since her hand recovered from that poison. She still felt some discomfort, but that should fade over time. Aiko grabbed her special Inscription Carving Pen and started her engraving. The ambient Qi visibly dropped and this time the Young Master was shocked. "Inscription Emperor?!" His voice quivered and he now understood why the Dragon was like that. His reason was completely off, but that was fine. "Just Master." Aiko briefly replied and everyone choked. ''This is not how an Inscription Master works!'' Everyone wanted to retort and scold her, but Aiko''s insane beauty made them only go: "Your Heavenly Calligraphy is unmatched!" "Your beauty can rival the Heavens!" "Your steady grip can put Inscription Emperors to shame!" And so on... Aiko was bothered by their words, but kept writing until she finished a very simple Vibration Inscription. Aiko nodded gently. Now that she has prepared this for Yuxi, they just have to pursue her. "Please wait." One Cultivator said. "I have fallen in love with you, can you please-" "Drop-dead you pervert!" Aiko was disgusted and she said that on impulse. And he... he really dropped dead. His heart stopped beating and he had a blissful expression on his face. Aiko was even more repulsed as others kept saying the same thing. "You all bark like dogs!" Aiko scoffed at them. "Bark, Bark." "Woof, Woof." Aiko was shocked and hid behind the Blood Fox. Her soft bosom pressed on the Blood Fox''s back making her own back straighten to get away from that tempting sensation. Unfortunately, Aiko was right behind her and the Blood Fox could only softly moan in her mind... Chapter 259 – Aiko’s Scary Power and Pursuit "I don''t like them." Aiko was still hidden behind the Blood Fox, watching the Human Cultivators cautiously. The Elders snapped out of it and used their Divine Sense to put their Disciples to sleep. They were horrified at this Fox''s power and did not underestimate her. The South Cultivators now understood why they had to prevent the North from getting this ''Treasure''. ''A voice that can destroy Empires...'' Tao Xin shook his head. It was a good thing that he still had a bit of strength left to put his Shadows to sleep, otherwise their losses would be too great. Fiend Wang shared the same sentiment, but at the same time was excited about this Fox. She smelled so good that she wouldn''t mind going out with her. "I''m troubled, Mistress." The Blood Fox used polite language to forget the fact that Aiko''s soft cushions were pressed on her back. Fiend Wang''s lips twitched. She could not believe that the Fox had so many... It made her sad she was not single. "But they are weird! Look at their faces!" Aiko pointed at the faces of the sleeping Human Cultivators. They all, without exception, had the same silly grin on their faces. The Blood Fox pursed her lips. "We won''t cook any meat today if you stay behind me." Aiko whined like she was being wronged but took a step back. The Blood Fox sighed in relief that that still worked and even more so since she was almost losing control. "So, what happened here that there is so much destruction?" Aiko asked her teammate. ''You happened!'' The Elders wanted to say, but held it in since they didn''t know how much more powerful this Fox was. The Blood Fox slowly nodded and explained the situation. ... Aiko had a deep frown on her face. No wonder that the Seed no longer buggered her, it died because of the lightning... ''That means I will have to change my gardening plans...'' Aiko didn''t like that. At the edge of her sight, she spotted a strange... large mouse? Weasel? What was that animal and why did it have such strange auburn fur? That small animal scurried away soon after and it also had a large backpack on its back. Aiko tilted her head, but didn''t dwell on it. ''If any of you can get your hands on "capsasin" or "lemon juice" or just straight up "Potion of Hurting" or "Enhanced Potions of Greater Hurting" that would be great~'' Aiko hummed gently through the contract. They were all still close by so both of her teammates heard her. ''Very well.'' The Blood Fox replied, while Yuxi only gave a brief hum. Aiko nodded gently, waiting for the Blood Fox to finish all of what happened. "So basically, kill the North and be happy about the South? What about that guy?" Aiko pointed at the Young Master with his Dragon. The Blood Fox didn''t see anything wrong with what Aiko said so she continued. "He shielded us when you were Evolving, so he can be considered an ally... but he also eyed us up and down." She didn''t forget to add something negative so that Aiko would not like him. Aiko glared at the Young Master. "Those are my tails!" She pointed at the Blood Fox tails. "Find your own, bastard!" *Ptooey* Aiko spat on the ground, but that ground flourished with flowers, startling her greatly. ''I can''t even spit now.'' Aiko groaned in her mind. The Young Master pursed his lips. She was not entirely wrong about that point, but it still hurt when she said it like that. "I have no intention of doing anything like that-" The Young Master tried to defend himself, but Aiko interrupted him. "While I stare at your tits!" Aiko spat at him and he could only look away. "And what about those bastards sneaking around?" Aiko pointed at another group of Cultivators. Those were fiendish Cultivators that survived the onslaught of the Northern, Western, and Southern powers. "I don''t know who they are." The Blood Fox tilted her head and then it clicked. "It''s probably those Cultivators that hurt Umbra." She nodded repeatedly since she did not see them around. "Drop dead you assholes!" Aiko scoffed at them with bloodlust and as she expected, they just toppled over and died on the spot. "Hmpf! You dare hurt my teammates!" Aiko snorted disdainfully and Fiend Wang recoiled. "I only did it because I was ordered by our Elders!" She suddenly shouted. "My wifey is not a bad person at heart, please forgive her." Tao Xin stepped in for his wife. Aiko''s lips twitched. "Pay up your dues and scram." She shooed them away, this whole thing was exhausting for her especially now that her Vitality was in negatives. "Well..." Fiend Wang coughed awkwardly. "What?" Aiko glared at her. "Our ships got destroyed, so it''s hard for us to leave..." Fiend Wang blushed awkwardly, they used cheap ships since they didn''t expect interference, but that saved them a lot of expenses... If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Aiko rolled her eyes. "There is a functioning flying ship so use it." She pointed at the flying ship that the Young Master used and at the same moment a piece of that flying ship fell down. "Mostly functional." Aiko corrected her sentence with slight awkwardness. "It can''t fly any more..." The Young Master pursed his lips. His Levitation Stone was shattered by the explosions of Qi, which meant that his flying ship was now just a ship... Aiko stared at those bastards speechlessly. She could not believe the gall of those people! ... Yuxi sped up through the forest in her [Nightmare Form], she was more used to it now, but something bothered her. (How Umbra started (for those curious): [ Name: Umbra Fox Species: [Shade Spirit Fox(Female, Adult, Single-Tail)] Age: 30/1,000 Bloodline: [Shadow Fox(Awakened)] Beast Rank: Magical Beast Providence: 100 Title: [Unseen Shadow], [Loyal] Mistress: [Aiko] Companion: [Blood Fox] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement) HP: 60,000|60,000 ST: 60,000|60,000 Vitality: 15,000|15,000 Vigour: 15,000 Beast Core(60%): 5,000 (15,000) Shadow Qi: 15,000 Toughness: 15,000 Strength: 15,000 Agility: 18,750 (15,000*1.25) Dexterity: 15,000 Mind: 15,000 Insight: 10,000 Soul: 10,100 Beauty: 150,000 Luck: 45,000 Elemental Affinity: [Shadow - 3] Divine Ability: [Shadow Incarnation], [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)] Ability: [Shadow Suppression], [Shadow Spikes] Passive Ability: [Shadow Enhancement] ] ) [ Name: Yuxi (Umbra Fox) Species: [Nightmare Spirit Fox(Female, Adult, Single-Tail (Pseudo Two-Tails))] Age: 38/1,000 Bloodline: [Nightmare Fiend Fox(Awakened)(Shadow Fox+Dream Fiend Kitsune)], [####] Beast Rank: Spirit Beast Providence: 1,000 Title: [Unseen Shadow], [Subservient], [Overflowing with Vitality], [Missing half] Soul Master: [Aiko (Affection: Adores you)] Companion: [Blood Fox (Affection: Likes you)], [Mei (Affection: Conflicted about you)], [Wanshu (Affection: Always together~ ??)] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement)(*2.5 Nightmare Mode (Can be used with Shadow Enhancement)) HP: 440,000|440,000 ST: 620,000|620,000 Vitality: 110,000|110,000 Vigour: 170,000 Beast Core(80%): 20,000 (90,000) Shadow Qi: 10,000 Toughness: 110,000 Strength: 110,000 Agility: 212,500 (170,000*1.25) Dexterity: 140,000 Mind: 55,000 Insight: 70,000 Soul: 70,000 Beauty: 1,100,000 Luck: 330,000 Elemental Affinity: [Shadow''s Affection - 1] Innate Ability: [Nightmare Mode] Divine Ability: [Nightmare Incarnation], [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)(Suppression bypassed)] Ability: [Nightmare Armour], [Little Nightmare], [Nightmare Threads] Passive Ability: [Shadow Enhancement], [Resistance against Nightmares] ] What was this strange window and what did it show? Yuxi could not understand it. There were numbers and names, but she only understood very little. The name of the system was also strange. Who was ####? Did Aiko also see it like this? And why can''t she say the name out loud, but she could still read it? Yuxi had many questions, yet her goal was still the same. She wanted to question Wanshu and she would do so. Her [Little Nightmare] guided her. She could not understand its speech, but she understood its feelings. Whenever she would go the wrong way, the [Little Nightmare] would be dissatisfied. Why did she think that was the case? Instinct. She felt a lot more powerful and her animalistic instinct likewise got stronger thanks to it. Yuxi now understood why Aiko liked being this quick. Everything was so slow in her eyes and she was quick enough to catch up to them. Yuxi saw the Wanshu running away with that spineless bastard that no longer looked like a porcupine, but that could be fixed. Her [Little Nightmare] followed her thoughts, bashing the tiny bastard of off Wanshu''s back. Yuxi sped up and tackled Wanshu, since she also had a lot of explaining to do. Meanwhile, her [Little Nightmare] munched with its sharp teeth on Mirage Fox, yet there were no injuries on his body. He screamed and yelled as Yuxi stared straight into Wanshu¡¯s obsessed eyes, yet they softened once he stopped screaming. "I''m sorry Umbra..." Wanshu apologised to her greatly changed love, as she felt the contract''s hold fade. Her body was in a sorry state thanks to that drug and she would suffer from its after effects for the rest of her life. "I''m no longer Umbra..." Yuxi''s voice was uglily distorted, unlike with Aiko where her voice was normal. "I''m sorry... I didn''t know that he was freed till he forced me with Soul Command-" Wanshu gently whispered, but then she was suddenly tied with threads. Her mind blanked as she was transported into a different world. Yuxi stood up with Wanshu on her back tied with her [Nightmare Threads]. She walked over to the tiny bastard and did the same, but instead of carrying him, she used one thread and tied it around her waist so that she didn''t need to touch him. She slowly walked back to Aiko when she encountered a large animal. Was it a bear? But it had such a funny colour. "Interested in my wares?" The auburn-coloured Bear asked. Yuxi paused, puzzled as to why he was not scared, but she didn''t dwell on it too much since she also got that message from her Mistress. "Do you have ''capsasin'' and ''Lemon juice''? There is also ''Potion of Hurting'' or/and ''Enhanced Potions of Greater Hurting''?" Yuxi asked with little hope. "I do have ''capsaicin'' and the rest, which one would you like?" The Bear asked gently. "..." Yuxi felt suspicious. "Did we meet before?" "It is possible." The Bear smiled playfully, not saying more. Yuxi felt even more suspicious when she saw that amulet around his ear. "Give me one of each..." Yuxi stared at him piercingly, but he elegantly packed the things that this little Fox needed. ... Aiko was still hiding behind the Blood Fox, waiting for Yuxi to come back. Yuxi had such a nice ring to it that Aiko liked it more and more, not to mention she really wanted to play with that tail! It was SOOOO CUTE! Yuxi arrived with both of them and with a strange small bag. She handed that bag to Aiko who stared at it. "What is this powder?" Aiko asked questioningly. "''Capsaicin'', Mistress." Yuxi said gently. "Hmmmm..." Aiko opened the small bag with the strange powder and licked a tiny piece. Her face didn''t show much at first, but it was slowly turning redder and redder until it was like a tomato. "Buuuuurns!" Aiko rolled her tongue outside with tears in her eyes, no wonder that strange Fox said that this would create something good for ''hurting'', but she should''ve given her disclaimer to not taste the ingredients! Aiko felt like she was a Dragon breathing flames around! That''s how much it burned! Fortunately, thanks to her Dew Form it quite quickly disappeared, but she won''t be getting anywhere near this powder! ... "And these bottles?" Aiko asked with narrowed eyes, handling it with extreme care. "''Potion of Hurting'' and ''Enhanced Potions of Greater Hurting'', Mistress." Yuxi answered to the point. "Oh..." Aiko nodded a few times. "Which means this is for you so you can play with him." She pointed at the bag that Yuxi carried behind her. "It''s supposed to be fun to play with this, so use it well." Aiko handed those things back to Yuxi, while staring at Wanshu. She wondered how this would end, but she would first ask the Blood Fox for some snacks so she could watch the show~! Chapter 260 – Differences and Bite Mark The Sects moved some ways away since the strange, sinister Fox affected their Sect''s Disciples. It would not be good if they took any more casualties... Aiko was happy with this as it meant they would not stare at her like they were stupid. Aiko waited as the Blood Fox prepared some tasty meat for her. It was fortunate that this encounter killed a few sleeping Beasts, since their food reserve was destroyed with Aiko Evolving. It could not be helped, as this was a really unexpected Evolution. "Aiko?" The Blood Fox suddenly remembered. "Hm?" Aiko tilted her head while salivating over the juicy pieces of meat that were being roasted by the Blood Fox. "What happened to the Princess?" The Blood Fox asked softly. "Oh... I have no idea..." Aiko looked away, the Storage Pouch was destroyed, so it can''t be her fault, right? The Blood Fox soothed Aiko. "It was a really unexpected situation, so you can''t be blamed for it. Now that Aiko thought about it, only the lamp survived this onslaught. What happened to the rest? Aiko hugged her tail gently, feeling bad about losing her Treasures that she had worked so hard for... There was a strange foreign touch in her tails so Aiko flinched. "There is a bug in my tails...?" Aiko shivered, while she didn''t mind bugs, she didn''t like them anywhere on her body. Aiko swatted the bug and from her tails fell the Princess with the Primordial Soul Wood! The Blood Fox stared blankly at the completely wet princess and piece of wood before looking at Aiko. "I don''t know how something like that happened!" Aiko defended herself. She had no idea something like that happened. Aiko went closer to the Princess, her boobs almost spilling out of her poor excuse for an outfit. The confused Princess blushed deep red. "Are you alright?" Aiko caressed her cheeks to check up on her. The Princess got even more red and she looked hilarious. "I-I-I''m alright!" She stammered out a response for this incredibly gorgeous Fox. The Blood Fox pursed her lips. That was the normal reaction. She nodded gently before turning to the roasting meat. "Are you hungry?" The Blood Fox asked the Princess, so she could get away from the ''scary'' Aiko. "Y-yes!" The Princess was still flustered and wobbled over. "You smell strange?" The Blood Fox tilted her head. The Princess lowered her head in shame. She didn''t want to talk about it. "We can bathe you later, just eat for now." The Blood Fox handed a piece of juicy meat over to the Princess and she munched on it. ''She kind of looks like the pet I had when I was growing up... That squirrel always had stuffed cheeks...'' ... Meanwhile, Yuxi had a one-on-one talk with Wanshu. At first, Yuxi wasn''t really approachable, not because of her looks, but because she had closed her heart. She eventually opened up to Wanshu again. Her Image was slowly changing back to Umbra that Wanshu knew. Well... her face was very different... "So... Umbra is gone, so what is your name and who named you?" Wanshu was cautious about the latter part. "My Mistress named me." Yuxi said gently, catching on to the strange tone of her voice. "Hmmm..." Wanshu believed that was an issue. "If she named you, you have to follow her right?" "I do intend to do that, yes." Yuxi tilted her head. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "Then... I will have to return to ''that'' place..." Wanshu didn''t believe that those shitty Elders would let her go without locking her back up with the other Demonic Foxes. "Aiko has more sway than you can believe." Yuxi didn''t talk about it any more. "Is there something wrong with my face?" She noticed that Wanshu kept staring at her strangely. "Well..." Wanshu didn''t know how to say it. This new Umbra was very different... Umbra''s body was gorgeous beyond belief, so much so that Wanshu felt that she didn''t deserve her. But the main issue was Umbra''s face. Her face had the same dark-coloured markings as Wanshu had, but those were smudged and distorted, like Umbra was crying. It pained Wanshu''s heart to see Umbra like that. She wished that her partner was always happy... ''I wonder if her Mistress still has another ''Pseudo Correction'' Pill'' she could spare...'' Wanshu thought. Sure, Umbra was happy, but her face said something completely different! Even her two swaying bushy Tails could not convince Wanshu that Umbra was happy- Huh? Two Tails? Wanshu looked at Umbra speechlessly. She had two Tails!? How did that happen?! Wanshu came closer, startling Yuxi. Yuxi wanted to get away, but Wanshu was persistent. "W-what is it?" Yuxi was confused. "F-fine! I will tell you!" Yuxi misunderstood Wanshu''s intentions. "My name is Yuxi, Wanshu~" She giggled at the startled Wanshu. "A very nice name." Wanshu lightly blushed. She really liked that name as it had a good ring to it. "Wait! That''s not what is important, stay still!" Wanshu grasped Yuxi and pushed her onto the ground. "W-wait! Aiko is nearby, we can''t do THAT!" Yuxi was startled by Wanshu''s advances. "Oh~?" Wanshu smirked, giving Yuxi a tender kiss. "What can''t we do~?" Wanshu teased Yuxi as her body was ravishingly gorgeous. "No! Wait! Stop seducing me!" She suddenly yelped. Yuxi pursed her lips. She was not doing anything, yet she was accused of seducing... such a hard life... Wanshu sniffed Yuxi all over, which tickled her. "Please stop~, that tickles~" Yuxi squirmed, her soft tails brushing Wanshu''s thigh, which sent shivers down her spine. "You-! Stop that or I will really do it!" Wanshu was threatening. "Do what?" Yuxi had half-closed eyes and the fact that Wanshu was restraining her like this... she almost lost control. "Nononono." Wanshu shook her head to get those thoughts out. "Why do you have two Tails, when you don''t smell like you ate Souls?" That was the important point that Wanshu was after! "I have two Tails?" Yuxi tilted her head. Wanshu was completely speechless. "You-, you don''t even know that you have two tails?" "No." Yuxi shook her head. "In my [Nightmare Mode] I switch from Tails to [Little Nightmare], so I did not know that till now." She pondered on it. "But Aiko will know more." Yuxi smiled. "After all she also has two Tails." Wanshu felt like she was struck by lightning. Normally you would not be allowed to get more Tails as that was a guarded ''secret'' by the Elders and you would need permission for that! Yuxi gazed at Wanshu. "If you are not going to do anything, can you let me go~?" She said very coquettishly and Wanshu''s mind blanked. Wanshu really wanted to push down and devour her little vixen, but not now! There were important things to do! With a very red blush, Wanshu let go of Yuxi. "Awwww..." Yuxi was looking forward to it now that Aiko was glaring at them. For some reason, it was incredibly exciting~! Wanshu awkwardly coughed when she saw the beautifully evolved Viscious... Cub(?), glaring at them. They both went back to the campfire where the bound Mirage Fox was. Aiko saw Yuxi''s face and immediately stood up. "Are you alright?" Aiko had a very sad expression. "Huh? I''m fine." Yuxi nodded gently. "Okay, okay." Aiko nodded. "It''s fine if you don''t want to tell me." Aiko immediately hugged Yuxi, placing her into her bosom. ''So these ARE useful sometimes.'' Aiko nodded happily, she could not do this effectively like the Blood Fox in her small body. Yuxi was flustered since she found this kind of Aiko very similar to her strange dreams, moreover, Aiko smelled incredibly good! Yuxi was immediately intoxicated with a completely red face, but Aiko was completely oblivious to this. She just carefully caressed Yuxi since she believed that Yuxi was having a hard time. The tear marks and smudged black parts under her eyes were the main indicators. Aiko kept petting, when she suddenly felt a bite. "Auch!" Aiko immediately jumped away, covering her bosom. "D-did you just bite me?!" She was shocked by Yuxi''s attitude. Yuxi snapped out of her daze soon after with the reddest face ever. "T-that was not my fault!" Yuxi tried to defend herself. "They were just like very soft and juicy peaches..." Yuxi murmured and Wanshu looked concerned. Aiko sat down angrily. Never in her wildest dreams would she believe that Yuxi would bite her just because- ''No, never mind...'' Aiko suddenly softened. She still remembers those times when she would slap big balloons away since she hated them. ''I suppose she doesn''t like them, but biting...'' Aiko shook her head. Yuxi was still red, some could even see steam rising from above her head... Wanshu had narrowed her eyes and wanted to scold her partner, but that same sweet scent went into her nostrils and she changed her mind. ''How dangerous.'' Wanshu recoiled, that smell was truly intoxicating! ''It doesn''t smell all that bad...'' She licked her lips, but immediately shivered when she felt someone glaring at her. She looked towards the glare and it was her fellow Demonic Fox that was glaring... Wanshu gulped and looked away guiltily. The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes, there was even more competition over Aiko''s time, but she would persevere! She would never hear those voices again if Aiko was around! The Blood Fox placed a few meat pieces on a plate and handed it to Aiko. Aiko was still rubbing the very obvious bite mark, which made the Blood Fox clench the plate a bit too much and it cracked. Aiko was startled by that sound. "Seems like we will need new plates..." She shook her head slowly, receiving the plate. The Blood Fox blushed, turning away. She couldn''t believe that she was being so childish! The Blood Fox could only lament her impulsive personality... She would absolutely steady her mind and stay with Aiko! The group of Foxes ate happily. The time was slowly approaching. The time when they would torture the Mirage Fox happily. "You can also join us." Yuxi said to Wanshu as she could not meet Aiko''s eyes. "I can...?" Wanshu tilted her head. "You are no longer controlled by him." Yuxi said softly. "Or at least that''s what you told me?" "Oh...!" Wanshu''s eyes widened. She couldn''t do anything to that bastard till now, but now she had the opportunity! Wanshu''s eyes shone with a dangerous glint. She would absolutely torture that bastard! Chapter 261 – Fear and Teasing The group of Foxes sitting around the campfire finished eating. Well... Aiko finished most of it, but they were still sated. Aiko stretched her arms when something strange happened. *Puff* Aiko''s body exuded mist and when it disappeared there stood a small and young Aiko with 4 Tails. "..." Everyone stared dumbfounded at Aiko since they knew she was supposed to have only 2 tails. The Blood Fox pursed her lips and clapped her hands, but before she finished the small Aiko was already in her tails sleeping. Yuxi''s lips twitched, it seemed like the mature Aiko was gone and they had their normal Aiko back... Yuxi lightly pouted, which made Wanshu pinch her side. "Auch!" Yuxi pouted even more since she felt she was being wronged... The Blood Fox chuckled. "Do we collect anything?" Yuxi shook her head. "We want to start on him as soon as possible and we don''t know if Aiko will sleep for long." She glanced towards the speechless Princess. "We also have her to take care of... she smells similar to Wanshu when we first met her, so it would be best if we bathe her before Aiko wakes up." The Blood Fox nodded gently, she knew that these two would love to start on him already, but they were holding back because of Aiko and the surrounding spectators. Ai Long came close. "Are you leaving?" He asked briefly. The team was silent, but seeing that male Fox being tied up he figured that they did something bad. "I will hold my tongue for a day, so go until they take too much interest in you." Ai Long shooed them away, he would keep his Master busy for a day. There was also the issue with the flying ship, but Ai Long believed that one of the ''Generals'' would come over to pick him up, which means it was better to shoo the Foxes away. The Blood Fox was surprised that the Dragon would help them, but she didn''t question him and packed her things before leaving. Yuxi asked with concern. "Should we get at least one Floating Stone?" "Unfortunately, considering the scale of destruction that Aiko''s Evolution caused, all Floating Stones would be destroyed with the ships." The Blood Fox knew a little bit about Floating Stones, since her family owned a small flying ship. "Hmmmmm..." Yuxi was sad. She wanted to exchange the Floating Stone for more hugs from Aiko, but it seems she would not be able to do so... Wanshu''s instinct was screaming for some reason. She gazed at her partner with narrowed eyes... ... They walked for half a day, hiding in a nearby meadow. It was quite well hidden, it could only be found naturally, which was good for them. They would be able to hide here and torture that bastard before leaving with Aiko. Aiko was also still asleep, so the team had time to bathe the Princess. Unfortunately, there was no river nearby, so that had to be postponed for later. The duo threw the awake Mirage Fox on the ground. They didn''t drag him away to conceal their tracks. They would have to throw these clothes away once they have spares. The Blood Fox walked some ways away, puzzling the duo. "You are not going to join?" Yuxi asked with puzzlement. "If you take care of Aiko for me, sure." The Blood Fox could be around Aiko in this form, since it didn''t stimulate her Demonic side. "Ah..." Yuxi completely forgot about Aiko since she was too quiet. That was natural since Aiko had been sleeping for quite some time now. "Then, how do we start?" Yuxi asked Wanshu. "I''m not sure, I want him to suffer a lot, but I have no experience in this." Wanshu shook her head sadly; her ears dropping low. "True." Yuxi nodded gently. Wanshu did not watch them the first time and it''s unlikely that this bastard would let her learn ways to torture others. "Aiko gave me this pack and this before she changed." Yuxi took out what Aiko had prepared. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. For some reason, Wanshu didn''t like the intimate way Yuxi was talking about her Mistress. "Hmmm." Wanshu dismissed that gift. "It''s apparently something called ''Potion of Hurting'' or ''Enhanced Potions of Greater Hurting'', but I have no idea how to use it..." Yuxi thought about it. Wanshu''s ears perked. She was interested in what those potions could do... but at the same time had some apprehension since it was from ''Aiko''. The Mirage Fox trashed around, but the string around his body only tightened. "I''m trying to think, stop thrashing around." Yuxi frowned, but he didn''t stop. "Alright, that''s it, you are swallowing this powder!" Yuxi was upset that he didn''t let her think. "Open wide bastard!" Yuxi removed the strings around his mouth so he could open his mouth. It seems like Mirage Fox was losing his reason since he actually opened his mouth. The jar with the powder was quite unwieldy, so Yuxi grabbed it with her hands and slapped it into his mouth. The powder got all around and the two Foxes stepped away. Yuxi didn''t underestimate what she bought, since Aiko wanted it. Wanshu was quite sceptical about these ''potions'', but something magical happened right after. The Mirage Fox started thrashing around like he had lost reason. His face turned unreasonably red and his whole body thrashed around like it was possessed. Some of the powder also got into one of his eye. Not only did it turn bloodshot, but it also looked like it was burning the eyelid. The eye slowly, but steadily, enlarged until it popped like candy... Both Yuxi and Wanshu were deeply shocked and they stared at the jars with fear. Wanshu stopped underestimating Aiko and felt fear towards her. What kind of lunatic would buy these things?! Yet on her face, she had a very wide grin, almost as if she liked these ''potions''. "What else did Aiko give you?" Wanshu was still a bit apprehensive since it seemed like her partner was going for Aiko, but at the same time, she appreciated the care Aiko put into her team. But she won''t be swayed by that cute little Fox! She will protect her partner from the Vicious(?) Cub(?)! "I also got this." Yuxi pulled out a chastity belt for men and Wanshu''s smile froze. "What do you need that for?" Wanshu was wary of this thing... "Aiko said there are two suprises, one on the inside and one on the outside...?" Yuxi inspected the small male chastity belt and popped it open. A shiver went down Wanshu''s spine when she saw that sight. The insides had an extremely rough surface and what also looked like a small rod that would ''impale'' the male, but what scared her the most was the rough surface, like it was lined with sand. Yuxi nodded happily, already understanding Aiko''s intentions. "But she said it had two surprises?" Yuxi tilted her head. This was already surprising enough, so what could be better than this? Yuxi looked outside and found a small, elaborate Inscription. "Oh?" She tilted her head and her ears twitched cutely. She gently touched the Inscription and the whole chastity felt buzzed. Yuxi was confused, but then it clicked and she laughed loudly. "This is great~!" Wanshu was confused about the buzzing feature. Yuxi grabbed Wanshu and explained with passion. "So you see this rough surface, right? If you put it on the Mirage Fox and make him aroused, he will feel some discomfort, right?" Wanshu was confused. ''Everyone would feel a lot of discomfort with that middle rod!'' "And then you turn the vibration, in other words, it would move while he is aroused." Yuxi explained, but Wanshu didn''t get it. "So this thing would vibrate, right?" Yuxi nudged Wanshu and she nodded gently. "Then what happens if the inside is rough and the vibration is quick?" Wanshu visibly recoiled. ''What kind of lunatic is your Mistress?!'' She could not say it out loud, but her fear towards Aiko only increased. Only a lunatic could come up with this kind of contraption... "But we can''t use it now since he might bleed out..." Yuxi frowned, but then she paused. "Oh! We can use the ''potion'' sprinkle it inside and use it to increase the pain!" She smiled happily at her ingenious idea and at this point, Wanshu was hiding behind a tree from her partner, due to fear. "Hm? What''s wrong?" Yuxi asked gently, wondering what was wrong with her Wanshu. "N-nothing..." Wanshu was concerned that her partner was a... sadist... an extreme one at that... ''Moreover, she also might be a lunatic...'' She cried in her mind, but she had no intention of pulling out of this relationship! She still wanted to ravish Yuxi! Yuxi looked concerned since Wanshu''s ears and tail were dangerously low. "What''s wrong?" Yuxi took a few steps closer, but Wanshu recoiled, which shocked her. Yuxi''s ears dropped low, her tails motionless. This startled Wanshu and she immediately came close. "I-I didn''t mean to- I-I''m really scared of your Mistress and you..." She blurted out. "Why?" Yuxi tilted her head. Her ears were still low, but for some reason, her tails were slowly swaying. Wanshu was flustered since she realised she blurted her inner thoughts out loud. Being critical of one''s Master/Mistress was not allowed, which meant she would get punished. Yuxi came close to Wanshu who had a crestfallen expression. She used her smooth movements to steal Wanshu''s lips right under her. Wanshu was startled and blushed. "You are so cute~" Yuxi hummed gently. Wanshu wanted to apologise, but her lips were playfully stolen once again. Wanshu was once again flustered since she needed to apologise, but this overly aggressive Yuxi didn''t allow her. Yuxi sneaked a tongue in and it turned into a heated session while in the background the Mirage Fox was still thrashing around. He was both in pain and livid that his toy was being stolen from him! It continued until Wanshu''s legs gave out and her eyes turned vivid red! At this moment Yuxi mischievously took a step back licking her lips. Wanshu had cloudy eyes. She was upset that her partner stopped during a good time. "Are you still scared of us~?" Yuxi teased Wanshu playfully. It took Wanshu a moment to process before she playfully glared back. "You teased me?!" She didn''t know how to feel about this. "We are only ''scary'' to our opponents." Yuxi sighed at her silly partner. Wanshu''s eyes calmed down and her brain''s processing power gradually returned. "Then how can you say those things so easily..." Wanshu couldn''t understand how lightly Yuxi was taking torture so lightly. "Then, how did you feel when he did those things to you all the time?" Yuxi tilted her head, not understanding where Wanshu was coming from. "Do you not want to take revenge? Inflict and return all the suffering that he has ever caused for you, by two¡ªno, tenfold!" Wanshu listened slowly and the picture was being finished inside her head. She still held fear and apprehension, but it was no longer absolute. She would have to get used to it, that this team just works differently... Wanshu nodded gently and Yuxi helped her to get up, but not letting go before giving Wanshu''s beautiful butt a good squeeze. "You tease!" Wanshu smacked Yuxi''s ass, but then she was shocked by the firm, yet soft sensation... Wanshu had to shake her head several times, so that she wouldn''t pounce on Yuxi... Chapter 262 – The Mirage Fox is finished… Morning was upon Aiko and she once again woke up, greeted by her Dew Form. The Blood Fox exchanged glances with Aiko, but Aiko was more interested in the meat that was being roasted. The temperature was for some reason quite cold for Aiko, so she shuffled towards the Blood Fox. The Blood Fox did not pay too much attention to Aiko as she was carefully preparing the meal. The smell drifted into Aiko''s nose. It was a wonderful smell that tickled her taste buds. Aiko shuffled behind the Blood Fox and stretched her hands towards the meat. The Blood Fox was startled. Aiko''s soft body pressed against her back. "Aiko, you need to wait..." The Blood Fox breathed steadily. She was quite focused on the meat, so it was fine. "But I''m hungry and cold." Aiko whined softly. She stretched her hands towards the meat once again, but was slapped away by the Blood Fox. Aiko pouted and wrapped her hands around the Blood Fox''s waist to warm up. She was denied the food, so she would at least steal some of the Blood Fox''s warmth. The Blood Fox gasped as she didn''t expect this sudden ambush from Aiko. "A-Aiko you can''t do that!" The Blood Fox stuttered. She was flustered by Aiko''s sudden action. "I''m cold!" Aiko immediately went and put her face into the Blood Fox''s crook, rubbing her face on her shoulder and neck. The Blood Fox gasped again as a sweet scent tickled her nose. This was a distressing situation. The duo of the Shadow Foxes exchanged looks. Yuxi was not used to this kind of flustered Blood Fox as she was always very calm and stoic. Yet right now she had moist vivid red eyes, her ears were dropping sideways like she was wronged and with pleading eyes staring at Yuxi. Wanshu pursed her lips. She didn''t understand what the fuss was about until that same sweet scent tickled her nostrils and she immediately took a step back. Yuxi tilted her head at both of their reactions. She moved next to the Blood Fox, who was in bad shape, and nudged Aiko gently. "You won''t be able to eat if you won''t let go of Blood Fox." Yuxi nudged Aiko again and again until she responded. "But I''m also cold..." It was hard for Aiko to choose between warmth and food, so she chose neither. She pounced on Yuxi and rubbed her cheeks with hers. "You are warm too~" Aiko wrapped around Yuxi''s body, stealing her warmth. Wanshu stiffened and glared at Aiko. Meanwhile, the Blood Fox sighed in relief, it was an awful situation for her, but Yuxi solved it masterfully! The Blood Fox continued cooking while Aiko clung to Yuxi''s body. Unlike the Blood Fox and Wanshu, Yuxi was not a Demonic Fox, so she easily resisted that temptation. She was still flustered though. Aiko smelled really nice and she was soft too. Yuxi didn''t expect to get body-tackled so soon, so she was enjoying every second of this! ... The meat was served and Aiko stuck close to the fire, munching on her meat. Her team sighed in relief that Aiko didn''t stick to them while eating too... Aiko''s ears twitched. "What is that buzzing sound?" She tilted her head looking around. "It''s your ''gift'' Aiko." Yuxi said with a devilish smile. "Ah, that one." Aiko nodded in understanding. "Does it work well?" "It works wonderfully~!" Yuxi hummed, the torture was much better with Aiko''s tools and trinkets. The potions were also an amazing addition to Yuxi''s arsenal. At first, Wanshu didn''t want to engage in the torture, but she eventually caved in. They teamed up on the Mirage Fox until he was in a completely sorry state. His eyes popped. His tongue was burned into a crispy piece of meat. His ears were doused with the other potion, causing them to inflate and lose colour, they also bled profusely. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. His tiny dick was armed with the male chastity belt and turned on. That looked like a glorious blood fountain. Wanshu got so much into it that she even carved his chest and poured both potions in there. Needless to say, the Mirage Fox was a complete twitching mess when they finished. Yuxi was very satisfied with this outcome. As for Wanshu... she felt strange, strangely weightless. She felt like she would be able to climb any mountain and jump over any tree she wished. It was a strange feeling, but she did not dislike it. But at the same time, she was more wary of Aiko. Yuxi was very indulgent towards Aiko, more so than she was to her. This startled Wanshu. She never felt jealous before, but now she was burning with jealousy. She didn''t know what to do or how to act. There was not much conversation between her and her former Master. Yuxi observed Wanshu. She looked all kinds of wrong. "So it didn''t break or anything?" Aiko suddenly asked. She felt that her Inscriptions weren''t as powerful as they used to be. "Everything worked perfectly! Even those ''potions'' were a great addition~" Yuxi hummed and she finished her piece of meat before waiting for Wanshu. "Good." Aiko nodded, now that she was fed and warm, she gazed towards the Blood Fox. "Please spare me, Mistress." The Blood Fox looked like she was wronged and Aiko paused her steps. ''But I want to sleep again...'' Aiko didn''t feel tired at all while in this form, but that didn''t mean that the temptation of a warm fluffy bed didn''t overpower that feeling. Aiko could only pout at the Blood Fox. ... Wanshu and Yuxi returned to the Mirage Fox. He looked far from a normal Fox. His ears were now distorted and the middle part of his body was completely burned, looking revolting. "Is this enough?" Yuxi asked Wanshu. Wanshu nodded weakly. Her mind was somewhere else. This time Wanshu was the one who was pushed down. Yuxi was gazing at her tenderly, but Wanshu avoided her gaze. Yuxi kept staring as a light blush slowly crept from Wanshu''s neck onto her face. "Are we going to talk now?" Yuxi whispered into Wanshu''s ears. Wanshu shivered and she grasped Yuxi''s outfit. "I hate it..." She whispered softly. Yuxi didn''t understand what Wanshu meant. "What do you hate?" "You don''t pay enough attention to me!" Wanshu''s inner thoughts leaked. "It''s Aiko this Aiko that! You cuddled with her and everything!" She cried out suddenly and when she realised that her lips pursed and she looked away. Yuxi let out a soft giggle. "I can''t believe how cute you are when you are jealous~" Yuxi took things lightly to lighten the mood. It was needed so that Wanshu would not pout on her. "I''m not cu-" Wanshu tried to protest, but her lips were stolen once again. This felt like deja vu... Yuxi weaselled herself into Wanshu''s mouth. Her dexterity was impeccable and she was able to melt Wanshu within moments. Wanshu squirmed gently under Yuxi''s tender care. "I will pay more attention to you once we return to the Fox Village, okay?" Yuxi peppered Wanshu with small kisses. Wanshu still pouted, but this time it was a playful pout. "Or you can help me take care of Aiko when she acts like that around Blood Fox." Yuxi smiled playfully and Wanshu awkwardly coughed. "F-fine. I will wait till the Fox Village, but if you neglect me, you know what will-Mhpf." Wanshu tried to play it tough, but Yuxi pacified her with another make-out session. "We can still cuddle and do ''things'' when Aiko is asleep." Yuxi smiled sensually. Wanshu''s heart skipped a beat. "You are a bad influence..." She pouted. "Should I remind you who was the first one to push me to the ground... twice?" Yuxi smiled playfully. Wanshu blushed a deep red. "W-well..." "Shush. Too much talking." Yuxi stole her lips, but soon Wanshu stopped her. "Not around the corpse... there are better places." Wanshu looked away. She didn''t want to upset Yuxi over this, but she also didn''t want to make out in the presence of that bastard. Yuxi somewhat understood what Wanshu meant, so they walked away from the Mirage Fox. The Mirage Fox was very much still alive. He listened to their conversation, but he no longer felt any anger. He felt empty. His only good toy left him after a few kisses, how ridiculous is that?! He waited and waited for his demise, but a certain scent kept his body from crossing that treshold... ... The next day, Aiko once again turned into the Dew Form. At this point, she was somewhat getting used to it. The most troubling part was the exhaustion that came right after changing back. It was a strange kind of exhaustion that Aiko didn''t understand... She stood up. The Blood Fox gazed at her warily and Aiko could only shake her head. It seems that she over did it when she was cold, but that couldn''t be helped, she was freezing! Her team likewise packed things. "How is our ''guest''?" Aiko asked Yuxi. "Taken care of." Yuxi answered briefly. "And the tools and other things?" Aiko felt a bit sad if they couldn''t be used again... "They are in bad shape and barely usable, add to that the effort of recovering them from that bastards body..." Yuxi shook her head. "Alright, let''s visit him one last time before finishing him off." Aiko sighed. Her toys were not able to stand more than a single session of torture, how unfortunate... The group walked towards the Mirage Fox. He was still bound by those strings, lying motionlessly. It was a very early morning. The sun was barely out and the temperature was cold. It was a dark and quiet morning in the forest. There were no animals around, not even bugs around. Aiko came closer to the Mirage Fox. ''They really did a number on him...'' Aiko shook her head, but agreed that it was needed. The space had not fully recovered from Aiko''s Evolution and the space in front of Aiko was distorted. A crack opened in the fabric of space, leading to somewhere. Aiko felt familiar with it, the sense of deja vu was strong with this one. Aiko tilted her head before she kicked him inside. "That''s taken care of." Aiko dusted her shoes. She knew for a fact that Mirage Fox would not be able to return from that place. "Is that alright, Mistress?" The Blood Fox asked, concerned about Wanshu and Yuxi. "He is dead, he won''t survive what''s beyond that crack, as something is lurking in the endless void that was beyond." Aiko shook her head. She did not quite understand her words, but they were the most natural thing for her for some reason. "We have his stuff and everything, right?" Aiko suddenly asked, it would be bad if she kicked him into that place without stripping him first. The Blood Fox smiled. "I have secured his things." "There were a few things on his Soul, but I was not able to retrieve them without destroying them..." Yuxi shook her head sadly. Her [Little Nightmare] was able to damage the Soul, so it was easy for her to strip him, but she was unable to do so without destroying the Treasures. "Unfortunate..." Aiko shook her head. "Well... let''s walk back to Mei~" Aiko hummed, she couldn''t wait to show Mei the gifts~! Chapter 263 – Overdoing it once again for her team… Their walking speed varied greatly, depending on which form Aiko was in. She was always tired when she was in her normal form, which made her easy to carry. Meanwhile, her ''Dew Form'' was too energetic and nobody was willing to carry her. Not because they didn''t like her, but because the stimuli, and risk of losing control were too great. At one point the Blood Fox couldn''t bear Aiko''s... ''outfit'', so she searched through her Storage Pouch to check if she had any clothes left for the ''Dew Form''. They were a close fit for Aiko and even then those clothes were quite bold thanks to Aiko''s new body. However, it was much better than staring at the skimpy Aiko. ... Like this, half a month passed and Aiko returned somewhat to normal. She was much faster in her normal form and she slept less. She still bothered the Blood Fox with carrying her, since Aiko got a bit too used to it. Fortunately for the group, Aiko disliked the slow carrying speed so she raced with Yuxi, but even then Yuxi was faster as she was able to combine two buffs at once, while Aiko could only have either her [Shadow Enhancement] or [Lunar Enhancement]. Yuxi was happy that she was so quick, but Aiko disliked it. It seemed like her Title of the fastest in the team would be stolen at this rate, so she did something... radical... ... "It''s time for Wanshu to merge into the team and that includes Evolution." Aiko nodded a few times, this would cause her to be exhausted and get once again carried, while the two newly Evolved Foxes would race each other. The Blood Fox didn''t want to Evolve. She believed that her mind was not steady enough. She worried that her Evolution would be distorted like Yuxi''s was. Aiko didn''t mind, so her next target was Wanshu, the partner of Yuxi. Wanshu stared blankly. "Well..." "Can I Evolve with her?" Yuxi smiled and Aiko''s small cute face distorted. "Aren''t you fast enough? You think Evolutions are like candies?" "No, and Yes." Yuxi smiled innocently, like Aiko would always do. "Ugh..." Aiko didn''t like Yuxi''s stance, so she looked towards Wanshu. Wanshu was pondering upon this greatly. She was scared and excited, but the fear was greater than the excitement. She was worried that she would end up like Yuxi. Moreover, her body was still weak after the drugs. She didn''t want to Evolve while her body was in this state. There were worries that that state might become permanent! Wanshu still held the final decision in her hands, so- "We can just do it together~!" Yuxi hummed gently and Wanshu pursed her lips. After that exchange Yuxi paid a lot of attention to her whenever she could, Wanshu felt overburdened by that show of affection, but she didn''t dislike it. "Fine..." Wanshu grumbled, all that mattered was that Yuxi was happy. Aiko groaned unhappily. Yuxi was a force to be reckoned with, and she would not usually ask anything from Aiko. Aiko was the one who held the contract, so she was supposed to develop her team. She didn''t do much for them yet, just a few Treasures and a bunch of Spirit Stones. This might be the perfect opportunity to fulfil her part of the bargain! Aiko would have to overdraw her vitality again, but that is fine since she would get to sleep more. They would travel while Aiko slept and she would be able to skip those boring bits. Not to mention the Princess liked to explore around as this was the first time in her life she was allowed to go outside her old palace and that shitty shack. The Princess wanted to take this opportunity to explore as much as possible! Aiko groaned, but still went with that idea. "We need to find a place where you can safely Evolve." Yuxi nodded and immediately dashed away. She wondered what kind of Evolution would Wanshu have and she wanted to be as close as possible when it happened! That''s where the idea of double Evolution came in! ... It didn''t take that long to find yet another cave. The team moved into the cave and prepared everything for the Evolution. They also concealed the entrance, so that they wouldn''t be bothered during this important time. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Everything was ready and Wanshu started panicking. "It''s still scary! Can we do it some other time?" Wanshu wanted to run from the small nest that was made for her and Yuxi. "A little bit too late." The mature Aiko had already steeled herself on spending even more Vitality on these two and she would not back away now! Yuxi hugged Wanshu gently, not letting her getaway. Aiko bit her finger once again and a drop formed. -50,000 Vitality -50,000 Vitality -50,000 Vitality -50,000 Vitality ''Too slow...'' Aiko frowned. -100,000 Vitality -100,000 Vitality ''Much better.'' Her face softened as she poured more and more Vitality into it. ... [User has died.] [User''s Title: [One Who Survived Against All Odds] protected User! User''s Vitality will go into negatives.] -100,000 Vitality -100,000 Vitality ... [Vitality: -9,835,299|164,701] The drop formed. The temptation of this was immeasurable, as even the struggling Wanshu calmed down. The Blood Fox had to dig her nails into her flesh in order to stop herself from stealing it and Yuxi was the same. The drop fell upon the duo and Aiko was once again blasted away, but with much more force. The Blood Fox almost couldn''t catch Aiko, that''s how fast she flew away! Aiko was immediately unconscious, unlike the previous time when she kept somewhat steady. She looked even more fragile and the Blood Fox frowned. She decided that she would never Evolve under Aiko''s watch, as she couldn''t bear to see Aiko in this state again. The storm brewed around the duo. If Aiko was still conscious, she would scream. ''Evolutions are not candies! Why are you Evolving again, Yuxi?!'' Unfortunately, she was in a deep sleep, exhausted from the insane expenditure of Vitality. The Blood Fox formed a shield around them from her own blood and the atmosphere calmed down around Aiko. The duo was undergoing a pretty wild Evolution and even the Heavenly Dao wanted to intervene, but thanks to the fact it hadn''t recovered yet, it could not intercept this Evolution. The clouds roared angrily before going away. The duo was hugging each other as they swirled in the air, their clothes fluttered, but only Wanshu''s low-quality uniform was destroyed. They whirled like this as a high amount of ambient Qi was sucked inside them, it was much less than Aiko as their Evolution was not as strong, but the insane amount of Vitality also offset the whole thing. The storm brewed for quite a while when an uninvited visitor appeared. The Blood Fox immediately aimed at him, ready to wipe him out if he did anything, but she also had to keep up the Blood Barrier so Aiko was safe. The uninvited guest immediately noticed the oddity and coughed awkwardly. "Don''t mind me, I will just quickly nurse my wounds." He stepped inside and slightly to the right, so he would not be seen from the outside right away. His body was riddled with wounds and he looked sick as his skin was an unnatural colour. The Blood Fox kept staring at him warily as he really only nurtured his wounds. It took two days for the Evolution to subside, but it left her speechless. Those two now looked exactly the same! They looked like twins! The Blood Fox gulped slightly as Yuxi or Wanshu, whoever the naked one was, was really breathtakingly beautiful! Those two shared the same proportions. Their bodies were the classic hourglass for Foxes, but there was just something ravishingly different about it. Their faces looked the same. They had a healthy peach colour from the abundance of Vitality. Their markings were likewise clean, Yuxi'' no longer looking like she was crying. Their lips were black. Their eyes now looked like Wanshu''s after she used the ''Pseudo Correction'' Pill. Their hair was jet black, looking wild, yet feeling silky smooth. Their eyebrows also thinned, which looked sexy. Both of them now had the same [Little Nightmare], but this time there were four of them! Each of them got two! They were slim, but more defined than previously. It no longer looked like a snake, well... the head still looked like a snake, but the rest of the body and the connection to the Fox body was very different. Their bodies looked very rough, flaking like a wall that was being scraped of paint, but there was an odd sense of danger from it, like it held more inside than it gave out. But that is not what shocked the Blood Fox the most. Sure, they were ravishingly beautiful and she was tempted to ''join'' them, but what shocked her the most were their vivid red eyes! Both of them had vivid red eyes! Yuxi was not a Demonic Fox! Yet it seemed like she became one?! How can that be possible!? The Blood Fox stared at them speechlessly as they gently started making out right in front of her. After a quick steamy session, they part ways with a wet string of saliva following their lips. They licked their lips as they kept hugging their waist and looked towards the Blood Fox, like they were seducing them. The Blood Fox almost fell into the temptation herself, but she steadied her mind and hoarsely said. "Aiko is not doing well." One of the pair''s eyes widened in surprise, the other in shock. ''The shocked ones should be Yuxi.'' The Blood Fox thought. Yuxi let go of her partner and immediately arrived in front of the Blood Fox, but Wanshu would also not be outdone. The feeling inside her body was completely different! Like she was rid of all her injuries and trained for years! This was simply unimaginable! She was still scared of what might happen to her, but to think she was willing to pass on this opportunity was simply blasphemous! "What happened?" An incredibly soft and sensual voice caressed the Blood Fox''s ears. The Blood Fox coughed to clear her mind. Yuxi grew up a bit too much and they are also bigger now... The Blood Fox shook her head. "She passed out after she was blasted by your Evolution. She is currently unconscious, sleeping." The uninvited guest didn''t dare to open his eyes. He felt the terrific pressure those two Foxes exuded, it would be a death wish to open his eyes at this stage! The Blood Fox moved part of the Blood Barrier to reveal Aiko. The Twins sucked in a breath as they saw how awfully fragile she looked. "Can we help her?" Yuxi''s soft voice quivered. She didn''t expect that this would happen to Aiko if she Evolved together with Wanshu... Wanshu also nodded. She was indebted to Aiko for too many things at this point and the only thing she could do for her, was to help her and obey her commands. Wanshu had to agree that Aiko was too different. She was a bit childish with her antics, but unlike mean adults, she was perfectly grounded and didn''t abuse the features of the contract. That was a stark difference to that dead bastard. The Blood Fox shook her head. There was nothing they could do for Aiko as they were not healers. "What about him?" Wanshu asked and the uninvited guest shivered. "He didn''t do anything, leave him be for the time being. We can always ''solve'' him later on." The Blood Fox said and moved next to Aiko to hug her. Her body was ice-cold, the only indication of life was her steady breathing, like she was just sleeping... Chapter 264 – Teasing Blood Fox and Loot "You can go prepare food for everyone, we will guard Aiko." Yuxi said gently. The feeling from that she got from Aiko was very different now, not to mention that Wanshu stuck to her like glue and she likewise felt like she didn''t mind Aiko''s scent. The Blood Fox was confused about this strange change and red eye. She was a little bit distrustful, since she knew what Aiko''s scent did to her. "It will be fine." Yuxi was completely undisturbed by the smell and cuddled Aiko with her two fluffy tails. "Whoa... she is cold." Yuxi blinked a few times. "This would be nice during those insane Summers..." This small continent didn''t really have 4 seasons, but 2. 75% was made out of Spring, while 25% was Summer, but Summers were unbearable due to heat. The only one who didn''t mind Summers was Aiko, which they didn''t understand. Sure, her species was different, but would it make that much difference? They couldn''t tell... The Blood Fox moved and the uninvited guest coughed blood, just as Wanshu was getting dressed. All eyes snapped on him and he straightened his back. "Just give me a bit more time and I will leave... please." Everyone narrowed their eyes, but didn''t say anything. He was really strange... they didn''t feel any lust from him or anything like that. Was he really here just to heal? The Blood Fox was quick at work and soon, the delicious smell spread through the cave. Unfortunately for the Blood Fox, Aiko didn''t move, even with that smell. The Blood Fox was really worried now and vowed that she would Evolve without Aiko knowing so that Aiko would not become like this again. She glanced back only to see those twins weaving something, was it a cocoon? "What are you doing?" The Blood Fox asked. "Well..." Yuxi blushed. "Aiko is a bit heavy..." The Blood Fox understood, small Aiko was very easy to keep in your tails, but now that Aiko was ''big'' it was hard to place her on your tails without getting hurt... The Blood Fox returned to her cooking when the uninvited guest stirred. "Thank you for allowing me to hide here, if fate wills it we will meet again and I will help you at that time." He bowed towards the foxes without any negative emotions and cupped his fist. The Foxes were startled, but he left right after. "How strange..." The Blood Fox pursed her lips. "Indeed." Yuxi agreed and Wanshu nodded with her. The Princess only oddly gazed outside, she could not understand what was so strange about this... but her thoughts immediately drifted towards the meat that the red Fox was creating. ... *Munch Munch* *BOOM* "It''s really getting noise outside..." Yuxi narrowed her eyes. "A bit, yeah..." The Blood Fox agreed. "Should we scout it?" Wanshu asked, it felt like someone was fighting around. "Maybe we should kill them so it doesn''t disturb Aiko''s rest?" She had already gotten used to calling the Vicious Cub, Aiko. It was a much better name, but it would be difficult to call her like that inside the Fox Village. The duo munched on the last piece of meat before standing up. "Are you going?" The Blood Fox asked. "It will be quick, since we are now strong~" Yuxi hummed. "It might take a bit longer." Wanshu added. "We still need to loot them." "Right." Yuxi nodded, caressing Wanshu''s hair. "Get out!" The Blood Fox pointed at the exit. They were a bit too affectionate in front of her and the Blood Fox was starting to get jealous. The duo hummed mischievously, walking outside with each other''s hands on each other''s butt, teasing the Blood Fox with their swaying hips. The Blood Fox rolled her eyes and was tempted to give them the ''Aiko treatment''. ... Zhao Yichen left the cave. He... felt strange. Those Foxes didn''t try to stick to him or try to seduce him. They didn''t even try to help him! This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. "And that fragile beauty..." He murmured under his breath. She was the most beautiful Fox he had ever seen in his lifetime, but at the same time, he felt like she would not live long... "Ironic..." Zhao Yichen shook his head. He would not live long either. He was unable to recover quickly enough and now his enemies had caught up to him. "Hehehe, no longer hiding? Poor Zhao." The old man laughed. "Uncle." Zhao Yichen shook his head. His Spiritual Root was stolen by this very uncle who was trying to hunt him down. He would have to battle it out here and kill his uncle in order to retrieve his Spiritual Root. "Let''s go, Uncle." Zhao Yichen readied for battle. It was 20 against one, the chances he would survive were close to nil... ... Yuxi and Wanshu walked outside, but right after they were out of sight of the Blood Fox they sped up. Wanshu pouted. "The Blood Fox is so beautiful and so are we, but why can''t we make her flustered like Aiko did?" Wanshu asked Yuxi. "It''s rare for the Blood Fox to get flustered." Yuxi shook her head. She really liked the expression the Blood Fox was making when Aiko stuck to her like glue. The pitiful expression she had never seen before on her face. "But I won''t tease the Blood Fox again. I only did it this time because I love you, but I also like the Blood Fox and I want to stay friends with her." Yuxi slapped the mischievous Wanshu''s ass. The smack had a similar sensation to her own butt. "You really turned into me..." Yuxi murmured and Wanshu looked down. "I''m sorry..." Wanshu was very sad, since it felt like she stole Yuxi''s identity... but her love and obsession for her was too great. Moreover, the gift from their Mistress was a bit too much and it allowed her to shape her body to her liking. Yuxi pinched Wanshu''s cheek. "It''s alright, but don''t expect any rest!" She would both train and ''train'' Wanshu whenever she had time. Her other half could not be worse than she was! They finally caught up to the skirmish. It was not that far, but they could see it was the uninvited guest against 15 others. Five were already dead, but he was likewise injured greatly. "They are..." Yuxi tilted her head. Why were they so unlucky to meet troubles when Aiko needed rest?! "Dead men." Wanshu gently nodded. Yuxi pursed her lips, that''s not what she wanted to say, but the final destination would be the same. "Would you mind fighting somewhere else, we are trying to rest." Yuxi shouted, which startled everyone. They could not feel this pair of Foxes before. That was dangerous. If they were ambushed, they would totally die! Thankfully, these Foxes were stupid. The Uncle nodded to his retainer. "Flowery Temptation!" The retainer shouted towards the Foxes and blew on his palm. "You need to dodge this!" Zhao Yichen shouted at the duo. They helped him, so he would help them. This was the retainer''s Technique that could arouse and seduce someone who was already lustful. It was widely known that Foxes were always lustful, so this would surely hit- Wanshu slapped the invisible heart away, like she was not affected by it. "Are you sure we should even talk to them?" "It was worth a try." Yuxi shook her head and sighed. The Uncle and his retainer were speechless, but he still nudged his retainer to try again! "Heavenly Temptation!" The retainer shouted again. This was a much faster and more powerful Technique, but it cost him his Vitality... He knew for sure that this one would work- Yuxi slapped the obnoxiously large heart away. "I think we don''t speak the same language." She sighed. "It was obvious the first time he started doing those weird poses..." Wanshu stared blankly at her partner, didn''t she find it weird that that guy was posing like a madman while shouting flowery words? "Don''t look at me like that, it''s enough that I''m judged by Mistress!" Yuxi pouted. At this moment, Uncle shivered. The only time Foxes would call someone Mistress would be if they were in a relationship, contracted to a woman, or worst of all if they were ''Shadows''. "Retreat-" The Uncle shouted, but he looked back and only the dark Fox was standing there. Everyone else was cut to pieces... "Let''s clean this, I still want to eat and rest more." Wanshu finally got the taste of her new body and it no longer ached when she tried to lie down, so she grew slightly obsessed with soft things, doubly so if they were attached to Yuxi. "Sure, just don''t grope Mistress, alright?" Yuxi made a threatening remark, since she hoped that Aiko could rest properly and heal up... "Why would I do that when I have you?" Wanshu tilted her head, disposing of the last one. Only Uncle was left. Zhao Yichen watched the whole thing and he could not believe his eyes. Those Foxes were damn strong! But what was even more ridiculous was their immunity to temptations! How did that happen?! Where did they come from?! Zhao Yichen pursed his lips. He wanted to say something to his Uncle, but the Foxes interrupted. "Alright, you got 100 breaths to kill each other, if both of you stand after 100 breaths, you will both die." Yuxi announced while she knelt besides a fallen Cultivator and started stripping him of his belongings. Both Uncle and Zhao Yichen shivered, but Yichen was the first one to act. He immediately dashed towards Uncle. "Should we strip them of their clothes too?" Wanshu asked. "Yes, they might be hiding something under them." Yuxi nodded, already used to looting others. Wanshu on the other hand was not used to it. She never looted bodies, as that was always done by either Fatty or the dead Mirage Fox. She copied her partner''s movements, stripping them skilfully. Wanshu was shocked at her own dexterity! "ARGH! This is impossible!" At exactly 95 breaths, Zhao Yichen pierced his Uncle''s heart and twisted the sword to inflict even more pain. Yuxi finished looting and counted out the few last breaths, but unfortunately, the Uncle died and they didn''t cause as much ruckus, so she would not kill him. "Thank you for your assistance." Zhao Yichen wobbled weakly and bowed towards the duo. "Don''t thank us, we are not helping you." Yuxi moved to the last body that was just killed and stripped him of his belongings. Wanshu was looking over the uninvited guest so that he wouldn''t try anything funny. Zhao Yichen tightened his grip on the sword, but didn''t move. The loss of wealth would be bad, but it was fine as long as they didn''t try to take his Spiritual Roots! "They were so poor." Yuxi frowned gently. Zhao Yichen coughed up blood, almost fainting at the spot. "Are they?" Wanshu thought that this was a good harvest. "No nice Treasures, very few Spirit Stones, clothes are useless." Yuxi summed up their loot, but each word each word was like getting shot by an arrow for Zhao Yichen. He felt like she was doing it on purpose! ''She smiled!'' Zhao Yichen coughed up blood. She was really making fun of them! They soon left without looking back and Zhao Yichen dug out his Uncle''s Spiritual Roots. For him, it was easy as these were his own Spiritual Roots previously, so he didn''t need any elaborate witchcraft his Uncle did. Soon he recovered the Spiritual Root and wobbled back to the cave... Chapter 265 – Zhao Yichen The Foxes had a field day, they were sorting the things from his Uncle and co. At first, he could not believe that the Foxes were so greedy, yet so wasteful. Anything that didn''t tickle their interest, they threw aside. "Why did you return?" The Blood Fox asked, sorting the clothes inside the Storage Ring. "If you won''t mind, I would like to recuperate here." Zhao Yichen bowed his head, but the twinkle in his eyes didn''t disappear. Those Foxes were extraordinarily beautiful, especially the sleeping Fox. ''I feel like I would be able to evolve if I devoured her, Master.'' A voice inside his body spoke through telepathy. ''Be quiet and don''t do anything.'' Zhao Yichen snorted coldly, if not for these Foxes he would be in grave danger. Not only was he able to recover his Spiritual Roots, but we might also be able to obtain the things those Foxes don''t like. He can''t pass on this opportunity while he is weak. ''But if I can Evolve you will get stronger, master!'' The voice said indignantly and tried to weasel her way out of his Cultivation Space. Zhao Yichen immediately locked that place so she couldn''t leave. ''What are you doing?! You promised me that you would never lock me inside! Are you breaking our deal?!" The voice sounded livid. ''Be quiet or I will really lock you there forever.'' Zhao Yichen didn''t care about her whims, he already owed a lot of favours to these Foxes. If he attacked them or hurt them now he could not be called a Saint! "We would mind." The Blood Fox said shortly. She felt danger from this guy and she wanted to protect Aiko. The twins didn''t even look at him as they sorted those things and chatted with each other. "Allow me to introduce myself. I''m Zhao Yichen, a Saint from the mainland. I swear on my name that I won''t hurt you during and after my recuperation and I will absolutely return the favour you have given me." Zhao Yichen bowed again and cupped his fist. "Fine, but if you make any funny movements, you will be dealt with." The Blood Fox agreed only because he made an oath. Now Aiko was safe and he would have to return the favour. "Thank you." He bowed, not even asking for their nicknames. It was unfit to ask them as they were not close enough. He sat in his previous spot and nursed his wounds. "They really only had garbage..." Yuxi''s voice drifted throughout the cave and Zhao Yichen coughed up blood. ''Do you have to be so mean?!'' He gazed towards the black Fox twin and she stuck out her tongue. Zhao Yichen''s lips tightened. He could not believe that he was being teased by a Fox! She held no lust towards him, yet she still teased him?! Zhao Yichen sighed, closing his eyes again. He temporarily disabled his hearing so that he would not be teased. Yuxi did tease a few more times, but seeing no reaction... she pouted. "Why are you teasing him?" Wanshu asked questioningly. She felt a very close and intimate connection with Yuxi, so she somewhat understood her thoughts, but she wanted to verify it. "Because-" Yuxi was about to answer, but was interrupted by the Blood Fox. "You have too much energy." The Blood Fox finished the sentence for her. Yuxi pouted at the Blood Fox. "What? Aiko can have excessive energy and I can''t?" "Aiko is young, she needs that excessive energy." The Blood Fox snorted at Yuxi. That kind of excuse would not work on her. Yuxi pouted her cheeks before returning to sorting. "I hope Aiko wakes up soon." Wanshu sighed, she wanted to do more with Yuxi. She wondered what this connection could do during their intimate moments. "That will take quite a long time." The Blood Fox shook her head. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ""How do you know that?"" The Twins asked in sync. They immediately gazed at each other and blushed. "I was investigating Aiko''s body. Her Vitality is drained, but everything is working correctly. It doesn''t make sense." The Blood Fox shook her head. "But then I remembered that the situation was similar the first time. It seems that Aiko has some kind of ability that can allow her to overdraw her Vitality, but the demerits depend on how much she overdraws." She continued. "The first time she was slow and somewhat disoriented, but it seems the more severe the Vitality overdraw is, the worse her condition will be." *Pooof* Aiko''s body released mist and she turned into a small Aiko once again. Aiko was shivering like she was cold. "Vitality also allows you to combat cold and create warmth inside your body, so it would explain why she felt cold before and liked to be close to the fire." The Blood Fox shifted Aiko''s small body on her lap. She wrapped Aiko in beast fur and hugged her gently. It took a few minutes before Aiko stopped shivering and happily snoozed away. "Incredible." Wanshu nodded amazed. She underestimated the Blood Fox since she was a Demonic Beast, but that seemed to be a wrong move. She never imagined that the Blood Fox would know so much. "Can we help her somehow?" Aiko looked peaceful right now, but it still pained Yuxi, since it was her fault. She wanted to Evolve with Wanshu... "There is no way to help her." The Blood Fox shook her head. "Normally, if one would deplete their Vitality, their body''s health would decline, but that is not the case for Aiko. Moreover, I can feel a strange, faint energy inside Aiko. It seems like that energy is trying to... create?... Vitality for Aiko." She was unsure about the last part, since she never heard that Vitality could be created from nothing... Well, then again she also never heard or read about anyone that could overdraw their Vitality and survive it... Yuxi was speechless. "Aiko can generate Vitality?" She could not quite understand the importance, but seeing how serious the Blood Fox was, it seemed like it was unheard of! "Will we finish our journey or wait for Aiko to stabilise?" Wanshu asked her teammates. "We should wait until Aiko wakes up." The Blood Fox said. "It''s better if she is conscious along the way so that if we fight, she can run away or defend herself." "Good point." Wanshu nodded gently, no longer underestimating the Blood Fox. Yuxi finished sorting. "How about the Storage Ring?" "It has low-grade Pills, toys, torture tools, nothing of value." The Blood Fox would only use unused toys and these Pills would do more harm than benefit. "Alright, let''s store the trash and sell it later." Yuxi nodded. "Please wait." Zhao Yichen did mute his hearing, but he had to take a dump, so he removed the restriction. Only for him to hear that the Foxes wanted to sell those invaluable Treasures?! "What is it?" The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes dangerously. "I''m willing to add another favour if you give me the Storage Ring from my Uncle." Zhao Yichen bowed once again, pleading with the Foxes. It felt like he bowed to the Foxes more times than he did in his entire life...! "And what use will we get out of you when you are like a beggar?" Yuxi tilted her head, shooting another arrow from her lips. "Ugh." Zhao Yichen groaned at this merciless Fox, but didn''t dislike it. "I''m a Saint if you ever manage to get into the mainland and are in need of protection. I will help you to the best of my abilities." His eyebrows turned sharp. He no longer looked like a beggar, but like the Young Disciple from a big Sect he was. The Blood Fox took the Storage Ring and flicked it towards him. "3 favours and protection if we require it. This is of course non-negotiable." She smiled like a fox. Zhao Yichen''s hands quivered. "Thank you." While this was an absolute scam for him, he still required that Storage Ring! He looked inside, but his eyes rolled backwards and he coughed up blood. "How much did my shitty uncle consume?!" He suddenly shouted, but then he felt sharp gazes on him and he shrunk back. "My apologies, if you excuse me." Zhao Yichen bowed, running outside the cave so he could curse freely. ''You should''ve let me eat that Fox, now she will slowly and painfully die.'' The voice scoffed at him. ''Shut up! It''s enough that my Uncle lavishly spends the wealth and Treasures given to me by my Family!'' Zhao Yichen was fed up with this voice. She was but a Demoness of the Flower Clan. The only thing she knew was to take his seed and sleep! ''Tsk. And you even took that shitty ring. I already told you that if you bring me to my family, they will reward you handsomely!'' The voice sounded indignant. ''Right! So your whole family can drain my body! As if I would walk towards my death myself!'' Zhao Yichen scoffed at her. The voice clicked her tongue and fell silent. Zhao Yichen took this opportunity to curse his uncle and traitorous relatives loudly. It took him 3 hours of shouting to release all of his bottled-up feelings. But he never cursed the Foxes. Those Foxes helped him greatly, it would be unjust to do that. If he was in better shape, he would even try to help the sleeping Fox! His situation was too bad, so he could only nurture his wounds and return to the subsidiary Sect and return to the mainland to completely heal. He walked back inside the cave. The Foxes were roasting yet another piece of game and his stomach grumbled. "A favour for a meal." The Blood Fox smiled like a fox. "I''m good." Zhao Yichen''s lips twitched, ''It would not hurt you to share your meal!'' but soon he was speechless at their appetite. They cleaned two carcasses without much issue. "You might gain weight." The Blood Fox teased, her large bosom jiggling. The twins mimicked the motion of that pair with their heads before responding. ""We are fine."" They tried to shake their bosom in a similar fashion, but the jiggle was not as impressive. The Blood Fox still outweighed them in that! Zhao Yichen''s lips twitched, but he didn''t voice his opinion. That didn''t mean he didn''t silently judge them! ''Just pounce on them, you horn-dog, unlike me, they don''t need that kind of sustenance.'' The voice scoffed at him. ''When did I enjoy your squeezing?!'' Zhao Yichen scoffed back at her. ''Every time.'' The voice snorted. ''You even plead with me to use my plant parts on you!'' The voice shook in anger. ''*Cough* I don''t remember that.'' Zhao Yichen denied everything. The voice couldn''t believe his shamelessness, but Zhao Yichen cut the connection, so that she couldn''t curse him... Chapter 266 – Journey and Mei A few days later, Zhao Yichen once again bickered with the plant inside his Cultivation Space. ''I never said I wanted to eat her!'' The voice said indignantly. ''Bullshit! The first time you saw her you were already sneaking outside my body!'' Zhao Yichen refuted her. ''Why do you want to kill me, you bastard?! I even fulfilled your anal fantasies!'' The voice cried out, making Zhao Yichen speechless. ''You were the one saying that you wanted to eat her!'' He completely ignored the latter part of her sentence with a cough. ''Everyone knows that if you go against ''THAT'' Bloodline, you will have an unsightly death!'' The voice was almost crying. ''I don''t want to die so young! I also want to find someone who will love me!'' Zhao Yichen''s lips twitched. He never saw her acting so cowardly. *Sob* And he also never saw her actually crying... ''If someone asks you if I wanted to eat her you have to answer no, alright?'' The voice pleaded. And he absolutely never saw her plead! ''Is she that scary?'' Zhao Yichen couldn''t help, but ask. ''Scary? If you don''t understand it, don''t even ask!'' The voice was very angry. Zhao Yichen pursed his lips. This was such an odd circumstance that he couldn''t wrap his head around. ''Do you know how to help her?'' Zhao Yichen asked carefully. ''If I knew, I would have already helped her!'' The voice cried out. ''I would absolutely woo her over or try to befriend her! She would be a much better master than you!'' Zhao Yichen coughed up blood. He already gave her so many goodies, yet she wanted to just run away?! ''Not happening.'' The voice clicked her tongue. ''In that case, I will just die.'' It was better to die and reincarnate, maybe she would be forgiven for that transgression. Zhao Yichen was stunned. She always clung to life desperately, but all of a sudden she didn''t need to live? What the hell is wrong with that Fox that it would make her say that?! Zhao Yichen glanced towards the small sleeping Fox, but the moment he did, the others stared at him. He blushed, looking away. They were real beauties... ... "Packed everything?" The Blood Fox asked her teammates. The others nodded. Everyone agreed that they should leave this place behind! Why? Because they were bothered by his gaze, especially when he looked at Aiko. ''We need to protect Aiko from perverts.'' They all agreed on this point. The team left, leaving Zhao Yichen alone. He sighed gently. ''It''s your fault, you know that?'' The voice snorted at him. ''Shut up.'' He would not acknowledge that fact. The voice ''shook'' her head and rested once again. It''s already been 30 days since she last ate, but none should underestimate the life force of a plant! She can easily go for much longer. ... The team walked away. Aiko was currently in her big form and they wanted to stay until she turned small again, but they just couldn''t bear that gaze. "Hmmmm." Yuxi stared towards the Blood Fox. "What''s wrong?" The Blood Fox tilted her head. "Aiko sleeps more peacefully during sunny days..." Yuxi pointed at Aiko who was happily snoozing on the Blood Fox''s back. The Blood Fox could not look back and check. She already had trouble keeping her mind in check, but since she was technically the weakest and also the one with defensive abilities... Yeah, she had to carry Aiko to protect her. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. They walked through the forest, and the twins were sensitive to danger, which allowed them to avoid all of that. They walked on plains, across rivers and a few smaller mountains. It was a peaceful journey... ... After 100 days, they arrived at the general location of the Fox Village, but they all paused. "Aren''t we in trouble if Mei sees Aiko like that...?" Wanshu asked the duo and their bodies stiffened. ""Let''s camp here."" They both agreed on this part. They looked around to find a hidden place, with plenty of sunshine, so that Aiko could sleep peacefully during the day. "Her complexion recovered greatly." Yuxi gently nudged the sleeping Aiko and she murmured something back. "Don''t tease her too much. She needs to recover or we can''t enter the Fox Village." The Blood Fox scolded Yuxi for her behaviour. Yuxi was a bit restless, both she and Wanshu wanted to pounce on each other, but since they were the strongest; they had to hold back to protect Aiko. This in turn made them quite frustrated, which made the Blood Fox happy. ''Yes, suffer! Know the pain of singles!'' The Blood Fox laughed in her mind and the mocking aura from her body spread. Yuxi and Wanshu always stared at the Blood Fox''s bosom, since it looked quite appetising. ''Not as much as the big Aiko''s...'' Yuxi thought. But she would not move, Aiko was confused previously, so it would take time before she could do anything. There was also the issue of Wanshu''s territorial behaviour. It would take time to get her to adjust her mentality and accept Aiko. The Blood Fox prepared food, but this time, she didn''t use seasoning. They were quite close and it would not be good if they attracted too much attention... ... {Inside the Fox Village} Mei looked outside. This mission was taking quite a long time and she was now worried about Aiko''s wellbeing. At one time she was shocked by the connection since Aiko''s signal grew very weak. "Are you still worried?" The Grandmaster came over, gently nudging Mei. "A bit..." Mei couldn''t conceal it even if she wanted to, so she just spoke her mind. "I got some news." The Grandmaster smiled. "What do you want?" Mei asked, narrowing her eyes. "How mean..." The Grandmaster pouted like a young girl. Her complexion improved and she looked younger thanks to Mei''s care. The last thing she had to solve was those ugly burn marks. "You already own me, you know." The Grandmaster teased Mei. She already made a vow that she would serve Mei and Aiko. "Right... is that why you are still stealing my Pills?" Mei narrowed her eyes and the Grandmaster looked away. "I told you to call me by my name." The Grandmaster switched topics. "No way, we are not that close!" Mei sharply glanced at her. This was also punishment for eating her Pills like candies! Did everyone have the Aiko disease where they would just munch on anything tasty?! The Grandmaster shook her head and gently massaged Mei''s shoulders. "If you worry even more you might as well go outside." She sighed. Mei waited while enjoying the massage. "So what''s the news?" "The joint alliance fought against the Fiendish Cultivators." The Grandmaster smiled. "It''s said that there were 2 black foxes, one red fox and one terrifying Goddess." "Some independent Foxes?" Mei tilted her head. If it was 1 black fox and a red Fox with something terrifying, she would understand, but Aiko would definitely not befriend anyone from the team that pursued them. "It''s said that the Fox was very beautiful with a rather ample bosom." The Grandmaster was holding in laughter from listening to Mei''s inner thoughts. ''Another Vixen... great...'' Mei sighed in her mind. "It is also said that one saw that terrifying Goddess transform into a small, cute Fox." The Grandmaster continued and Mei''s fingers stopped. She looked back at the Grandmaster questioningly. "Yes, it sounds like Aiko had a rather fortuitous opportunity." The Grandmaster smiled. "So it might take a bit longer for her to stabilise her Beast Core." Mei frowned, glaring into the distance. ''She better not return with a worse Beast Core!'' The Grandmaster laughed, which stunned Mei. "What?" Mei glared at the Grandmaster. "Nothing." The Grandmaster hummed, it was cute that Mei cared more about the Beast Core and not Aiko becoming a terrifying Goddess with a formidable bosom... "How was the negotiation?" Mei asked, diverting her attention. "It was good. In a few years, there will be the last session with the leaders where they decide when to open ''that'' Secret Realm for the Sects. We are included." The Grandmaster smiled. "How many positions?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "50 for our Village, 20-100 for other Sects." The Grandmaster explained. "We are in the middle?" Mei didn''t believe that. "No. The Sect Leader had to step back and allow 50, so that other Sects could choose their partners." The Grandmaster for some reason was happy, listening to Mei''s thoughts. ''Shitty bastards believe that we will give them a mile.'' Mei had a murderous expression. "It''s not really an issue, but it will be followed by a Tournament." The Grandmaster said gently. "Tournament, huh?" Mei sighed. "Not only fighting tournaments." The Grandmaster added and Mei pursed her lips. "Maybe I should speed up, teaching Aiko about alchemy..." Mei chuckled darkly. They would rob all those Sects of their resources with her and Aiko''s might. Moreover, if Aiko''s team is strong enough, they should also get a decent place during the fighting portion of the Tournament. "I will do my best to teach them." The Grandmaster chuckled sinisterly. "Don''t overdo it with Aiko. She needs enough stamina for Alchemy." Mei warned the Grandmaster gravely. "I will only work on her Stamina, so that she doesn''t consume as much." The Grandmaster smiled in understanding. "Try to work on her Divine Sense too while you are at it." Mei had already explained some things about Aiko, but never mentioned others even in her mind. The Grandmaster nodded gently. "I will do my best, Mistress." Mei snorted unhappily. "Only Aiko is allowed to call me like that." She wanted to slap the Grandmaster away, but she was quicker. The Grandmaster giggled. "Oh~, Jade always believes that she has the upper hand, yet her heart has already been stolen~" She suddenly ducked as Mei''s Divine Sense almost smashed into her. "How scary~" The Grandmaster ran away while giggling loudly, annoying Mei even more. "Who is in love?!" Mei snorted unhappily. Aiko was very attached to her, which was good. ''She would be a loyal and powerful servant.'' Mei hummed gently, looking forward to the ''terrifying Goddess''. "Yeah, right... a bunch of perverts." Mei snorted in disdain. Aiko was not old enough to think about it, yet they dubbed her as ''Goddess''?! Over her dead body! Chapter 267 – Aiko wakes up and Systems! The team settled in a hidden meadow, because for some unknown reason, there were no caves around. This meadow was still well hidden, so there were no major problems with it. The Blood Fox rarely cooked to not attract attention, but even then some kind of gaze swept past them... ... {Inside the Fox Village} Mei could feel Aiko being quite close to the Fox Village, but for some reason, she did not enter. She narrowed her eyes and sent her Divine Sense towards Aiko''s direction. Mei found Aiko lazily lying in a fur roll, snoozing like there was no tomorrow. Her lips twitched. Was she really so terrifying that Aiko would rather sleep outside? She didn''t know if that was the real reason why Aiko didn''t visit her yet, but she would wait... she would give it a month before storming inside and scolding them. ''There is also another Shadow Fox...'' Mei narrowed her eyes, wondering what happened along the journey. ... {Inside the meadow} Aiko snorted unhappily since she was bound all around her body. Her body squirmed like a worm to get out of it, but she was too tired to use her full strength. The Blood Fox and others noticed the stir and looked towards Aiko. It''s been half a month since they felt someone or something ''stare'' at them which scared them. They were on edge for the past month, looking for intruders. Aiko blinked her eyes lazily and was startled. There were two Yuxis in front of her. "Aiko." The Blood Fox nuzzled Aiko, now that she was awake they would be able to enter the Fox Village and be safe. "Mmm." Aiko murmured, not really in the mood for any kind of talk. She curiously stared towards the duo. ''They are like twins.'' Aiko blinked her eyes lazily, but only one of them looked at her nicely. Aiko also felt only one connection, so the other one was someone else. She yawned slowly and the Blood Fox shuffled meat in front of her. Aiko opened and closed her mouth being fed by the Blood Fox, but her curiosity was still strong. She stared at the twins for some time before a familiar voice spoke. "It''s great you are alright, Aiko." Yuxi almost cried. It''s been such a long time since Aiko fell into a deep slumber. At first, Yuxi believed that Aiko would wake up soon, but even after 2 months, Aiko was still ''dead'' asleep, not stirring up no matter what happened around her. "Mhm." Aiko murmured again, munching on some tasty meat. She then stared towards the other Yuxi. "This is Wanshu, she Evolved into this form." Yuxi explained. "She also has some kind of #### system." Aiko tilted her head. ''#### system? Wait, why can''t I think about it?!'' She was startled that she couldn''t name the system. ''I should probably look through my system first... [ Name: Aiko Good/Evil: 500 - 500 (Adjustable 500 - 500 -> 0 - 1,000) Species: [Shadow Spirit Fennec Fox (Female, Adult, Single-True Tail(Pseudo Two-Tails))] Species: [Blessed Moon Fennec Fox (Female, Adult, Single-True Tail(Pseudo Two-Tails))] Age: 30/2,000 Bloodline: [Shadow Fiend Fox(Peak)], [Dream Beast Kitsune(Awakened)] Bloodline: [Moon Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)], [Primordial Dew Goddess Kitsune (Dormant)] Beast Rank: Magical Beast Level: 50 (5th Evolution) Providence: 10,000 (Suppressed) Profession: [Opportunistic Kleptomaniac (Apprentice 2nd Stage)] Sub-Profession: [Inscription Apprentice (1st Low-Grade Inscription Cultivator)], Wealth: Spirit Crystals: 50,000; Spirit Stones: 77,599; Black Gold Coins: 189,997; Title: [Foul-mouthed], [Agile], [Brave], [Courageous], [Thief Who Robbed Immortal], [Little Princess], [Shadow Thief], [Master of Sex Toys], [Insatiable Gourmand], [Explorer], [Trickster], [Mischievous Juvenile], [Filthy RICH Den Master], [Juve-barian], [Tail Hunter], [Bath Enjoyer], [Closet Pervert], [Devourer of Vitality], [Bane of Immortal], [One Who makes Immortal Faint], [Glutton], [Walking Runic Encyclopedia], [Backdoor Destroyer], [Cruel Slaughterer], [Plague Master], [Daylight Robber], [Gruesome Craftsman], [Godly Gruesome Pitcher], [Poison Taster], [Idol of Fear], [Masseur], [Gruesome Cook], [Underwear Thief], [One Who Survived Against All Odds], [Respect from Dragons], [Greed from Humans], Cultivation Technique: [Blood Tyrant Scripture (Mortal Form)], [Moon Goddess Scripture (Mortal Form)], [Dual Yin Cultivation Scripture (Complete, Immortal Form)] Karma Companion: [Mei (Affection: 30,000)] Companion: [Passion Fox (Affection: Obsession)] Soul Servant: [Yuxi (Affection: Reverence)], [Wanshu (Affection: Wary of you, believes you will steal Yuxi from her.)] Elemental Spirit: [] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement)(*1.5-3.75 Lunar Enhancement) HP: 229,045|229,045 (250pH & 0.4%pH) ST: 231,543|231,543 (250pH & 0.4%pH) Vitality: -2,491,299|164,701 (25pH & 0.4%pH)(1%pH - Insatiable Gourmand) Vigour: 167,199 Beast Cores(80%): 22,000 (59,500) Moonlight Qi: 10,080 Dew Essence: 10,000 (+1/s) Toughness: 67,000 Strength: 68,451 Agility: 141,110 (70,555*2) Dexterity: 99,741 (66,494*1.5) Mind: 158,888 (79,444*2) Divine Sense: 150,000 Insight: 37,510 Soul: 38,401 Beauty: 1,938,101 (1,250,388*1.55) Luck: 100,106 (98,144*1.02) Stat Points: 55,710 Skill Points: 36,311 Elemental Affinity: [Moon''s Affection - 1], [Shadow - 2], [Earth - 8], [Soul''s Affection: 3], [Water - 8] Martial Arts: [Lightness Technique] Martial Technique: [The Ever Shaping Cauldron: - ; -/-], [Heavenly Suppression Technique(Prototype, Incomplete)] Innate Ability: [Beast Core Formation] Divine Ability: [Duality of Cultivation], [Jaws of ####], [Soul Palace -> ####], [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)], [Moon''s Eyes], [Moon''s Crust], [Dew Fox Incarnate] Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Ability: [Shadow Walk: Mastered], [Earthen Walk: Mastered], [Appraisal: Lv.2], [Lunar Nurturing Meditation: Lv.3], [Assimilate (Shadows)], Passive Ability: [Desert adaptation: Lv.3], [Shadow Enhancement: Mastered], [Lunar Enhancement: Mastered], [Agility Mastery: Mastered], [Intention Perception: Mastered], [Basic Presence Concealment: Mastered], [Universal Recovery: Lv.4], [Divine Calligraphy: Lv.2], [Shadow Swimming: Lv.1], [Perfect Memory: Lv.1] Skills: [Crushing Bite: Mastered], [Lacerate: Mastered], [Sprint: Mastered], [Quick Double Jump: Mastered], [Camouflage: Mastered], [Sleeping: Lv.2] Passive Skills: [Stealth: Mastered], [Prehensile Mastery: Lv.1], [Dark Vision: Mastered], [Thermal Regulation: Lv.2], [Demonic Intimidation: Lv.5], [Linguistics: Mastered], [Silent Swimming: Mastered], [Enhanced Climbing: Mastered], [Enhanced Basic Senses: Mastered], [Brilliant Mind: Mastered], [Picturesque Beauty: Lv.2], [Four Leaf Clover: Lv.2], [Assassin Mastery: Mastered], [Dexterous Fingers: Mastered], [Inscription Mastery: Mastered], [Alchemy Mastery: Lv.2], [Greater Poison Resistance: Mastered] Blessings: [Blessing of the Ancestral Nine-Tailed Fox], [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix], [Blessing of N¨¹wa], [Blessing of the Goddess of Moon], [Blessing of #### Luna] Items: [Introduction to the Mortal Realm], [Meat x2,685], [Skill Coupon x2], [Skill Combination Coupon x2], [Cultivation Gift], [Sub-Profession Coupon x2], [Divine Ability Gift], [Sub-Profession Coupon(Servant)], [Cultivation Gift(Servant)], [Ability Coupon], [Bloodline Gift], [Bloodline Gift(Servant)], [Ability Combination Coupon x2], [Profession Coupon], [Karma Bound], [Black Inscription Master Token], [Essence of ####], [Bloodline Book], [How to obtain Bloodline 101], [Book of Providence] Tails Storage: [Heavenly Blessed Light-Water 1,000L] ] [Species: [Blessed Moon Fennec Fox (Female, Adult, Single-True Tail(Pseudo Two-Tails))]] [A special breed of a Fennec Fox that is both attuned with the Moon and Nature''s Blessing.] [It can survive both harsh desert environments and bustling jungles.] [It now has an even greater weakness to the Cold Element.] Aiko blinked slowly. Her system was actually helpful?! What happened??? [Bloodline: [Primordial Dew Goddess Kitsune (Dormant)]] [This incredibly #### Bloodline focuses on a Primordial Dew. This Dew allows both Herbs and Beasts to grow incredibly strong, but at the same time it costs vast amounts of Vitality to create such a precious Treasure.] [This Bloodline is Dormant, as such you can''t produce any Primordial Dew. And your production capability has ''degraded'' to far simpler Blessed Morning Dew.] [Likewise, the Vitality required has lessened exponentially.] [To Awaken this Bloodline, you need either Immortal Qi or Chaos Qi.] Aiko blinked again. She really believed that the system was sick, considering how much useful information she was given. [System is functioning at 10% capacity.] [No Errors were found.] ''Oh...'' Aiko believed that because the System was restricted, it was a lot more useful like trying to tell her not to throw it away. ''Can I still buy stuff?'' Aiko asked. [Shops are operating, prices will fluctuate.] Aiko nodded slowly, so it was no longer concrete that she would get those Skills, Abilities, and Techniques for the same prices... [One Who Survived Against All Odds] [When your Vitality Drops under 0, it does not kill you. This drop has to occur only once, otherwise, HP will be used as a replacement. (Meaning that if someone drains you of your Vitality you will still live, but if someone hits you twice; Once to lower your Vitality under 0, the second hit then would be into your HP in a ratio of 1:100 (1 Vitality for 100 HP))] [If your Vitality is under 0, you will have to regenerate your Vitality fully before this Title can be activated again.] [If your HP drops below 0 while in a state of Vitality deprivation, you will die and your Soul will disperse, rendering you unable to reincarnate again.] Aiko shivered. She felt fine while giving away her Vitality, but now... that might''ve been quite a bad idea. If she was alone and without her amazing team, she would absolutely die! She shouldn''t use this Title unless it''s completely necessary! [Respect from Dragons] [You have earned respect from one of the Dragon Clans. You will no longer be looked upon as a dumb Fox and more Dragons will take interest in you. (Increases likeability of the Dragon Race)] ''Nice'' Aiko smiled, for some reason the Blood Fox nuzzled her closely, but Aiko didn''t mind. This kind of nuzzling was not bad at all. [Greed from Humans] [Humans will be more interested in you, some will reach the obsession stage faster. (Increases attraction from Humans)] ''Geh.'' Aiko didn''t like this one at all! This meant that more Humans would go after her! No way will she leave the Fox Village now! [Cultivation Technique: [Blood Tyrant Scripture (Mortal Form)], [Moon Goddess Scripture (Mortal Form)], [Dual Yin Cultivation Scripture (Complete, Immortal Form)]] ''Huh...'' Aiko blinked. ''They have more information!'' Aiko''s eyes sparkled, but since she could not Cultivate them, she didn''t look through them. [Mortal Form] [Usable in Mortal World.] [Immortal Form] [Usable in both Mortal and Immortal Worlds (Effectiveness decreased in Mortal Worlds.)] [Companion: [Passion Fox (Affection: Obsession)]] ''...'' Aiko stared at it blankly while the Blood Fox nuzzled her closely. ''Is that a good thing...?'' [Soul Servant: [Yuxi (Affection: Reverence], [Wanshu (Affection: Wary of you, believes you will steal Yuxi from her.]] ''Oh! I have another Soul Servant!'' Aiko nodded happily, but then she was stunned by the affection rating. ''What do you mean I will steal her from you?! She is mine to begin with!'' Aiko snorted unhappily. ''I also got more Elemental Affinities, that''s good.'' Aiko nodded. [Soul Palace -> ####] Aiko blinked a few times. It seemed like her Soul Palace was transforming into something else... [Appraisal] [Soul Palace -> Soul Domain] [Soul Domain is ##############.] ''So I have to explore this one myself, huh?'' Aiko blinked a few times. [Dew Fox Incarnate] [Plethora of Abilities packed together. You can choose a few of them to Cultivate properly or keep them as is.] [Keeping them as is would allow you to develop all of them at the same time, but it would be much, much slower than individual Abilities.] ''I have time...'' Aiko nodded with a smile. [[Dew Fox Incarnate] focuses on Nature and Vitality.] [You can nurture and develop your Herbs or Pets, depending on your needs.] Aiko nodded slowly, this was a good thing for Mei who liked to work with Herbs. [All Abilities from [Dew Fox Incarnate] consume Vitality!] [Tails Storage] [Special Storage that can store anything.] [Size depends on the Fluffiness and number of Tails you posses.] Aiko blinked a few times. [Heavenly Blessed Light-Water 1,000L] [####] Aiko pouted. ''Another thing that I don''t know anything about and Appraisal also isn''t working on it...'' ... Aiko slept on and off in the coming days before asking the duo. "So you have your own system now?" Aiko blinked. ""Yes."" They both nodded. Aiko was now glad that Yuxi was under contract, since their disposition and even voices were incredibly similar. "Does it give you something or...?" Aiko wanted to know how advanced their system was... Fortunately or unfortunately, they both shook their heads. It seemed like their system was only about showing their progress and Titles. Aiko nodded gently and looked over Yuxi''s panel. [ Name: Umbra Fox (Yuxi) Species: [Nightmare Spirit Fox(Female, Adult, Single-Tail (Pseudo Two-Tails))] Age: 38/1,000 Bloodline: [Nightmare Fiend Fox(Awakened)(Shadow Fox+Dream Fiend Kitsune)], [####] Beast Rank: Spirit Beast Providence: 1,000 Title: [Unseen Shadow], [Subservient], [Overflowing with Vitality!], [Nightmare Twins], [Twin Coordination], [*Hidden*] Soul Master: [Aiko (Affection: Adores you)] Companion: [Blood Fox (Affection: Likes you)], [Mei (Affection: Conflicted about you)], [Wanshu (Affection: Always together~ ??)] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement)(*2.5 Nightmare Mode) HP: 440,000|440,000 ST: 620,000|620,000 Vitality: 110,000|110,000 Vigour: 170,000 Beast Core(80%): 20,000 (90,000) Shadow Qi: 10,000 Toughness: 110,000 Strength: 110,000 Agility: 170,000 Dexterity: 140,000 Mind: 55,000 Insight: 70,000 Soul: 70,000 Beauty: 1,100,000 Luck: 330,000 Elemental Affinity: [Shadow''s Affection - 2] Innate Ability: [Nightmare Mode] Divine Ability: [Nightmare Incarnation], [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)(Suppression bypassed)] Ability: [Nightmare Armour], [Little Nightmare], [Nightmare Threads] Passive Ability: [Shadow Enhancement], [Resistance against Nightmares] ] [Species: [Nightmare Spirit Fox(Female, Adult, Single-Tail (Pseudo Two-Tails))]] [Fox from the darkest nightmares.] [It specialises in ambushes and nightmares.] [Its weakness is light and fire.] [Bloodline: [Nightmare Fiend Fox(Awakened)(Shadow Fox+Dream Fiend Kitsune)], [####]] [Nightmare Fiend Fox(Awakened)(Shadow Fox+Dream Fiend Kitsune)] [Combined Bloodlines, it strengthens their effects] [Nightmare Fiend Fox is a lonely Bloodline that specialises in ambushes against multiple targets at once.] [It''s trademark Ability and where people started calling them a lonely Bloodline is [Little Nightmare]. It''s a ''servant'' type of Ability where the given User can summon a helper in exchange for Tail. Number of helpers depends on the number of Tails, while their strength depends on how well the given User can develop it.] Aiko really liked the [Little Nightmare], so her next Evolution would definitely be this one! She was really looking forward to having someone who could fight for her, so that she could solely focus on throwing rocks! [Title: [Unseen Shadow], [Subservient], [Overflowing with Vitality!], [Nightmare Twins], [Twin Coordination], [*Hidden*]] [Unseen Shadow] [Bonus for stealth.] [Subservient] [Will listen to you unconditionally. (Fulfilling orders raises stats temporarily.)] [Overflowing with Vitality] [Sealed] [Nightmare Twins] [Twins born from Nightmare, while together they will induce deep fear against anyone that is against them. (Fear Debuff.)] [Twin Coordination] [They have perfect coordination. (Stats rise if together with the other Twin.)] [*Hidden*] [Not completely earned Titles, give it a time and you might be surprised.] Aiko was speechless at those OP stats. She could not believe that someone would get so many bonuses if they were together...! ''Isn''t this cheating?!'' Aiko cried out in her mind. This felt completely unfair! Why can''t she have something like that!? [You don''t have a twin.] ''Shut up!'' Aiko pouted even more. Fortunately for the system, she was too tired and fell asleep... Chapter 268 – Mei~! ?? [ Name: Wanshu Species: [Nightmare Spirit Fox(Female, Adult, Single-Tail (Pseudo Two-Tails))] Age: 45/1,000 Bloodline: [Nightmare Fiend Fox(Awakened)(Shadow Fox+Dream Fiend Kitsune)], [####] Beast Rank: Spirit Beast Providence: 1,000 Title: [Unseen Shadow], [Loyal], [Overflowing with Vitality!], [Nightmare Twins], [Twin Coordination], [*Hidden*] Soul Master: [Aiko (Affection: Slight Interest)] Companion: [Blood Fox (Affection: Likes you)], [Yuxi (Affection: Juicy partner~ ??)] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement)(*2.5 Nightmare Mode) HP: 440,000|440,000 ST: 620,000|620,000 Vitality: 110,000|110,000 Vigour: 170,000 Beast Core(80%): 20,000 (90,000) Shadow Qi: 5,000 Toughness: 110,000 Strength: 110,000 Agility: 170,000 Dexterity: 140,000 Mind: 55,000 Insight: 70,000 Soul: 70,000 Beauty: 1,100,000 Luck: 330,000 Elemental Affinity: [Shadow''s Affection - 1] Innate Ability: [Nightmare Mode] Divine Ability: [Nightmare Incarnation], [Pseudo-Human Body(Prototype)(Suppression bypassed)] Ability: [Nightmare Armour], [Little Nightmare], [Nightmare Threads] Passive Ability: [Shadow Enhancement], [Resistance against Nightmares] ] ''They are exactly the same...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. ''Well... almost.'' [Loyal] [Won''t betray you.] ''That is good to know.'' Aiko nodded slowly. It was a good thing that Wanshu would not betray her. "So, where are we?" Aiko asked the Blood Fox, now that she felt much better. "Close to the Fox Village. We can enter it whenever we want." The Blood Fox smiled. "What about them?" Aiko pointed at the cuddly twins. "They will likewise follow." The Blood Fox smiled. "How do you feel?" Aiko turned towards Wanshu. "I feel amazing, Mistress." Wanshu bowed towards Aiko. Her feelings were mixed, but she had to admit that this transformation was wonderful. Aiko nodded slowly. "Good." That''s all she needed to know, but how will it end now? Will she also join the team? "Is something wrong, Mistress?" Wanshu tilted her head. "Nothing for now." Aiko shook her head. She crawled out of the fur wrapped around her body. And it was just in time. *Poof* Aiko transformed into the Dew Form. "Well, shuck..." Aiko sighed, but at least she could now walk on her own. "When do you want to leave?" Aiko asked her team. "We can go whenever Mistress." They all answered in sync. Aiko nodded lightly. "I will get dressed and we can go." The Blood Fox helped Aiko with the dress, unlike what Aiko was used to, this was a very simple kimono. It felt a bit out of place, but the only difficult part about it was the belt, but she learned it quite quickly under the direction of the Blood Fox "Alright." Aiko was happy with this kind of clothing and fortunately, she only had two tails to care about, otherwise the hole in the kimono would have to be a lot bigger... "Everyone ready?" Aiko looked around and saw everyone nod, she put a foot forward to start walking, but then paused. "What do we do with her?" Aiko pointed towards the Princess and everyone abruptly stopped. The Princess had such a faint presence that everyone forgot her... "I''m sorry..." The Princess bowed her head. She knew that it would be difficult to enter the Fox Village like this... "Alright." Aiko nodded. It was time to test her [Tail Storage] again. "Help me shove her into my tails." Aiko was very weak and exhausted, so she needed help with it. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "Are you planning to smuggle me inside?!" The Princess was shocked. She didn''t expect this gorgeous Fox to be so daring! Aiko''s team helped her inside Aiko Tails. "Any discomfort?" The Blood Fox asked, staring at the absurdly fluffy tails. "I don''t feel her at all..." Aiko tilted her head. It was a surreal feeling... "Well, let''s go while it works!" Aiko pointed forward and started walking. ... It didn''t take that much time to arrive in front of the ''main gate''. There, the familiar Muscular Fox guarded it. "Hello again~!" Aiko waved at him and he was left dumbstruck. "Who are you?" The Muscular Fox still retained some of his sanity, even in front of such an unspeakably beautiful Fox. "The Vicious Cub." Aiko was full of smiles, this kind of reaction was not bad at all! "No." The Muscular Fox denied it immediately, which left Aiko speechless. "The Vicious Cub is this small." He gently indicated Aiko''s previous height. "And I''m still that small, just not in this form." Aiko nodded gently. The Muscular Fox frowned. The sweet scent tickled his nostrils and his mind was getting cloudier by the moment. "Sect Token." He said impatiently. They all presented the Sect Tokens for him. "You are really the Vicious Cub?!" The Muscular Fox was shocked. Aiko only smiled gently. The Muscular Fox coughed. "Please come inside. The Peak Elder from the Shadow Peak would like to talk with you about the mission. There is also the Elder from the Inscription Peak-" Aiko stopped him from talking by raising her hand. "That can wait for later, I''m too tired to do anything other than sleep!" She stretched and her lethal weapons jiggled. The Muscular Fox almost fainted, while the guard on the other side of the gate was already unconscious. "Please." The Muscular Fox held his nose while indicating for them to enter. He didn''t question why the famous Wanshu was with them, or why she looked like the Umbra Fox? The Vicious Cub''s new weapons were too lethal for his brain to think straight... ... Aiko walked towards the Grandmaster''s abode. She would meet up with Mei and sleep. Of course, along the way, there were many Foxes that either fainted from blood loss or due to excitement... "Mei~!" Aiko shouted as she barged into their place. Mei looked over with a stern face. "So you finally-" She abruptly paused as her view was covered with two large peaks. She was blinded by a warm sensation. Mei utilised the [Lightness Technique] to its current maximum potential, but she was shocked that she shook this thing off so easily. Aiko fell down to the ground since she didn''t expect Mei to move so abruptly. *Plop* "Auch." Aiko rubbed her nose since she face-planted onto the ground. Mei was warily looking at her. "Why are you so mean?!" Aiko cried out crestfallen. Mei could feel their connection, but this kind of form was... very different to what she was used to... "Who are you?" Mei asked questioningly. She hoped that her sweet, small servant didn''t change so abruptly... "Aiko." Aiko pouted at Mei. Mei cursed in her mind that her adorable servant turned into a vixen. "You are not Aiko. Aiko is small and cute." Mei pinched and played with Aiko''s non-chubby cheeks. She felt like she had lost something precious... Aiko cried out, this was a more familiar sight to Mei. Mei rolled her eyes. "So what happened to you?" "Evolution." Aiko replied briefly. Mei was stunned and froze in place. Aiko took this opportunity to hug Mei once again, but this time she avoided her face. Mei tried to shake Aiko away. She didn''t like this kind of clinginess from Vixens, but the moment she touched Aiko; she realised something was wrong... "Wrist." Mei commanded and Aiko obediently gave her her wrist. Mei was shocked and traced her Divine Sense and Qi around Aiko''s body, making her shiver from the sensation. "Are you alright?" Mei gently touched Aiko, which was a very abrupt change compared to how she was previously. "I feel tired and cold." Aiko whined and hugged Mei again, but this time she was not pushed away nor pinched. Mei gently petted Aiko and glared at her team. She noticed that only the Blood Fox looked the same, just a bit more mature. Meanwhile, there were two Foxes that looked like twins? Where is the Umbra Fox? The Blood Fox bowed. "Many things happened, Mei..." She sighed. "I can see that even without you telling me." Mei snorted coldly. She was on edge since she didn''t like this big vixen, but at the same time, it was just an oversized Aiko... She should indulge her a bit more for the time being. Mei was also concerned since she could not feel Aiko''s Vitality at all. There was this strange energy inside Aiko that was trying to replenish her Vitality, but something dark inside her just sucked the Vitality away without a care in the world! She would have to solve yet another headache that was coming... Just then, yet another headache popped around the corner... "I heard Aiko was back-" The Grandmaster gasped loudly. "Hello, beauty~" She snickered towards Mei. "You must be very happy. Kya!" The Grandmaster dodged the ''Tear'' Pill that Mei threw at her. The Grandmaster already knew that this beauty was Aiko, but she couldn''t help but tease Mei about it... The team was speechless, especially Wanshu. This would be her first time seeing the Grandmaster up close, but she remembered her as a very cold person...? "Okay, okay! Stop wasting Pills!" The Grandmaster kept dodging like a nimble Fox. "Go ahead and die somewhere, you vixen!" Mei was fed up watching huge tits swaying in front of her face. She could not punish Aiko for it since she felt like it would kill her, but that was not the case with the overly energetic Grandmaster! "Okay, I''m sorry! Mistress!" The Grandmaster shouted, making everyone speechless. "Mistress?" The Blood Fox questioningly gazed at Mei. "Don''t underestimate my Pills, young Fox!" Mei snorted at the Blood Fox, clearly not in the mood to play around like she did previously. "And you better explain what happened with Aiko and Umbra!" Mei proclaimed while glaring at the Blood Fox. "Of course, Mei." The Blood Fox smiled gently, making Mei snort even more. ... Mei was holding her temples like she had a bad headache. "HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH." Meanwhile, the Grandmaster was rolling around laughing like she was crazy. "I can''t- HAHAHAHAHHAHAHA" The Grandmaster couldn''t speak clearly, as she could not believe that Aiko had caused so much damage to everyone and still left unscathed... ... Mei looked like her soul left her body. The Grandmaster was still laughing, but with a serious expression on her face. "I can''t believe that she was able to forcibly Evolve you. HAHAHAHA." The Grandmaster laughed and sized the little Umbra up and down. Yuxi blushed from the attention and hid behind her partner. "And who are you?" Mei asked listlessly. "I''m Wanshu." Wanshu spoke gently, but she kept staring towards the Grandmaster. Everyone admired her strength and tenacity, especially those who knew the reason behind those wounds. "Huh?" The Grandmaster stopped laughing. "You are that idiot''s servant?" "Not any more." Wanshu shook her head. "He was killed." Aiko spoke gently, which shocked both Grandmaster and Mei. The Mirage Fox was not strong by conventional means, but he had so many Treasures that it would be difficult to harm him normally. "I was able to disable his Treasures." Yuxi spoke gently behind Wanshu. Mei looked at the supposed Umbra Fox. "How?" Yuxi activated her [Nightmare Mode] to showcase it. Mei flinched and her Soul shook. She immediately used Divine Sense to pin her on the ground. Wanshu was shocked and glared at Mei. "Leave my partner alone!" Aiko gently whispered. "Don''t hurt Yuxi." Mei snapped out of her daze and lifted the restraints. The [Nightmare Mode] collapsed and Yuxi was in bad shape. Mei was shocked at her instinctive reaction and rubbed her palm. "My apologies for overreacting..." Mei then glanced around only to see the Grandmaster with an unsheathed blade ready to strike Yuxi... Chapter 269 – Verbal Exchange and Gifts "Dai Lu." Mei said sternly and the Grandmaster flinched. "Hahaha." The Grandmaster scratched her head and laughed awkwardly. "I didn''t expect you would be able to Evolve into ''that''." Mei said thoughtfully. Yuxi breathed weakly, that pressure was too scary... Aiko nuzzled Mei and dozed off at this point. "So, the other one can also do this?" Mei asked the twin. Wanshu nodded while glaring at Mei. Mei sighed. "Don''t use this form in the Fox Village unless you are in mortal danger." She warned them gently and used a bit of her Divine Sense to soothe Umbra and feed her a Pill. They both nodded. Yuxi then said. "Aiko needs rest, as you might''ve noticed she is very weak." "Thanks to a certain someone." Mei stared at Umbra somewhat negatively. "It''s Yuxi, not someone." Yuxi glared at Mei. Mei was startled that Umbra so easily accepted Aiko''s naming... "What are you planning?" She glared at Yuxi. "I plan to stick to Aiko like glue." Yuxi proclaimed proudly. Not just Mei, but also Wanshu and the Blood Fox looked like they were chewing something distasteful. "I don''t agree with that." Mei glared and Wanshu with the Blood Fox were nodding. "There is nothing you can do about it." Yuxi smiled proudly. "Oh?" Mei smirked. "I can definitely do something about it." "Dai Lu, I believe it''s time for their training." Mei smiled evilly. Yuxi didn''t believe that the Grandmaster would be ordered around so easily- "Naturally, Mistress." Dai Lu smiled. "Let''s go rascals." She grabbed Yuxi and Wanshu, but the Blood Fox dodged her grasp. "I still need to talk with Mei." The Blood Fox said gently. Dai Lu wanted to grab her, but was shooed by Mei. She shrugged and dragged away Wanshu and Yuxi. ... "So... are you going to talk now-" Mei asked the silent Blood Fox, but was interrupted by the sudden fog. *Poof* Aiko shrunk back into her small form, sleeping quietly, hugging the tall Mei. Mei blinked a few times, her brain lagged and she almost fainted from the sudden shocking change. ''She is back to normal? But wait, there are 4 tails?!'' Mei''s eyes rolled and she staggered. "Yes." The Blood Fox nodded. "Aiko has a strange condition." She explained slowly. "She transforms into the large form for a few hours and then sleeps when she is close to transforming back." "Moreover, she also sleeps in her normal form. I believe it''s because she is lacking Vitality." The Blood Fox explained her theories and waited for the still-shocked Mei to process everything. Mei nodded gently. She wanted to pat Aiko, but stopped herself. "Anything else?" Mei said listlessly. "There is also an issue with the Fox Village." The Blood Fox wanted to nudge Mei, but Mei just nodded. "I already solved that issue. As long as you sleep in the Grandmaster''s abode, you will be able to sleep peacefully." Mei shook her head. "The ''air'' will take a bit more time, but I will work hard so Aiko is not affected." Mei postponed the air issue because she didn''t have enough materials, but now that Aiko was in this fragile state¡­ she would have to speed things up. ''Dai Lu, I will need a few things...'' Mei transmitted what she needed through telepathy. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ''Got it.'' Dai Lu agreed immediately. Mei sighed, looking exhausted. "Anything else?" The Blood Fox kept talking about Aiko a bit more. This time it looked like Mei really passed out. ''I can''t believe she got THAT Bloodline. What bad luck...'' She clicked her tongue. It seems like the Bronze Fox will have to work hard once again. He will have to create a Treasure that keeps Aiko''s mind safe... "Thank you for telling me." Mei smiled listlessly. She gently pinched Aiko''s cheek, which made her murmur in displeasure. ''Why do you make me worry so much, sigh...'' The Blood Fox nodded. "If you don''t mind, I will sleep for now, the air is putrid." Mei waved her away. ... ''4 tails... Ancient Bloodline... Forceful Evolution through Vitality... Abnormal Beauty... Enriching bodily fluids...'' This was just too much for Mei to process. Aiko went from being slightly desired by others to an insanely desired Treasure trove. She would have to make a special Recognition Inhibition Bracelet that would be able to conceal it, maybe even a face veil... no, maybe a mask would be better... ''But...'' Mei sighed. ''She looked quite nice...'' ... The next day, Yuxi and Wanshu returned completely beaten up, while Mei was observing the gathering energy around Aiko. "She will transform soon." The Blood Fox murmured and Mei nodded blankly. She still could not get over the events. It''s not been all that long and Aiko caused such a disaster... ''At least her Beast Core is purer than before.'' Mei narrowed her eyes. *Poof* Aiko transformed into her large form while on Mei''s tails. ''Heavy...'' Mei frowned. Aiko murmured waking up, before Mei could say anything she was hugged by Aiko which startled her. Aiko then nuzzled and rubbed her face against Mei''s face. Mei was still shocked for a long time before muttering. "Stop it." But Aiko kept going before settling into Mei''s neck. A shiver went down Mei''s spine and she blushed red. "Y-you!" She couldn''t believe she was taken advantage of once again by Aiko! "5 more minutes." Aiko stirred, hugging Mei firmly. Her bosom pressed against Mei''s back. ''This is why I hate Vixens!'' Mei glared at Aiko, but that scent and softness were truly addicting. No wonder that the Blood Fox was avoiding Mei''s gaze... Mei surrendered while chanting her mind-calming sutra, but she kept in mind to punish Aiko later... ... Aiko finally let go of Mei. She rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times. Spotting Mei, Aiko wanted to hug her again, but was stopped by Mei''s hand. "Didn''t you have enough?!" Mei cried out and the Blood Fox smiled with glee. Finally, someone else was on the receiving end of Aiko''s ''tyranny''. "And you! Stop smiling!" Mei glared at the Blood Fox, but her smile only widened. "Meeeeei." Aiko pouted when she was stopped from hugging her and protested. "No, shush." Mei tried to silence Aiko, but Aiko was constantly trying to avoid that hand, so that she could hug Mei. After a while, Aiko got progressively bolder before jumping at Mei with full force. Mei wanted to use her Divine Sense to restrain Aiko, but at the same time, she worried about hurting her. This slight hesitation allowed Aiko to capture her and nuzzle her. "Meeei~" Aiko giggled silly, nuzzling her and rubbing her. She was especially rubbing her face on Mei''s smaller peaks. Mei''s lips twitched and she pinched Aiko''s cheek. "Mind your behaviour." "But I like Mei." Aiko cried out like she was wronged. "Ugh." Mei covered half of her face and let go of Aiko''s cheek. Aiko once again nestled on Mei''s bosom and lay there silently. ... "Will you move now?" It''s been quite a while since Mei was captured by Aiko. "I have gifts." Aiko protested, so that she would be able to continue her cuddling session. "If it''s not good enough, you will be punished." Mei pouted. She would not be easily swayed by this devil. "Yay~!" Aiko moved lazily since she was still sleepy. Mei groaned, looking away. She would have to teach Aiko how to behave in this form, since she was too dangerous like this... ''I can see your bare thighs! Have some self-respect!'' Mei was crying inside her mind, but didn''t avoid her gaze. "I have this." Aiko presented Six Coloured Lotus to Mei. Mei blinked a few times, but there was no reaction. "Is it that bad...?" Aiko looked crestfallen. "They scammed me out of Six Coloured Blazing Lotus..." Aiko quietly murmured, clicking her tongue. "WHAT?!" Mei suddenly shouted, startling Aiko. Aiko''s body twitched and the Six Coloured Lotus flew up into the air. Aiko was falling and so was the Six Coloured Lotus. Mei massaged her temples while supporting both of them. The Six Coloured Lotus flew onto Mei''s hand and she inspected it closely. ''It seems like the real deal and it''s not all that degraded.'' Mei nodded gently and Aiko presented her IOU. Mei tilted her head, but her eyes almost rolled when she read what was inside. ''Not only did you rob them of Six Coloured Lotus, but you even made them sign an IOU for Six Coloured Blazing Lotus?!'' Mei gazed at Aiko with fear and admiration, maybe she should treat her more gently or she might get scammed again. Aiko kept gazing at Mei, waiting for any kind of reaction. Mei moved closer and Aiko shut her eyes, expecting a scolding... *Smooch* Mei gently kissed Aiko''s cheek. ''For my excellent servant.'' Mei justified her action in her mind. It took a while for Aiko to process what had just happened, but her burning cheeks were a testament to what occurred. Mei tilted her head at the stunned Aiko. Aiko''s face was slowly, but surely, turning red from embarrassment. ''Cute...'' Mei thought that ''big'' Aiko was not so bad either... ''She will have to learn...'' Mei shook her head with a smile. "Anything else?" Mei was now looking forward to more gifts. "Here!" Aiko ruffled her tails and presented a Human being to Mei. Mei blinked. The wet Princess blinked. Aiko smiled. "What is this... human?" Mei asked carefully. There was no way that Aiko smuggled a human inside without that human being special... "The Seed told me that she is Special?" Aiko cocked her head. "Hmmmm..." Mei stared at the Princess closely, but the Princess was blushing furiously. "N-n-nice to meet you." The Princess stuttered as there was yet again another beautiful Fox... "Hmmmm..." Mei pinched the Princess''s cheeks and noticed the abnormality. ''... How is this possible...?'' Mei quietly looked towards Aiko, like she just saw a Ghost. Mei chanted a calming sutra, it felt like this would be the day that she chanted her sutra the most... Mei groaned gently. If these were gifts... then what else did Aiko collect that she didn''t know about yet? ''I will have another sleepless night...'' Mei clicked her tongue... Chapter 270 – Cursed Jade Slip… [You have gained a new Title: [Little Baby]!] This was the first thing Aiko saw when she woke up from her sleep. [Little Baby] [You will have an easier time sleeping if you cuddle with someone.] ''...'' Aiko really wanted to flip the table and scold the system, but she could not... she was too tired to do that, so she just glared at the system. Mei was observing the Six-Coloured Lotus, it seemed like she either liked, and was possibly even obsessed with it. Aiko moved behind Mei and cuddled her since she was very warm. This time Mei didn''t protest for some reason. "Where did you find this girl?" Mei spoke gently. "It''s the Princess that was supposed to die." Aiko murmured half-sleepy. Mei shook her head, gently patting Aiko. Aiko murmured at that feeling, almost drifting to sleep again. In front of Mei was the very timid Princess. What Mei could not believe was the fact that she had a special Mutated Heavenly Spiritual Root. Perfect for Alchemy, but especially perfect for growing the rarest Herbs. Mei narrowed her eyes and the Princess lowered her head. She was exceptionally timid considering her Spiritual Roots. "What do you think about us?" Mei asked softly. "I... don''t know." The Princess didn''t know much about them. She spent most of her time behind her Mother or being abused by the Emperor and his people, so she didn''t know the wider world, only what she could see from her home or cell... "What about her?" Mei asked, gently tugging on the hugging Aiko. "S-she is pretty." The Princess blushed a deep red. She was weak against those kinds of people. "Do you mind that we are Foxes?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "Well..." The Princess didn''t know what to say. She really wanted to ruffle those ears and rest her head on the tails, but she also believed that she would get scolded if she did that... Mei tilted her head. She would not jump to conclusions if she didn''t get a clear answer, but seeing her glance towards their tails so much... it was obvious that it was more of a like than hate. "What do you intend to do now?" Mei asked another question. The Princess paused, but didn''t know what to say. If possible, she wanted to be with the Fox called Aiko, but it was obvious that she already had a partner. "I..." The Princess couldn''t say it out loud. "If you want to stay with us, you would have to listen to my orders." Mei supported her cheek with her hand on a nearby table. "I''m fine with that." The Princess said in a mosquito-like sound. Mei was surprised that she finally got a straightforward answer. She nodded gently. "You will spend a lot of time cultivating. Not being able to keep up would mean that we would have to abandon you." Mei said straightforwardly. "I will do my best." The Princess was never around so many beautiful people... erm... Foxes. "You will have to stay here no matter what happens. It''s not different from a jail." Mei gazed towards the Princess. "Will you abuse me?" The Princess asked. She was more confident talking to this Fox now. "Not as long as you behave." Mei didn''t deny it. If the Princess hurt Aiko or plotted something, it would be natural for her to live in hell... The Princess nodded gently. She gazed at the dignified Fox, but that dignity was soon shattered. *Squish* The ''dignified'' Fox stiffened as her head was buried in soft pillows. "Aiko! I''m trying to talk here!" Mei was furious, but her neck was slowly changing colour to red. The Princess looked towards the ''odd'' duo. Is that how Foxes treat each other? Or were they special? She didn''t know. She didn''t have enough knowledge about Foxes to begin with, much less about Cultivation. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The Princess would just do her best. "I will start training you with Aiko in Alchemy. You will have a much harder time than Aiko, but don''t be discouraged. Your specialisation is not in Alchemy, but you can still earn a lot through Alchemy in the meantime." Mei said. "You will need that for your main specialisation." The Princess nodded. She didn''t understand what Alchemy was or her specialisation, but this place was much nicer than anything she had experienced. The only thing left to do was to go with the flow... ... Aiko finally woke up, her cheeks were being stretched by Mei. "Mei..." Aiko whined softly and Mei finally let her go. "Do you know what wrong you did?" Mei asked sternly. "I didn''t hug Mei properly..." Aiko sniffled. "No... ugh..." Explaining was painful for Mei since Aiko would bypass her words or cuddle her. Mei understood that Aiko was seeking warmth since her body was very cold, but she didn''t like to suffer from Aiko''s assaults! "Have you learned about Herbs? There will be more." Mei placed a special Jade slip in front of Aiko. "Learn everything inside." Mei then turned towards the Princess. "And you will have to learn how to Cultivate." Aiko stared as her favorite bed, walked away with the Princess. She then looked around... There was no Blood Fox or Yuxi around. Every warm fluffy bed had left.... "But I''m cold..." Aiko whined quietly. She walked outside and into the Forest. It was a nice and lush Forest, but it was still a Forest. Aiko was able to collect branches for a fire and returned to her home. She set up a campfire and used the sparkly stones to ignite it. It took quite a lot of time, but thanks to always watching her team; she understood the principle. She would collect fluff from the Forest, it was easily ignited by the sparks and then she just had to place branches on top of it. Voil¨¤, there was a fire. Aiko sat next to the fire hugging her tails. She took the Jade Slip, but almost fainted right after. ''This is too much, Mei!'' Aiko whined in her mind. She could not ''see'' the end of the Jade Slip. It was so much information that she might spend years on it! Meanwhile, Mei taught the Princess meditation. Once that was done, she returned to Aiko who was resentfully staring at her. "I hate you." Aiko looked away with a pitiful expression. Mei''s heart softened since this was the Aiko that she knew. Mei hugged Aiko from behind. "Are you cold?" She noticed that Aiko was able to create a fire without the help of others. This was good progress for Aiko''s independence. "Hmpf." Aiko hmpfed away, but could not get away from Mei as she wrapped her hands around Aiko''s waist. ''She is still slim...'' Mei found out. She thought that Aiko had become chubbier, but that was not the case... ''Except for her...'' She averted her eyes from the obnoxiously large peaks. "How are you feeling?" Mei tried to soothe Aiko, but the only things she got in return were hmpfs and snorts. "So... you don''t want delicious juicy meat any more?" Mei nudged Aiko. Aiko''s body stiffened and her ears twitched. She wanted to sulk for a bit more to make Mei guilty, but delicious food... She would lie if she didn''t say that she missed it... "I still won''t talk to you." Aiko steeled her mind about this which surprised Mei. Mei did not expect Aiko to build up resistance to meat or maybe that''s how much she hated that Jade Slip...? ''She is still reading it...'' Mei noticed that the Jade Slip was gently glowing, which meant that someone was reading it. That someone was naturally Aiko. Mei wanted to tease Aiko, so she could understand what she should or should not do, but no matter what Mei did; Aiko did not budge at all. It felt like Aiko was a bit too innocent in certain aspects... It definitely could not be that Aiko got used to her. "I have gifts for you." Mei gently whispered into Aiko''s ear. This was the first time that Aiko reacted. She could see Aiko visibly recoil and the normally pink insides of her ears were slowly turning red. "What''s wrong?" Mei spoke softly into Aiko''s ear again and she tried to distance herself from Mei again. "Hey..." Mei whispered one last time, but Aiko jerked from her with a squeak. "Kya!" Aiko could not bear that strange sensation any more and tried to get away from Mei. Mei still kept hugging Aiko so they rolled around until Mei was on top of Aiko. "What''s wrong~?" Mei found entertainment in the shy and fleeting Aiko. "I... don''t know." Aiko didn''t know how to feel about this situation... Aiko''s clothes were messed up from the rolling, so part of her bosom was exposed. Her belt came undone, so everything loosened. Aiko''s expression was likewise ''strange''. Her face was flushed red and she kept one hand over her lips with half-closed eyes. Aiko squirmed under Mei. Mei gulped loudly. ''This is too much...!'' Mei didn''t know that Aiko''s beauty approached the 100 million mark, which could put even some Immortals to shame. Moreover, that pitiful expression stoked Mei''s sadistic desire to tease Aiko more, ''Nononono, I never had that desire.'' but seeing that expression on Aiko''s face, she could only look away... Aiko never experienced this feeling, but it was not bad... She was just confused by it... ... It took an incense stick worth of time for Aiko to return to normal. Meanwhile, Mei was blushing, covering her lips with the top of her hand, sitting like a gangster. Aiko silently moved closer, but her clothes were very much undone at this point. "Fix your clothing, dammit!" Mei finally couldn''t bear it anymore and slammed her fist on the table to calm herself down. Aiko was shocked by this and retreated, slowly fixing her clothing. Mei gritted her teeth, seeing the sad Aiko, but this was for the better. Mei was not immune to Aiko''s charm, but thanks to her sutra, she was able to leave scot-free. But Aiko kept her distance. It felt like she was too scared to approach. "Come here." Mei was willing to soothe her, now that her clothes were fixed, but Aiko was not willing. Aiko kept staring from afar, not approaching. "Aren''t you cold?" Mei could see that Aiko was shivering, so she wanted to warm her up. It was important to keep the now fragile Aiko warm and happy. Aiko hesitated. She was scared that Mei would do those things again and that she would get scolded. "I will scold you if you don''t come closer." Mei threatened in a non-threatening voice. She just wished that Aiko would get better soon... Aiko''s face scrunched up. She didn''t like this, but had to move, since she didn''t want to get scolded... Chapter 271 – Dress vs Mei! Aiko eventually went to Mei, but was startled when Mei hugged her gently. She thought that she would definitely be scolded by Mei''s voice, but surprisingly Mei even wrapped her in her tails! Aiko soon dozed into a peaceful sleep. *Poof* Aiko transformed back into small Aiko was able to wrap her up completly Mei could see that strange energy wrapping around Aiko when she hugged her and now it''s even more obvious, but for some reason... that energy was helping Aiko sleep? Mei had yet another puzzle piece on her already large board. She could not figure out Aiko or the ''system'' thing. Was Aiko a blessing or a disaster? She could not tell and it did not matter. They were already bound together, so Mei would do her best. Fortunately, the Grandmaster had already bought or brought the things she needed so she could nullify even the smell in the air. The ''bad'' side was too shrouded in mystery and too powerful for the current Mei. She could not make her move, but she would surely mess up all their plans. Moreover, the Sect Leader liked her more and more. "What do you think about Wanshu?" Mei asked gently. "She is a hard-working cutie." Dai Lu said softly. "But very scary when together with Yuxi." The Grandmaster was speechless when she saw their cooperation. "Then make her part of Aiko''s team." Mei sighed. "It feels like Aiko is collecting Demonic Foxes like candies..." She snorted unhappily. "The soothing effect is very powerful even on me." Dai Lu laughed gently. She was not a Demonic Fox, but she still could still feel that effect. Mei snorted unhappily again. "Go train them again and make that Fox part of the team." "Sure, sure." The Grandmaster smiled like a mischievous Fox. She was full of energy even when it came to those strange twins. ''They are quite weak alone, but together they are an absolute menace for their future enemies...'' Dai Lu narrowed her eyes. "How is Aiko?" Dai Lu thought she looked quite awful... "Weak, a bit too weak." Mei shook her head. Dai Lu left with a thoughtful expression. ... Aiko woke up once again. Mei was close by instructing the Princess, so Aiko just went ahead and hugged her gently. Mei didn''t even pause, but still caressed Aiko''s hands. It took a while for Aiko to fully wake up. She blinked a few times to focus on Mei. The Princess was meditating peacefully in front of them. Aiko smiled and let go of Mei. "Awake?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "Yes?" Aiko tilted her head. If she could sleep more, she would definitely do it. Unfortunately, this form kept her awake pretty well, so she would have to wait for it to fall off. Aiko smiled. "I have more gifts!" Aiko proclaimed and Mei just smiled. Mei already had the Princess, she would be irreplaceable during their ascension, but Aiko had more? She was very much looking forward to that. Aiko rummaged through a Storage Ring. There were quite a lot of things to show Mei, but for now, she would show the most pretty thing. "Ta-da~" Aiko presented the pretty dress that had been stored for a long time in the Storage Ring. [Foreplay Dress] Aiko blinked a few times at that stupid name and ignored it... Meanwhile, there was a very noticeable twitch on Mei''s face. "What is that?" Mei asked gently. "A pretty dress for you?" Aiko didn''t understand why she felt the temperature plummet. "Uhuh..." Mei nodded thoughtfully, a shiver went down Aiko''s spine. ''Calm down. Calm down.'' Mei chanted in her head. She understood that Aiko might''ve found this dress cute and took it, but... ''Why that kind of dress?!'' She cried out in her mind. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "What do you intend to do with that?" Mei smiled with a smile that scared Aiko. "W-w-well." Aiko quivered, her ears were flat and unmoving. "For you to wear...?" Aiko thought that this was a really pretty dress... *Sigh* Mei massaged her temples. This was definitely a surprise, but one that she didn''t know if she welcomed. Aiko was always a strange Fox, but this goes beyond strange. ''Why would you give me THAT kind of dress??'' Mei couldn''t understand. ''I know I''m pretty and that I called myself your mate, but this is outrageous! Humiliating! Embarrassing!'' Mei was kicking around in her mind like a child throwing a tantrum. *Hiccup* The stress was so great for Aiko that she started to uncontrollably hiccup in front of Mei. Every time Aiko tried to talk, she would just hiccup away until she no longer wanted to talk. Seeing the sorry state that Aiko was in, Mei''s heart softened slightly. ''I will ¡®solve¡¯ that dress later.'' Mei narrowed her eyes and glared at the dress. Aiko instinctively shrunk. "Come here." Mei opened her arms. She would stop Aiko from hiccuping through her Internal Energy. Aiko... was not willing to get close once again... but Mei had patience. It took Aiko a long time to decide to come close and she even did it with closed eyes! Worried that Mei would scold her. Mei soothed Aiko with her Internal Energy to stop her hiccups. Aiko still held onto that dress, which upset Mei. Suddenly Mei had an evil idea of how to punish Aiko. "Why don''t you dress in it then?" Aiko soundlessly opened and closed her mouth. She just woke up, but now she has to struggle with clothing?! No way! But... Mei''s face was too scary to say no, so Aiko could only weakly nod. Mei smiled and sent Aiko off. She would wait for her to dress up as these kinds of dresses were easy to put on... ... After two hours, Mei wondered if Aiko didn''t run away. "Are you finished?" "Y-yes? I-I mean no!" Aiko was completely embarrassed by yet another dress. She was unable to put it on without messing it up and when she thought she had figured it out... it was just a fluke and she had to start putting it on all over again.. It took her another 30 mins to finally put it on correctly. Aiko meekly came out of her hiding place. For some reason Mei no longer let her dress in front of her... Meanwhile, Mei turned around and was ready to scold Aiko, but... "..." Mei''s mind blanked for a moment. Aiko gazed at the blank Mei. [Special Hidden Mission!] [?Seduce Immortal!?] [Reward: Bloodline Evolution - Dream Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)] ''H-huh?!'' Aiko blinked and looked at the stupid system. [Bloodline: [Dream Beast Kitsune(Awakened)] ->[Dream Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)]] Aiko kept blinking, not understanding what happened. She could hear strange murmurs from Mei, but they were so faint that she could not figure them out. "How is it possible? Charmed? Me? The Great Me? No way!" Mei murmured. "And why are her thighs so juicy? Why is my mind telling me to bite them?" Mei''s mind couldn''t be calmed down even with her Sutra, nothing was working. "And what about those ugly, obnoxiously large tits?! Why am I supposed to smooch them?!" Mei''s mind worked overtime to see all the details of the dress. She had to admit that the one who created this dress was a truly first-class craftsman! The gorgeous dress on Aiko was absolutely ravishing. Moreover, the scent wasn''t doing her any more favours. The Dress was quite complex on the eyes, but that was so it could arouse the ''interest'' of others. The bottom part of the dress was made out of many individual parts. That hid the legs and thigs well enough, but certain movement would allowed the legs and thighs to occasionally peek between these parts. Not enough to have a full view, but enough to arouse deep interest and stoke the flames of ''need''. The top part was also made with several parts. There was a ''hole'' around the belly button in a diamond card shape, which was decorated with beautiful laces. The sides of Aiko''s boobs were likewise covered with beatiful lace, although a pair of deep cuts below the armpits allows for easy access to those juicy peaks. Mei could not see the back part of the dress, but considering the sides also had ''holes¡¯ and there was also a boob-window with a reverse diamond pattern, tied around her slender jade-like neck... her imagination could only go wild. Mei stood up with force, startling Aiko. She looked like a hungry fox eyeing its prey. Mei walked with dignity, but before she could arrive in front of Aiko... *Poof* The time was up... Mei was stunned, shocked even... She didn''t think it would turn out like this! Why now?! Mei felt empty and crestfallen. She naturally snapped out of the Charm with wide eyes. ''What was I doing...?'' Mei was shocked. ''What did I want to do?!'' She shook her head vigorously. The small Aiko was in front of her. So she used her Divine Sense to take the dress away. This dress was too dangerous for her ''innocent'' Aiko! But if someone was around, everyone would see that Mei slipped that dress into that familiar ring that Aiko threw away into the pond... ... Aiko was asleep and Mei had a headache. She would have to explain to Aiko how to behave in that form or she might end up having to destroy more than half of this Fox Village! That would not be so bad, but Mei still needed their resources for more Pills. She wanted to get a perfect Human Body and for that, she required a lot of rare Herbs... Just then, the trio returned alongside the Grandmaster. They looked completely worn out and the Grandmaster was still smiling. "How is it going?" Mei asked. "Almost everything is settled, Aiko just needs to confirm the contract and sign it." Dai Lu smiled from ear to ear. Now that she didn''t feel pain, she was naturally more powerful. She could focus on her Sword Qi, which was sharper than ever thanks to the twins and Blood Fox. While the group was weak to Dai Lu''s standards, that didn''t mean they were not powerful compared to their peers. ''I think it''s not impossible to reach the top 10...'' Dai Lu narrowed her eyes. "Okay." Mei nodded. One thing was taken care of... "Blood Fox." Mei suddenly spoke towards the Blood Fox. The Blood Fox plopped into her sleeping place, and her large chest was heaving up and down, which upset Mei. "What do you need, Mei?" The Blood Fox asked. She already knew that Mei would want something from her. "You learned etiquette with Aiko right?" Mei asked with a smile. "I understand..." The Blood Fox sighed. It seems that Mei finally hit that ''wall'' called Aiko and she wanted to solve her behaviour. "Take rest from training for the time being as this is more important for our survival." Mei said gently. Meanwhile, Dai Lu had the biggest grin on her face ever. "Do not talk." Mei ordered Dai Lu coldly. Dai Lu could only laugh in her mind. She wished to see Aiko in that form to see why Mei''s mind was in such turmoil! Chapter 272 – Treasures from Aiko The next day was pretty peaceful, Mei was pretty much silent the whole day except when she talked to the Princess. For some reason, she would avoid Aiko''s gaze as if she was some kind of mean spirit. This went on for several days until Aiko finally couldn''t bear it any more. She snuck up on Mei with her superior ''stealth'' and ambushed her. Mei was flustered like never before, blushing at Aiko like a cherry. "I have more things that I got." Aiko pouted at Mei. She knew some things about her Treasures, but it was better to ask Mei about them. Mei didn''t want to confront Aiko, but she also could not sneak away, as all her Pill Refining tools were inside this abode. Mei sighed and walked with Aiko back to their place. She just hoped that the incoming gifts wouldn''t be... overburdening. Aiko sat down with Mei happily. Mei was not so happy, but maintained her neutral expression. "So, I have this." Aiko finally found the Primordial Soul Wood, so she placed it in front of Mei. "This insignificant worm greets the esteemed Immortal." The Ghost inside immediately bowed. Aiko blinked a few times. "Why did you jump out so quickly?!" She was startled by his gentle speech. The Ghost turned towards Aiko. She could not see his face, but she could feel that distinctive judgmental look. Aiko slapped him, but in her Dew Form, the slap went right through him. Mei watched this with some interest. It''s been a while since she met someone familiar. "So you fucked up your ascension, you bastard, eh?" Mei smiled with glee and cursed him openly, startling Aiko. The Ghost sighed. "Don''t smile so much or I will try to seduce you again!" He spoke confidently, but he didn''t mean it and only played along with her. Mei laughed. "So, how did you end up in such a sorry state?" "Don''t even ask..." The Ghost groaned, feeling upset at ''that'' event. "So, what are you planning with my Mate?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "I will definitely nurture my Soul, so I can take revenge later-" The Ghost was explaining, but then suddenly paused. "Wait, Mate?!" He was shocked silly and Mei could feel his absurd gaze. "What happened with your b- Hahaha, nothing, nothing." The Ghost wanted to ask what happened to Mei''s boy toy, but that glare was so piercing and hurtful that he stopped himself. "Hmpf." Mei snorted unhappily. "So what is this?" "I stole it from some Immortal. They were bragging about this being the Primordial Soul Wood." The Ghost said. "I can attest to that." Aiko nodded. [Primordial Soul Wood] [Last piece of the legendary Soul Wood. It''s the perfect material for creating living dolls and nurturing the Cultivator''s Soul.] "What name are you going by now?" Mei asked him. "I don''t have one. I might pick one later." He shrugged. He didn''t want to use his old name in Ghost form. The Ghost didn''t want to be laughed at by his old friends when they saw him like this... Mei glanced at Aiko. She was shocked that she could verify the identity of this Soul Wood, but that''s a debate for another time. "So, you will obediently help my Mate?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "Of course, he will~! He is Slave 1." Aiko smiled happily and they both looked at her. ""..."" There was a brief silence. The Ghost and Mei looked at each other and both shook their heads. This is something that Aiko would do... "You look quite messed up..." Mei noticed that parts of his Soul were scorched. "Thanks to someone Evolving..." The Ghost sighed, nudging towards Aiko. "So... it was really that bad?" Mei asked. While she did have some trust in Aiko''s team, it was better to ask more people, or Ghosts in this case, about this. Stolen novel; please report. "Don''t even mention it. The ''Seed'' even died because of it..." The Ghost shook his head. Mei pursed her lips. It''s true that she could not find that hateful ''Core'' inside Aiko, but seeing the sad expression on her face... "Anyway. I need rest and please take me away, so that I won''t be around during her Evolutions..." His body shook violently remembering that insane Heavenly Disaster. Mei''s lips twitched. It seems like the ''rumours'' were not as exaggerated as she thought. The Ghost vanished into the Primordial Soul Wood and Mei glanced towards Aiko. Aiko had a proud expression on her face, which caused Mei to giggle. "So~, what do you plan to do with this?" Mei wanted to tease Aiko a bit. "I have no idea." Aiko immediately answered. Mei laughed. That was the answer she expected, but she would still verify the authenticity of this thing. "I also have this." Aiko slammed a Lamp on the table. Mei''s eyebrows twitched. "Another Ghost?" She could not believe that Aiko would gather so many Ghosts... Not to mention... This one was pretty powerful... or so she wanted to say, but this Ghost''s condition was even worse than her friend''s. Mei shook her head. She would not be able to interrogate this Ghost since the Ghost would perish the moment it left this Lamp. "But it''s not a bad Lamp. It looks old, but most Inscriptions are still working..." Mei nodded in appreciation. This old Relic was a truly impressive work of art. "So how many Ghosts can it store?" This was the important part, since Aiko could munch on Souls on a regular basis. This could also get her more familiar with them. Aiko glanced at the Lamp. [100 Ghost Parade Lamp (Degraded)] [Some fat Ghost settled inside and it has no more room in it...] [Its quality also degraded, not helping much...] [Ghosts: 1/1] Aiko coughed awkwardly. "One." Mei stared at Aiko for some time before repeating. "One...?" "It appears it degraded too much to be usable..." Aiko''s face flushed. Mei''s lips twitched. Aiko finally got something precious, yet she couldn''t use it... "What else?" Mei massaged her head. "But only one thing." ''This is too much to pay attention to... Aiko blinked, a bit saddened, but still told Mei one last thing she was curious about. "I got Blessed by the Moon Goddess and I also got something called [Dual Yin Cultivation Scripture]." Aiko said quickly. For a long time, there was no reaction from Mei... "Huh?" Mei blinked at Aiko. ''Did I misheard something...?'' "You got what?" Mei didn''t believe her ears, so she asked again. "[Dual Yin Cultivation Scripture]?" Aiko tilted her head. Mei was left speechless... no matter what Aiko did, Mei did not react... Waving hand in front of her face? No reaction. Pinching her cheek? Nope. Nuzzling her? Also, a no... Aiko could only wait until Mei snapped out of her daze... She was also getting sleepy, so she would just... *Poof* ''Nighty~'' Aiko fell asleep on Mei''s warm lap. ... It took almost half a day for Mei to snap out of her daze. She immediately wanted to question Aiko, but could not see her in front of her. Moreover, it was also getting dark outside. ''My bad habit...'' Mei ruffled her hair. ''I should check on the Princess...'' She narrowed her eyes and wanted to stand up, but something was on her. She looked down, only to see Aiko nestled there, sleeping happily. Mei moved her with a swift motion onto her tails. ''The ''Moon''... huh...'' Mei couldn''t believe it. The ''Moon'' was supposed to be sealed and her Husband killed? Or were those things false? Mei did not know. What mattered most was the Dual Yin Cultivation Scripture. If it was truly ''THAT'' Cultivation Scripture... that would mean Aiko would need to build herself a harem... Mei... did not like that. Her servant was supposed to serve only her. ''Maybe I should shoo the Blood Fox away...'' Mei narrowed her eyes. She knew that the Blood Fox was very clingy, not to mention Yuxi would become just as clingy when given the chance. ''So much trouble!'' Mei felt irritated by the amount of things she had to watch out for. ''Yuxi can be managed by Wanshu, so there is no problem, but what about the Blood Fox...'' Mei suddenly realised. ''Right. Her brother can take care of that. He gave me most of the Herbs for an experimental Pill for Aiko to cure her-'' Mei paused again. She looked down, but Aiko''s arm, which was supposed to be coloured sickly green, was nowhere to be seen... ''...'' Mei blinked a few times, but no matter how many times she blinked, that arm still looked normal... ''My money...'' Mei cried in her mind, but fortunately, those Herbs could be used on other things, otherwise, she would absolutely cough up blood! ... ''I should contact the Blood Fox''s Brother... How was he nicknamed again...?'' Mei knew that there was a ceremony a few months ago that exchanged or changed nicknames, but she could not remember his nickname... ''Aikoooooo!'' Mei cursed Aiko in her mind. She was too chaotic and so many plans fell through! '' Just you wait! I will whip you into shape during Alchemy lessons!'' Mei glared forward, already imagining how Aiko would struggle with the Alchemy and what Mei would be able to do to her... ''Hehe~'' ... The Blood Fox returned to the abode, her brother was pacing outside. "Zhi." The Blood Fox smiled, but she found that name a bit odd since she also likes Lady Liu... "Sis." Zhi wagged his tail happily. He looked more like a dog rather than a fox. "What are you doing here?" The Blood Fox asked. "Don''t tell me you are running errands for Jade Fox?" Zhi sighed. "It seems like those Herbs are no longer needed, so I''m here for the payment and to see what she is planning." He admitted openly. "Hmmm." The Blood Fox didn''t really like her brother running errands for Mei, but Aiko needed it, so she let it go. "Come inside then." The Blood Fox gestured towards the door, as this place was part of the Grandmaster''s new abode. Zhi opened the door for his sister, but another Fox jumped at him. "Blood Fox." Aiko giggled, hugging the person opening the doors. Now she could escape from the strange gaze Mei was still giving her! Zhi didn''t know what to do. The pleasant scent assaulted his nostrils and he found himself unwilling to push this strange Fox away... Aiko rubbed her face, but realised that the Blood Fox became... quite flat? *Cough* The Blood Fox coughed. Aiko stiffened. She looked towards that familiar voice and was shocked. ''Why is the Blood Fox over there...?'' Aiko processed the information. ''Wait whom am I hugging?!'' She immediately jumped away and Zhi''s lips twitched. Aiko awkwardly coughed, but the Blood Fox still opened her arms, so before Aiko could think she was already nuzzling her. "This is Aiko..." The Blood Fox said with a strange tone. Zhi was dumbstruck by that. How could the Vicious Cub...?! He couldn''t understand what happened in such a short span of time that would allow the Vicious Cub to change so much... Chapter 273 – Zhi and Preparations After that slight mishap, they were sitting inside. Aiko was hugging the Blood Fox, since she was nicer and warmer than Mei. Zhi was looking at the duo with a dumbfounded gaze, he still could not wrap his head around the fact that this was the Vicious Cub. "The naming ceremony?" Zhi suddenly glanced at Mei. "I would rather skip that..." Mei said. She felt like it would be a bad idea to introduce the current Aiko to anyone. The rumours that emerged after her return only reinforced that fact. Everyone who saw her was now looking around in a tight outfit... The Blood Fox didn''t move much and Aiko likewise calmed down. She didn''t feel satisfied with using males as warmth providers. Why? Because their physiques were too hard. Aiko didn''t like their muscles and how tough they were. She was much happier to nuzzle to someone who was soft or bouncy. Zhi couldn''t keep his eyes off of Aiko, but eventually gave in. "So... no need for the other Herbs?" Zhi asked Mei. "We will settle the Spirit Stone, thank you for your work." Mei said softly, glancing at Aiko. She was somewhat upset that Aiko ran away and is now hugging her team. "Okay." Zhi nodded. "But I still plan to visit my sister often." Now that he didn''t need to hunt for Herbs; he would have more time for his sister. "That is fine, just don''t disturb us." Mei wasn''t against it since he was polite and offered great help. The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes, but didn''t say anything. She would advise her brother later when she was not glued to Aiko. Meanwhile, Aiko was dozing off on the Blood Fox''s bosom. It was softer than others and had a good elasticity as a pillow. "Don''t drool." The Blood Fox tickled Aiko. "Ack." Aiko snapped out of her dreamland and pouted. "Why are you pouting? Just don''t drool on me." The Blood Fox had limited clothing pieces, so it was unwise to dirty them or make them wet. Zhi was somewhat upset as his sister didn''t pay any attention to him. "How is the Jade Slip?" Mei smiled gently and Aiko shrunk back. "I don''t like it!" Aiko proclaimed, but she would still read it later. It was important to get knowledge from it, so that she could loot more things from others. ... Aiko got her first class in mature etiquette from the Blood Fox and later from Mei, she would learn how to act in her large form. Aiko found it very exhausting. There were so many unnecessary rules and limitations, but she still had to listen to them. They would not allow her to eat yummy food if she didn''t listen. She moved and acted as she was told, but it was simply too exhausting... "I want to build more Massage Chairs." Aiko proclaimed to Mei who was still drilling her for her behaviour. "Okay." Mei readily agreed. While halting Aiko''s lessons was annoying, she welcomed her idea as she was quite low on Spirit Stones herself. She also wondered if she should let Aiko adjust the Sect Token again, but she dismissed that. It would be troublesome if the small Aiko wanted to get quickly clothed. Plus, the big Aiko already knew how to put a Kimono on, which was good enough for the most part. Mei moved to the special Peak where craftsmen resided. Her destination was the familiar Bronze Fox. He was promoted a little while ago and almost reached the qualifications to be nicknamed as Forging Fox. "Long time no see." The Bronze Fox greeted Mei enthusiastically, since her ideas made him a breakthrough in Forging. "And here I thought something happened to you, since you didn''t visit for quite some time." He shook his head. "Skip it. I have work for you." Mei said not really enthusiastically. "Show me." The Bronze Fox extended an arm and Mei gave him a jade slip that Aiko drew. The Bronze Fox took it and looked inside, almost fainting right after reading just a tiny part. His hands were sweating profusely and his ears twitched uncontrollably. The content of this Jade Slip was dangerous to Forging Foxes... Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Create as much of the parts as you can. I would prefer all of the individual parts, but seeing your expression, that appears to be impossible." Mei chuckled. The Bronze Fox shook his head. "Impossible indeed, whoever created this was truly a lunatic..." He sighed. Even if he was already used to the strangeness that Mei brought each time, this time it was just complex on a whole other level. "So, can you do it?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "Of course Mistress." He bowed contemplating. "About 30%, a little better than what I could do previously." Mei frowned. "You are not really good at this Forging thing..." She sighed and took back the jade slip. The Bronze Fox already knew the previous parts, so he just added a few more to his memory. He would be able to readily make it a bit later once he got more materials. "Anything else?" The Bronze Fox asked, hoping for something easier. "Can you make it so that the Sect Token has two forms? Two different outfits with different sizes?" Mei asked. "That is impossible." The Bronze Fox shook his head. "You would need to alter the design greatly, but since this is Ancient Treasure..." He sighed. There was no one left who could alter the function readily. He could just adjust the size and shape, but that''s about it. The Jade Fox left his place and he got to work. He would always seal this place while working, since he noticed that he was observed whenever the Jade Fox visited him... ... Mei returned and looked around for Aiko. She would resume their lessons on refining Pills. Her Divine Sense was still not ready, but she should be able to create Grade 1 and Grade 2 Pills. It will be a lot more difficult, but that allows her to grow. Mei found Aiko sleeping on the Blood Fox''s tails. Unfortunately, Aiko was in her small form once again, so the lessons would have to resume on another day... ... The next day, Mei started to advise Aiko about things. She once again explained how to use everything except the Cauldron, as that could still wait. "The most important thing to know is Herbs. Their affinities and what certain combinations might cause." Pill Refining was all about mixing and matching Herbs, Mei knew that and she wanted to teach that to Aiko. The most important thing about this was simple: Never use certain Herb combinations unless you have either a powerful Divine Sense or protection from a Treasure. This was such due to the fact that certain combinations can cause damage to one''s Soul and even possibly kill the Pill Refiner. Mei advised until Aiko reverted to her small form... This went on for several days until Aiko was familiar with most of the dangerous combinations and how they came to be. Aiko listened carefully and to Mei''s surprise; she remembered everything. This was kind of shocking to Mei, since she expected Aiko not to remember most... This felt a bit odd, but it was certainly a welcomed surprise. At this time, the parts arrived. Aiko was able to stay somewhat awake in her small form too, but she would still sleep. ... Days passed... weeks passed... Aiko was finally able to stay awake in her small form and was working on the Massage Chair, version X. There were a couple of previous versions which were rejected either by Aiko or by Mei, since they were not sustainable or hard to repair. Aiko still worked on the Special Massage Chair just for her group use, but that was beside the point. Aiko turned 31, but there was no message from the system. No matter how long she waited... Soon she gave up and returned to tinkering with the Massage Chairs... At this time, Aiko was only taught about how to act and behave, not about Pill Refining. Mei believed she needed more time to get familiar with the Jade Slip and the Herbs inside, so she only gave a few passing questions here and there for Aiko. Sometimes she passed, sometimes she didn''t, but the progress was overall quick. Mei was sometimes shocked at Aiko''s progress, it was a bit too quick from what she was used to... Aiko also learned how to behave in front of them, so they were less tempted. At that time, Mei also finished the Array that would block the strange air inside the Fox Village. It naturally only spanned the Grandmaster''s abode, so it wouldn''t raise suspicion. They required more materials or things before they could openly denounce the Elders hidden in the Shadows. It was not yet time, but that didn''t mean Mei would leave them alone. She also set up a special boundary that would block people from entering this place. It was not something omnipotent, it was good enough to notify them if someone broke through the boundary. She also set up a few alarms and an Array that would allow her to track anyone inside. This allowed her to keep track of everyone around and see if there were some hidden elements in this place. The Grandmaster was powerful, but she would also run around handling the Sect''s needs often, even more so now that her health was improving. This meant that this place was guarded only by her infamy and the Abode Array, which was not really all that good. The place was nice, but it was difficult to inlay most Arrays. Most Array Cultivators would just give up for a more profitable job with the excuse that nobody would invade the Grandmaster''s Abode and that the Grandmaster was the most powerful person in the Sect. They weren''t entirely wrong. The Grandmaster was truly strong, but that didn''t mean there were no insane individuals who were willing to steal things from the Grandmaster. As such, Mei had to create more Arrays for protection, especially now that Aiko was exceptionally weak at times. She needed a safe place to stay until she completely recovered. The place should also be safe because Pill Refining was difficult. You had to focus only on it, counting breaths, adjusting flames, and so on. If you are interrupted, failure is guaranteed. At worse, even the possibility of death is likely. It''s kind of similar to when the Formation Cultivators have their flags tinkered with; the effect is just much greater in scale. Mei returned. Aiko was still tinkering with the Massage Chair and Mei encouraged it. Foxes had a lot of wealth that they used to sate their libido, but it was a different story for the Muscle Peak. Those guys had a lot of wealth that they spent on massages and Pills that could improve their muscles. As such, they would go feral once the Massage Chairs was reintroduced. Thanks to the Grandmaster''s cheerfulness, Mei also figured out that some Elders would keep a close eye on it and protect it if needed. The Massage Chair was a very sought after commodity. It was also easy to replicate if you had Forging and Inscription Cultivators with enough imagination and Rank. As such, Mei was very careful about leaking the blueprint outside, but considering how many changes Aiko made each iteration... those were possibly unfounded worries. Chapter 274 – Hugs and Massage Chairs Aiko was now running around in both her big and small forms. It seems like she had recovered all of her Vitality or at least a good enough portion, that she didn''t need to sleep constantly any more. Mei was also overjoyed, since it meant she could start teaching Aiko Alchemy again, but she still postponed it. It was important for Aiko to finish those Massage Chairs, wealth was needed to fund her studies after all. Mei also went and procured special covers for the Massage Chairs, so the previous ''incident'' wouldn''t happen again. Moreover, thanks to Dai Lu''s loose mouth, every Elder was now expecting the return of the Massage Chair. This made Mei happier, but also more concerned. She didn''t expect such a reaction even from the Elders. "What did you tell them?" Mei couldn''t help but ask. "Nothing much. Just that it''s incredible." Dai Lu tilted her head and Mei clicked her tongue. "They probably believe that your health got better because of it." Mei sighed. It would be a bother to explain it later. ... Aiko was constructing the first new Massage Chair. Thanks to being healed and having her Abilities unlocked in her small form. She should be able to finish this thing in a very short time. But she still took her time, so the quality didn''t drop. At first, she had trouble with applying the Inscription Ink. Her hands were too slow in her big form, and too fast in her small form. So she had to train in her small form in order to be capable of applying the Inscription Ink evenly again. That was a very important part of inscribing Inscriptions. Even the distribution of the Ink matters lest you want to end up with an inferior result. If the Inscription Ink was too thin, the power, in this case Qi, would overwhelm the Ink, causing it to burn away, and fail. Meanwhile, if it was too thick, the Qi would gather in that place and it could explode badly. Similar to Aiko throwing Spirit Stones as rocks. Aiko still felt discomfort in her arm. It looked normal and was probably healed, but the feeling of strangeness persisted. Aiko could only wait and see if it fixes itself or if this condition would be there ''forever''. Mei sometimes observed Aiko and nudged the previously poisoned arm. She would then nod and leave. Mei never said anything about it and didn''t look sad, so Aiko''s arm was probably alright, right? Aiko didn''t know... ... Aiko was able to finish the first Massage Chair. She was concerned about her craftsmanship since she hadn''t inscribed in quite some time. "Is Grandmaster alright?" Aiko suddenly asked. She was not willing to use Mei as a test subject any more, since she had the feeling that Mei would scold and punish her. Mei tilted her head. "Won''t the Grandmaster break it?" "..." Aiko didn''t think of that. But thanks to the lessons from the Blood Fox and the fact that she couldn''t fool around... her mind changed greatly. "But can''t we use Grandmaster as an advertisement for it?" Aiko tilted her head. Mei pursed her lips. "We could definitely do that." Aiko was changing day by day, or at least the big Aiko. The small Aiko would still try to be indulgent and since she was small... Everyone indulged her. With big Aiko it was different. She could not use the same movements since it was bad for her surroundings... "Then we should have the Grandmaster test all the Massage Chairs and then advertise it as: Rigorously tested by the Grandmaster or The Grandmaster loved the Massage Chair after testing it." Aiko said to Mei. Mei liked this kind of Aiko more, since she was more independent. She nodded gently. "I will call Grandmaster later." That is not to say that Mei hated the small Aiko, both of them had different perks and likes that Mei could appreciate. "Okay." Aiko nodded, not knowing about what others thought. "I will start building another one..." She suddenly turned to Mei. "For how many more Massage Chairs did you order parts again?" Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "There are 19 more, but some might possibly get destroyed..." Mei said with a smile, but Aiko quivered. "Can I do... less?" Aiko didn''t like too much repetition. "Sure, but that would mean you would do Alchemy with me." Mei said, smirking. The Princess was not yet ready, her progress was slow, but still steady. This made Mei both happy and sad. The Princess would have a good foundation, but her progress would be slower than her peers... ''It''s good that almost nobody knows about her.'' Mei thought. The Blood Fox''s brother knew about the Princess and was shocked that she could walk around freely. Especially around these parts. Humans would always be imprisoned and then imminently wait for the one who captured them to devour them, whether they like it or not. That''s why the ''welcoming'' tests that the Fox Village did were so important. It was the steady supply of Humans that allowed them to advance the Foxes'' maturity. Mei... hated this part. That is why she did everything to exclude herself and Aiko from it. She didn''t want her little cute servant to have sex with others. Mei also worked hard on the art of squeezing Souls, so that she could teach Aiko how to do it more efficiently. Squeezed Souls lost quite a lot of Energy, so Aiko would get a lot less from those Souls. "That is fine!" Aiko proclaimed and before Mei could recover from her shock, Aiko was already handcrafting another Massage Chair. Mei shook her head. It was nice that Aiko was back. The days were less boring and more colourful, but thanks to her big form, they were also less bothersome. She didn''t have to clean after Aiko''s shenanigans. ''There will be more trouble once we start Alchemy, but that should be alright...'' Mei didn''t believe it would be as bad as Aiko causing disaster after disaster... Oh, how wrong she was... ... The classes with the Blood Fox were very productive, so much so that Yuxi was pouting from lack of attention from Aiko. She needed to replenish the Aiko juice in her body, but both Yuxi and Aiko were too occupied to meet. "You are pouting again." Wanshu said. She was likewise grumpy since she didn''t have any time alone with Yuxi. The Grandmaster was too enthusiastic about training... She didn''t dislike it, but she was still upset that they didn''t have alone time. "We should beat up Grandmaster." Wanshu clicked her tongue. She noticed that she didn''t need any drugs to sate her other bloodthirsty half. Yuxi explained that it was thanks to Aiko''s influence, but Wanshu was not so sure about that. How would that even make sense? One Fox that could calm all Demonic Foxes? That''s unheard of! Wanshu only shook her head. She could not badmouth the Mistress that saved her. Moreover, the Legendary Jade Fox and the Grandmaster were also on her side. "Hello~" The Grandmaster was very giddy and the duo frowned. It seemed like it was time for more training... ... The Blood Fox finished another class with Aiko. It was quite different from the etiquette that Lady Liu taught her, since she taught a different form of etiquette for Aiko compared to Blood Fox and Yuxi. The Blood Fox was now teaching what Liu hadn''t taught Aiko... "Hug!" The class was finished, so Aiko reverted to her spoiled self. The Blood Fox sighed, but still hugged Aiko. She hugged her, so often that she built up immunity against that sweet, sweet scent. That is not to say she was no longer affected. There were still issues with it, but the Blood Fox was not hugging Aiko long enough that it would matter... "Hehe~" Aiko rubbed her face on those soft pillows. She no longer minded their size, as Aiko was similarly large. They didn''t feel overwhelming or threatening any more. "We will progress more later." The Blood Fox said gently. When Aiko tried to act with etiquette, it was as if she was a completely different person. Needless to say, it was incredible, so the Blood Fox was able to speed up their lessons. "As long as you keep it up in your big form, we can halt our lessons." She smiled gently, but Aiko suddenly whined. "But I want to get more hugs..." Aiko pouted. "You can get them even when we are not learning." The Blood Fox lifted her eyebrow. This was kind of weird? "But it''s nicer after hard work?" Aiko tilted her head. She didn''t understand why she felt like that. The Blood Fox nodded, surprised that Aiko was like this. "Well~" Aiko hummed. "You can teach me more later, right?" Aiko''s eyes shined. "Sure..." The Blood Fox could still teach her about fans, but that was about it... "Cool~" Aiko hummed, separating from the Blood Fox. ... Aiko finished another Massage Chair. It''s been a while since she started, but she has already completed 5 of them. Moreover, the latter Massage chairs had much better parts, much more complete and closer to the blueprint, so Aiko didn''t need to adjust them as much and could focus only on the Inscriptions. At this time, Mei returned with a Ring around every one of her fingers. Aiko blinked a few times. She lost too many Storage Rings that she wanted to take a few from Mei. Mei noticed Aiko''s piercing gaze and turned around. "If you do well, you will get rewards." She smiled gently. Aiko''s eyes burned. She was looking forward to the Alchemy lessons with much more excitement! ... The Massage Chairs were lined next to each other and the quality was obvious. "He really did improve." Mei muttered. Parts that the Bronze Fox made later looked much better. She then turned towards the Grandmaster. "Dai Lu, go test them." "Why does it feel like you are trying to use me as a meaty test subject?" Dai Lu suddenly had a foreboding feeling about this. "Just go." Mei rolled her eyes. The Grandmaster sat in the Massage Chairs and Aiko operated them from afar. "This won''t blow up, right?" Dai Lu asked with a concerned expression. She tried to read their minds, but was shocked. "What do you mean they might blow up?!" The duo from afar had evil grins on their faces. If one came at this point they would believe that two mad scientists were experimenting on the Grandmaster... and they would not be entirely wrong. The Massage Chair buzzed like always. "Oh..." Dai Lu felt that movement and vibration lightly. It got more powerful over time until the Grandmaster started melting. "This is niiiice~" Dai Lu hummed in a strange voice since the vibration made it difficult for her to speak... Aiko was already operating it at full power and nothing blew up. She was satisfied with this and turned it off. The most powerful setting was using multiple Spirit Stones per minute and she didn''t want to waste too much on it... "Let''s test the others." Mei smiled and Aiko nodded. Dai Lu was a bit shaky from the vibration. "Just give me a moment to recover." She smiled wryly. This was not that bad at all! Chapter 275 – Shabby Place? The Grandmaster tested all the Massage Chairs. It was a great success, especially with the latter two. They were of much higher quality thanks to both Aiko and the Bronze Fox improving. The parts were much more precisely made to the blueprints and Aiko got a better grip for her Inscriptions. She also adjusted a few inscriptions on the parts so that they worked better with the rest. Aiko nodded. "With this, we can open the business again." Mei also nodded. "The last two will have a higher price." "Are they that good?" Aiko tilted her head. ""Yes."" The Grandmaster and Mei said at once. Mei then added. "We can raise the price without any issues thanks to the higher quality." Aiko nodded slightly. "It''s still not the best I can do, but my hand feels strange..." "I know." Mei nodded. "Part of the poison is deeply rooted in your marrow. While it is harmless, there might be some slight discomfort until your body cleanses it." "You can''t clear it?" Aiko asked Mei. "It''s nothing that would require such drastic measures. Though, it is better to leave the marrow alone if possible." Mei shook her head. "It would be bad if something happened to it as we currently don''t have enough wealth to deal with such complications..." Aiko nodded gently. It seems like she will have to be careful in the future and not get poisoned again. ... Mei moved around to set up the business. Aiko helped her here and there with the Massage Chairs and possible complications. Mei would always nod away, but she didn''t understand most of the things Aiko said. She didn''t understand why it was important to adjust the vibration or movement. A part of her admired her little cutie that was able to do so many things so easily. Aiko moved out of the business and back into the Grandmaster''s abode. She collected a few more tools before returning. "So, we will only work for two months, with two months rest?" Aiko suddenly asked. "We will look over the business for two months since the Grandmaster isn''t here. Once she returns, we will head back for Alchemy while the Grandmaster will take care of the Business." Mei explained and then continued. "Once something happened, we could always come back and solve it." Aiko nodded gently. It didn''t seem like she would have that much time to rest... "You don''t have to do much during these two months other than maintenance of the Massage Chairs." Mei said to Aiko gently. "Okay." Aiko nodded. It seems like she will be able to rest with Mei, but she will probably take the Jade Slip with her. It was important to finish it soon and get rewards from Mei~. ... The final preparations for the business went smoothly. Mei also noticed many eyes on her, watching her in the shadows. It seemed like the interest in their ''little'' business was only getting higher and higher, but she was unsure if that was a blessing or a curse. She still wanted to refine Pills, but if there were too many Foxes coming... that could turn out to be difficult. Mei prepared many replacement covers for the Massage Chairs; it serves as defense against those wanted to stop their business by ''staining'' the Massage Chairs. Moreover, she also put out a sign that no sex toys were allowed. This would prevent 99% of the stains from happening. If they did happen, she would just ban them from coming back and all problems would be solved. Aiko walked towards Mei. "I have everything. Where will we live during the business ''days''?" She asked Mei as she was curious. "There is room inside. We will be there during the day, but return to Dai Lu''s abode at night." Mei said softly. Aiko nodded. "Okay, I will go explore the insides." She was curious how this hastily built structure compared to the carefully built city structures. And to her surprise. Aiko was shocked that this hastily built building was better than those in the cities. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Seeing the shocked Aiko, Mei chuckled. "It''s important for the building to look good." She had a mean smile on her lips. Mei would naturally charge extra for the nice atmosphere. Aiko didn''t like that smile, so she went inside. The outside looked cheap, but the inside was pretty lavish. There were special waiting mats and chairs. You were able to rest before the Massage Chair was free. It also had a small Array that you could activate with Qi. This would isolate the meditation mat from the outside world and would allow you some peace of mind. There were also small carpets under those mats. On the side, there were flowers or small trees, like really tiny trees. Aiko was very curious about how such a small tree could exist! Even saplings of normal trees were bigger! Mei walked inside and she was curious about Aiko''s reaction. She saw Aiko curiously stare at the bonsai and chuckled gently. "That is a Bonsai." "Bonsai?" Aiko tilted her head. She never heard such a name. "They are special small Trees." Mei came closer. "Moreover, you can make other trees like this if you ''adjust'' them with Qi. There are collectors of rare trees that pay a lot for this kind of thing." Mei smiled gently, she was one such collector. "But won''t they destroy it?" Aiko talked about those who would use the Massage Chairs. "Try touching it." Mei smiled mischievously. Aiko tilted her head and tried to gently touch the small tree, but her hand passed through like nothing happened. "Eh???" Aiko was confused. She was sure this was not an illusion, yet she couldn''t touch it? "It is a projection. It does not count as an illusion, so the way you uncover its secrets is different." Mei liked Aiko''s reaction to her work of art. "Ohhhhhh." Aiko was surprised at how this thing worked. It seems like she would have to pick some kind of Ability or let Mei teach her about it... In the corners were thin bamboo canes with leaves. This added to the natural atmosphere. Placed slightly deeper inside, were the counter and individual rooms. Everything was littered with Arrays, so Aiko didn''t want to touch them. The counter had its own door and Aiko presumed that it was this door that led to their room. Aiko went inside the room. It had a bed for lazing around and a few low tables around for work. The decoration was also light, but there were also small trees around. Aiko felt familiar with those trees and looked back into the main room. Those looked exactly like the trees in the main room. It seems like these were the real ones and those were projected into the main room. "Good observation." Mei praised Aiko when she saw her observing those bonsai trees closely. There were also cabins and doors, but Aiko was not really interested in them. It''s not like she would try to steal any underwear from here. There was also a large fur carpet on the floor. It was fluffy and nice to lie on, but the warmth could not compare to the real thing. While Aiko didn''t need to seek that much warmth any more, she still wanted to hug others. It was fun and warm, she could also grade their softness. Naturally, the Blood Fox was first when it came to softness, but Mei won thanks to fluffiness. Mei''s tails were much easier to sleep in than the Blood Fox''s. The low tables were supported by Arrays. "Qi Gathering and Qi Strengthening Arrays." Mei replied briefly. She didn''t want to elaborate too much on it since it would only confuse Aiko who specialised in Inscriptions. Aiko nodded once again. The bed was on the ground yet again, but she noticed that Mei once again stockpiled many sheets on it to make it as soft as possible. There were even some furs and other things to make it more pleasant. Aiko returned to the main room. The counter was simple, but likewise had many Arrays. Aiko didn''t pay too much attention to them, since she wouldn''t need to use them. She was more curious about the rooms with the Massage Chairs! Aiko walked towards one of the rooms and opened it. In the middle of the room was the Massage Chair with a strange cover. Aiko didn''t question it and looked around. There were more bamboo shoots, so many that it felt like you were in a bamboo forest. There were also a few small trees, but those were probably just projections. Deep inside was a strange small ''boat-like'' thing. "That is an incense burner." Mei said. "The Muscle Peak likes to use incense burners to relieve muscle pain, so I thought that it could be paired with the Massage Chair." Aiko nodded. This was a really nice incense burner. It felt like this room was very high-class. There was also one wall missing in this room. Unlike their own room which had a normal window, in this room, there was a missing wall! "That is an illusion." Mei smiled. "If you keep walking, you will hit your head." She pursed her lips gently. Aiko paused her steps. She was a few steps away from the greenery and she really wanted to test it, but at the same time... she didn''t want to hit her head or become an embarrassing mess. She returned to Mei''s side and hugged her. "Are there any more secrets?" Mei didn''t try to dodge the small Aiko and gently caressed her head. "There are, but those are for bad people." Mei smiled. She prepared many traps that would harm those that mean harm to them. Aiko nodded. She was a bit saddened that she could not look around to find those things, but it was fine for the time being. She still has some things to do and keep her busy. Aiko separated from Mei. She replenished her warmth, but she was slightly upset that Mei was now so easy to hug. It was more fun when Mei struggled or squirmed her body... Aiko went outside once again. This truly looked like a shabby place on the outside. "Is there any reason why the outside is not decorated?" Aiko asked, tilting her head. Mei blushed and looked away. "I didn''t have time to do that yet..." She said in a very quiet voice. "But you still have enough time to carefully craft the insides?" Aiko felt there was something amiss... "I don''t know how to do the exterior..." Mei mumbled. "What?" Even Aiko had a hard time hearing her. "I don''t know how to do the exterior!" Mei shouted with a red face. Aiko blinked a few times. She could not believe that the heavenly Mei could not do something. Aiko laughed happily and hugged Mei again. "Why are you laughing?" Mei was wronged by Aiko. She felt like she shouldn''t confess. "It''s nothing~. You just feel more humane now~" Aiko hummed happily. "When we can''t do something, we just need to ask others or pay them." She smiled at Mei. "And who would be able to do that?" Mei was doubtful that Aiko could find someone to do it, since most Fox buildings were simple in nature... Chapter 276 – Garden and Shock Aiko walked into the Grandmaster''s abode and waited. In the meantime, she read the Jade Slip again. The amount of information was insane, but Aiko would not give up. She wanted to know what she could get from Mei for finishing this Jade Slip. It took some time, but eventually, her team returned from training. Aiko had already signed Wanshu''s contract, so she was officially part of the team too. "Do you have spare time?" Aiko asked her obviously tired team. "What is it?" The Blood Fox was always enthusiastic about helping Aiko, since she would get Aiko for herself. "Do any of you know how to do the exteriors of buildings?" Aiko asked with gentle eyes. Their faces didn''t look all that good, it didn''t seem any of them had any knowledge about that. The Blood Fox paused. Something exceptional happened. Those voices that always bothered her were now nudging her to help Aiko. She had no idea why, but it shouldn''t hurt her. "I can try?" The Blood Fox tilted her head. She got not only Aiko''s attention, but also the twins''. The Blood Fox wondered what those voices were up to. Why did they suddenly want to help her? Why did they want to lick Aiko''s shoes? She didn''t know, but she hoped to uncover this over time. "Okay." Aiko smiled. "After you rest or?" The Blood Fox wanted to say after some rest, but those voices were nudging her to help right now... She could only sigh and go with Aiko. ... Aiko hummed happily. This went far smoother than expected. They were walking towards their business, but the Blood Fox suddenly flinched. Noticing this Aiko couldn''t help but worry about her. "What''s wrong?" "Nothing... the air is just stale." The Blood Fox was much more sensitive to this than Aiko. "Oh." Aiko nodded. She understood what the Blood Fox meant, but it did not bother as much since she had acclimated to the air from spending time outside Grandmaster''s abode setting up the business. "Here it is." Aiko pointed at the shabby building. The Blood Fox''s lips twitched, but she smiled mischievously when she saw Mei glaring at her. "What''s wrong?" The Blood Fox smiled from ear to ear, but Mei just snorted. "Can you do it?" Aiko ignored this exchange and asked. "I will see what I can do..." The Blood Fox really hoped that those voices could help her. It would not hurt to mess with the almighty Mei. Aiko blinked a few times. The attitude between them was not that good, but Aiko had no idea how to solve it. She could only watch from the sidelines as the events unfolded. The Blood Fox smirked. The voices were quite enthusiastic about helping, so she got to work drawing a simple sketch on how to improve the business and its surroundings. Aiko observed it closely. She quite liked how the Blood Fox drew. She wished that Mei would also draw like this so Aiko could admire it. Meanwhile, Mei had a very sour look on her face. Aiko paid more attention to the Blood Fox than her, only because she was bad at exteriors... She would have to rectify that later and so Aiko would come to her instead of the Blood Fox. Aiko kept watching over the Blood Fox until she finished her work of art, the whole sketch also included a small pond with a small bamboo forest, and pathways, among other things. It felt like the Blood Fox was designing a courtyard instead of a business building, but Aiko did not dislike it. Mei snorted unhappily. She had to agree; that it was a good sketch, but it would take a while to put this design in place. "You are amazing~!" Aiko praised the Blood Fox. She felt like the exterior would go well with the interior. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Now harmony will be achieved and Mei''s interior will be enhanced~!" Aiko giggled happily, but Mei pinched her cheek. She was unhappy that she was not praised properly. "You are amazing, Mei~" As though Aiko could read Mei''s mind, she praised her too. Mei still felt a bit bitter in her mind, but it was nothing a few smiles from Aiko could not fix. "Now go away! There is too much work to do!" Mei shooed both of them away. She wanted some peace of mind and got ready to prepare the large garden-like entrance. ... Aiko returned with the Blood Fox to the Grandmaster''s abode, where Yuxi and Wanshu were happily chatting away. Yuxi was sitting on Wanshu''s lap, while Wanshu was hugging her from behind. "Finished?" Yuxi asked. "En." The Blood Fox nodded. It was finished, but far from over. There were more things to do, but fortunately, it was not up to her to do those things. "Good." Yuxi nodded and opened her arms. She was trying to lure the small Aiko into a hug. Wanshu pinched Yuxi''s thigh unhappily. Yuxi pouted, but still dragged Aiko into one large hug. Wanshu snorted, biting Yuxi''s shoulder gently, making her yelp and jump in return. Aiko didn''t enjoy that rocking, so she likewise bit Yuxi''s hand, so that she would stop. This ''assault'' continued for a while before Yuxi gave up on Aiko and pouted at Wanshu. Wanshu snorted unhappily, but hugged Yuxi tighter, so that she wouldn''t get any silly ideas. Aiko returned to the Blood Fox that was resting. She sat next to her so as not to disturb her and read the Jade Slip. It was a peaceful evening... ... The next day, Aiko returned to the shabby building. It looked much better now. The wood was more polished and shinier. The felt much less like a forest trail, and more like a proper genuine path. The empty hole for a pond was also nearby. Aiko nodded at the progress. It was much faster than she expected. "You are awesome!" Aiko knew that she would not be able to do so much in a week since she had no sense for the exterior and interior. Mei felt happier that Aiko praised her openly without nudging her. She was patching up the few last planks on the main building to make it look more clean and better looking. Mei had to agree that this would definitely attract more attention than her last building. The main proof of this was that the ''spies'' from before had more than doubled and the more changes she had made, the more ''spies'' they seemed to attract. Aiko was slightly concerned about Mei since she could feel quite a lot of presence nearby, but since she didn''t mind them... ''Maybe I should stick a few flags up their asses so they''ll leave us alone...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. That was a sure-fire way to get them to leave. Unfortunately, Mei told Aiko to service the Massage chairs, so she would have to postpone her ''gardening'' for later. As unhappy as she was, she didn''t want to make Mei angry. Angry Mei was too scary and Aiko didn''t want to experience it again. Aiko wanted those rewards for finishing the Jade Slip, but she was far from finished... ... Aiko was sitting on the fur carpet inside their business building. She quite liked Mei''s style, but they would have to get higher quality stuff, so that the fur carpet would be warm and welcoming. It was definitely not because Aiko wanted a warm place to laze around when her team and Mei were too busy! Undoubtedly not! Aiko finished yet another page of the Jade Slip and placed it down. She was tired of learning things. Maybe she should return back to the Grandmaster''s abode and start building more Massage Chairs? That could solve her problem temporarily, but there were just not enough things to do... Aiko shook her head. She would go bother Mei instead. She walked outside, Mei was now working on filling the small pond and Aiko had an idea. "Mei, teach me the cleaning spell." Aiko trotted towards Mei smiling. "You need to have Water Affinity for it to work properly." Mei narrowed her eyes, but for some reason, Aiko kept nodding. "I have Water Affinity, now teach me." Aiko''s eyes shined. She didn''t want to work on the Massage Chairs or the Jade Slip, but she would learn the cleaning spell to perfection! Mei was startled. ''Did she eat another elemental shard?'' She suddenly had a headache. ''You should''ve eaten the Fire one, Water is more precious...'' She whined inside her mind. Aiko was unaware of Mei''s turmoil and smiled again. "Fine." Mei kept filling the water while narrating her cleaning spells poem. Aiko scrunched her face. She understood none of it. "Are all spells like this?" She didn''t like it... "Yes." Mei smiled. It was an awful way to store information, but on the other hand, you would need a key in order to unlock that knowledge. "The first thing you need to learn is to ''submerge'' things." Mei pointed at a nearby very dirty shovel. Aiko tilted her head. Surely Mei didn''t use that shovel to dig the pond, right? "Imagine ''submerging'' it in Water. Once you have a feeling that it''s submerged, allow your Beast Core Energy to flow outside freely." Mei nudged Aiko. Aiko nodded gently. She walked towards the shovel and sat in front of it. ... Like this, she spent the rest of the day trying to ''submerge'' the shovel. Aiko suddenly turned around. "You aren''t making fun of me, right?" She narrowed her eyes, since she felt like Mei was making fun of her. Mei replied innocently. "It''s how you learn this spell." Aiko... felt something wrong about this situation, but she could not figure out what? Was Mei pouting? Was that why she felt like this? Aiko turned her attention back to the shovel, practising more... ... The next day started inside since she was in her Dew Form, but once she left that form; she went outside. Mei finished the pond and was now arranging the bamboo shoots. Aiko observed her for a while, but didn''t know why Mei just didn''t replant a few from inside. Mei made a few hand movements and a bamboo shoot suddenly shot towards the sky. Aiko almost stumbled backwards. ''That''s not how plants are supposed to work!'' She yelled inside her mind, but Mei completely ignored her and grew a small bamboo forest right in front of Aiko''s eyes... Aiko stared blankly at Mei, while she hummed happily. Mei liked the fact that Aiko paid attention and she especially liked how shocked she was. ''See? I''m better than the Blood Fox, so stop hugging her!'' Mei snorted unhappily in her mind. She would not be outdone by a Demonic Fox! "How did you do that?" Aiko walked near Mei, still staring at the small bamboo forest. She then had an idea. ''Maybe it''s a projection...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes and slapped the bamboo. *Slap Slap* She was once again startled. The bamboo had a collision! Aiko could not understand how Mei achieved this, but Mei just hummed as she kept growing plants willy-nilly! Chapter 277 – First Wave! Aiko only blankly stared ahead, was it truly that easy to grow things? Her mind hurt from this. It was too incomprehensible for her mind, no matter how much she thought about it. Aiko moved inside. She felt dizzy from the overly cheerful Mei. She never saw her like that before. Did Mei like plants? Maybe flowers? Aiko pondered upon it as she sat down lazily on the somewhat nice fur carpet. Her mind drifted around until someone hugged her. "We can open this place soon." Mei was really happy that she got to play with flora. She always felt at home whenever she did that. "What about the Alchemy classes?" Aiko asked. She was missing things to do... "You will help me in here a bit and we can do it once things calm down every day." Mei nudged Aiko gently. "Okay." Aiko didn''t know how things would turn out or how she should behave. Would it be fun watching the business grow around? Possibly, but also unlikely. Aiko still didn''t like crowds, they were bothersome; they felt stupid. The crowd would move as one, Aiko didn''t like that for some reason... This night for some reason, Mei nuzzled Aiko to sleep. ... The next day, they opened the business. Aiko expected it to be a slow day, but unfortunately for her. The people already outside quickly formed an orderly and long line. Most of them were muscular Foxes that didn''t really look like Foxes. They were huge, towering, and overpowering in Aiko''s eyes. Their muscles moved and wiggled like they had minds of their own. It felt creepy and oppressive for the small Aiko. They opened the bussiness once Aiko turned small again, so that she wouldn''t attract as much attention. Yet her small body still attracted the attention of the bodybuilders. They swarmed Aiko like flies. "You should drink a lot of milk, it''s good for growing the body." "Meat is also good, don''t turn vegetarian like those madmen from the Alchemy Peak." "You should also exercise a lot, it''s good for the body." Aiko was overwhelmed until Mei kicked their butt. She immediately hid behind Mei as this was the exact reason why she hated crowds. """"Our apologies."""" They all bowed respectfully and returned to the waiting line. Aiko sneaked inside and Mei sighed. She would have to help her little, cute servant get used to this kind of thing, but at the same time, she didn''t blame Aiko. She was likewise astonished at their enthusiasm... "Jade Fox." Muscular Fox nodded. "I heard that this time there are more ''Massage Chairs''." He nodded towards the Jade Fox, while at the same time suplexing those that bothered the small Vicious Cub. He was the main gate guard for a reason. None of them were able to stand against him... "That is true, but don''t expect the same prices." Mei chuckled. "Why? Those are just Massage Chairs!" There was an outcry from the back, but when everyone turned around, they could not find out who said it. "Come inside first." Mei chuckled. She knew that there would be some complications, but the allure of the Massage Chair was much greater than what the opposition could create. The overly muscular Foxes went inside politely and carefully. The door was of normal size, so some of the more oversized Foxes had to in sideways in order to go inside. Everyone was curiously looking around. They spotted the small, Vicious Cub that was glaring at them behind the counter. They found it cute and wanted to swarm her again, but seeing the Jade Fox hug the tiny Fox they stopped in their tracks. Likewise, they already realised that the Jade Fox had a great wealth of knowledge on the body, otherwise she would not have been able to come up with this kind of ingenious idea. The Jade Fox likely knew better than all of them on how to help small Foxes grow properly so they restrained their well intended urges. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Mei gently smiled seeing them back away, with this Aiko should be able to move around without being bothered which allows her to get used to crowds. "I would like the best room." The Muscular Fox said gently. He was familiar with the Vicious Cub and found her antics very nice, but he could not understand why the Vicious Cub was so... big. Or at least at the time that he met her in front of the main gate. Was there some kind of secret? His curiosity peaked, but he would not share it. This was a Treasure hunt just for him and him alone! "Senior Brother, you shouldn''t! Just because it''s expensive-" The nearby Fox was headbutted by other muscular Foxes. They were bothered that this cunt kept telling them that. All of them spared no expense on their bodies! One muscular Fox gasped. Everyone looked towards him. "I know this guy. He is the one who was selling us the expensive incense!" They didn''t mind the fact he was ripping them off, since it worked on their muscles, and earning the money to pay for it was merely another chance to hone their muscles, but now he was trying to prevent them from soothing their muscles? Unacceptable! Despicable! Garbage-like behaviour! They immediately restrained his head with their wiggling muscles and they threw him outside with full power. *Boom* There was a booming sound and they felt proud. "Nice!" Aiko was giving a thumbs up with her small hands. They noticed her and smiled, but Aiko scurried away like she was being chased. Their bodies stiffened. Were they really that unlikeable? Aiko''s head peeked from behind the counter, but she was not glaring, just observing them closely. They kept their smiles as they talked with the Jade Fox. Their Senior Brother sacrificed his body to test the most expensive option and they would pray for his good health. "But she is kind of cute..." The muscular Foxes murmured to each other. The Jade Fox was definitely a fine Fox, but... ''There are not enough muscles on her...'' Was their shared consensus. Meanwhile, the small Fox would still grow, she might turn into a hulking berserker that could whip their asses! Just that thought alone made them shiver happily. Aiko suddenly felt a chill down her spine. She immediately ran into the backroom to hide. """"Ah..."""" Those muscular Foxes were saddened that Aiko ran away. Mei¡¯s eyebrow twitched. She didn''t expect them to be like this, but fortunately, it would soon turn into a waiting room instead of a ''watching'' room. The place quietened down and Aiko sneaked back. She wanted to know how her Massage Chair turned out. She didn''t care previously, but this time she did. Aiko was almost at her peak condition, almost, which meant that this Massage Chair would be able to make a mess out of their muscles! The doors opened, but no Fox went outside. Aiko peeked from below the separator. The same one that was used to separate the waiting room and the counter place. A Fox didn''t walk out of the room... "A worm?" Aiko stared strangely when she saw the Muscular Fox make a motion like he was a worm moving on the ground. The muscular Foxes were startled and so was Mei. Before they could shout at their Senior Brother, a calm and cheerful voice sounded. "You guys won''t believe how amazing that thing is, but first help me out! My muscles are a bit too relaxed!" The Muscular Fox commanded and a few of his Juniors helped him stand up. Aiko sneaked next to them. "You can place the wor-" *Cough* "Him over there, it''s a resting zone." She almost made a slip of the tongue, but it didn''t seem like anyone minded it. ''He was like a worm...'' They had to agree with the small Fox. They moved him to the waiting area and he immediately started talking. "You guys. You won''t believe me if I say that it''s even better than our Peak Elder''s ''special'' pond." The Muscular Fox smirked. """"What?!"""" He was right, they did not believe him at all, but it still did leave them speechless. "I will sacrifice myself for my Senior Brothers!" One muscular Fox couldn''t bear it any more and went ahead buying the most expensive options, which was still very cheap in his eyes. An incense stick of time later, another worm was born. This one was even stranger than the previous one since he kept giggling to himself... The muscular Foxes looked at each other. They were a bit fearful that they would end up like that themselves, but the thought of having their muscles massaged... A lot of Foxes were ''sacrificed'' that day and a new breed of Fox was born. The Worm Fox... ... The day was over and they were in the backroom counting the profits. Aiko stared at Mei in amazement. She could not believe that she was able to talk for so long and with so many people present! She would not be able to do that at all! Those guys were too scary! Their muscles moved like snakes! It felt like she would be bitten if she got too close! Aiko gazed at Mei. Mei shifted her body. "You are making me blush..." "Who are you and what did you do to my reclusive Mei?!" Aiko suddenly yelped, stunning Mei. Mei blankly stared at Aiko who was pouting. "I''m still myself?" Mei tilted her head. She didn''t quite understand what was the issue. Aiko didn''t elaborate and changed the topic. She would have to deal with this imposter later! "So how much did we make?" Aiko snorted unhappily. "12,450 Spirit Stones." Mei answered briefly. *Pfft* "What?" Aiko didn''t expect that Mei would be able to make 1-6th of Aiko''s Spirit Stone wealth in a day... "It was a good day and it will probably continue until all the Foxes from Muscle Peak have had their turn." Mei smiled like a devil. Aiko shivered. ''How much wealth will we make from them...?'' Little did they know that this would be just the beginning... ... The next day the amount of Foxes doubled. Mei was busier than ever and all the rooms were packed from dawn to dusk. It was truly exhausting for Mei, but thankfully the muscular Foxes were kind enough to wait in line and never caused trouble. Mei also turned a blind eye to the fact that the muscular Foxes would drive other Foxes away. This would keep the bad actors in check without her having to do anything. Aiko was still scared to walk around, so she also made a plan. She would make a special discount if the muscular Foxes ignored Aiko. That way Aiko would be able to walk around without being bothered and maybe it would solve her issue. Of course, this was only a limited-time discount to pressure the muscular Foxes to obey it properly! Mei giggled at her plan and Aiko shivered. Aiko didn''t understand why she was shivering so often these days... was it getting colder? But there was no true cold season on this continent... Chapter 278 – Aiko against the Foxes The next day arrived and business was even worse in terms of the size of the crowd; however, their attitude changed abruptly. ''They are ignoring me?'' Aiko peeked behind the counter. She got a few glances, but they soon ignored her. ''What is happening?'' Mei was likewise impressed. She didn''t expect that the muscular Foxes would be able to keep their gazes in check. Aiko didn''t walk around, but kept staring at them. Some started to sweat, others'' bodies started to twitch. It was a strange sight... "What are they doing?" Aiko whispered. She was unaware of the special discount that Mei spread secretly. "Maybe they don''t like you?" Mei teased Aiko. "That is fine." Aiko had nothing against it. The more she would be liked, the more trouble it would bring. Take for example the first day. There were male Foxes going around hand to hand with female Foxes, but at the same time, they were followed by an angry mob. Some glared at them, others were sharpening their knives. It was not a good sight... Aiko didn''t like being followed. She didn''t like unnecessary attention. Sure, she did things at her own pace, but that usually didn''t attract that much attention... or at least Aiko thought. ... The coming days were spent peacefully. They were racking in a lot of Spirit Stones, some were even willing to pay extra just to skip the line, but for some reason, Mei didn''t accept that. Aiko didn''t understand why she wouldn''t accept additional Spirit Stones, since Mei seemed to need them a lot. Unfortunately, Mei told her to think about it by herself. Aiko did not understand why Mei couldn''t just answer her and was sulking. Mei only shook her head and returned to the customer service. There were more and more Foxes coming, so she was even busier. ... A month passed like it was nothing and this was the first time Aiko went from behind the counter to stroll around the Jelly Foxes. Their muscles were not as wiggly or intimidating, as they felt more like jellies. Aiko came close to one muscular Fox and stared at him. She kept staring and staring, but no one paid attention. This was a good thing, a thing that Aiko liked. She kept staring for a while before she decided to poke those jelly muscles. *Poke Poke* *Twitch Twitch* The muscles twitched suddenly, startling Aiko. She immediately dashed behind the counter and glared at those muscles. Mei had to use her inner energy to not laugh and the surrounding muscular Foxes were curious about what happened, but they didn''t look over. All kinds of discounts are good discounts. They got discounts just from Foxes touching their muscles or posing for a while. Those were harmless things that brought them the most benefit. Likewise, the current discount was of great use to them as they spend a lot of money here, but all they had to do was not stare and just ignore a small Fox. They didn''t understand why the Jade Fox made such a discount, but it didn''t seem like they were on bad terms, so the muscular Foxes naturally took her up on the offer. They could enjoy cheaper massages, while not harming anyone. The latter part was important for them. They were unlike any other Foxes. They would stand by their belief... until an accident happened. ... A month later there were some impatient muscular Foxes. They wanted to improve even more after they experienced the magic of the Massage Chair. It could not compare to the Heavenly Massage Parlour at all! That Fox knocked on the door with force. He wanted to use the Massage Chair as soon as possible so that he could improve faster than his peers. "Stop that." The Muscular Fox glared at him. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. "We all want to go inside, but be patient." Another Fox chimed in. The impatient Fox clicked his tongue. "Don''t you want to experience that heavenly sensation again?!" "We all do, but we will all wait, don''t make me stand-" The Muscular Fox was about to pacify the impatient Fox, but the doors opened slightly. An absolutely gorgeous Fox was standing there. Her clothes were messy and she was rubbing her eyes. It was obvious she had just woken from sleep. These days Mei and Aiko did not return to the Grandmaster''s abode since they were too exhausted and the line never shortened. Aiko was also upset that Mei was working too hard, so she would drag Mei each night to bed so that she would sleep. "The sun is not yet up, why are you knocking..." Aiko was too exhausted to even make it as a question. She yawned at the stunned, impatient Fox. A sweet scent spread to the surroundings, rousing everyone to stand up. She was a gorgeous Fox, their minds clouded. Suddenly, a voice snapped them out of their daze. "What are you doing outside?" It was a chilly voice and immediately made them sit. "They were beating on the door." Aiko yawned again as hands wrapped around her waist. It was Mei who was hugging Aiko. Mei started to slowly love Aiko''s scent as it allowed her to sleep like a brick during the late nights. She was able to work more efficiently and be of better help, all thanks to Aiko. That is not to say that she still didn''t like Aiko''s big form. She felt pressured whenever Aiko would hug her face and bury her in her bosom. She didn''t like that part of Aiko... "They will have to wait, let''s go inside." Mei said gently, nuzzling Aiko. This scent was truly addictive. "Let''s do that. We have a free day." Aiko yawned. The Foxes suddenly paid a lot of attention to their words. They were no longer surprised by their beauty... Well, they were, but those words were more shocking than their beauty. "F-free day?" One muscular Fox asked. Mei also paid close attention to what Aiko would say. "Of course. We will sleep and laze around." Aiko yawned again. "After all. Those that don''t let us rest, don''t deserve to use our Massage Chairs." Aiko added. She almost dozed to sleep standing. The Foxes were shocked and their minds jostled. They immediately stood up and wanted to raise an objection, but Mei raised her hand, silencing them before they could say anything. "Is it unfair?" Mei chuckled sinisterly. "Then what were the other Foxes doing when he was causing a ruckus?" Mei stared at them, but none other than the Muscular Fox met her gaze. "As such, I believe it''s a fitting punishment for not letting us rest." Mei was not bothered by money any more. In ten days they were able to bring around 150,000 Spirit Stones. It has already been a month and a half. They didn''t need to work as hard. They were the ones dictating the rules, as they had service that couldn''t be replaced... The Foxes glared, but not at the Jade Fox or this Gorgeous Fox. They glared at the impatient Fox. The Jade Fox slowly closed the doors. Dragging Aiko away. With a final thud, the doors closed. The atmosphere immediately worsened. They all stared at the impatient Fox like he was a mortal enemy. They were already cracking their knuckles, ready to beat him up. The doors suddenly opened. "Oh, and if you destroy anything around here, keep in mind that you will pay for it before you can use our service." Mei smirked at them. This would allow her to drive them away, so that they can sleep peacefully. The doors closed once again. Silence spread throughout the surroundings. Everyone glared at the impatient Fox. Some made throat-cutting motions, others gestured for him to head outside. The muscular Foxes could not fight in here. They didn''t know how much this beautiful and peaceful garden cost, moreover if they displease that Gorgeous Fox again... They can''t miss another day of training... ... Aiko went to bed yet again. It was bothersome to move in these clothes since they were not loose enough. Mei would naturally not allow her to take them off, so she was sulking, while lying down. Mei likewise hugged Aiko, but in a way that Aiko would not be able to smother her with her boobs. She sighed gently. It was much easier to keep the small Aiko around than the big one... ... The day was peaceful, except for the strange grunts and sounds outside, but neither of them paid any attention to it. "So you really did make fun of me?!" Aiko cried out. Mei laughed, but at the same time felt like she wronged Aiko. Seeing her teary eyes, she started to feel really bad. "Teaching the Cleaning Technique is easier if I''m supervising you, so that I can prevent any dangers." Mei said honestly. "You were too enthusiastic and I didn''t have much time, so I wanted to keep you busy until I had time." Aiko pouted. "I don''t want it now." She was really grumpy about this whole thing and it was also justified. Mei made fun of her. "I will cook you something nice, so forgive me?" Mei stared with a fox-like innocent gaze; the same one that Aiko would always do. "Guh. This is unfair!" Aiko was even more grumpy. "We will have more time soon. So I will teach you everything you want. Okay?" Mei smiled gently. Aiko didn''t want to be outdone by Mei. "In that case, you better teach me how to extract Souls the natural way~" Aiko smirked at Mei. Mei''s hand that was caressing Aiko''s head stiffened. Seeing her having that mischievous grin, she grumbled unhappily. "You really don''t like me." Mei sighed. "If you make fun of me, it''s only natural." Aiko snorted. Mei kept petting Aiko gently. She would have to change Aiko''s mind about- "Or you can help me with [Dual Yin Cultivation Scripture]." Aiko threw another jab Mei''s way. Mei shrunk like she sustained a heavy blow and ''glared'' at Aiko. Aiko shrugged innocently, sipping the delicious tea. ... {At the Grandmaster''s abode} "They are still not back..." The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. "Now I understand why you are so obsessed." Wanshu said. She could feel the voices slowly returning over time. Wanshu also no longer minded why Yuxi was seeking Aiko so much, it was for everyone''s development to keep Aiko close. "She started a business and the Grandmaster is still away for half a month." Yuxi said. She didn''t hear those voices, but could feel Wanshu''s restlessness. She would kidnap Aiko soon, so that her partner would be safe. Of course, she would cuddle and spoil Aiko as much as possible with the help of the Blood Fox. "I believe it''s the time to visit the business. We have trained too much." The Blood Fox suddenly said. This would be a good idea to change the pace and rest for a bit. Training all the time was unhealthy after all... Chapter 279 – Visit and Visit Unfortunately, the resting time didn''t last all that long. They were soon visited by uninvited guests who stormed Aiko. Aiko naturally didn''t mind as she was familiar with the guests, but she still found the nice and obedient Wanshu strange... Aiko yawned. Her sleep was interrupted and she wanted to sleep a bit more. Fortunately, the Blood Fox was plenty soft, so Aiko pretty much passed out cuddling with her. Mei''s lips twitched. She didn''t like this situation at all. "How is the business?" Yuxi asked gently. "It''s fine." Mei sipped tea. She was not in the mood to talk about those things. Yuxi nodded and sat near Wanshu. She was more accommodating to Aiko now, which was a good thing. "How much longer will you spend here?" The Blood Fox asked. "There are too many Foxes, but I plan to kick the responsibilities to the Grandmaster once she returns." Mei sipped her tea. "Of course, we will give her part of the revenue, so that she wouldn''t whine too much. Mei shifted her sitting position. She was a bit uncomfortable now that the place was cramped with visitors. It was not created with this in mind as they were supposed to spend time in there only for the sake of funds... "So after half a month you will return, what do you plan then?" The Blood Fox asked. It was important that Aiko would be within their reach. "You should keep working on resisting the voices." Mei changed the topic and the Blood Fox frowned. "What are you trying to say?" The Blood Fox snorted unhappily. "There will be a Secret Realm opening and we will be raiding it for riches." Mei shrugged. The Blood Fox was startled. "When will that be?" "You still have time, there is no concrete date yet." Mei shook her head. "What is the ''theme'' of the Secret Realm?" The Blood Fox asked. "Suppression of your Cultivation. Foxes would be less affected, but we are very weak to begin with, so be careful of other Beasts." Mei warned. The Blood Fox nodded while the other duo silently listened. "Anything we should prepare?" Yuxi suddenly asked. "You need to train to resist those voices, as we will be kicked into different starting points. It can take us months to meet." Mei said seriously. "Other than that, I will bring Pills, so there is no need to worry about resources." The team nodded. They would have to prepare for it. ... The team went back, filled with more energy, as those voices no longer bothered them. This was good as they would be able to train more. Meanwhile, Aiko woke up from her slumber and yawned. She moved her position onto Mei and once again started sleeping. Mei''s lips just twitched. She was hurt that she was secondary to the Blood Fox, which meant she would have to groom her tails more. ''But for some reason, I feel like my skin is getting prettier as I take care of my tail...'' Mei narrowed her eyes. This was very abnormal and she didn''t know what to do about it. If she groomed her tail, it would attract Aiko''s sleepy body, but at the same time, she would get more beautiful, attracting even more trouble! "What a dilemma..." Mei shook her head. ... The half a month was uneventful. Aiko got more used to Mei''s presence and she started to be more mature, or maybe she was just acting... Mei could not really tell if it was acting or not, but one side of Aiko still persisted. Her childishness and refusal to do too many things that she didn''t like. Mei would have to work on those things, so that Aiko could grow more. It is important to have a steady mind for when they reach their Human Forms. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. They also needed a safe base for that stage of life. They would be very vulnerable, which was not a good thing. Unfortunately, this part of the Mortal World had limited Cultivation advances. They could only reach the Nascent Soul in this place. They would have to move to the Upper World soon. The way that Worlds were separated was like this: You had Mortal Worlds. Worlds that bred the next generation of Immortals. Those Mortal Worlds were separated into two parts. The Lower Mortal World, or Lower World for short, and the Upper Mortal World, or Upper World for short. This separation would allow more Mortals to survive. The higher Cultivation one had, the more destruction it would bring. There were those that descended from the Upper World to pick up disciples or protect their Sect, but it was rare for them to move. This limitation did not apply to Beasts, but as they would eventually reach the Human Form, they were likewise limited in these advances. Then you had the Immortal World. A world where those that ascended lived. You still had a finite lifespan, but it was long enough for the bigger events to cause you distress. Mei was... concerned. She was preparing for one of those big events, but if she were to ascend in the coming years... Mei shook her head. It might end in disaster... Like the Mortal World. The Immortal World also had different parts, but Mei did not know about them. She knew that there were only 9 Heavens left. The others were destroyed. There were also places that she could not visit as she was too weak. "I''m not sure if we can delay our ascension..." Mei would absolutely ascend with Aiko, as for the others... only fate could tell. "We need more allies..." Mei narrowed her eyes. They needed to be sheltered for this first Disaster, but the next one would be free for taking. "But how to get Immortals to descend..." She did not know how to do it and she was even unaware that Immortals could no longer descend... It was a peaceful evening... ... Dai Lu returned the next morning. She was a bit too energetic, but that was fine. She would spend a lot of time overseeing this thing, so it was good that she was happy. "I won''t need to go out until the opening of the Secret Realm. I will later teach you about the other major factions that will join us." The Grandmaster was very talkative this time. "There might be some minor factions that will sneak in, but they are not as powerful as the big factions, so we don''t need to pay attention to them." The Grandmaster added. "Which ones will attend?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "All the major factions. This means the Northern Sect, Southern Sect, Eastern Sect and Western Sect." Dai Lu explained. "But the Western Sect is sending the least amount of people, so we should be wary of them." Mei nodded. "Before the Secret Realm opens, we should find some kind of hidden abode and fortify it. It would also be good to secure a steady supply of Herbs. We need all the resources we can get." "What about the Alchemy Peak?" Dai Lu asked. "We won''t do anything with them yet. They are greedy herbivores. Aiko needs a better image of Pill Refiners." Mei snorted. "It''s unwise to isolate Aiko. She will have to interact with them eventually..." Dai Lu sighed. She already knew that she couldn''t change Mei''s mind... Mei snorted unhappily. "It took us so much time to teach Aiko. I won''t let some deranged old fossil change Aiko''s ways." "You are also old-" Dai Lu couldn''t even finish the sentence and started dodging Mei''s sinister Pills. "Okay, okay! You are not that old!" Dai Lu cried out, but Mei didn''t stop. "Nothing will save you now!" Mei was always angered, since Dai Lu liked to take jabs at her age and how she did things. "But did you teach Aiko something while I was away?" Dai Lu asked as Aiko stirred from sleep. "Doesn''t look like that to me..." She tilted her head. Aiko yawned and went back to sleep. ... Mei calmed down after a few hours and Dai Lu sat down as she made tea for them. "So what are you planning next?" Dai Lu was in top condition, while Mei was tired from throwing Pills at her. "Alchemy for Aiko and you will look and manage this place." Mei said. "You will also get 30% of the sales." Dai Lu didn''t quite like that. She opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but Mei silenced her. "It''s around 5,000 Spirit Stones a day." Mei added. Dai Lu stiffened. "That is..." "Yes, that is your pay." Mei sipped tea slowly. Dai Lu browsed Mei''s mind and almost fainted. It took her so much time to earn her current wealth, but Mei just printed money! "This is so unfair." Dai Lu wiped the non-existent tears, but she really felt bad. It took her so much time and training to get into her current position. She was making a handsome amount of money, but it came with its own restrictions and troubles. Meanwhile, Mei was free to do anything she wanted AND earned a lot of Spirit Stones?! How is that fair?! "Keep in mind that we wouldn''t be here if Aiko didn''t want to build the first ''Massage Chair''." Mei cut Dai Lu''s thought short. Dai Lu paused. That was true. ''Aiko worked hard to create it, so it''s natural that we would be able to achieve something like this.'' To begin with, the Heavenly Massage Parlour had a monopoly on massages. So even Foxes had to rush all the way there to get a very pitiful massage that didn''t even relieve them all that much. Meanwhile, Aiko created something portable that actually worked. You didn''t need any strange skills to operate that Massage Chair. All you had to do was sit down and enjoy it or place Spirit Stones to turn it into ''overdrive'' mode. This was pretty much revolutionary and over time, the interest would fade, but that would be only if the Heavenly Massage Parlour took their stance and improved their service. For the time being, they would be able to rake the profits like there was no tomorrow! "Should I be wary of something?" Dai Lu asked. "Don''t let them steal any of our Massage Chairs. While I don''t believe there are that many that can recreate it. It''s always better to not have competition." Mei said lightly. "Gotcha." Dai Lu nodded. She then asked. "Any special rules?" "They are hanging around the waiting room, so you can check them later." Mei shrugged. "Okay. Will you be returning to my abode later?" Dai Lu asked. "I will wait a few days in case something wrong happens and you don''t know how to deal with it, but I don''t expect anyone to raid this place with you in it." Mei chuckled darkly. "That is true." Dai Lu copied Mei. "Anyway. It''s time for sleeping, so you should excuse yourself." Mei made a shooing motion. "You are kicking me out already? How heartless." Dai Lu played the pitiful card and her acting was top-notch, but she was unfortunately against Mei. "That won''t work on me. Don''t make me pick up more Pills." Mei narrowed her eyes. "Okay, okay! I''m going!" The Grandmaster huffed unhappily and left the room. Mei moved with Aiko on the bed. It would be yet another peaceful night... Chapter 280 – Animalistic Divine Sense {Grandmaster''s abode} Mei and Aiko returned to their ''home''. Mei wanted to start teaching Alchemy once again, but there was also the problem of Aiko''s Divine Sense. That needs to be resolved as soon as possible, so she can teach both things at the same time. She knew that Aiko was smart, so this should be no issue for her. "First thing first~" Mei hummed. Training Divine Sense was always fun since it always starts with destruction. Mei placed small firewood logs in front of Aiko. "You will use your Divine Sense to crush them." Animalistic Divine Sense could not be used for scouting as it would crush everything in its path, as such you had to teach the Divine Sense what it should or should not do. Aiko focused on that hateful log, a large shadow appeared above her. It snorted unhappily, slapping the log away. Mei blinked a few times. She had seen these kinds of Divine Sense only from Dragons, was Aiko part Dragon? Mei tilted her head. How was she supposed to train Aiko? She placed another log a bit further and Aiko once again stared at it hatefully. A shadow manifested above Aiko once again. It glanced at Mei before glancing at Aiko. It sighed before slapping the log away once again. "..." Mei was speechless. She would have to ask the Grandmaster about this, but for now, this should work... right? Mei kept placing logs further and further from Aiko. This would teach the Divine Sense to stretch its body as the Cultivator willed. This was an important part of the ''sensing'' type of Divine Sense. They did it further and further until the shadowy beast refused to cooperate. So far it was hitting the log within its range, but now that it was outside its range, it refused to move... Mei would have to definitely ask the Grandmaster about Divine Sense as she did not teach it enough times to deal with these strange irregularities... ... {Visiting the Grandmaster: Backroom inside the Massage Chair business} "Dog-like Divine Sense?" The Grandmaster tilted her head. Mei could only nod with a sigh. "Once the log got out of its paws'' range, it refused to move." "Maybe you are going about this incorrectly?" The Grandmaster asked Mei once she read her mind. "Pardon?" Mei tilted her head. "This looks like one of those Dragon Divine Senses, but not at the same time. It would be better to start with combat before you extend its influence." Dai Lu nudged Mei in a strange direction. It took Mei a while to realise what Dai Lu was planning. "Oh! To improve her Divine Sense control, we first need for ''it'' to move!" Mei nodded in understanding and Dai Lu smiled. Mei had her own weaknesses, but the most severe one was the distorted time. She perceived time at a different pace than others, which made certain things difficult. Moreover, she also dwelled on certain things a bit too long... "Now go, go." Dai Lu shooed Mei away. "I still have a lot of work to do." She chuckled. Mei nodded. "Thank you for your guidance." She gently bowed, leaving Dai Lu alone... "I can''t believe that scum betrayed her... she is such a cute and kind girl..." Dai Lu shook her head, but did not bring this matter to light. She was likewise betrayed, so it would be strange to talk about it... ... {Grandmaster''s abode} Mei grabbed Aiko and they went to the desolate place where they could train. "You will fight me." Mei said gently, startling Aiko. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. "But I don''t want to..." Aiko refused. She didn''t want to hurt Mei. "I''m much stronger than you are." Mei reassured Aiko, but she gave her a doubtful look nonetheless. "But you are to attack me only with your Divine Sense." Mei finished her explanation. "Oh..." Aiko nodded gently. This way it should be safer, right? "How do I attack with my Divine Sense?" Aiko did not know how. It took all of her focus just to move it. "We will be playing a game of tag and you will try to target me with your thoughts." Mei elaborated. "Will you be alright?" Aiko was still worried that she would hurt Mei. "It''s fine." Mei smiled gently. The game of tag commenced. Aiko was not able to keep up with Mei''s speed, since she used the earth to her advantage. Aiko could not catch up to her, it was a strange feeling... No matter how much Aiko sped up, Mei was always faster... ... *Wheeze Wheeze* Aiko was lying on the ground refusing to move. Her stamina was rock bottom and she was exhausted. Meanwhile, Mei was smiling happily on her side! This was unfair! At least show some sweat! Aiko could not even pout as she had to breathe to calm down her body. "I didn''t think you would have such a little stamina..." Mei shook her head, teasing Aiko. Aiko glared at her hatefully and her Divine Sense attacked. Mei gracefully dodged as she had already expected it. Aiko looked sad, not because she didn''t hit Mei, but because her Divine Sense was a mess... At this time she did not wish to attack Mei, but the Divine Sense still attacked. "It will take time, let''s play with logs until you catch your breath." Mei smiled gently, but inside was shocked. ''What kind of monstrous stamina does she have?!'' Mei was left speechless and worried that her cute little servant would overtake her... ''It seems I will have to train again...'' Mei narrowed her eyes. ... They rested a bit before her sulking Divine Sense played with the logs, but this time it even extended its paw past its limits. Mei was overjoyed and would give Dai Lu more nice Pills as a thank-you. The more she observed the Divine Sense, the stranger it became. ''Is that a wolf?'' Mei tilted her head. It was strange, very strange. If Aiko had some kind of ''Divine Sense Manifestation'' it would be like a Dragons'' as those beings have a different Divine Sense, but this shadow felt like a different entity on its own... ''How do I deal with it? Can it even be trained?'' It''s been a while since Mei doubted her teaching capabilities, but she had to say that Aiko was everything, but normal... ''I have no idea what it will do, but fortunately, it can''t hurt Aiko.'' Mei sighed. It seemed like the strange shadowy wolf got bored with the small logs... "How is your stamina?" Mei asked. "I will have to meditate to replenish stamina..." Aiko said. While she was no longer panting, her Stamina was far from replenished. "Here." Mei gave Aiko a Pill that would improve the recovery of her Stamina. "Candy." Aiko took it and munched on it, but before she could bite into it, Mei used her Divine Sense to send it down Aiko''s throat. "My candy..." Aiko sniffled. She was hungry and wanted to slowly munch on it, but Mei was ruthless in this aspect... "I will give you candies later, you need to dissolve that Pill and circulate its effects." Mei was stern when it came to Pills, so that Aiko would learn to circulate it every time. She didn''t want to encounter the previous incident! Aiko sobbed, but still circulated her Energy. [Your body consumed [Recovery Pill (Stamina): Grade 3 (Low)]. Your Stamina will recover at 10x the normal speed. (Time: 29:59)(Quality of the Pill is too low to affect Recovery Skills)] Aiko circulated while glancing at the system from time to time. This was a much better system than she previously experienced, no matter what she did or ate, it would never tell her things like this... Aiko was overjoyed that she now had a way to know more things about this world without needing to read or do some weird chants... It took a while, but with the additional help from Mei''s internal energy, Aiko was able to recover her Stamina completely. "Let''s restart the chase." Mei smiled. Aiko nodded, ready to chase Mei... ... Days went by like a flowing river. Aiko was getting better and better at chasing Mei. ''I should be able to catch up to Mei soon...'' Aiko did not level up this whole time. It seems that either her body needed different nutrition or the system made it more difficult. This was not necessarily a bad thing... [Your [Lightness Technique] improved. You have grasped the basics: 6/9] Aiko wondered what would happen once she grasped the basics. She was looking forward to that time. Her Divine Sense was not tame at all, but it was more lively. Aiko had trouble controlling it, as it was easier to rouse action from it. She had to pay attention to her behaviour, as she once accidentally crushed a whole table because she stubbed her toe! It would be bad if she bumped into a wall and destroyed the whole building! So Aiko had to pay close attention to her behaviour. As such, her maturity drastically sped up. She even heard the Blood Fox pouting that the cute Aiko was nowhere to be seen, so Aiko had to indulge them from time to time... she liked being spoiled... ... "Can we do something else?" Aiko in her big form asked. "What do you have in mind?" Mei was very accommodating as Aiko was working hard. "I would like to make this." Aiko placed a plan in front of Mei. Mei picked it up. It was a strange writing and Mei narrowed her eyes. "Why do you want to make a hole in our roof?" Mei questioned Aiko. "It''s not a hole. It''s a special one-way Inscription that would allow me to bathe in the Moon rays." Aiko elaborated. "And what is this?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "Doodles..." Aiko whistled away. She didn''t want to tell Mei about her next mission. [Special Advancement Mission!] [Create the most elaborate Inscription possible.] [Rewards will be given depending on your Skill.] [Minimum Reward: [Inscription Apprentice (9th Mid-Grade Inscription Cultivator)]] [Maximum Reward: [Inscription Apprentice (1st High-Grade Inscription Cultivator)]] [Placement depends on how well you know the Inscriptions in the given stage. 9th means the lowest amount of knowledge, while 1st is the highest possible.] Aiko nodded gently at the system. She liked these kinds of missions where there was no penalty. She could take her time and slowly build it up as there was also no time limit. This would improve her Profession and Aiko wondered what it might cause. Will it unlock something new? Will it improve her current Skills? Or was it just a ''Badge of Honour''? She really wanted to find out~! Chapter 281 – Inscription Story The next day, Aiko woke up refreshed. She got permission from Mei to adjust part of this den. Aiko would do her best to do just that, but there was one slight problem: she didn''t have enough Inscription Ink. Mei fortunately foreseen this outcome. Seeing that the huge Inscription didn''t make much sense to her, she just went outside to buy more Ink. Meanwhile, Aiko started carving into the ceiling and nearby wall. She would do her best to do as much as possible before Mei returned with the Inscription Ink. Aiko started with the form that would allow her to bathe in the Moonlight. This would allow her to gather Moonlight Qi while sleeping. It was important to sleep with Mei since she was quite restless these days. Aiko didn''t know why and she had no intention of asking. She would just hug Mei as it didn''t cause her any inconvenience. The Grandmaster would also visit quite often to talk with Mei. It seems like they were very good friends... outside of the fact that Mei called her a servant... Aiko munched on a nearby candy. Mei left her a few for her hard work and Aiko would now use them as a distraction while working on the thing. It would take her a long time since she didn''t want to fail this. She believed that she could get at least a Mid-Grade reward, but she was aiming for the maximum rewards. She was not pressured though. As there was no time limit or penalty, Aiko could work slowly and carefully to ensure that everything worked properly. ''It''s still strange that the Grandmaster is called a servant...'' Aiko could not shake that thought from her mind. Aiko inscribed and inscribed. Time passed like grains of sand in the desert. ... Mei returned with an Elder. They made a deal about high-quality, but discounted, Inscription Ink if he was allowed to see what the Vicious Cub was creating. That''s right: it was the Peak Elder of the Inscription Peak that wished to see it. Mei entered briefly to clean things up a bit before she invited the Peak Elder. The Peak Elder took a few steps in and looked around. He wished to see Mei''s room and what their little Disciple was doing. The room was clean, thanks to Mei''s effort. He curiously looked around, only to almost faint. ''What is that abomination of an Inscription?!'' The Peak Elder almost fainted. A very thin trickle of blood left his lips. He discreetly wiped it off, before smiling like nothing happened. "Jade Fox..." The Peak Elder smiled, but his lips twitched. "What would that be?" He gently gestured towards the wall that was littered with Runes. "That would be my Mate''s work." Mei likewise did not quite understand what Aiko was creating, but she let her do it since she worked hard. "No. I mean. I can see that, but what is it?" The Peak Elder grumbled inside, but he could not insult the Jade Fox. 70% of Pills created inside his Sect were supplied from this very Fox. If he did something wrong, they would return to the previous state of Pill deprivation. "Aiko." Mei softly called Aiko. The small Fox ears in the corners twitched. Aiko paused her inscribing and walked towards Mei. "Yes?" Aiko hugged Mei. The Peak Elder almost fainted when he saw that. The Jade Fox was notorious for not letting anyone within 5 metres of her, yet this supposed ''mate'' was able to hug her casually?! His worldview about the Jade Fox was destroyed... "Tell the Peak Elder what you are creating." Mei gently caressed Aiko''s hair. "One-way see-through Inscription that would allow me to Cultivate during the night." Aiko summed it up briefly. She didn''t need to say more as it was bothersome and unnecessary. The Peak Elder paused. He was processing what he just heard. Gently nodding, he asked another question. "Is the rest necessary?" He gently gestured towards the wall littered with Runes. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "No, but I need it." Aiko said innocently. At this moment, the Peak Elder really coughed up blood. He wanted to scold the Vicious Cub, but he might be beaten by the Jade Fox or Sect Leader... The Peak Elder suppressed that desire and tried to ask gently. "Do you really need it?" Aiko nodded. The Peak Elder sighed. So much high-quality Inscription Ink would be wasted... "Is there a reason you need it?" The Peak Elder asked again. "You can learn Runes from this." Aiko, like always, made up bullshit to pull through. "That-" ''was quite on point...'' The Peak Elder frowned. He looked over again. It was not yet filled with Inscription Ink, but he sensed some familiarity with it. "Am I allowed to copy it?" The Peak Elder asked gently. "No." Aiko flatly denied it. "If you want something like that, you can recreate it on your Peak. I will create another one for you, but you will have to pay for each use." Aiko''s capitalistic mind was awakened thanks to the ruthless Mei. Mei smiled. This was how one made a lot of Spirit Stones and Aiko''s creations would always make a lot. The Peak Elder''s lips twitched. He didn''t want to do that, but he also could not remember the whole Inscription on the wall. "How much would that be?" The Peak Elder''s lips kept twitching. This was daylight robbery, but one that he had to accept in order to advance his Peak. Aiko immediately turned towards Mei. She didn''t want to deal with these things, but for some reason, the Blood Fox that stood outside stepped forward. "I have prepared a nice, fragrant tea." The Blood Fox was polite. This was a clear invitation that they should talk outside and leave the little Fox alone. Mei nodded in appreciation. This was the best way to scam someone. They went outside, leaving Aiko alone. Aiko nodded in appreciation. "I have a good team." ''I like how they can scam just about anyone.'' Aiko hummed in her mind. She was happy that the Blood Fox looked better than when she visited Aiko. It also seemed like they were undergoing different training, but it was strange to Aiko. It felt like her whole team was trying to avoid her... ''I wonder if Mei has to do something with that...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. She would not be able to get her answer, so she returned to inscribing into the wall. ''Hehehe~, I will also write about how the Peak Elder was shocked~!'' Aiko grinned mischievously. That''s right: the lower Inscription was not quite an Inscription, but just a written story. It was about what Aiko encountered and went through while adding some flavour text to make it longer. Like this, it counted as an Inscription, since this whole text would disappear thanks to another part of the Inscription. If the story was not written well enough, it would not be able to hide, and thus it would be a failed Inscription. Why did Aiko believe she could fool the system like this? To answer this: She didn''t do it with the intent of fooling the system. After all, there were no limitations to what she had to create, it just had to be: [Create the most elaborate Inscription possible.] Stories are always elaborate and since she connected it to the Concealing Inscription, it naturally counted as an Inscription too! This should be able to fulfil the requirements and give her the best possible outcome! ... {Outside, around a round table} The ''party'' sipped a nice, aromatic tea. "About the price." The Blood Fox suddenly spoke, attracting their attention. "It should naturally depend on the person''s Cultivation in Inscriptions." The Blood Fox smiled like a fox. Mei immediately knew what the Blood Fox was going for and frowned. This was a much better idea than just placing the Massage Chairs from the cheapest to the most expensive... She could''ve earned so much more... "But what about Elders?" The Peak Elder frowned. He also wanted to use this to learn. "The price depends on your Inscription Cultivation and not your Beast Rank." The Blood Fox repeated. "As such, it matters not if you are a Human or a Beast. The only thing that matters is your Inscription attainment." Mei nodded gently. Some Elders were worse than the Disciples, but thanks to this, they would get cheaper prices and would be able to catch up to the Disciples. It seemed like the Peak Elder somewhat understood, but not completely. Unfortunately for him, he had to agree to this deal as he really wished to learn from that elaborate Inscription. It was messy writing, but if the Vicious Cub would be able to activate that Inscription... that would seal the deal for him! "Only if the Vicious Cub succeeds in activating the Inscription." The Peak Elder added this condition, just in case they tried to scam him. "It would cost you more if you wish for Aiko to create another elaborate Inscription." This time Mei was the one that tackled the Peak Elder''s hopes. From Mei''s eye corner, she could see a discreet thumbs up from the Blood Fox. Mei snorted unhappily that the Blood Fox was better at the scamming part than her. It seems like she lost another point to her, which she didn''t like! Mei snorted unhappily, but the Blood Fox just smiled. Aiko''s best interest was in her mind and she didn''t care if Mei didn''t accept this solution, as it was for Aiko to decide the outcome. "Moving on." The Blood Fox smiled. "How big do you wish for the elaborate Inscription to be?" "Hmmmm..." The Peak Elder paused to think about it... It was a long discussion. ... {Back inside} Aiko finished another row of Runes and connected it to the Inscription. Aiko was happy with her creation, but there was a slight issue... "... I ran out of walls to write on..." Aiko whined gently. There was just not enough space for it! Aiko grumbled. She won''t be able to get the best evaluation like this! The ''doors'' opened and Mei returned. "We have made a deal with the Inscription Peak Elder. You can create whatever you want as long as it works. The longer it is, the higher the price it will yield." Mei smiled like a devil. Aiko''s eyes shined. There was another opportunity to make a longer Inscription! [Would you like to submit the current Inscription for evaluation?] ''No.'' Aiko rejected it. [Submitting the Inscription does not necessarily mean finishing the Mission.] Aiko paused. Maybe she would get additional rewards if she submitted both of them, or maybe it would take only the best Inscription? Aiko didn''t know, but since her system was currently more helpful. She didn''t mind testing it! [Submitted Inscription...] [Evaluating Inscription...] [Current Possible Reward: [Inscription Apprentice (5th Mid-Grade Inscription Cultivator)]] [Do you wish to finish this Mission?] ''No.'' Aiko didn''t like this low kind of reward. She would aim for the top! [Inscription saved. Please create a better Inscription for evaluation.] And she would do just that! Chapter 282 – Stories and Teasing Never Ends! ''As big as possible...'' Aiko thought about it for a long time, but there was a slight issue. ''Even if I include all Runes, it would be too short. I don''t want to write stories since I would have to think about them and come up with them...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. ''Thus, lets try to commence the ''shared stories'' event with my team.'' Aiko walked outside. She was thinking for quite a long time. The Peak Elder already returned, while Mei and the Blood Fox sipped tea with ''harmony''. ''There are a lot of sparks flying between them.'' Aiko tilted her head. ''Well, that''s fine. The more stories they share, the better for me.'' Aiko grinned like a devil. The duo shivered and snapped towards that repulsive feeling, but they could only see Aiko smiling happily. "Do you have any stories that we could share with others?" Aiko''s smile deepened. "After all, the bigger the Inscription the more Spirit Stones we get~" Aiko hummed happily. The duo shivered even more. Sure, their desires for Spirit Stones were quite high and Aiko''s remark definitely made them perked their ears, but this feeling of unease... they never experienced it in life! "What are you planning?" Mei was able to recover since she wanted Aiko for herself. "I will transcribe your stories into the Runic language and we will then sell it as a Grand Inscription!" Aiko proclaimed. "You don''t have to worry about the effects, as I will include a lot of special Runes! Some Runes will burn, while other will hide the writings!" Aiko laughed. This way, she should be able to get the highest possible evaluation. The duo exchanged glances. "What about Wanshu and Yuxi?" The Blood Fox asked. "They can come back later and tell their stories. It will take time transcribing them as I have to choose appropriate Runes." Aiko gestured. Mei nodded. "I will go last, since I have too many stories that I want to get rid of, and~" Mei laughed sinisterly. "I can get back on some of my old enemies~" Mei hummed happily. "Then I will start. Any kind of story is fine?" The Blood Fox asked. "As long as you don''t mind sharing it and it doesn''t expose you or harm you." Aiko added. The Blood Fox nodded. She had a few stories that she could give Aiko for her grand plan. ... A week later, Aiko was finished and sleepy. She was transcribing this whole time without sleeping. This naturally took a toll on her body. Mei moved Aiko inside, while Yuxi and Wanshu curiously stared towards them. "Now will it be our turn?" Yuxi asked gently. She was interested in this thing, since she would be able to insult everyone that she didn''t like without being found out! "You go first." Wanshu licked her lips. "I have a lot of stories to tell." Wasnhu had a much longer list when it came to insults, so it was natural she would let her partner go first. "But it''s really amazing..." Wanshu turned towards the Blood Fox, narrowing her eyes. "... I didn''t think you had experienced so much." The Blood Fox snorted. "That''s what you will go through if they dub you the ''Head of the Demonic Foxes''." She snorted unhappily after saying it. "Why would they do that?" Wanshu asked. The Blood Fox was drugged, manipulated and controlled. None of those things worked on her, but the fact that they tried something like that... It sent shivers down her spine. "Because if they can control Demonic Foxes, they would pretty much have an unstoppable force." The Blood Fox shrugged. It was not easy to control Demonic Foxes. "..." Wanshu stared at the Blood Fox. "What about Aiko?" The entire group stiffened, everyone looked at Wanshu. "What?" Wanshu tilted her head. "We don''t need drugs to stay sane, just by being close to Aiko, we can be normal." She shrugged. "Doesn''t that mean we have become her slaves in all but name?" She laughed loudly. The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. "That appears to be so, but are you saying she is not a good Mistress?" She narrowed her eyes dangerously. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. "Nothing like that." Wanshu waved her hand feeling the bloodlust from the Blood Fox. "I''m as happy as I''m right now. I get to have a Mate and actual wealth!" She grinned. "Though, we do need Beast Cultivation Techniques to advance now." She sighed. "We can ask Mei later, for now, let''s watch over Aiko and let her do her thing." The Blood Fox dismissed her worry. "But if they don''t allow us into the Beast Cultivation Pavilion, we won''t be able to get proper Techniques." Wanshu whined. Yuxi gently smacked her. "Shush, with Aiko as our head, it wouldn''t surprise me if a Beast Cultivation Technique fell from the sky." The Blood Fox and Grandmaster nodded. They all snapped their heads towards the Grandmaster. "Master." The Blood Fox and Yuxi greeted her. "At ease." Dai Lu laughed. She didn''t expect that they had such high expectations from Aiko. "How are you feeling?" Dai Lu asked curiously. "You are all under a contract, but you also don''t act like that is the case." She commented on the Blood Fox''s constant behaviour. "Aiko told us to be at ease, so there is no reason to complicate things, Master." The Blood Fox shrugged. Dai Lu sighed. She wanted some kind of smutty news, but all she got was a completely natural answer with normal thoughts... outside of Yuxi''s thoughts. Those were as dirty as it gets. Mei returned. "It''s impressive what you have gone through, without breaking." She lightly commented. The Blood Fox raised her eyebrow, but didn''t say anything. It was a strange feeling being acknowledged by this ''Queen''. Mei shrugged after seeing the doubtful Blood Fox and sat down, sipping the unfinished tea with relish. ... The next day, Aiko went back, only to be greeted by her team. All of them were looking forward to their ''stories'' being transcribed. None of them really liked this Fox Village, so they would take their time to sully and insult their image even more. Everything would come to light as long as they could read this Runic language! Yuxi took her time, but it only took 2 days. She was always hiding around, so nothing that bad happened to her. Moreover, her strength was not all that good, so none really wished to train with her, excluding those fully corrupted lustful Foxes. The next one was Wanshu and oh boy did she have things to say. She was so livid that her face was constantly red when she ranted. It got so bad that at times Mei covered Aiko''s ears! She didn''t want her precious Aiko to be tainted by such dark things! The transcribing took 5 days and Aiko went to sleep yet again. ... The Grandmaster and Mei were next. For some reason, the Grandmaster was also joining the party, with her own piece to say. Aiko''s mind spun. She never expected the gentle Grandmaster to have such a foul mouth! Moreover, Mei was no better! ''What happened to them?!'' Aiko''s mind was in turmoil. She never saw her team in this state. Moreover, others even helped them with words and phrasing so they could convey their true feelings better! Aiko at the time even believed that she would have nightmares about this! ... The time spent with the Grandmaster and Mei were... two months. Aiko was completely drained and she didn''t have any peaceful sleep since she could hear them bicker outside. On the last day, Aiko had enough and pulled out long sticks from her Storage Ring. The group immediately quietened, but Aiko didn''t stop at that. She snorted unhappily, approaching her team with an angry expression. The whole team dispersed, all of them gone in the blink of an eye... except the Blood Fox. "W-wait Aiko!" The Blood Fox didn''t want to end up like the others, so she tried to reason with her. "What?" Aiko grumbled unhappily, steam rising from her mouth like she was some kind of monster. "You can sleep in my tails even when you are in your big form!" The Blood Fox yelped. It was better to experience the discomfort from the bigger softer Aiko, than face the infamous wrath of a livid little Aiko! Aiko paused debating if it was worth it... "Tsk, fine." Aiko grumbled unhappily and snuggled the Blood Fox''s tails before she could say anything. The Blood Fox sighed in relief, but vowed to get her revenge on the others for leaving her behind like that! ... Aiko had blissful dreams these past few days. It seemed like the threat of flags was big enough to deter them from making noise during her sleep. Aiko was happy about this change, as it allowed her to replenish some of her Moonlight Qi! Aiko nodded happily. This kind of bed was the best. Aiko stretched lazily. She was in her big form. The Blood Fox was doing something, not paying any attention. Aiko lazily worked her way behind the Blood Fox. The Blood Fox currently wore her favourite Yukata, leaving her shoulders to the morning breeze. Her Yukata was quite revealing since she was not good with high temperatures, especially when it came to the lazy Aiko. Aiko hugged the Blood Fox from behind, hooking her head in the Blood Fox''s neck nook. The Blood Fox gasped loudly. "A-Aiko!" She was startled since she was too focused on mixing teas. "What is it?" Aiko said lazily. She was hugging her from behind and she especially liked relishing in the warmth that emanated from the Blood Fox''s neck and shoulders. Thanks to the fact that Aiko''s hot breath tickled the Blood Fox''s neck, her body shivered. She almost lost her mind once Aiko planted her lips on the back of her neck. The Blood Fox''s eyes moistened and her ears dropped. Her breathing was short and uneven. Just then Mei entered and began to bask in the misfortune of the Blood Fox, but no matter how much pleading her eyes were... Mei would not help her. Soon the Blood Fox collapsed, startling Aiko who was enjoying her growing warmth from her. "W-what''s wrong?" Aiko was taught what she should and shouldn''t do with others, but this was not one of the things she was taught! Aiko gently rolled the Blood Fox over, revealing her completely flushed face and moist eyes. She did not know why, but she quite liked this... strange sight. "Mistress..." The Blood Fox murmured, sending a shiver down Aiko''s spine. For some reason, the Blood Fox sounded way too erotic! Why?! Aiko didn''t know what came over the Blood Fox, so she just blushed at her... ''Why are your clothes so loose?!'' Aiko was shocked at the Blood Fox''s attire. Mei questioned what was happening, but soon assumed the role of ''guardian'' separating Aiko from the Blood Fox. The Blood Fox glared at Mei, while Aiko had a constant questioning look. ''It seems I will have to teach her certain things sooner than expected.'' Mei licked her lips as this would be really fun. Chapter 283 – Story Finished and Cauldron for Pill Refining Aiko compiled all those stories and combined the many parts with special runes that she connected discreetly with the other Inscription that would cause the text to turn invisible, burning, and many other fun effects. Aiko was satisfied with her work, but it took her a year to do this. It was really fun though. No birthday gift though; it seems like the system won''t give her anything until she reaches 40 years old. Aiko sighed sadly, but marvelled at her wonderful work. It was all placed into a Jade Slip since it was easier to view than paper. She didn''t need to be worried about losing pieces or them getting wet or anything like that. This was a very nice thing, since some of her Massage Chair blueprint were already pretty much ruined. It doesn''t seem like the quality of the paper here is all that good. She will have to spend a lot of money on Jade Slips, since she didn''t want to risk the corruption of her blueprints. And before you ask: NO. She won''t use wooden sticks as paper alternatives; they break quite easily and the thickness was distressing. While the paper was also thick, it was nothing compared to wooden sticks. So it''s only natural that it would be denied too. Aiko went outside. The team had grown closer thanks to the stories, but there was a strange tension in the air. She didn''t know the reason, but that was fine, not like it would cause any problems right?. Aiko continued to learn more etiquette from the Blood Fox and what she shouldn''t do, but at the same time, Mei encouraged the bad things? It was very confusing for Aiko, so she just gave up and acted as she saw fit. Aiko yawned, placing the Jade Slip on the table. Mei picked it up immediately to check it out. She was currently only training Aiko in her Divine Sense, so she didn''t spend much time with Aiko lately. That was fine, since Aiko''s Divine Sense was advancing nicely, and she should be returning to her pill studies soon. The Grandmaster had ''accidentally'' unlocked the others Divine Sense and was training them in how to use it, the rest of her team progressed faster than Aiko''s, but theirs were nowhere near as potent as Aiko''s. But the training was still necessary, since the Secret Realm was slowly approaching. The safety from the Divine Sense was undeniable. Moreover, Foxes were only able to attain this ability thanks to their pseudo-Human form, so they were the only Beasts, other than Dragons, that would be able to scan their surroundings easily. That is not to say that the Divine Sense was omnipotent, but it was still good enough to improve everyone''s safety. Aiko yawned again. She was small, so she easily wrapped her body in nearby tails and slept peacefully. ... The team sighed as some of Aiko''s antics persisted, but they were more or less satisfied with their work. Aiko was picking up the basic sex techniques she was shown rather swiftly for some reason, which disheartened Mei, but other than that, the little chaotic fluffball was doing great! "Do we now state the price?" The Blood Fox asked Mei. They were in cahoots when it came to this, so that others would not wrong Aiko. "Not yet." Mei said. "He is currently busy with his own ''Inscriptions Table'' project, since ''we took too long''." She giggled softly. The Blood Fox shook her head. "That will take time right?" She narrowed her eyes. "And that is fine." Mei smiled. "We already have over 6 million Spirit Stones, thanks to Aiko''s diligence. Even if we add another few million now or later, it won''t really matter." Mei sighed. "Even if we have all this money, it''s not like we can actually use it. All the good Auction Houses and shops on this continent have banned Beasts from entering , so we would need to pay for ''an exemption'' in order to get inside. And that is just not worth it." She shook her head. The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. "But doesn''t the Sect Leader bother you, thanks to the amount of Spirit Stones we own?" Mei was slightly surprised. "Divine Sense, right?" She smiled. The Blood Fox said nothing in return. "It''s good you have this kind of control over it already." Mei nodded. "The Sect leader is concerned we will squeeze the Fox Village out of all of its Spirit Stones." She shrugged. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Yuxi added. "But she is not wrong. We aren''t buying all that many things." "It''s not that we are not buying. The quality is too low to justify those prices." Mei corrected the cute twin. "Don''t forget that most things we do buy were bought for Feifei." Wanshu defended her partner from Mei''s gaze. The Princess was startled. She was rarely called by her name, not to mention most would usually just call her the Princess, or simply Young Fang. It always felt weird and warm when others did it... "That is true..." Mei narrowed her eyes. She had to concede this one. "Take your time, Feifei. There is no need to accelerate your Cultivation, focus on your foundation." Mei said gently. She was concerned that Fang Feifei would rush to the finish line and ruin her chances of ascending. She was an important piece that would allow her, her Mate, and possible team to dominate the Immortal World! Fang Feifei blushed. They were all too beautiful and kind. She never experienced this kind of thing and she felt butterflies in her stomach. "It''s strange for you to treat Humans kindly." Dai Lu suddenly popped out of nowhere, but none were startled or flinched. It seemed like everyone got used to the fact that the Grandmaster would just pop out of nowhere whenever she was bored. "Tsk. Booo!" Dai Lu clicked her tongue, displeased that they weren''t startled. "It''s not strange. I treat others how they treat me. I will push away all Humans until they prove themselves." Mei proclaimed. "''All Cultivators'' you mean. You are always more biased towards Mortals." Dai Lu added, so that the Princess would not misunderstand. "Whatever, but it''s good that she was able to start her Cultivation." Mei gazed at Fang Feifei''s body, measuring her. Fang Feifei blushed even more. Dai Lu''s eyes shined. She was curious how this relationship would develop. She should definitely stockpile enough nuts to watch the show from the sidelines! "Your body is in good condition. You weren''t slacking, or rushing. A good and stable increase in strength. You did well." Mei smiled gently. Unlike the chaotic Aiko who gained strength suddenly, she liked this Princess more. She was diligent, always listening to her words. Yet at the same time, Mei didn''t like it. The Princess was too tame and the only one who made her happy was Aiko with her antics... ... Aiko woke up from her sleep and yawned. "What''s next?" She rubbed her eyes, but fortunately, her Stamina was topped up. "You will keep training your Divine Sense, but we will also start Pill Refining. There are places where your Divine Sense will be locked, so it''s a good idea to learn Pill Refining without the use of Divine Sense." Mei smiled gently. Aiko nodded. She didn''t ask about the Jade Slip, since that would take time to create, but what was important was another thing. "How can I melt metals inside my body?" Aiko believed that this was a good time to bring this trouble forward. Mei was startled and paused. "What kind of metals?" Aiko pulled out one of the broken swords. "Hmmmm..." It had a bit of everything, but the main issue was still at hand. Mei narrowed her eyes. "Why do you need to melt it?" Aiko paused. While she believed her team, that didn''t mean she would tell them about her system. Mei noticed that hesitation and everyone left the table, except for the Grandmaster, since she already knew about it. "I have this Martial Technique called [The Ever Shaping Cauldron], but it needs materials for me to start shaping it." Aiko gazed towards Mei intently. Mei''s lips twitched and the Grandmaster also paused midway through her sip. Dai Lu didn''t know what was the [The Ever Shaping Cauldron], until she peered into Mei''s mind, which then made her speechless. "Is it really that Mythical?" Dai Lu asked. "It''s more than that. One disgruntled Cultivator in the Immortal World was upset at the Phoenix Clan for hogging all the Forging Cauldrons blueprints, especially the [Perfect Heavenly Phoenix Dragon Refining Cauldron]." Mei proclaimed. "The Phoenix Clan was unrivalled thanks to their wide variety of flames." "This naturally upset many, but not all could create something that could rival the Phoenix Clan." Mei added. "That''s where a particular disgruntled Cultivator came in. His name was lost, since he was killed by his fianc¨¦ from the Phoenix Clan, but that doesn''t mean he didn''t accomplish anything." "That''s where the [The Ever Shaping Cauldron] came in." Mei paused to sip tea in order to moisten her lips. "Contrary to its simple name, it was a groundbreaking Cultivation Cauldron. It could be both used for Fiendish and normal Pill Refining." "This Mythical Cauldron was sought by many, but..." Mei sighed. "It didn''t see the light of day thanks to the Phoenix Clan. There were only a few Ever Shaping Cauldrons created, but for some reason, they could not be separated from their owners." Mei shook her head. "That''s because it''s connected to your body." Aiko nudged Mei. Mei''s eyes shook and she paused for a long time. "Does it also have a connection to your Soul?" Mei asked in curiosity. [The Ever Shaping Cauldron] [Cauldron that is created from one''s body. It is tied to the body and protects the body.] [It can both Refine Pills and Treasures. Not just weapons, but all Treasures.] [This is an incomplete version of the Shapeless Cauldron and thus is not tied to the Soul, but you can still tie it to your Soul if you are skilled enough.] "Shapeless Cauldron, huh..." Aiko narrowed her eyes. She browsed her shop, but she could not find it... Meanwhile, Mei was completely shocked! While the [The Ever Shaping Cauldron] was just a Mythical object lost to the ages, [The Shapeless Cauldron] should not exist! It was the Pinnacle of Cauldrons, even exceeding the [Perfect Heavenly Phoenix Dragon Refining Cauldron]! Mei was shocked for so long that Aiko turned towards the Grandmaster, leaving Mei to her own thoughts. "Do you know of a way that I could melt metals inside my body?" Aiko asked the Grandmaster. "I know of a few, but it will be better to let Mei teach you." Dai Lu was unable to reject Aiko''s soft eyes. "Ugh. You can eat Fire Shards and try to attain the Fire Affinity. With that, you should be able to melt basic metals, but nothing exceptional. You would need Spiritual Flames to melt the rare materials." Dai Lu had a soft side for small Foxes. "And before you ask. Spiritual Flames are different to Spirit Flames. One is created in nature, while the other is artificial. You can still melt metals with Spirit Flames, but you would need an artefact to protect you from harming yourself!" Dai Lu emphasised the last part. "Are Spiritual Flames hard to find?" Aiko asked. "Yes, but even if you find one, it doesn''t mean that you would be able to contract it!" Dai Lu sighed and turned to drink her tea. Saying more than this might lead Aiko astray, which would mean that she would be punished by Mei... Chapter 284 – Cultivation Techniques Aiko was bored, while Mei was still shocked silly. She didn''t have anything else to do, so she once again browsed her Cultivation Techniques. [Blood Tyrant Scripture] [Mortal Form] [Cultivation Technique that revolves around Blood.] [First Stage: Blood Manipulation 0/81, Blood Collection 0/9, Blood Storage 0/27] [Second Stage(Locked): Advanced Blood Manipulation 0/729, Blood Storage 0/243, Blood Enhancement 0/???] [Third Stage(Locked): ...] Aiko found this quite amusing, but since she didn''t have the Blood Affinity she didn''t dwell on it too much. [Moon Goddess Scripture] [Mortal Form?] ''How strange...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. On the system panel, it clearly said it was Mortal Scripture, but once you clicked on it, it was with a question mark? [Moon Goddess Scripture] [Mortal Form?] [Cultivation Technique that revolves around the Moon.] [First Stage: Moon Bathing 0/???, Moon Collection 0/???, Moon Storage 0/???] [Second Stage: ???] Aiko could not read this one at all. It seems like this was very different compared to the Blood Tyrant Scripture... [Dual Yin Cultivation Scripture] [Mortal/Immortal Form] [Complete Version: You can Cultivate it in both Mortal and Immortal World.] [You need a partner in order to circulate the Energies with.] [The circulation of Energies gets stronger the more pleasure both parties share.] [If only one party gets all the pleasure, no Energies are shared, but their Internal Energy still gets balanced.] [First Stage: Find Partner] [Possible Options: Immortal Fox, Blood Devil Fox, Shadow Devil Fox Twins, Qi Gathering Cultivator, Bulging Fox, Stupid Fox, Wealthy Fox, ........] Aiko blinked a few times. Why were there so many partners to pick from? Not to mention, she could not understand who they were! [Second Stage: First Steps 0/???, Sharing the Nice Things 0/???, The Final Climax 0/???] [Third Stage: Balancing the Yin and Yang 1 0/???, Balancing the Yin and Yang 2 0/???, Balancing the Yin and Yang 3 0/???] [Fourth Stage: ???] Aiko could only read a few of these, but the instructions were so... it felt like someone wrote this as a smut story! Aiko didn''t dislike it, it was quite fun how it was written and there were even illustrations! ''If I ever create something like this, I absolutely have to create illustrations!'' Aiko''s eyes shined and then it clicked for her. ''What if I create an Illustration for the Inscription...? Aiko''s eyes darted around. This smut was good, but... would it be possible to include Illustrations in the Inscription. Could she be rewarded more if she did that? It should be possible since it was still part of the Inscription, but how much time would it take to create it? Aiko didn''t know and she didn''t really want to test it right now... It took her so much time to just prepare that special thing and she didn''t really want to do it again. [Introduction to the Mortal Realm] Aiko did not read it as often since she could either ask Mei or the system would answer her, albeit sulkily. Now that the system was more useful, it was also less useful in some ways. Aiko needed to know a few things about the Spiritual Flames. [Spiritual Flame] [Grade: Heavenly Treasure] [Cultivation requirements: Nature] [Special kind of flame that over time gains Spiritual Will.] [These Flames have sky-high pride and are mostly unwilling to contract with others.] [If you wish to contract one, bring a lot of Materials (snacks) or a Spiritual Flame of greater strength than the one you wish to contract.] [It is possible to subdue the Spiritual Flame by force, but that would limit its upper limit during Cultivation.] [If you are a Wood Type Cultivator, be aware as you can be consumed by the Spiritual Flame as nourishment!] [If you are a Water Type Cultivator, be aware that Spiritual Flames will hate you!] This was a lot of useful information for Aiko. She was happy that she read this book again. It was now much easier since she was used to reading that overbearing Jade Slip from Mei. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ''What else should I search...'' Aiko pondered. [Dual-Cultivation] [Dual-Cultivation is a motion where two Cultivators. Male and Female, share their bodies in order to balance their Internal Energies.] [This allows them to Cultivate much faster than their peers and empower their Techniques!] [Dual Cultivation does not need intercourse, but it is encouraged, as the effects are incomparable to the non-intercourse counterparts.] [Dual Cultivation has its drawbacks. The more you Dual-Cultivate, the fewer benefits you will see!] [It is possible to bypass this effect if you Dual-Cultivate with someone who has a different Body Origin.] [It is encouraged to always seek the highest-grade bodies in order to get the greatest effects!] Aiko nodded. This pretty much called for scandal. If one met someone they liked and had sex with them, but then found someone with a better body and tried the same thing... It was natural what would happen then. The one with an inferior body would be tossed aside like trash. ''No wonder, there are constant conflicts everywhere...'' Aiko shook her head. If they built the whole world around this motion, it was only natural there would be too many conflicts. "I''m more surprised that this place has not been destroyed yet." Aiko shook her head. This was just calling for trouble! ... It took her a few days, but Mei finally snapped out of her daze. She narrowed her eyes and vowed to be much closer to Aiko. She needed to obtain that Cauldron! But she would naturally not do it the usual way like others would do. Aiko was very precious, while she could not be considered a servant any more thanks to the numerous Treasures she obtained, it was still possible to have her as a close confidant! Mei nodded happily and Dai Lu shook her head. Those cute delusions were a tasty snack for someone as bored as the Grandmaster. "Where is Aiko?" Mei asked. "She is inside, reading something naughty." Dai Lu betrayed Aiko by blinking an eye. This way it would be more amusing to see the livid Mei... which didn''t happen? "What is she doing?" Mei was concerned that Aiko reached the stage where she was affected by the atmosphere in Fox Village. "She is reading about Dual-Cultivation." Dai Lu''s lips twitched. She didn''t believe for a moment that Aiko wouldn''t be scolded. Mei nodded dismissively. It was fine for Aiko to do that, she could also alter her plan and go that way, but she didn''t know what Aiko thought of her, so that would have to be postponed. She... was not yet ready to completely open her heart. It was painful, too painful when someone betrayed you, even more so if it was someone who lived with you for too long. ... Mei shook her head. Seeing Aiko engrossed so much, that she was ignored by her. Mei stepped behind Aiko to read with her. The words surprised her. It did talk about Dual Cultivation and in much greater detail than even she knew! Mei soon got also engrossed by reading and the duo only blinked to moisten their eyes. Dai Lu''s face twitched. There was supposed to be something fun, but both of them are just reading?! Why?! There needs to be something fun to do! Dai Lu breathed out, steam coming out of her mouth. "It''s time to train those twins with the Blood Fox." Since she didn''t get any entertainment from this duo, she would naturally go mess with someone else! That''s who she was! And that''s also why she was hated almost everywhere! She didn''t have any sense of ''right time, right place''. She would just bother everyone whenever she was bored! ''I''m still stronger than Mei at the moment so I can do these things, but once she catches up to me...'' Dai Lu gulped. It would not be nice to be overtaken by someone younger, but she feared that Mei might ban her from having fun! That would be the worst time of her life! She needed fun in her life to distract her from what she experienced! ... Somewhere far away 3 Foxes screamed in anguish as they were relentlessly trained. ... Aiko finished reading. She read throughout the whole night until morning. She always felt energetic whenever reading anything remotely sexy, so she was able to finish all that information at once. Aiko stored the book inside the system''s storage. She stretched as she would always do whenever she was in her big body. For some reason, her shoulders were particularly painful. Aiko didn''t know why and she disliked this form even more. "Aiko?" Mei smiled as she spoke from behind. Aiko flinched. "Y-yes?" She didn''t know how long Mei was behind her, but it shouldn''t be long since her voice was steady. "Are you having any issues?" Mei chose the gentle approach, overlooking Aiko. She didn''t know how Aiko would react if pursued, so she left that thought behind. Aiko paused for a moment, seriously thinking about it. "My arm still feels weird." "Hmmmm." Mei nodded. "That might only go away after another Evolution, but with the amount of disaster you attract..." Mei shook her head. She would not allow Aiko to Evolve for the time being. "My shoulders also feel heavy and painful." Seeing Mei''s helpful side, Aiko whined openly. Mei suddenly glared at Aiko, not quite at her, but at certain large, soft pillows that always accompanied her. Aiko shrunk back until she realised what Mei was staring at. "Do you want them?" Aiko asked innocently, cupping them with her hands. "They are too bothersome." It would be nice if she could get rid of them. Mei flinched from their formidable force. "You can try them if you are unsure." Aiko shuffled close. It was unfortunate that the Grandmaster was not nearby, as this would be plenty of entertainment for her. "Y-you! Shameless Fox!" Mei kept pointing at Aiko. "That''s me~!" Aiko lifted her hand, the formidable peaks shook like a booming wave. ''Forget it. No way will I romance anyone who has bigger boobs than I do!'' Mei made up her mind. This kind of sight was too damaging for her fragile mind and ego... Chapter 285 – First ‘Battle’ Mei glared at a certain part of her, but Aiko could only pout back. "You are just jealous." Aiko glared at Mei. "But you know..." She narrowed her eyes. "They are still plenty soft~" She hummed happily. "Wha-!" Mei was shocked by that sentence. "You know it''s not good to have such heavy things on you." Aiko cupped them. "They are bothersome and take too much space. How are you supposed to run around with them?! I would lose all of my teeth after just a few bounces in my face!" Mei still glared at Aiko. ''It''s upsetting how they bounce, but what she says makes too much sense and I can''t get angry at Aiko.'' She sighed in her mind. She didn''t need to solve these kinds of problems back in the Immortal World. "So, are we back to training the Divine Sense and Alchemy?" Aiko asked. "We will go for Alchemy." Mei nodded. "We will also be returning to the business since Dai Lu will leave, once again." She added. Aiko nodded. "I can clean Herbs and set them up, so what is the next step?" Seeing Aiko''s eagerness, Mei''s apprehension towards ''her'' lessened. "The next step would be to properly review the Pill Recipe again." Mei said gently. "Which one?" Aiko tilted her head. She did get a lot of ingredient knowledge, but not so much for Pills. "Heart Cleansing Pill." Mei said. "There are two versions. One that clears poison that might''ve reached your heart, while the other just strengthens your heart. It does slightly alleviate poison symptoms, but it can''t be compared to the first one as that''s a Grade 5 Pill." Aiko nodded. "I will go and prepare." She was ready for this trouble! The only danger was the Pill Furnace blowing up, but with Mei around; she didn''t need to worry at all! There were only 3 Herbs for this Pill as it was just a Grade 1 Pill. They were very easy and gentle Herbs, so any kind of novice would be able to do this¡­ ¡­ "Don''t do it like that! We already went through this before!" "No! You will ruin the Herb! Do it properly!¡± "Aiko!!!" Aiko massaged her head; this was really painful. Why was she so bad at it? "Aiko..." Mei sighed, hugging the crestfallen big Fox. "You need to understand that Alchemy is not like Inscriptions." Mei petted Aiko''s head. "You can''t be so rigid while preparing for Alchemy, otherwise you will be unable to adjust every cut or tear the Herbs depending on their condition. All Herbs will have some minor defects you must account for- Why are you looking like you found some kind of new galaxy?!" Mei was shocked when she saw Aiko''s empty, yet admiring gaze. "Hehehe~" Aiko''s head didn''t want to compute it, so it just giggled. Mei massaged her temples. It seems like Aiko had become too stiff from all her inscribing. This was not good, but fortunately, she had conned enough Spirit Stones that she could afford to let Aiko fool around with Herbs. "Alright. I will guide you this time, but you will have to do it by yourself the next time." Mei sighed, unaware of what she was doing. Mei''s hands travelled down to Aiko''s hands, where she gently cupped them. "First, you need to relax your hands." Mei gently massaged them before intertwining her fingers with Aiko''s. Aiko was startled. She was enjoying Mei''s silky-smooth hands, their softness was likewise impeccable, before Mei resumed her straightforward assault. This was much different to when Aiko teased others, since they would always keep their distance from Aiko. This was a bit too personal for the mischievous big Fox. "Your hands are quite cold..." Mei whispered. This was not good as it affected Aiko''s performance. She guided Aiko''s hand in her own between Aiko''s thighs and held them there. A yelp escaped Aiko''s lips. Her eyes were spinning. "If your hands are cold, you should place them on your thighs like this, so that they can warm up quickly." Mei explained, but Aiko was dead silent. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Mei pouted, believing that Aiko was ignoring her, so she turned towards her face. ''Her face is completely red?! Why?!'' Mei''s mind paused, for a long time. She withdrew her hands with an awkward cough. Mei would always teach like this, as it allowed her to explain everything closely, but she didn''t think it would have such an effect on Aiko. Aiko nodded like a broken toy. A smile appeared on Mei''s lips. This way, she could tease Aiko whenever she teased her! Mei hummed before hugging Aiko again. This would be her first of many revenges against Aiko, especially for that way too flattering dress! Mei nodded like she was a genius and cupped Aiko''s hands again. They were incredibly hot, which pleased Mei. Aiko could not focus properly because she was not used to the fact that Mei was so close. Mei would always keep a certain distance from every one, no matter who it was. "Good, you are doing good. I know that you might dislike this since it''s not perfectly and cleanly ripped, but that''s how Herbs are. None of them are perfect, so you need to adapt." Mei praised Aiko and explained the reasoning. Aiko nodded hurriedly. She wished that Mei would return to her place, a step away from Aiko. "Now that we have revised the basics. What is the next step?" Mei took a step back, since she knew for a fact that Aiko would not be able to answer if she kept hugging her. ''Hmpf. I will pardon you this time, since you are so soft, but the next time you try to smother me with those hateful things I will rip them off!'' Mei snorted inside her mind. Aiko calmed down after a few minutes. It seems like direct contact like this was a no-go for her. She either would have to avoid everyone or get used to it. But getting used to it was not an option, since Aiko didn''t want to ruin more Herbs. She would have to postpone her learning for later. "Sort them by the order that they go into the Pill Cauldron" Aiko answered Mei. "Correct." Mei nodded happily. It seems like Aiko did learn from her and was not ignorant. That was the most important fact for Mei, as long as she was not too big of a clutz, it was fine if she ruined a few Herbs. "But how do we get the flame for the Cauldron?" Aiko asked Mei with curiosity. "There is an elaborate Array that can bring forth a flame. There is also an Inscription- No, you can''t use either of those." Mei quickly extinguished that shining flame inside Aiko''s eyes. "Tch." Aiko clicked her tongue. "Did you say anything?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "No, ma''am." Aiko replied like a soldier. Mei''s eyebrow twitched, but she didn''t comment on it. "We will be using this." Mei pulled out the very familiar Fire Shard. "Snac- Auch." Aiko almost drooled at the shiny crystal, but Mei stopped her. "This is not food!" Mei glared at Aiko. Aiko pouted. "But I already ate one. You said it yourself!" She pouted even more. "That was during- No, never mind. This is not food, don''t even think about biting into it!" Mei harshly reprimanded Aiko. "Booo- Awawawa." Aiko''s cheeks were pulled by Mei. Aiko glared at Mei, freeing herself from her grasp. "Smothering Attack!" Aiko shouted her ''technique'' as she jumped at her, burrowing Mei''s head in her bosom. It was super effective since Mei didn''t know what to do, but she quickly snapped out of it. "A-ahahahahahahaha, please haha stop, hahahaha." Aiko was tickled by Mei and since Aiko was never touched, it was extremely effective! "Will you surrender to this Queen and stop your mischief?!" Mei proclaimed. "Ahahaha, yes, hahahaha." Aiko was having a rough time as Mei easily subdued her on her back. The sensation was too ticklish and Aiko could only squirm under Mei... Mei soon released Aiko. Aiko was completely red, pouting, while Mei was blushing with a light smile on her lips. "Just for today." Murmuring Aiko added, but was caught by Mei. "Did you say anything~?" Mei wriggled her fingers, like she was ready for a second round of tickling. Aiko shivered and recoiled. "N-no?" "You little Fox~" Mei smiled, ready to tickle Aiko, but it just so happened... *Poof* Aiko turned small. Mei was slightly speechless by this, once again, perfect timing. Aiko was likewise startled, but then she smirked. *Whoosh* Aiko immediately broke into a mad dash with her double-jump, leaving dust behind! Mei blinked a few times, not understanding what Aiko wanted to achieve. After all, Aiko would have to return to Mei eventually¡­ "Will you stop hiding?" Mei glared towards the doors, since Aiko went out through the window. "Hehe~" The Grandmaster laughed awkwardly. "I was caught." She stuck out her tongue, walking from behind the doors. "You-" Mei sighed. Aiko was already a handful, but this was another pile of walking troubles. Mei massaged her head. "It''s nice." Dai Lu suddenly said. "What?" Mei didn''t understand. "You were able to let your guard down and enjoy the present time." Dai Lu smiled gently, no longer laughing. Mei flinched. Her face distorted and she glared at Dai Lu. "I''m just saying that it''s not a bad idea to sometimes let loose." Dai Lu raised her hands. She had no intention of belittling Mei. She was just happy that Mei was able to rest for a moment. Mei kept her distorted face for quite some time before she commanded. "Leave." She was shaken by what she had just done. The last time she let her guard down her boy toy betrayed her... She can''t repeat that misfortune again. This was definitely the work of the Karmic Relationship! But no matter how much Mei''s face distorted, she could not change it... One impulsive thought led to another and she ended up with this relationship with Aiko. She should take a step back and observe her for a few dozens of years before committing further. That way, she would not be hurt again. "Don''t overthink it too much." Dai Lu''s voice drifted into the room. Fortunately, she was not inside otherwise Mei would absolutely start throwing dangerous Pills at her! Mei could only sigh. The emptiness was squeezing her, but it was better than to be stabbed again... ... Dai Lu went around to find Aiko. She wanted to explain to Aiko that Mei didn''t mean it. Unfortunately, Aiko was really quick on her feet and Dai Lu didn''t want to use her Divine Sense. She didn''t believe that she couldn''t ding Aiko without using it! That''s how a new game was created and it became quite famous between Scouting Foxes and Shadow Foxes... Chapter 286 – A Welcomed Change The next day Aiko returned, but for some reason, Mei kept her distance. That was not to say that she was not diligently teaching Aiko, but it did feel like she created some sort of wall around herself. Aiko... didn''t like that. While she didn''t like the overly touchy Mei, she liked the overly cautious Mei even less. Aiko tried a few ways to attract Mei''s attention, but none of them worked. She was concerned that something might''ve happened to Mei, but those thoughts were unneeded. "That''s right. You adjust the strength of the Fire Shard by pouring the Energy from your Beast Core into it." Mei was overly close to Aiko when she was teaching her. "But it''s really hard..." Aiko complained to occupy Mei''s mind so that she wouldn''t realise it. "You have two Beast Cores, so it''s only natural that you would have more Beast Core Energy, but for some reason, you somehow have even more than you should have with those cores..." Mei sighed. She didn''t understand how high Aiko''s Beast Core Energy could reach. This was quite troubling since Aiko had vastly more Beast Core Energy and thus had a harder time controlling it. Beasts would usually have one Beast Core, which would naturally limit their output. But Aiko was not like that. She had two Beast Cores, both of which could store even more than normal Beast Cores. These unnatural cores made her energy far more difficult to control, but it mean she would be able to create more Higher-Grade Pills, once she does gain control. Unlike normal Human Qi, Beast Qi had its own attributes. As such, you first need to purify the Beast Qi before it can be used on the Fire Shard. Meaning it would take more Beast Qi to achieve the same effect as when using Human Qi. On the other hand, Fox''s Divine Sense was much more powerful and refined than the Humans'' own, so they were able to tackle harder and more complex Pills sooner and easier. Most Humans being unaware of the fact that most top-ranking Pill Cultivators are Foxes. Unfortunately due to the influence of the Fox Village, far too few are creating Pills that are being sold or auctioned to others. Most Humans were also fed up with the fact that Foxes would go to auctions, cause small disasters with their rampant seduction and teasing, and then leave without consequences. That once the flow of pills started to dry, a ban was imposed banning all Beasts to restore order to the auction houses. This naturally enraged the Beast Sect and they had to throw their weight around to make an exception for their Disciples. Foxes were naturally hated and loved, but the hatred was bigger than the love, as Foxes caused too many disasters. Their beauty was only rivalled by the other Heavenly Beasts. Beings like the Phoenixes, Qilins, Dragons, and so on. They were the undisputed ''Kings'' of beauty. Yet most would still choose a Fox when given the chance thanks to their soft and cuddly tails. ... "You can''t be so close to the flame." Mei took her hand and wrapped it around Aiko''s waist, pulling her back further. Aiko almost squealed inside her mind, but she suppressed that motion. She can''t scare away Mei, now that she approached her willingly. It was obvious to Aiko that Mei was a hardcore Pill Maker who would ignore most things that were happening around her as long as she could share Alchemy with others. Mei soon snapped out of her daze, but the current Aiko was different to what she was previously. She learned a lot during the year when she kept re-reading the stories from her companions. She learned so much that it was quite scary... Just because one had the ability to remember everything, didn''t mean that they understood what they remembered. Thanks to the fact that Aiko had to read it again and again, she found out that there was a lot more to the stories than what her eye could catch on the first read. The more she read, the more sophisticated those stories became. "B-but it''s harder if I''m further away." Aiko used those stories as a baseline for her growth to con everyone. Mei paused. The motion of taking her hand back and stepping away from Aiko was pushed back into her mind as she was trying her best to teach Aiko so that she could learn properly. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Aiko smiled at this. This is considered manipulation, but this one is a harmless one, right? Right??! "Mei..." Aiko suddenly noticed something. "What is it?" Mei was still deep in thought, wrapped around Aiko. "The table is burning..." Aiko said sheepishly. She didn''t expect that the Fire Shard would be able to burn through the Array that Mei created and seeing Mei''s startled expression... It seems like she didn''t expect it either. Mei waved her hand and extinguished the flame with a wave of water. She had to sigh right after, since she didn''t expect Aiko to just burn through 3rd Grade Arrays so easily. "I will prepare a new table." Mei sighed, but Aiko stopped her. "Could you dry me first..." Aiko coughed awkwardly. She didn''t expect Mei to also douse her in water. Mei looked back. Aiko looked like a poor wet Fox, but what was more concerning... ''She doesn''t wear underwear?!'' Mei was speechless, so much so that she almost fainted. She dried Aiko with her Water Affinity. ''I will have to scold the Blood Fox about this! What if she gets wet outside!? Everyone will see her naked body!'' Mei glared in a certain direction. Aiko was happy, but then she added. "It would be easier if I knew the cleaning spell!" She pouted unhappily. This startled Mei. ''Certainly, if she knew this spell it would be easier to dry herself and while drying is a more advanced version of the Cleaning Technique, it should be achievable thanks to Aiko''s additional Beast Cores.'' She narrowed her eyes. "I will think about it." Mei nodded, but she had already decided to teach about the Cleaning Technique. It has many variants, but the effect is the same. It cleans the outer body and clothes if mastered properly. Mei left to fetch a new table. She didn''t want to store it inside her Storage Rings since it would be a waste. Aiko waited while making the ''triumph motion'' with her body and fist. She realised that she was advancing on the path of ''negotiation'' much more quickly than she expected, but that was also thanks to her team. They were more gullible since they were used to the small Aiko. She used this fact to her advantage to learn how to ''negotiate'' much more smoothly. ... Mei returned with another table and quickly set up another Array. This time it was 4th Grade, since she didn''t want to repeat the previous incident with Aiko''s nipp- burning table! Mei''s head hurt. Her thoughts were muddled and she had a hard time focusing. She had to be careful when teaching Aiko, so that she wouldn''t get herself injured like it happened with that poison. It was Mei''s fault since she was too used to the fact that most Foxes would reach several dozen if not a hundred years before they reach awareness. How could that be possible? Because Foxes were still animals that ate Herbs, so it''s not uncommon that they would accidentally eat Herbs which would extend their lifespan. Mei sat down, but this time she was conscious of her distance. For some reason, she could hear a click of a tongue, but that must be her imagination since she was tired. "Now I will teach you the hand signs, so that you can extract the Herbs without Divine Sense. I will also teach you hand signs for forming and moulding the juices of the Herbs." Mei explained. "This is very crude, but also important if your Qi or Divine Sense is sealed. You would be helpless. Moreover, if you needed to create a Detoxifying Pill, but the poison was locking your Qi or Divine Sense, you would die before seeing the sun of the next day." Mei sternly explained to Aiko. Aiko nodded cutely. The bigger form had higher accuracy, while the smaller form was faster. Mei taught Aiko on purpose when she was in the big form, since it''s better to do everything slowly. Once Aiko had a good enough grasp, the small form would be used to have Aiko learn it on a higher tempo. In other words, she was learning twice and sometimes four times as much as her peers thanks to her ever-changing forms. "These hand signs are easy, but the timing is hard. Unlike the Divine Sense where you can wrap the Pills with it in order to halt its progress, you can''t do that with the hand signs. As such, the timing for every Pill changes and depending on their composition, it might also be a drastic change." Mei warned Aiko. Aiko once again nodded. "So I will have to pull them out slightly or a lot sooner, depending on the Pill." "Correct!" Mei liked the smart Aiko the best, as it made the teaching much easier. Aiko smiled from ear to ear, blinding Mei. Mei clicked her tongue. "You are not allowed to smile like that outside!" It would be bad for everyone and especially for Mei if Aiko went around wooing everyone. "But I smile like this only for you." Aiko tilted her head, like she didn''t understand what was wrong with it. Of course, Aiko understood, but Mei was more used to this ''form'' of Aiko. Aiko was not quite as skilled as other Foxes and she didn''t really want to be, but she wanted to be skilled enough to solve issues that might arise from other Vixens. Mei blushed while pinching Aiko''s cheeks. "You shouldn''t be saying those words too, alright?!" From her movements, it was obvious that Mei was embarrassed, but Aiko didn''t mind, since this kind of pinching didn''t hurt her. "If you won''t stop pinching my cheeks, I will pinch you too!" Aiko inflated her cheeks so it was harder for Mei to pinch them. "Haha." Mei laughed. "Your hands are too short- Aiko!" Aiko pinched Mei''s thigh, since it was the closest thing to her, but Aiko also calculated that this would bring the biggest reaction. Aiko triumphantly puffed out her chest. "See? I can also pinch back!" "You-!" Mei completely forgot that she was supposed to keep her distance from Aiko and observe her. That was only natural, since Aiko''s ''innocence'' was good at guiding others and making them forget that she was still a Fox. Aiko wrestled with Mei, but that was a fruitless endeavour as Aiko was quickly pinned down and tickled by Mei. The Grandmaster raised her eyebrow. She was on edge since she read Aiko''s mind, but at the same time... She was quite happy that Mei let loose. She was concerned that Aiko would turn into a manipulative Vixen, so she would have to have a talk about it later with Aiko, but for now... it was better this way for Mei. Mei needed to open up to others in order to heal her wounds. The Grandmaster already calculated that Mei would not be able to ascend if she kept to the course she was on. As such, Aiko''s manipulations were very welcome as long as they didn''t go any further. The Grandmaster made a mental memo about talking with Aiko later and left the premises in order to not disturb them. It was definitely not because she was jealous! Chapter 287 – Pill Refining Aiko rubbed her head. It seems like she still can''t one-up the all-powerful Mei. That was fine for the time being, since it seemed like Mei was back to her normal self. ''But to think I would have to sacrifice my body...'' Aiko was naturally exaggerating, as she was not fond of tickling. For some reason, Mei would always punish her by tickling. "Now it''s your turn to make a Pill." Mei finished her demonstration and a small smile formed on her lips. Aiko sighed. She watched the whole process, but just because she watched it, didn''t mean she would be able to recreate it. Unfortunately, no matter how much Aiko whined, Mei would not let her leave at this point. There was also a conversation with the Grandmaster about her ways, but Aiko ignored it. She didn''t see anything wrong with what she was doing. Wasn''t it better to have a happy and smiling Mei? Aiko believed that to be the case and no one would be able to convince her otherwise. Aiko took the Herbs and sorted them, looking to see if they were the right kind and usable. She already spotted one Herb that couldn''t be used since its roots were chewed by parasites. She replaced that Herb for the same kind, but with intact roots. It was important to look at the Herbs carefully. It was important that the whole Herb would be intact and healthy, just because you use leaves of the Herb, didn''t mean that the Herb can have messy roots. Roots provided nutrition, stem would distribute them and leaves would convert it into energy: in this case Qi. So just because you find a Herb with intact leaves that are used for something, that doesn''t mean you could neglect the roots or other parts of the Herb. At least if you didn''t want the effectiveness of your pills to suffer that is. That was why Alchemy was all about the memory. You needed to remember countless Herb. How they look, smell and feel, in order to pick the right Herb for the right Pill. Just because two Herbs look extremely similar, doesn''t mean that they are the same. One of them could be poisonous, or have the opposite energy/element. Just look at the Evergreen Poison Ivy and the Frostforn Ice Herb. This would mess up the entire process and could cause the death of the Pill Refiner. That''s why most Pill Refiners are also Alchemists, but they should really be called Herbalists. The title of Alchemist used to only be for those who were able to also grow the Herbs and keep them healthy throughout the process. Unfortunately, Cultivators with their endless pride ignored that rule and loftily called themselves ''Alchemist''. Aiko took the Herbs into her hands. These Herbs were not affected by outside energies, so it was fine, but she needed her Divine Sense for future inspections. The Herbs looked fine and to the touch; they also felt natural. Unfortunately once Aiko sniffed them, she realised that they were not fine, or rather this was a whole different Herb, so she had to replace that Herb again. Mei nodded happily and picked up a very smooth brush. She would naturally reward Aiko for her good work. Aiko was startled when she felt someone playing with her tails and looked back. Mei was gently smiling combing the tip of the tail. "What is it?" Aiko asked. "A reward for good work." Mei giggled. "But I want candies for a reward..." Aiko pouted. She was not satisfied with this. "You need to look presentable to others." Mei said somewhat sternly. Aiko tilted her head. "But why? Aren''t you enough for me?" Since she was not allowed to have candies, Aiko would naturally revolt. Mei pinched Aiko''s cheek. "You little rascal, don''t think I don''t know what you are doing!" Mei shook her head. "If you are more presentable, then fools will give you more Herbs during exchanges, in an attempt to curry favor." She somewhat understood Aiko''s materialistic nature. "Ohhhhh." Aiko nodded, understanding what Mei thought. This was a good idea, but there was one small problem. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. [Blessing of #### Luna] [####] [1st Effect: Your beauty increases as you take care of your Tails. (Beauty*TailNumber*CareModifier*Beast Rank)] [2nd Effect: You will obtain a Tail Storage. The size of this storage depends on how well you take care of your Tails. ((Beast Rank 100m3)*TailNumber*CareModifier)] [3rd Effect: ???] Aiko didn''t like the first effect, but she liked the second one a lot. ''Portable Storage...'' [2nd Effect: Special Effects; Can Store Living. Living beings are not frozen, they need to consume food in order to survive inside. The atmosphere inside depends on the place where you are located (Snow region = cold, Mountains = cold and windy, volcano = windy and hot, etc.). ??? ??? ???] ''These are god-damn good effects.'' Aiko nodded, no wonder that she found that ''water'' inside her tails. Her tails sucked it up! But Aiko still frowned. ''Can''t I disable the first effect...?'' Aiko questioned. [This is a gift from another Universe, it''s impossible to disable.] ''... Fuck you.'' Aiko immediately pulled up her middle finger. [That is impossible.] ''..............'' Aiko gave up refuting the system, since it seemed like she would be taken the wrong way. ''What else can you tell me?'' Aiko asked. [As this gift can''t be disabled, other beings also can''t interfere with it.] ''What does that mean...?'' Aiko tilted her head. [As long as the being that gave you this gift lives, you will always be able to use this gift. No matter where you are or what kind of restrictions are imposed on you.] ''Hooooooo~'' Aiko was pleasantly surprised. This would mean that even if there was a restriction on Treasures, she could still use her Tails as storage space! Aiko nodded happily, this would help her in the fact that she didn''t need to carry that many Storage Rings. Moreover, she could actually store living beings, which was simply amazing! Aiko let Mei play with her tails, but she still warned Mei. "I also want other rewards." She pouted. Aiko couldn''t say up front why she didn''t want it, since it might encourage Mei to mess with Aiko. "Yes, yes." Mei giggled. It was fun seeing this kind of Aiko, but Mei also wondered why Aiko pointed her middle finger up to the sky. Mei gently brushed Aiko''s tail, while she kept working on the Herbs. Aiko then took her Yang Knife and sliced the Herbs according to the instructions. She failed a few times, before finally achieving a good result. Mei was satisfied with this tempo and didn''t disturb Aiko. The Herbs were sorted and sliced, now she needed to heat up the Pill Cauldron, so that the Herbs wouldn''t stick to its walls. The heating was difficult as Aiko always had trouble adjusting the intensity of the flames, so it was only natural that she would mess the Pills up. That didn''t discourage Aiko and she kept going. Mei now paid more attention to Aiko; normal Pill Refining Disciples would be taught the basics and they would have to figure out the rest, but Mei didn''t like that. If those Disciples messed up the order or anything else, the Pill Cauldron would more often than not explode and hurt or kill the Disciple. Every Sect was losing valuable talent thanks to them being assholes. That is also one of the reasons why Mei pressured Aiko to learn Alchemy, as there are not many Alchemists in the Immortal World. That means that once they ascend, they would not be oppressed by the different factions. This would allow them to pick and choose the factions as they wished! The Cauldron was pre-heated. "You can always use a drop of water and see if it''s pre-heated correctly. Different Herbs will cause different reactions, but for this one, the water drop should shatter and roll around in small pieces." Mei explained slowly and gently behind Aiko. Aiko... didn''t like this position. Mei''s breath tickled her ears, making focus difficult. Aiko dropped a few drops inside, but they just started boiling. "The temperature is not correct." Mei said, while she would help Aiko to the best of her abilities; she would also let Aiko figure things out. Aiko nodded and tried to gently raise the temperature. Mei returned to combing her tail gently with a frowning face. ''Your tails are so messed up...'' She couldn''t believe how much dirt and other questionable things were stuck in her tails. Aiko waited and waited. This was just some random Pill Cauldron, so it was not high in quality, but that also meant that Aiko didn''t need to worry about the Spirit Stones. And even if she blew it up, it would not cost them much to replace it and this would also teach Aiko to treat her tools gently. Mei nodded in satisfaction and Aiko dropped more water inside. "By the way, why are we heating it without the lid?" Aiko asked. "The temperature is easier to adjust like this, as once you close the lid, the adjustment becomes much more difficult." Mei explained. "... But wouldn''t it be easier if I started with a closed lid?" Aiko asked. "No, because you can''t test the temperature with the water if you start with a closed lid. You need more experience to accurately read the state of the Pill Cauldron. " Mei also added. "Water contaminates the insides, which is not a problem for the level of pills you are currently making, but once you achieve greater mastery..." Mei narrowed her eyes. "You should always aim for Perfect Grade Pills." Aiko nodded. It would take her a long time to achieve that, so she didn''t need to worry about that for the time being. "So now I dump the first Herb and..." Aiko said out loud, as it was easier to remember the steps. "Count your breaths." Mei finished for Aiko, since she noticed how cautious and focused she was. Aiko threw the first Herb inside. It glided around, which mesmerized Aiko. "You need to close the lid." Mei warned and Aiko was startled. Aiko closed the lid and she could immediately hear the fizzling sound. "Count your breaths." Mei understood Aiko''s curiosity, so she assisted her fully. Aiko counted 34 breaths. She then opened the lid and only ash blew outside. "You have counted 38 breaths, so the Herb burned into ash." Mei explained what happened to the startled Aiko. "That can happen?!" Aiko never saw this reaction and she believed that she would just slightly ''overcook'' the ingredient and not just straight up ruin it! "You will need to prepare the first Herb again and try again." Mei smiled. This was like back when she started Pill Refining... Chapter 288 – Still No Success Aiko prepared Herb after Herb. It took her a while to get used to the counting and everything surrounding it. Adding the essence of the first Herb was only successfully done after the 20 tries. The essence of the second Herb took her another 50 tries. Aiko wasted a lot of Herbs since she had trouble counting her breath. Not to mention that at the speed of her breathing would change when she was too focused, throwing her off the right path. Aiko had to get used to staying calm and maintaining her breath under these stressful conditions. It was not easy, but Aiko was able to somewhat manage. The Pill Cauldron''s lid shook. The Herbs'' essences were in the mixing stage. Now Aiko had to maintain this kind of flame for at least 2-3 hours to finish the Pill. The important part was to keep the flame steady. She could still ruin the Herbs if she was not careful about it. Likewise, Aiko could not use Divine Sense since it could ruin the ingredients, so she had to keep slapping the Pill Cauldron in order to mix it properly. She could not shake the Pill Cauldron since it was too hot and Aiko could get burned by it. Slapping it was the only way to keep the essence inside rolling so it would mix properly! The first 5 minutes were the hardest for Aiko, but once she got used to the amount of Beast Core Energy that she had to deliver, things got much easier. Now was the second challenge for Aiko and that was... to not get bored! She had to watch the Pill Cauldron for hours! Aiko didn''t want to ruin those materials, but that didn''t mean it was fun watching the Pill Cauldron! It was boring as fuck! Mei nudged her side and Aiko almost jumped up. "M-Mei!" Aiko yelped. She didn''t want Mei to tease her right now as everything worked quite well! "En~?" Mei teased Aiko. She had no problem letting Aiko waste their materials, and well this was the perfect opportunity for revenge. Aiko was defenceless and vulnerable. She finally achieved something, but that devil Mei tried to ruin it by teasing her! "I won''t forget this!" Aiko yelped. "Yes~?" Mei kept teasing Aiko. She didn''t go as far as physical teasing, but there was just something so intoxicating about the current Aiko. Thanks to Aiko working with a lot of Herbs and focusing on refining the Pill, one of her Dew Fox abilities had unknowingly kicked in. Her body leaked a very pleasant smell that not only has the ability to intoxicate others, but also enhance the effects of Pills! Mei was completely unaware of this as she had only met the Dew Fox in passing. This was a lethal trap for anyone who watched the Dew Fox refine Pills! Mei hugged Aiko, making her scream and yelp from the sensation. "M-Mei! It will blow up! I can''t focus!" Aiko was almost crying from Mei''s ruthless teasing. "It''s fine. I already set up a barrier." Mei said hazily, her head burrowed into Aiko''s neck nook. Aiko completely lost control from the sensation of the warm breath on her neck. The essence inside the Pill Cauldron destabilized thanks to the sudden drop in temperature. A translucent barrier appeared around the duo protecting from the explosion. *Boom* The explosion shook the Grandmaster''s Abode. Yet none rushed inside. They were already aware that Aiko might cause explosions and the connection from Aiko didn''t weaken, so they were not worried. Especially the Grandmaster, who was watching with glee as Mei was on the offensive. ''I was not aware that Dew Foxes could be so beautiful and bewitching.'' Dai Lu narrowed her eyes. She could hear Aiko''s and Mei''s thoughts, but that didn''t mean she understood what caused them. She watched Aiko panic as Mei kept hugging her. This resistance lasted for a few minutes before Aiko gave up and surrendered to her fate. A fate of being hugged by Mei for a prolonged time in an embarrassing position... The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ... A few days later, Mei finally snapped out of it. She saw the messed up Aiko and recoiled. ''This was surely not my fault, right?'' Mei was shocked by the sight. It seemed like Aiko cried for quite some time. "It is your fault. You should let her rest and not hug her for days." Dai Lu scolded Mei. "Days?!" Mei suddenly had a headache. How could it be days when she doesn''t remember it like that?! "Let Aiko rest and control yourself better next time. You were so intoxicated that you made Aiko cry." Dai Lu shook her head as she laughed at the blushing Mei. "Shut up and get out!" Mei''s face was completely red. "Then I will leave you to it~" Dai Lu stuck out her tongue before running outside, so that she could avoid Mei''s wrath. Mei massaged her temples after glaring towards the running Dai Lu. She sighed again and moved Aiko onto the bed. Aiko looked exhausted, so Mei wrapped her student inside of her tails additional comfort. ''I don''t understand how I could lose control...'' Mei shook her head. She was left speechless when she smelled Aiko''s smell all over her body. Mei used [Clean] on both Aiko and herself. She was concerned about the pleasant scent that her body gave out, but for now; she needed to clean this place. It was a mess thanks to the explosion. Shards were embedded into the walls. Black soot was everywhere, especially around the explosion and on the ceiling. Fortunately, Dai Lu ventilated this place when Mei was hugging Aiko, so the smell of burned Herbs was almost non-existent. Mei cleaned the place while carrying Aiko in her tails. She was concerned that Aiko would hate her, so she also prepared a few candies. ... The next day, Aiko woke up. She blinked a few times before she finally realised that she was not wrapped by Mei. Aiko stared cautiously around, when she sniffed something really nice. *Munch* Aiko immediately munched on it and to her surprise, it was a Pill Candy! "Good morning." Mei smiled a bit awkwardly. Aiko snorted unhappily and looked away. "Aiko..." Mei sniffled a bit. She understood why Aiko was doing this, but it still saddened her. "I have more, so please forgive me..." Mei didn''t know how to make it up to her, so she would just use what Aiko liked. Aiko snorted, but still munched on another Pill Candy. It took 20 Pill Candies until Mei was forgiven. "What happened to this place?" Aiko asked suspiciously. She was in her small form, but she still had a pair of eyes that found trouble with this room. ''It is suspiciously clean...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes, looking around. "I have cleaned this place, so you could sleep properly." Mei played innocent, but she understood what Aiko meant. Her room was never clean. Herbs would be scattered around and Pills would be found lying everywhere, especially if she was not satisfied with them. This room was overly clean and overly prepared for the next explosion. Aiko stood up gently and looked around. It was suspicious that Mei would take so much time out of her day to clean her mess. "So, will you forgive me?" Mei smiled gently, patting the small Aiko. "Fine." Aiko pouted, those Pill Candies were too tasty. "Rest for today, tomorrow we will refine again." Mei soothed Aiko and let her sleep inside her tails again. ... Another day passed. And there was a major announcement from the Sect. In 2 years time, the Secret Realm will open and many individuals will be allowed to enter, but the numbers are still limited. Thanks to Aiko''s and Mei''s business. Not only did they secure some of the limited spots for themselves, but they also secured some for the Blood Fox and the Twins as well! Now the whole team except the Princess would be allowed to head inside, but Aiko had her own plan for the Princess as she could just stuff her in her tails. It was an unspoken secret that there was a Human living inside the Fox Village, but since she never left the Grandmaster''s Abode, nobody tried to go after her. This saved a lot of trouble for everyone and everything was overly peaceful. There were some factions that tried to ruin Aiko''s business while she was learning things, but Grandmaster and the Muscle Peak easily took care of them. Aiko was fine and could focus on refining again, but... "No hugging! No tickling! No breathing on my neck! No smooth-talking!......" Aiko scolded Mei and made special rules just for her, so that she wouldn''t end up as a stuffed animal being hugged for days on end again! Mei kept nodding, but Aiko felt like this was a pointless endeavour. ... Aiko started refining again. She already got used to the timing and everything, so the first part went smoothly. The second part likewise went smoothly. Her [Alchemy Mastery] reached level 5, but was stuck there. Aiko was unable to advance in that way and was slightly upset. Mei did her best to just comb Aiko''s tails as to take her mind off of things. Aiko''s scent was a bit too addictive to her for some reason and Mei didn''t like that. However, she had to keep close to Aiko, so that she wouldn''t accidentally get hurt thanks to another explosion. The Pill Refining advanced smoothly and Aiko was in the endgame. "Do you still remember the hand signs?" Mei asked gently. "En." Aiko nodded. She was already preparing her hands to do the hand signs. Mei nodded and left Aiko be. This would be another learning experience for her, but she was happy that Aiko was not yet discouraged! Aiko slapped the Pill Cauldron after making the elaborate hand signs. The Pill Cauldron''s lid flew up. Aiko could not wait and looked inside to see the Pills, but just as she looked inside... soot blew into her face. "AGHHHHHHHH! MY EYESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!" Aiko started screaming. Mei did not expect this outcome. She knew that those Pills were ruined already, but she didn''t expect Aiko to just shove her head inside just to look at them. Aiko was rolling around in pain, her hands of her face as she rolled on the ground, from the stinging the soot brought to her eyes and ears. Mei applied [Clean] on Aiko and she stopped rolling around. Mei came closer to Aiko and she heard her sniffing. "I hate this!" Aiko was crying. She spent so many hours preparing this shit, only for soot to come out! Mei was startled. She didn''t expect Aiko to cry over this. Aiko''s face was covered with her hands as she sobbed. Mei leaned above Aiko to soothe her, but she didn''t expect Aiko''s shocking critical hit. Aiko''s face was covered with tears. She looked like a fragile beauty. Something about Aiko was strange, but Mei was already intoxicated by that sweet scent and this fragile display. Mei slowly leaned in... only to snap out of her daze. "Y-y-you should g-go outside as I clean this place." Mei''s was completely red and she kept stammering. Aiko blinked a few times as she couldn''t understand what Mei meant, since she was the one who left the room... Chapter 289 – Information from System Mei was avoiding Aiko for a few days. Aiko didn''t know why, so she went to the Grandmaster, but she got a similar reaction from her. A stunned expression and a lack of movement. All of them acted like that until Aiko turned small again. Then they returned to normal. Aiko was flabbergasted by their reactions. She spent her days with the Grandmaster, who helped her with Divine Sense. "Your Divine Sense is very strange and rough." Dai Lu commented. "I know." Aiko wasn''t interested in knowing that. She wanted to control this Divine Sense or make some progress to attract Mei''s attention. "How about you battle against your team?" Dai Lu asked. "I will pass." Aiko was not interested in getting her butt spanked by her own team. She already knew that they were much faster and had cooler Abilities, so she didn''t want to subject herself to that pain. Dai Lu shook her head. "You will have to train eventually." "We are doing that just now." Aiko blinked with a strange expression at the Grandmaster. Dai Lu''s lips twitched. "We are just training Divine Sense, but not your movement or anything else!" "Divine Sense is the most powerful and concealed power." Aiko pointed at this very obvious fact. "If I can master it I can pretty much mow everyone down." She shrugged. The Grandmaster was speechless, but Aiko was not completely wrong. In a battle of normal Divine Senses, usually, the one with the more potent Divine Sense wins. There are some strategies, like making your Divine Sense into a needle and crippling your opponents, but that''s a very difficult thing to do. It''s hard to control your Divine Sense THAT much, you would often needing to reach Nascent Soul before you could even begin to shape your Divine Sense with such accuracy. "But you should still train your body." The Grandmaster was adamant on this part. "That is easy to say, but that big form is too nerfed for any training to make a difference." Aiko shrugged. She realised that her big form was very cumbersome and hard to control, so she would have a hard time outside the Fox Village. "However, if I increase my levels, I should be in a much safer spot." Aiko suddenly said. "That strange ''system'' of yours..." Dai Lu shook her head. She was quite upset that Aiko got stronger just by existing. Aiko shrugged like it was not her issue and the Grandmaster''s lips twitched. "Alright, I have decided!" Dai Lu nodded to herself and Aiko tilted her head. "We are going to awaken your Bloodlines!" Dai Lu nodded to herself with glee. "Right... I''m supposed to help my team with their-" Aiko finally remembered the contract. "Stop! Don''t do anything!" Dai Lu immediately stopped Aiko. She was already starting to have a hard time with the Twins, if the Blood Fox evolved as well... *Shiver* "Don''t do anything to your team. They are in a good place currently." Dai Lu immediately tried to stop all of Aiko''s thoughts about Evolving or helping her team further. "Okay...?" Aiko didn''t understand why the Grandmaster overreacted so much. *Cough* Dai Lu awkwardly coughed. It was obvious that Aiko would stare at her with that kind of gaze, considering what she just did, but that couldn''t be helped! She didn''t want another overpowered Disciple that was hard to manage and train! "So about the development of Bloodlines," Aiko suddenly spoke, startling the Grandmaster. "I know that you need Beast Cores of the same affinity in order to advance them." She narrowed her eyes. Mei banned anyone from her team from accessing the Fox Village''s Treasure Pavilion, because they tried to fuck Mei''s team over. Mei was upset and thus banned everyone from using it. "That is not the only way to achieve awakening." The Grandmaster suddenly said. "It is the easiest way, but not the only way." This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. "Another way would be just gathering the given Qi inside your body which can stimulate the Bloodline into awakening." Dai Lu smiled. "But this way has its own issues. If you can''t collect enough Qi inside your body, your body will be drained of Vitality in order to replace that missing energy." Aiko nodded. She understood so far. "But that is not an issue with you. Unlike others, for some reason, you can regenerate Vitality very quickly and even if it goes into negatives, you won''t cease to exist." Dai Lu narrowed her eyes. "Of course, it''s a bit bad, since you might die, but here it''s safe." Dai Lu pointed at her abode. "As such, you should not worry about getting harmed." Dai Lu proudly smiled. "Moreover, since the Secret Realm is about to open, I won''t be leaving any time soon, which means nobody would dare to invade my place~" Dai Lu smiled. She hoped that someone would invade, so that she could ''stretch'' her muscles. It''s been a while since she swung her sword in proper combat and she already missed that feeling... Aiko nodded. "That is true, I don''t need to raise my level for the time being as it would attract too much attention, but Bloodlines... everyone has them, so it''s less suspicious." She understood what the Grandmaster thought, or at least that''s what she thought... "Wrong. You are anything but normal! At most, you would only have 2 of them, there is a low chance to be born with one and another can then be obtained thanks to our Fox Village''s ''Shrine''." Dai Lu explained. "But tell me, how many Bloodlines do you have?!" Each time the Grandmaster spoke about Bloodlines, her heart ached. It was because she worked so hard to achieve third Bloodline in her later years, but this little brat...! "I just have 4..." Aiko whined and Dai Lu almost fainted. ''J-just 4?! Should I spank you, you brat!?'' Dai Lu was angry that Aiko took those for granted. "I mean... I can gain another one, you know..." Aiko avoided Dai Lu''s gaze, but... *Plop* Aiko heard a strange sound, so she looked towards the Grandmaster. ''She... fainted?'' Aiko''s mind was in turmoil. ''Why did she faint?!'' Aiko could not understand what was such a big deal about this. After all, Yuxi and Wanshu have 2 combined Bloodlines and 1 unknown Bloodline. ''Even Mei should have a few, right?'' Aiko didn''t believe that Mei didn''t have more than 2 Bloodlines. ''But what do I do now?'' Aiko gazed at the unconscious Grandmaster. Maybe she should move the Grandmaster into her bed for the time being? ... The Grandmaster woke up on her bed. "I had a really bad dream..." Dai Lu frowned. "What kind?" A voice that sounded similar to Aiko''s asked her curiously. "I heard that the little brat can gain Bloodlines whenever she wishes..." Dai Lu sighed. "But that''s the truth..." Aiko tilted her head and the Grandmaster almost fainted again. "What are you doing here?!" Dai Lu was startled that Aiko was in her room. "I carried you here, since you fainted outside?" Aiko tilted her head. It''s not like she did something bad. "..." Dai Lu was speechless and massaged her temples. "Your next mission is to meditate and gather as much of the special Qi as possible, while your Beast Rank is still too low for Cultivation Manuals. It should be possible if you have a special Ability to gather it for you." Dai Lu didn''t want to rely on the system, but it was better that Aiko strengthened the ''natural'' way, before she had to enter the Secret Realm. "Okay, but I can only do that during the night." Aiko nodded. [You have accepted a Mission from Dai Lu!] [Training Mission] [Awaken: [Moon Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)]->[Moon Goddess Kitsune(Awakened)]] [Reward: You will be able to see what each Bloodline Strengthens.] [Failure: The difficulty of the Secret Realm will increase.] Aiko didn''t like missions with a failure option. ''At least show me the progress!'' Aiko frowned. [Training Mission] [Progress: 89% completed] Aiko was startled. ''How did I already complete 89%?'' [You have been meditating during the night thanks to the [Sleeping] Skill.] ''But I did not activate it?'' Aiko knew that she had to activate it, but most of the time she was so tired that she forgot. [The skill has a passive option that is working over time. It''s not as powerful as when you activate it, but powerful enough that it was able to slowly advance your Bloodline.] ''Oh, I see...'' Aiko nodded. ''Can I get other Abilities that would allow me to gather different types of Qi?'' Aiko asked the system since she was curious. [Your Beast Rank is too low.] ''Fuck you!'' Aiko pouted. [That is impossible. I don''t have a body.] ''...'' Aiko blinked. [] The system was silent. ''Never mind.'' Aiko was upset that she could no longer take the piss out of the system, but she was happier this way. The system was much more useful and barked at her a lot less. "I can do that." Aiko nodded towards Dai Lu. "I should be able to awaken it soon-" "..." Aiko blinked a few times. ''She fainted again, but why?'' The Grandmaster could ''hear'' the conversation between the system and Aiko, but it was too shocking for her, so she fainted. Aiko shook her head and stood up. She would occupy the Blood Fox''s tails while sleeping and bask in the rays of the Moon in order to awaken that Bloodline! ... A week later. [Progress: 90% completed] ''Just one percent...'' Aiko whined. She didn''t forget to activate the [Sleeping] Skill, but even that would reward her only 1% after a week! Moreover, for some reason, Mei was glaring at the Blood Fox, who was nonchalantly eating! Why?! This was too strange for Aiko and she would never be able to imagine that it was because Mei was jealous of the Blood Fox! "I need more missions..." Aiko sighed. [Collection Mission] [Collect Herbs for the Fox Village] [Rewa-] ''Not those kinds of missions!'' For some reason, Aiko felt repulsed by these missions, but she didn''t know why. [Harem Mission] [Collect more harem members.] [Rewa-] ''Do I have to smack you?'' Aiko glared at the hateful system window. [...] ''Give me something normal.'' Aiko snorted. [There is not enough Providence to give you different missions. It would be possible if you plundered someone''s Providence.] The system replied with an indifferent voice, but Aiko could barely grasp a hint of excitement from it. ''More mission if I plunder Providence?'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. [Or you can use your personal Providence as currency for more Missions.] ''Now that sounds interesting!'' Aiko nodded. [...] The system was silent for a moment. [I do not advise you to use your own Providence.] ''Why not?'' Aiko tilted her head. It was a useless stat for her. [Providence protects you from being instantly killed or face-slapped.] ''Oh...'' Aiko nodded. If she lost too much Providence in her current form... ''I would definitely die when I enter the Secret Realm.'' [Correct.] Chapter 290 – Divine Sense training finished Another week later. Mei finally talked with Aiko again. It was definitely because Mei wanted to make more Pills, as she would stalk Aiko whenever she lazed around. "Back to Pill refining?" Aiko asked Mei who was one meter away from her. "Yes. It''s time for you to continue your practice." Mei smiled and Aiko just nodded. Aiko was only able to fully run through the pill refining process once a day, since Mei forbade her from doing it in her small form. ... Her first attempt was yet again a failure. Soot boiled over and almost filled the whole room. The second run left a puddle of strange liquid on the bottom. "Your temperature was too low." Mei explained. Aiko''s temperature was low, so the liquid didn''t dry and form a Pill. The third run was in a similar fashion but... "It looks like some kind of strange alien..." Aiko proclaimed. There was a half of a Pill that was attached to some kind of strange black liquid. "..." Mei stared blankly as she never experienced something like that. The fourth run left only a strange black liquid. "I don''t understand how you are able to create these-..." Mei shook her head. She could not believe what Aiko''s failures had created each time. "Don''t ask me how, I have no idea myself." Aiko shook her head. She was just glad that she didn''t stick her head inside this time. The fifth run was- "Does this count?" Aiko asked as she looked at the strangely shaped Pills. Nothing was burned or gooey. "No. These are considered trash Pills, since they would spoil quickly." Mei shook her head. "Ugh..." Aiko frowned. She was quite upset that after 5+ tries, she could not create anything usable. The sixth try was somewhat alright. The Pills still looked strange, but they were close to the ''marble'' form. There were a few bumps here and there, so Mei still discarded them. On her seventh try Aiko finally had her first success and with it came a few rewards. [Alchemy Mastery: Lv.5->6] Her Alchemy Mastery advanced by one, after such a long time being stuck at 5, and she also got some delicious Pill Candies from Mei. Aiko was happy that something presentable was finally created. "It''s the lowest quality, but this is still considered a success." Mei smiled at Aiko. "Finallyyyyyyyy." Aiko plopped on her back, her heavy mountains shaking vigorously. Mei ignored that and said to Aiko. "Your temperature control is still poor. Your breathing is uneven. You can''t properly manage to roll the Essence.-" She immediately told Aiko what was wrong. "While you did achieve success, we will be training the control and everything around it. Moreover, I will whip you up, so that within 5 weeks you will achieve an acceptable level of mastery of Divine Sense." Mei proclaimed. Aiko didn''t even rest and she was already dragged away by Mei. ... Aiko ran after Mei, trying to whip her with Divine Sense, but that lazy dog would only hit anything within immediate distance. She had to do a lot of running, since Mei was incomparably more powerful than Aiko. "How can you join the Secret Realm if you are so strong?!" Aiko was completely speechless. "Preferential treatment for someone who can make Pills." Mei snorted unhappily. She would not be allowed to enter if it was not for her Pill refining. "Oh..." Aiko nodded. She now liked Pill refining a bit more. ... Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Only after 7 weeks, there was a change in Aiko''s Divine Sense. The large wolf disappeared, leaving a translucent energy behind. "Congratulations." Mei smiled. "You can now use Divine Sense like anybody else." Aiko was still panting heavily, since Mei was completely ruthless, but she did earn quite a lot of things. [Sprinter] [Title] [You have sprinted for a long, long, long, long, long, long time!] [Effect: Your Stamina recovers even while you consume it.] [Skirt Chaser] [Title] [You will be invigorated whenever you are chasing girls around!] [Effect: Doubles your Stamina recovery if you are chasing a female.] [Innocent Body Pillow] [Title] [You let your partner hug you during your sleep! Rest comfort is increased.] [Effect: Your partner will be comfortable and more rested if they hug you to sleep.] [Affectionate Partner] [Title] [You let your partner sleep in your bosom, encouraging rest!] [Effect: Sleeping on your bosom causes the sleeper to be better rested.] Aiko blinked a few times. Excluding anything below [Sprinter], she liked the effects. She just wished that she would get a more significant reward for her accomplishments... [Awakened Divine Sense] [Title] [You finally subdued your Divine Sense! Control over it increases!] [Effect: It''s easier to control and order your Divine Sense to do things.] ''This is what I''m talking about!'' Aiko smiled happily. This kind of title was the best one! "But your training is not over!" Mei proclaimed, shocking Aiko. "Why?!" Aiko wanted to rest a bit, since she would achieve the awakening of the Bloodline soon! "Because we got plenty of energy." Mei smiled happily. She felt more rested whenever she trained with Aiko, so she wanted to take this opportunity to train even more. "No!" Aiko cried out! Mei was startled at Aiko''s attitude. ''She was so nice and obedient, till now...'' She could not understand what suddenly happened to her. "I want to rest!" Aiko stood her ground. She would awaken her Bloodline and whip up Mei with her superior speed! ''I''m so close to catching her. No way will I pass on this opportunity!'' Aiko proclaimed in her mind. Mei tilted her head. "Sure, since you have Divine Sense now, we will continue with Pill refining." She shrugged. "But let''s have a rest for today.¡± "3 days!" Aiko proclaimed. "..." Mei stared at Aiko like she was a fool. ... 3 Days later, changes occurred in Aiko''s body. [You have accepted a Mission from Dai Lu! (Completed)] [Training Mission] [Awaken: [Moon Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)]->[Moon Goddess Kitsune(Awakened)]] [Reward: You will be able to see what each Bloodline Strengthens.] [Failure: The difficulty of the Secret Realm will increase.] [You have been rewarded.] [Loading the Bloodline System..........] Aiko felt energy rushing inside her body. It was not an unpleasant feeling. Her body was changing thanks to the Awakening of the Moon Bloodline. Aiko could not move easily, so she just rested and waited until the whole process was over. "... You are advancing your Bloodline?" Mei tilted her head. Aiko collected a bit too much energy for it to be the case, but seeing the paralysed Aiko... It''s likely that''s what was happening. Mei nodded gently and let Aiko do her thing. She could not help in any way and it also seemed like Aiko had collected enough energy for the Bloodline to safely awaken. "I hope that her mind doesn''t improve too much, so that we can continue with the Pills..." Mei tapped the table, slightly distressed. These days she had a lot of energy, which also allowed her to clear most of the poison residue from refining Pills. That in turn gave her even more energy to do things. ''Is this how Dai Lu felt when she regained her vigour?'' Mei tilted her head. This was such a fascinating subject and she would definitely want to research it a bit more. Unfortunately, she didn''t have enough test subjects to try everything, so this would have to be postponed... Mei shook her head gently. Everything took time, but the Secret Realm was approaching. It was important to strengthen Aiko, since her big form was too weak. ''I should probably help her attain more tails...'' Mei narrowed her eyes. Tails would give quite a huge boost to strength and they were also easy enough to get if you had enough Souls. ''Aiko also has the system, so I don''t have to worry that she would overdraw her own Soul.'' Mei nodded. There was a problem with using Soul and that was the fact that if you used too much, it might degrade your Bloodlines or possibly straight-up kill you. Fortunately, she didn''t have to worry about that with Aiko as the system was too useful in this sense. Mei clicked her tongue. ''I wish I could have the same system.'' She did not have the system, as there was no connection with Aiko, other than the Karmic Bound. If Aiko used any of the system items on Mei; she would naturally gain a sub-system of her own, but Aiko didn''t want to test it on Mei for now. Aiko wanted to catch up and she was also worried that it might harm Mei. ... {Grandmaster''s training plains} The Blood Fox fought again with the newly joined Wanshu. She was now as fast as Yuxi, which bothered the Blood Fox. She would have to find a way to further strengthen herself, but that was for later. The twins were fast on the uptake and they were well synchronised. Moreover, their speed was incomparable to when they were alone. "It''s good that you are more powerful together, but there will be times and places where you won''t be together, so keep that in mind whilst training." Dai Lu effortlessly brushed off the twins, but she had to agree that they had too much energy! ""We will keep that in mind."" They even spoke in sync! Dai Lu was completely speechless. "You say that, but whenever I separate you, you quickly join together again." Dai Lu snorted at them. "We need to learn how to quickly join up again if we are separated. It reduces risk when fighting completely separate later." Yuxi explained their reasoning. "It''s fair reasoning, which makes me even more upset." Dai Lu eased on her restraints and blasted away Wanshu with her blade. She naturally didn''t slice her, but that didn''t mean that Wanshu was uninjured. Even that blunt strike was powerful enough to shake her internal organs. "It might be a good idea for you to learn more about blood manipulation." Dai Lu suddenly spoke to the Blood Fox. "It''s quite difficult..." The Blood Fox was breathing heavily since she had to endure so many blows to her shield. "Your Blood Shield mastery is commendable. If you can master blood manipulation, that would allow you to heal your own wounds." Dai Lu praised. "Thank you. I will do my best." The Blood Fox knew that this was one of the end goals she was aiming for. It would be a lot easier if it was so simple, but blood vessel were too elaborate for the current Blood Fox. She would have to find willing subjects that would be butchered and researched by her in order to attain that kind of skill. Unfortunately, nobody was willing to do that, so Blood Fox could only train her outer skills... Chapter 291 – Divine Sense and Moonlight Qi It took almost a week for Aiko to adjust to her awakened Bloodline. During that time, Mei would be too curious about the fact that it was taking so long. She would come and tease Aiko about it from time to time, since she knew that Aiko would not be able to move. At one point Mei even considered tickling Aiko, but fortunately, at that time, she was already able to glare at Mei again, which dissuaded her. ... "It''s nice to be able to move again." Aiko smiled. It was a nice morning and she felt a lot more familiar with this big body. She no longer had that strange feeling of foreignness, but didn''t mean that she liked this big body. ''My shoulders hurt more and more, my back is also no better.'' Aiko shook her head. "Oh, you are finally up." Mei smiled from ear to ear. "Oh, shush." Aiko glared at Mei. She would not forget the things that Mei did to her. Aiko was quite petty, so even if Mei didn''t do anything bad, the fact that Aiko was poked, teased, prodded, and almost tickled, ticked her off. "Keep glaring." Mei laughed. "You will soon be watching my Alchemy and using your Divine Sense to observe the inside of the Cauldron." She smirked. "But first you will try to find the twins, only relying on your Divine Sense." Mei told Aiko. Unfortunately, the system didn''t accept this as a mission, but as a command, so Aiko could not benefit from it. She walked outside. It was a quiet and foggy morning. What was even stranger was the fact that her senses spread a bit too far. She was able to pinpoint the twins almost immediately, thanks to the fact that they were hiding inside the fog. It was a surreal feeling. It truly felt like that fog was part of her body. ''I really want to evolve my Species...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. She would have to work much harder to obtain grander Bloodlines, but not so much for species. The main issue was the catastrophe that would come with it. ''I can''t Evolve inside this Village, but once we enter the Secret Realm.'' Aiko smirked. She already had a few plans in her head, but those could wait for the time being. ... Aiko told Mei that she could already find them, but she also said that she couldn''t go searching for them in her big form. "You can share your senses with fog...?" Mei almost fainted when she heard that. Well, it was not exactly like Aiko was sharing the senses. She could not find Treasures or pinpoint who she found, but since there were only the Twins hiding... yeah, it was obvious. Mei held her head. "Fine, you have your system, yeah?" She suddenly asked. Aiko nodded gently. "I will allow you to obtain more tails if you can observe the insides of this cauldron." Mei placed a somewhat small and cute cauldron on Aiko''s hands. "It''s cute." Aiko had the urge to look inside, but she was unable to lift the lid. "Don''t even try cheating. I created a small array that will be powered for 30 days. If you can find out what is inside, I will allow you to watch my Pill Refining. Once you get used to that too, I will allow you to obtain more tails." Mei explained and commented. She would not deprive Aiko of more tails. Those were important since Aiko was too weak in her big form, but at the same time, she didn''t want Aiko to gain too much strength at a time. This would allow her to buy around half a year''s worth of time before Aiko would be able to gain more strength. There was an issue with the system and sudden strength leaps, but that should be alright since Aiko was quite obedient. "Candies too." Aiko demanded since Mei shifted the goalpost. "Sure." Mei readily agreed, since those Pill Candies would be unable to hurt Aiko even if she consumed a bit too much. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Aiko nodded happily. "So I just need to guess what is inside, or what exactly do you need from me?" She asked curiously. "The general shape is your first goal. Afterwards, it would be the total number of items. Then their shape and lastly their colours." Mei explained. "E-even colours?!" Aiko was shocked. "Unlike your other senses. The Divine Sense is almost universal. You can get a lot of information from it, but you will have to develop it well in order to achieve that." Mei said gently. Aiko nodded. She left the room quietly, pondering on how she was supposed to see the colours. ... Aiko sat at the table on the ground. She tapped the small cauldron. It would be easy to break it, but Aiko didn''t want to do that for the time being. She was curious about the colour thing, so she would try it out until she could achieve the ''see colours'' state. The first day, she couldn''t even peer inside. It was hard not to crush the small cauldron by accident, but thankfully the [Awakened Divine Sense] was of great help in preventing that. At night, she would Cultivate her Moonlight Qi that was depleted, but for some reason, she was unable to gain any? [You are spending your Moonlight Qi on your Bloodline. Once your Bloodline finishes adjusting to its fully awakened form, you will be able to conserve Moonlight Qi.] This was very useful information. She liked this system a lot more. ''Why does my Divine Sense look like a wolf?'' Aiko asked the system. [*Redacted.*] ''......'' Aiko snorted unhappily. It seems this system is still useless... ... On the second day of training, she found out that the small cauldron had holes in it. But that was only because of Divine Sense. If she tried to look at it with just her eyes, she was unable to see anything! ''Is it something like a really, really tiny hole?'' Aiko tilted her head. It was possible since she could not see them with her eyes. ... On the tenth day, Aiko was finally able to invade the inner workings of the small cauldron. This was a great success and Aiko was very proud. Unfortunately, she still could not grasp the shapes inside, which slightly disheartened her. Mei also happily overlooked Aiko and she could see her progress. It was very slow progress compared to her peers, but if someone challenged her into a duel of Divine Senses... heh, let''s hope that they already bought a coffin. Even Mei was slightly worried, but not because of the Divine Sense. That wolf-like creature was quite terrifying. It was able to condense the power of Aiko''s already monstrous Divine Sense into a single point and use it to strike at a target. That was very rare and way too powerful for anyone below Void Amalgamation! You needed to fully develop and enforce your Soul just to hope to defend against it! ... On the 20th day, Aiko was finally able to see some shapes to it. The progress slowed down greatly, but Mei was still satisfied. Aiko had not complained yet about this training. Something was her driving force, but Mei couldn''t put her finger on it. ''If I can restrain Mei with my Divine Sense...'' Aiko was already making plans in her head while training with the small cauldron. Of course, Mei was unaware of Aiko''s thoughts, but on the other hand... Dai Lu would always bring around nuts to munch on whenever she observed the duo! ... On the 25th day. Aiko finally was able to conserve some Moonlight Qi. She also got a special prompt from the system. [Would you like to combine [Moon''s Eyes] with [Moon''s Crust] into [Moon Fox Incarnate]?] [Yes/No] ''Does that mean I will get a lot of Abilities, like it was with the Twins and Dew Fox Incarnate?'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. [Correct.] The system confirmed it, so Aiko didn''t hesitate. [You have obtained [Moon Fox Incarnate]!] [You can use all Abilities from this tree. Your mastery is slowed down by the sheer scale and power of this Divine Ability!] ''That is fine.'' Aiko would be happier if she had more Abilities than less! ... On the 50th day. She was finally able to see the outlines of the ''things'' inside, but she was still unable to count them. Whenever she tried counting them, they would become quite blurry and she would lose control over her Divine Sense. She needed a lot of time to gain a proper sense of it... ... On the 120th day. She was able to count the number of the Herbs and Pills inside. There were a total of 43 things inside. Aiko wondered how they could all fit inside, but maybe they were just really small? It should be possible, considering the fact that she was able to invade it through cracks that could not be observed by sight alone. At this time Aiko also advanced another year and there was less than 1.5 years till she would leave for the Secret Realm. So she should speed things up! ... Unfortunately even after another 100 days. She was unable to see the colours and Mei paused her progress. "It''s fine to work hard, but we need to do other things now, since the Secret Realm is approaching." Mei sighed. Those at the top changed things up, so Mei would have to dedicate more time for Aiko to get stronger. "But I can almost imagine those colours!" Aiko believed that she would be able to see those colours really, really soon! "We don''t have time. You will observe my Alchemy for a few days and afterwards, I will once again explain how to gain more Tails." Mei nudged Aiko while caressing her hair. "Okay." Aiko pouted. She was not skilled enough to tie Mei with her Divine Sense, which slightly upset her! "Let''s go." Mei smiled gently, guiding Aiko. ... "It''s like mush inside?" Aiko tilted her head. "You are right, but observe more." Mei smiled. Aiko kept observing. At first, it was a herb. That slowly turned into some kind of sludge. Then those still hard things within the sludge were separated, leaving a liquidy substance and a hard substance. That hard substance was placed on the ''corner'' of the Cauldron, where it lay motionlessly. "Why don''t you just let it burn?" Aiko noticed that Mei kept her Divine Sense wrapped around it. "Those are impurities." Mei smiled gently. She liked the proactive Aiko. "Impurities? Like those in our bodies?" Aiko was curious. "Yes. Then what will happen if you burn those impurities in an enclosed space?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "If you burn them properly they will disappear." Aiko believed that would be the case. "Then what happened when you failed your Pills?" Mei giggled sweetly. "Ah! It will turn into soot and pollute the liquid!" Aiko suddenly had an enlightenment. "Correct!" Mei smiled from ear to ear and gently caressed Aiko''s head. "Now you know why your Pills are of such low quality." Mei chuckled. Chapter 292 – Observing Mei and Faintings Observing everything was quite difficult for Aiko. There was so much she had to pay attention to that it hurt her head. ¡®Why did Mei do this or that?¡¯ was constantly on her mind. Aiko spent around half a year watching Mei make Pills. Mei prided herself in Alchemy and it was obvious why. Almost all of her Pills were of Perfect Quality and most of the time she got 10 Pills from one batch. From what Mei said, 10 Pills is the maximum from a single batch. You could gain more than ten Pills if you, or the batch got blessed by the Heavens, but that was a very difficult thing to do. So Aiko had to discard that idea. After watching Mei for a long time, she suddenly said. "Now it''s time for you to gain more tails." "Already?" Aiko thought that she would have to keep watching Mei for longer. "You can already see colours, can''t you?" Mei smiled ambiguously. "Yeah." Aiko has obtained the ability to see colours through her Divine Sense in the past week. "In that case, we can make you stronger through Tails." Mei smiled gently. "Okay." Aiko wanted to gain tails already, but was stopped by Mei. "What''s wrong?" Aiko asked. "Use this Pill while creating your tails, it should save you some Souls during creation." Mei was finally able to create the necessary Pill to lessen the burden on Aiko. [Soul Strengthening Pill] [It will temporarily strengthen the User''s Soul.] ''But if it''s temporary, what happens when it runs out?'' Aiko asked. [Your own Soul will replenish that deficit.] ''Then this Pill is useless...'' Aiko shook her head and Mei watched her silently. [You can use it during the breakthrough into Soul Formation with no detriments.] ''Oh...'' Aiko nodded and Mei still watched over her with narrowed eyes. "What do you think about this Pill?" Mei feigned ignorance, but she knew there was something wrong with it. She just didn''t know what exactly was wrong. Naturally, if Aiko tried to eat it, Mei would stop her, but it was important to give this Pill to Aiko so she could investigate. "You can''t use it in order to gain tails." Aiko suddenly said. "Why not?" Mei asked. She was already creating notes in her head to make sure she didn''t forget. "Because this is temporary." Aiko said and then explained. "Since it''s temporary, you can gain a tail, but since that boost is temporary you will have to replace it with your own Soul?" Aiko didn''t know how to explain it, so she spent 10 minutes narrating what the system told her. Mei paid very close attention to Aiko. She couldn''t tell Aiko that she was a victim of this Pill, especially without fully knowing what it did. Now everything made sense and why she was so much weaker than her peers. ''Good thing I didn''t use it in this lifetime.'' Mei nodded her head. "That is enough, thank you for telling me." "Ah! But don''t throw it away. This Pill is very good in our Human stages!" Aiko immediately stopped Mei. "What?!" Mei was shocked. This was purely a Beast Pill, so there was no way this could be used in their proper Human Form. "It''s apparently a very good thing during the breakthrough into Soul Formation." Aiko narrated once again. "Hmmmm..." Mei narrowed her eyes and observed the Pill. It was unlikely that Aiko was joking around, but it was outrageous that there was a Pill that could help that kind of breakthrough. There were Pills for other stages, but not for the Soul stages. So this could greatly strengthen the Human Cultivators... "Not a word about this outside, okay?" Mei narrowed her eyes dangerously. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "Okay." Aiko ignored that kind of gaze, since she already realised how Mei worked. This kind of gaze was not targeted at Aiko, but for those who would obtain this information. "Thank you for helping me." Mei smiled gently and wanted to give Aiko more candies, but Aiko hugged Mei before she could do that. *Smother Smother* Aiko rubbed her face between the soft pillows for some time, leaving Mei speechless. "That hit the spot." Aiko giggled, separating from Mei. "You-!" Mei finally snapped out of it and wanted to reprimand Aiko for abusing her small form. "So how do I gain a new tail?" Aiko immediately changed the topic. "Don''t think you can just change the topic!" Mei immediately pinched and rubbed Aiko''s cheeks. "Au auauaua." Aiko pleaded mercy for some time before Mei finally stopped. Her cheeks were inflated and red from that treatment, so Aiko pouted at Mei. "So in order to gain a new tail-" Mei changed the topic this time. "This is unfair! Why can you change the topic, but I can''t?!" Aiko cried out. "Because I''m an adult." Mei smirked. "I''m an adult too!" Aiko beat her chest, but there was nothing there. "Just wait 8 more hours!" Aiko proclaimed and Mei laughed loudly. "Don''t laugh at me! I will smother you to death!" Aiko yelled at Mei. Mei just kept laughing. It was nice to have such a strange, chaotic fluff on her side. ... After 8 hours Aiko sneaked on Mei and smothered her real good. "Who is laughing now, huh~!" Aiko kept Mei pinned, but Mei didn''t resist for some reason. "What''s wrong~, can''t-" "Auch!" Aiko jumped back. On her right boob was a clear toothmark. "Y-y-you!" Aiko stuttered, covering herself. Mei licked her lips. "That''s what will happen if you keep smothering me with your boobs!" She proclaimed righteously, making Aiko speechless. Aiko''s cheeks inflated like balloons and she stopped talking with Mei for 10 days. ... "Come on, talk to me." Mei nudged Aiko. She was startled that Aiko stopped talking to her completely. "No." Aiko inflated her cheeks. "I''m working on my tails." Aiko proclaimed. "It''s dangerous to do it alone..." Mei nudged Aiko, but she was adamant. "No, I will be fine. I have the system." Aiko would not be swayed this time! Mei sighed. "Fine, but I will watch over you." Meanwhile, Aiko was theorising about something. ''The Dew Form overwrites everything, but it still follows the same rules as my normal form. I get 2 tails per form, one is normal while the other is pseudo.'' Aiko pondered. ''If I want to increase my tails in my normal form, it will be twice as expensive to obtain them, but what if I obtain one tail in the Dew Form?'' Aiko tilted her head. ''If it works, I will gain two more tails in my normal form while paying for only one tail!'' Aiko nodded happily. Even if this didn''t work out right, it was a good thing to at least try. ''I still have 4 hours for my Dew Form, so let''s test it!'' Aiko''s eyes shined. [Would you like to use your Soul to obtain one more tail?] [Cost: 100 Souls] [Yes/No] ''How long does it take to fully form the tail?'' Aiko suddenly asked. [Around one hour for normal tail, 4 hours for true tail.] ''Barely enough time for it...'' Aiko frowned. It would be bad if she missed this window! [Yes] Aiko clicked on the button and waited. She could feel her Soul stir inside her as something was gently scooping it. It was not painful or unpleasant. ''I have 901 Souls for use, so let''s see if it works just fine...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. One hour passed and the scooping didn''t end. Two hours passed and the scooping stopped. There was a large ball of Soul Essence inside her body that slowly moved downwards. It was a strange feeling, especially when it passed through her stomach. That warmth made Aiko feel strange... Soon it stopped at the place where her tails grew and she could feel a strange sensation. It was a strange sensation, like Aiko was trying to push out a giant turd through the end of her spine. She was still conscious and after about 2 hours the sensation finally disappeared. "This... is so unfair." Mei said. She also had tears in her eyes! Aiko was startled. "What is unfair?" She didn''t understand. "You grew a tail without doing anything!" Mei cried out. One had to shape the tail, strengthen it, and lengthen it. They had to do everything by hand, but Aiko just sat there and waited for it to finish! "Isn''t that how it usually works?" Aiko tilted her head. The system didn''t ask her to do anything and she previously had to form it herself because it was a different type of tail, but now that she was creating the same type... why was it needed? Mei coughed up blood from Aiko''s comment, which startled Aiko. "W-what''s wrong? Are you alright??" Aiko panicked when she saw Mei coughing up blood. Mei felt really unwell. It was so hard to form one tail, but Aiko did it like it was nothing! What''s more, that tail looked special as Aiko''s presence was even more powerful! [You have gained Second Tail.] [You will obtain a special boost from having more than one Tail.] [If your tail/s gets cut off, this boost will decrease/vanish.] [Current Boost: 2*1.5 (Thanks to True Tail.)] ''Oh! This is nice~!'' Aiko smiled from ear to ear, but quickly snapped out of it and moved Mei to bed. She looked sick, so Aiko took care of her gently before she checked her bounty. Her Dew Form also should soon vanish, so Aiko will know if she will be able to obtain 2 tails for the price of 1! The Grandmaster walked around when she spotted a strange sight. "What happened to Mei?" The Grandmaster tilted her head. "She felt unwell..." Aiko avoided her eyes, but Dai Lu had already read her mind. She also coughed up blood, but unlike Mei, she also fainted. "What''s wrong with them?!" Aiko was left flabbergasted by their condition. Aiko moved the Grandmaster into the same bed and nursed both of them. She really didn''t get what was so difficult about making a copy of an existing tail... ... After a few days, both of them recovered from their shock. And Aiko was also able to confirm that she gained 2 tails for the price of one! ''The Dew Form is not that bad~'' Aiko hummed happily, but when the duo saw how many tails Aiko had... both of them fainted. "..." Aiko was gazing at them with a deadpan expression, not really surprised any more. ''I get it, I have one more tail than I''m supposed to have, but you don''t need to have to make such a big deal out of it!'' Aiko proclaimed in her mind. It seems like she will have to educate these two grannies soon! Chapter 293 – More Tails! "So..." Dai Lu''s lips were twitching. "So..." Mei''s lips were likewise twitching. "6 Tails, but only 4 have an effect." Aiko repeated the same sentence for the 20th time. The duo''s lips twitched. It was seriously messed up, since they wanted to cuddle this cute little creature, which also meant that they might pounce on the big Aiko. "We need a Recognition Inhibition Amulet or something." Dai Lu said before even Mei could utter it. "En. Will you do the honour?" Mei glanced at Dai Lu. "I will get to it right away." Dai Lu immediately stood up and stormed away. "How are you feeling?" Aiko asked. Mei was not moving all that much. "I had been having too many headaches thanks to you" Mei''s lips twitched at Aiko''s expression of innocence. "That''s not my fault. I only abused the forced transformation that the Dew Form brings." Aiko said. "On that note, can I have more Souls, so I can abuse it one more time?" Aiko pleaded to Mei. Mei immediately plopped back into a lying position. She didn''t want to hear what Aiko would say. Aiko pouted, but she left Mei to rest. She walked about and started to think about what she should do about this situation. It was a calm afternoon. The sun was high in the sky. Aiko had plenty of time before she transformed into her Dew Form, but she was unsure if she could find the 200 Souls needed to get 1,001 Souls for a new tail. If she went outside, there could be something that she could find, but it''s unlikely that Aiko would get far thanks to her big form. Sure, she is much, much more powerful now, but that doesn''t mean her Dew Form was also powerful. All it did was to make her more beautiful, which would definitely bring more trouble. Aiko tilted her head, when a notification from the system startled her. [#### inside your Divine Sense ate the ####!] [Your Soul increased by 3,472!] Aiko blinked a few times. Did she eat something? She didn''t remember eating anything that could get her more Souls. She was completely unaware that the big wolf captured that Ghost way back when the Mirage Fox was still alive. The wolf was playing with the Ghost until it was able to devour its Soul. It wanted to play with it a bit more, but since its master needed Souls, it reluctantly sacrificed its toy. ''Now I can get more tails.'' Aiko blinked with a happy smile on her lips. ''Thank you! Whoever you are~!'' Aiko hummed happily. Now she just needed to wait for the right time and she would gain another form. It was better to stay inside, as being outside reduced the Dew Essence regeneration rate. With this, she would be able to stay in her Dew Form for much longer, thus allowing her to gain more tails! Aiko nodded like she was some sort of genius and smiled happily. ... The next morning, Mei was still lying in bed. Meanwhile, the Grandmaster was still away, so this was the perfect opportunity for Aiko to gain more tails! [Would you like to use your Soul to obtain one more tail?] [Cost: 1,000 Soul Essence] [Yes/No] [Yes] Aiko clicked without hesitation, and that same kind of feeling spread throughout her body. From 4,273 to 3,273 free Souls, Aiko still had room for improvement, but the thing was. She would need 10,000 for the next one and it was unlikely that Mei would allow her to have an additional 7,000 Souls just for herself. It was also important to empower the others, but Aiko didn''t know if she could share her Soul Essence with others. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. [You need a Karmic Bond in order to share the best things from the system.] Aiko nodded gently. It seems like she could only share her Soul Essence with Mei. That was fine, but Aiko was still worried about using the system''s items. The Twins were the prime example of going overboard. She didn''t want to be left behind, so she would take her time exploring the system before giving others gifts. It was bad enough that the Twins were faster than Aiko. Well, not any more, but the point stands. ''I think I can contend with the top places in this Village...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. Her strength reached 506,040 without the Shadow or Lunar Boosts. So she easily broke 1 million when the conditions were right. ''Maybe I should also buy some passive Skills that would allow me to increase my Strength...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. She currently had boosts for Agility, Dexterity and so on, but it would have been safer if she got all of them. ''Maybe later, let''s first wait for those tails to finish.'' Aiko nodded gently. Meanwhile, the Grandmaster returned, only for her to almost faint. "You are creating another tail?!" Dai Lu cried out. "Tails*, since I''m abusing this form." Aiko snorted unhappily. Dai Lu almost frothed from her mouth, but it was not as shocking as it was the first time, so she was able to endure that feeling this time. "I have a special Recognition Inhibition Necklace." Dai Lu said. "Normally it''s here for when the Elder from the main Village arrives, but the Sect Leader made an exception this time. Aiko nodded gently. "How much does it obscure?" She was curious since her Beauty went through the roof because of her new Blessing and tails... "Apparently it should obscure all but a hundredth of your nature? But I''m a bit doubtful since the Sect Leader was looking questioningly." Dai Lu shrugged. "Okay." Aiko nodded. "I will be finished in 4 hours." "..." Dai Lu touched her face. "It''s supposed to take several days to gain the first new tail, not to mention the ones that come after..." She didn''t believe Aiko, but no matter how much she read Aiko''s mind, the fact that she would be finished in 4 hours didn''t change. Dai Lu spoke before Aiko could. "I think... I think I''m going to lie down. I don''t feel very good..." She placed the necklace in front of Aiko and left. "I hope they are alright..." Aiko touched her face. She could move, but there was this strange feeling that she didn''t want to underestimate. ... She didn''t move for 6 hours and stared at her system. Species: [Shadow Spirit Fennec Fox (Female, Adult, Single-True Tail(Pseudo Two-Tails) -> Female, Adult, Three-True-Tails(Pseudo Four-Tails))] Species: [Blessed Moon Fennec Fox (Female, Adult, Single-True Tail(Pseudo Two-Tails) -> Female, Adult, Three-true-Tails(Pseudo Four-Tails))] Aiko nodded happily and stood up. Everything worked well and she was filled with energy. Aiko returned to where Mei was lying down. Mei was staring at the ceiling with a blank expression. She didn''t move much and Aiko felt a bit tired, so she used this opportunity to cuddle with Mei. Although she would not smother Mei any more since she didn''t want to get bitten by her. Mei stiffened when Aiko used her as a body pillow, but before she could say anything; Aiko was already sleeping. "..." Mei blinked a few times, but eventually gave up. She would not do anything to Aiko this time, since it felt like she was exhausted. ... The next day, Aiko happily ran around. She was full of energy and her speed also improved. While it was not that quick. It was still quick enough that Aiko would be able to outrun most low-level Cultivators. This was enough since the limit in this space is supposed to be around the Peak of Golden Core. Or in other words, stats around 36,000. Aiko had double of that without any boosts, so she would be safe against Humans! Aiko rubbed her face against Mei, who put up no resistance against Aiko and spoke with a soft voice. "You should wear that necklace." "Okay." Aiko didn''t reject Mei''s words, since they were soft and soothing. Aiko put on the necklace and Mei breathed a sigh of relief. Mei had to struggle with her impulses when she saw Aiko who was Comparable to an Early Immortal, so much so that her palms bled from her sharp fingernails. Aiko smelled the blood and helped Mei bandage her wounds. Those wounds would disappear in a few moments, but Mei indulged Aiko since she was much more caring now than before for some reason. She didn''t mind that. Everyone liked it when their partner was nicer to them. Mei also gave up on the fact that she wanted Aiko as a servant, but she was not yet ready to open up. She believed that there was a time and place for everything, and since the Secret Realm was opening soon... "You should be careful inside against Humans." Mei petted Aiko. "Why? I''m around twice as powerful by the system''s standards." Aiko tilted her head. "That is on this continent, but you will be restricted if you fight against Humans." Mei soothed Aiko. "... Huh?" Aiko blankly blinked at Mei. "As long as you are not fighting against Humans you will be able to use your full might, but once a Human attacks you, your physical prowess will be restricted to the Peak of Golden Core." Mei smoothed Aiko''s frowning forehead. "What...?" Aiko didn''t believe her ears. She just gained so many stats, yet she was nerfed immediately?! "You can use your full might against the creatures inside, just not Humans. As such, you will be able to explore more than Humans." Mei gently soothed Aiko. "So you can avoid the Humans or group up with your team." "I don''t like it." Aiko suddenly said. "I know, but you will have to bear with it..." Mei then spoke. "Your Divine Sense won''t be suppressed, so you can just whip them with that black wolf." Mei caressed Aiko''s hair. "Oh?!" Aiko''s eyes shined. Now that was good news for her. She trained her Divine Sense for a long time, so it would absolutely piss her off if she couldn''t use it. "Should we group up soon or?" Aiko asked Mei. "What do you think?" Mei smiled. "I won''t be able to sleep without a proper ''bed''." Aiko confessed. Mei''s lips twitched. "And whose fault is that?" She narrowed her eyes. "My..." Aiko sighed. "You can group up." Mei blurted out. She didn''t expect that it was really Aiko''s fault. "Okay..." Aiko didn''t recover much. She regretted using the Spirit Crystals and Spirit Stones as bedding... ''I will definitely get rid of that title sooner or later!'' Aiko vowed in her mind. Chapter 294 – Alchemy with Mei Aiko was now running around with 8 tails behind her. Everyone was speechless and questioned their sanity, but Aiko just shrugged at them. "It''s not like I''m cheating, you know?" Aiko tilted her head. She definitely was cheating for the normal Fox, or maybe they just didn''t want to admit that Aiko had it easier. "Since you got stronger, we will now try Alchemy with the Divine Sense." Mei suddenly dragged Aiko away. She was greatly bothered by the number of tails that Aiko had. "You will also have to activate the Heavenly Suppression Technique, don''t show off more than 3 Tails. Mei said. "I will try to get my 4th Tail before we enter, but if I can''t manage that, you will have to keep it to 3 Tails." Mei then explained. "It''s to keep you safe from others. If I don''t have more Tails than you when I am more renowned, people might target you for believing you are hiding valuable Treasures." "Isn''t that a bit too late?" Aiko tilted her head. "I already ran around with 4 Tails in the business." "But you only ran around when Muscle Peak used our service." Mei commented. "Those guys are completely harmless, so you don''t have to worry about them, but you have to worry about everyone else." "Okay." Aiko nodded gently. "So about the Divine Sense..." "What''s wrong with it this time?" Mei was slightly startled that Aiko would talk about her Divine Sense. "For some reason, I can switch between them, but I''m not sure what effects that wolf brings..." Aiko stared at the very knowledgeable Mei. "If it''s close to what dragons have..." Mei narrowed her eyes. "It''s raw firepower. You can command it to automatically defend you and attack when others get into range, but keep in mind that if you can''t defend completely, your Mind and Soul will be harmed!" Mei warned Aiko. "Got it, no defending against powerful individuals." Aiko nodded quickly. "Good, let''s sit down and go through the motion of using Divine Sense in Alchemy." Mei sat down with Aiko. "I won''t make you use your Divine Sense on Herbs to cut them, since I know that is currently impossible for you, but you will still mix them and protect them during the refining process." Mei explained. "Like when you shielded that turd?" Aiko questioned. "It''s not a turd, but impurities!" Mei''s eyebrow twitched. "So black turd." Aiko nodded and Mei could only sigh. "Prepare the Herbs and I will guide you through the process." Mei massaged her temples. It seems like Aiko was in a playful mood, which will cause her a few headaches. Aiko quickly prepared the Herbs, thanks to the [Alchemy Mastery] it was a lot quicker since she could faintly see where she should cut. It seems like the [Alchemy Mastery] came with a guidance system, but you needed to level it up a lot for it to manifest. That was fine for Aiko as she now had Divine Sense which should propel her [Alchemy Mastery] even further. The Herbs were cut and sorted, the Pill Cauldron was warmed up. "Don''t check it with water. We will use your Divine Sense." Mei stopped Aiko from using the water to determine the temperature. "..." Aiko blankly stared at Mei. "Isn''t this jump in difficulty a bit too harsh?" "You need to learn more skills to stay protected from others." Mei nudged Aiko. "Ugh, fine." Aiko didn''t like this jump in difficulty, but there was nothing that she could do about it, especially when Mei stared at her like ''that''. "How am I supposed to get the temperature?" Aiko tilted her head. She could get shapes and colours, but she was unsure about the last ones. "It''s simple-" Mei started to explain to Aiko, but Aiko ignored it, since... [Pill Cauldron Temperature: Too Low] "It has this kind of thing too..." Aiko was speechless. Mei pinched Aiko for ignoring her. "How do you intend to learn anything when you don''t pay attention?!" She was a bit hurt. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. "The system told me the temperature..." Aiko shyly looked away. Mei could feel her blood rising, at this rate she would definitely cough up blood. The system these days is getting more and more unfair for the hard-working folk! "You will still learn how to do it without the system!" Mei was adamant on this part. "Okay." Aiko nodded without rejecting Mei, which startled her a bit. "It won''t be easy." Mei narrowed her eyes. "It will be easy." Aiko smiled from ear to ear. She could not get the temperature from the Divine Sense, but that didn''t mean that this would be hard. The system showed her the temperature, which meant that she had to learn the different ''feelings'' from the system and adapt them to her Divine Sense. This was a lot easier than the colour or shapes, as she had a ''guiding rope'' that she could grasp whenever she faltered. Mei''s face distorted like she was chewing something bitter, but she soon sighed and continued. "The way that you measure the temperature is by the behaviour of the Cauldron. That''s why most Pill Cultivators take care of their Cauldron." Mei explained. Aiko speechlessly stared at her. "What kind of lousy- Auauauau." Mei pinched Aiko''s cheeks, since she didn''t want to admit that this was not the best way to do things. However, those that tried to use relics called the ''thermometer'' degraded the Pills thanks to the impurities on the tool. "Let me do this by myself." Aiko pushed Mei backwards. It was obvious that Mei was unsure about this part, so Aiko had to improvise. "Let''s see." Aiko closed her eyes and wrapped the whole Cauldron in her Divine Sense. "Hmmmm..." Aiko tilted her head. There was no change in the Cauldron, even if she blasted it with heat. ''Could it be that the Cauldron has delayed reaction thanks to its thickness?'' Aiko had a few theories, but she was unsure if they were correct. ''Let''s just observe for a bit longer...'' Aiko nodded to herself. Her Divine Sense danced around the Cauldron. She flew with the sense here and there between the cracks, but she could not perceive visible change... Aiko opened the lid and dropped water inside, the water boiled until there was nothing. Aiko observed this closely with her Divine Sense and she could finally see something strange. ''Space distortion?'' Aiko tilted her head again. ''No, isn''t that similar to what you would get on deserts? Due to the intense heat, the whole thing would feel "twisted".'' Aiko pondered on it and kept raising the temperature. The higher the temperature went, the more obvious this distortion was. Aiko was able to observe it easily now. ''This time, let''s turn off the heat and observe it.'' Aiko believed that if she could observe it heating up, it should be possible during the cooling process too. ''No...'' Aiko shook her head. ''It''s impossible, the distortion vanished soon after I turned off the heating.'' Aiko frowned. She tried to gently lift the Cauldron, which startled Mei. "What are you trying- No, wait! Bad Aiko!" Mei was confused, but she soon started screaming at Aiko. *Boom* The place exploded, thanks to the fact that the ''superheated'' Cauldron was dropped into the water. Mei was somewhat quick enough to shield them, but it still made their skin red from the steam. "I''m sorry..." Aiko was so engrossed in her studies that she completely forgot that this could happen. Mei massaged her temples. "Are you alright?" "Yes, my skin is just red, but I don''t feel hurt." Aiko nodded guiltily. "So what caused you to do that?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "I think I found how to guess the temperature. If I can match it with the system''s reading..." Aiko narrowed her eyes. "It should be possible to create a scale where we can easily estimate the temperature with accuracy!" Aiko proudly raised her fist. Mei''s face twitched, those large attractions were too distracting. "Are you sure that the system is not wrong?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "We will see once we try to create the Pill, no?" Aiko smiled innocently. Mei sighed. "Fine, we can test your theory, but how did you find it?" "Well..." Aiko didn''t know how to explain it properly, so she took her time trying to narrate the whole thing. "Space distortion?" Mei pondered. "Heat distortion." Aiko corrected Mei. "Does it always happen when there is a high temperature?" Mei tilted her head. "No, for some reason I could only observe it in that small desert." Aiko shook her head. "Oh... OH!" Mei suddenly nodded like a broken doll. "I think I understand what you mean." Mei fired up her own Cauldron and gently raised the temperature. "Sure enough." The strange distortion happened in her Cauldron, but only when it was closed. Once you opened the lid, the distortion vanished like it was never there. "I can definitely work with this." Mei''s eyes shined, like she found a new toy. "I told you." Aiko smiled proudly. Mei''s expression greatly softened and she gave Aiko a big smooch. Aiko was startled and tried to understand what just happened. "Hey! That was my first kiss!" Aiko pouted, but she was not really angry. Mei licked her lips. "We are even in that sense." Aiko blushed. "You fiend! I''m the one supposed to tease you!" She proclaimed righteously. Mei laughed. "Let''s use your system on this, so I can learn it." She smiled gently at Aiko. Aiko pouted again. "Tsk. Fine, I will reluctantly help you." ... They spent a half a year researching this in great detail since Aiko could only estimate the temperature from the system for 1st and 2nd Grade Pills, but the higher you went, the temperature varied more and more. "I think I can use this up to Grade 3, but we need to experiment a bit and make a more detailed chart for the higher Grade Pills." Mei pondered on it. "That is fine, we can use 3rd Grade Pills for now and once I learn more, I will help you with the system." Aiko smiled. "Okay." Mei now believed Aiko about the accuracy of the system when it came to temperature, but the most shocking thing was the results. 100 batches of 2nd Grade Pills yielded 1,100 Perfect Quality Pills! ''I think I can get them blessed if I polish my foundation a bit more...'' Mei narrowed her eyes, but this number was simply insane! It was widely known that the most you could get is 10 per batch and that is if you perfected everything, but now she managed to get 11! Not to mention, all of them were Perfect Quality! She usually had only around 40% chance of success when she quickly made Pills and 90% If she really tried for the sake of Aiko, but now she had a 100% chance!! Mei giggled to herself and Aiko felt a shiver down her spine. Aiko hoped that this wouldn''t backfire on her... Chapter 295 – Cleaning Spell "Meeeeeeeeei." Aiko whined loudly. Whenever she would try to do Alchemy, for some reason, Mei would get extremely touchy with her. Mei giggled. ''This is what you get for always smothering me to sleep!'' She snorted unhappily, since she felt more rested when she was smothered by Aiko. Mei didn''t like that fact at all and tried to deny the fact that it was because of it! As such, Aiko had to deal with Mei whenever she was making Pills. The distraction caused her to ruin too many batches, so much so that Aiko finally snapped. "That''s it!" Aiko slapped the table, completely ignoring the boiling Cauldron. "You are going to teach me the cleaning spell!" She proclaimed sternly. Mei laughed. "Sure, here it is." She handed Aiko a Jade Slip. "Another Jade Slip." Aiko''s face scrunched. She hadn''t even finish the previous Jade Slip, yet she got yet another one! "It''s quite short." Mei chuckled. "Bullshit!" Aiko immediately retorted, startling Mei. "The last time you gave me a Jade Slip, it was this abomination of endless texts and pictures!" She slammed the overly familiar Jade Slip containing the accumulated knowledge of Alchemy from Mei. Mei was pleasantly surprised that Aiko still had that Jade Slip. At this point, she believed that Aiko had given up, but that doesn''t seem to be the case. "It''s really short, trust me." Mei smiled gently. "Uhuh." Aiko snorted unhappily. "Trust me, it will only take you a few dozen years to just read it, but learning it- *Chuckles* -it will take much longer!" She once again snorted at Mei. Mei laughed, "I will leave you to it." and left the premise, so that she didn''t need to deal with the fuming Aiko. Aiko cursed inside the empty room before picking up the Jade Slip. "..." Aiko blinked a few times. "It''s really short, huh..." She didn''t believe that this was the whole version, but no matter how she looked at it. That was it! Then suddenly a window popped up. [Would you like to learn Martial Technique [Clean]?] [Cost: 100 Skill Points] ''Can I learn it without spending points?'' Aiko asked, narrowing her eyes. [It is possible, this cost is only for when you want to learn it immediately.] ''How much would it cost to buy it from the system shop?'' Aiko asked. [200 Skill Points.] ''Can this number get smaller?'' Aiko tapped the table like Mei would always do. [The shop prices will adjust over time. The instant learning part of the system gets cheaper the more of the Technique you understand on your own.] ''Oh...'' Aiko nodded repeatedly. This was quite a good thing. Not only was it cheaper than from the system shop, but it could even get cheaper! Aiko nodded happily before reading the Jade Slip from Mei several times. She understood a bit about it each time she read it and the system also showed this progress. [Would you like to learn Martial Technique [Clean]?] [Cost: 95 Skill Points] ''This will take a while...'' Aiko was tempted to just push the button and learn it immediately, but she should not waste the precious Stat and Skill Points! The urge was not strong enough to control Aiko, so she diligently learned. ... A month later, Aiko was finished. [You have learned the Martial Technique [Clean]!] Aiko also became a year older at this moment. Her sense of time started to distort even for her and she became 34 years old. "Mei, I have finished!" Aiko cheerfully came running to Mei. "Oh, you did?" It took quite some time for Aiko to learn, but Mei didn''t care about that part. She was happy that Aiko was able to learn. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "Yeah!" Aiko smiled. "Look at this! [Clean]!" She immediately used her new Technique on Mei. Mei was wrapped in gentle energy and enjoyed the soothing feeling. Meanwhile, Aiko was quite shocked. ''This wasn''t supposed to happen!'' She was panicking inside, but she didn''t let it show on her face. "This is not bad." Mei praised Aiko. "Small cherries?" Aiko was still quite stunned, so she blurted out what she thought. "What are you talki- Aiko! You rascal!" Mei was confused, but soon after became immediately livid. "Run away!" Aiko shouted before darting out of the room. It was safer outside, since she knew that Mei could not pursue her. ''But I never imagined Mei looking so sexy...'' Aiko ran slightly absent-mindedly before she hit a nearby tree. "Auch." Aiko rubbed her face. Meanwhile, Mei was still shouting after Aiko. "Is this your sense of revenge?! Stripping me naked?!" Mei kept shouting as she dressed up to pursue Aiko. "Just because I tease you a little bit, doesn''t mean that you can do this to me!" Mei decided to scold Aiko severely. "How in the 18 Hells did she manage that?! This is supposed to be a gentle cleaning spell!" She could no longer understand how Aiko managed to do these things. ''Does everything she touches turn into a weapon or something?!'' Mei was flabbergasted. ''Those were my favourite clothes!'' She cried out in her mind. ... {Aiko after meeting the Grandmaster} "HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA" The Grandmaster was laughing at Aiko. "Don''t laugh at me, stupid granny!" Aiko had the biggest pout on her face ever. "I- HAHAHAHAHAHAHA" *Wheeze* "HHAHAHAHA" It got so bad that Dai Lu was even wheezing like some kind of squeaky toy. "Forget it!" Aiko had enough of the laughing granny and left the premises. She knew that she couldn''t beat up the Grandmaster, so she decided to leave her to her laughter. ''Mei will beat her up anyway.'' Aiko smirked, but she still hadn''t forgotten to hide somewhere from Mei! ... A few days later, the furious Mei calmed down. "Now explain yourself." Mei sternly gazed at Aiko. Well... somewhat calmed down. However, it was still better than what the Grandmaster went through. Her face was swollen and she was sitting on the ground. "It''s a cleaning spell, I swear!" Aiko defended herself. "Uhuh." A vein manifested on Mei''s forehead. "I don''t remember cleaning spells destroying clothes." She still gazed sternly at Aiko. "But I did everything by the Jade Slip! I even practised on the dirty Cauldron!" Aiko cried out. Both Mei and Dai Lu almost face-planted. ""You did what??"" They asked in unison. "Uh... learned the cleaning spell?" Aiko didn''t understand why they looked at her so strangely. "The next one." Mei''s eyebrow twitched. "Practised on a dirty Cauldron?" Aiko was even more scared right now. "This is PERSONAL Technique! You are not supposed to use it on inanimate objects!" Mei shook her head. "How was I supposed to know?!" Aiko cried out again. "It''s all Mei''s fault!" "How is that my fault?!" Mei was flabbergasted. "The first time I was learning the spell, you made me practice on a shovel!" Aiko immediately yelled. "Uh..." Mei was startled. She did do that, but that was a joke. "Then you handed me a Jade Slip that didn''t explain ways to practise it!" Aiko continued to yell. "..." Mei cooled down completely from this. She did do that, but she didn''t expect that Aiko would combine those two... "In other words. It''s all Mei''s fault!" Aiko pouted. "That is indeed your-" Dai Lu tried to take Aiko''s side, but Mei''s quick, sharp glare shut her up. "I''m not finished with you!" Mei was livid at the fact that Dai Lu saw her naked. "But-" Dai Lu tried to defend herself, but Mei was ruthless. "No buts! You did it even if you didn''t have to!" Mei didn''t want to say out loud that she was angry at the fact that Dai Lu laughed so much that her stomach hurt. "Anyway! This has nothing to do with me, so I will be going." Aiko tried to stand up and sneak away, but Mei grabbed her haneri behind her neck and dragged Aiko back. "I''m also not finished with you!" Aiko''s face scrunched, it seemed she would not be able to get away for the time being... ... Mei was finished with Dai Lu and threw her outside. She turned around and stared at Aiko, who was shivering in the corner. "Don''t come closer, demon!" Aiko shouted. She didn''t want to be treated like Dai Lu. "Hehe~" Mei chuckled creepily. "Hiiii-!" Aiko started crying, which startled Mei. ''Why is she crying? I didn''t do all that much to them...'' Mei could not understand. Dai Lu got the lightest punishment there was! What Mei had forgotten was that the punishment was the lightest by the standards of the Immortal World and not any of the Mortal Words! As such, Dai Lu was pretty much aching all over her body! Mei tilted her head. ''It was just a light whipping. I would not use the same method on Aiko...'' She was bothered by Aiko''s reaction. "Aiko-" Mei gently spoke, which scared Aiko even more. "Hiii-!" Aiko cried even more than before, her tears were now actually forming two small puddles on her sides! ''What in the world...'' Mei didn''t understand what was wrong with Aiko, so she left her be, for the time being until she calmed down. ... ''Aiko passed out...'' Mei stared at her speechlessly. ''Such a troublemaker...'' She shook her head. She was not that upset that her clothes were destroyed, nor the fact that Aiko saw her naked, but she was angry because Aiko might actually hurt herself with that Technique. So Mei wanted to correct this before Aiko used it on herself, but she didn''t think it would end up in such a mess. Mei sighed, moving Aiko onto the bed. She lay next to Aiko observing her sleeping face. For the most part, Mei was too exhausted to care about Aiko sleeping with her, but she became more conscious now that she had more energy and didn''t need to sleep as much. Aiko was a cute beauty. Everyone would fall for her if given a chance, which bothered Mei. She was also bothered by the fact that she didn''t feel strange lying down next to her, in fact, it felt completely natural for her! ''What''s wrong with me...'' Mei rubbed her forehead. She didn''t understand why she was so gentle and defenceless against Aiko. ''It doesn''t make sense when you think about it.'' Mei narrowed her eyes. She was already betrayed and did her best to keep her distance from everyone and everything. Yet Aiko known as the wrecking boulder completely demolished her defences! ''She is the oddest thing that I have ever encountered and the fact that I''m used to it, bothers me greatly...'' Mei sighed. She gently caressed Aiko''s hair. Aiko squirmed a bit before giggling in her sleep. She was completely exhausted, so she would not wake up for quite some time... Chapter 296 – Leaving so soon?! "Ugh." Aiko lazily rolled around. "Slept well?" Mei noticed Aiko stirring around and spoke gently. "I had the strangest dream..." Aiko blinked a few times. Mei tilted her head. "What kind of dream?" "You abused the Grandmaster and then you wanted to abuse me. Ugh." Aiko shivered for some reason. "Good thing that it was just a dream, right?" Mei smiled, petting Aiko. Aiko nodded. "I don''t want such dreams again..." Mei glanced at the overly obedient Dai Lu, who was glaring at her. Mei made a throat-cutting motion, the message was obvious: Tell a Soul and the past will repeat itself. Dai Lu nodded like a meek child. Her body still ached from that whipping, but fortunately, she had not yet attained her Human body, otherwise she might''ve died there! Aiko groaned one last time before standing up and stretching. Mornings were the hardest on her since that was when her body was the heaviest, and her strength the weakest. "Oh right!" Aiko clapped her hands. "Mei! I learned the [Clea-" "No!" Mei instinctively blurted out. "But I trained on a dirty Cauldron..." Aiko whined. She spent so much time on it! "You need to learn how to clean clothes first!" Mei said sternly. She needed to prevent Aiko from destroying another set of her clothing! "Why clothing?" Aiko tilted her head. "Cauldrons are always the filthiest, so if you tried it on something else it would ruin that thing." Mei bullshitted her way out of this situation, since she still couldn''t understand how Aiko was able to destroy clothes. "Okay..." Aiko nodded. She was not really happy about the fact that she had to train on clothing before using the [Clean]. "Here are some disposable clothes that are dirty and hard to clean." Mei said gently. Aiko nodded and used clean on one piece, since it felt that if she used clean on the whole thing; she would get scolded by Mei. To Aiko''s shock, once she used [Clean], the clothing disappeared!? "See? That''s why you need to practise on clothing." Mei said gently, but her lips were twitching. She could see Dai Lu shaking her head from side to side like she was saying: "This is not normal!" Mei ignored her, and as long as Aiko didn''t notice, everything would be alright~! ... Aiko took a few days to train on clothing. For some reason, there was a constant steady supply until she learned how to not destroy clothing. Aiko still had some time before the Secret Realm, so she bothered Mei. "I want to complete the [Lightness Technique]." Aiko said. "You can''t complete it, since it''s ''Beast Adjusted'' form, but you can perfect it." Mei explained. "How does it differ from normal form?" Aiko tilted her head. "In the normal form, you use Dantian to circulate your Qi through meridians adjusting your own weight, so that you are lighter." Mei explained slowly. "Meanwhile, this adjusted form just spreads your Beast Core Energy in your body and thus is less effective." Mei said. "But I''m pretty quick with it?" Aiko didn''t understand how much lighter the normal version could get. "In this version... at most, branches won''t break under you." Mei said. "Meanwhile, the normal form would allow you to jump from leaf to leaf, even when they are falling!" She proclaimed enthusiastically. "It is important to master the normal version as there are also competitions about it and you can earn quite the sweet rewards!" Mei giggled. She already imagined how she would scam those old geezers off of their Treasures. "I can''t see myself defeating you..." Aiko blurted out. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. "That is because I have more experience." Mei soothed Aiko''s hair. "Once you train and gain experience, you will be able to catch up to me." She smiled gently. "I hope so..." Aiko narrowed her eyes. She hoped that she would be able to catch up to Mei. "I will train you in the Lightness Technique in your free time." Mei said. "We need to start stockpiling more things for the Secret Realm." She pondered on it. "Thanks to our new ''Technique'' Pills are no problem, so we should get some other gear like Talismans." She nodded to herself. Aiko left Mei to her own thoughts and returned to refine Pills. She wanted to reach [Alchemy Mastery: Mastered] before the Secret Realm if possible. Thanks to the numerous tests and everything around it, she was able to reach Level 8 already, but it feels like the last two Levels will be very difficult to accomplish while also training the [Lightness Technique]... ... Aiko trained with Mei in her free time and made Pills in the mornings in order to master that craft. She was getting better and better, but the time of the Secret Realm was mercilessly approaching. Aiko shook her head. She would not be able to master it, but at least she was able to reach [Alchemy Mastery: Lv.9]. This should be good enough. As for the training with Mei, it was not much different from when Aiko chased after Mei with her Divine Sense. She became more proficient in switching the two polarities of the Divine Sense and improved her control over both of them. The non-wolf form was easier to control since it didn''t have any thoughts and obeyed its master unconditionally, while the wolf form would sometimes pout or just not move at all. The wolf felt quite lazy at times which upset Aiko, but there was nothing she could do about this... ... The Blood Fox returned just as Aiko wanted to rush outside. "We are almost ready to leave." The Blood Fox smiled gently. It''s been a while since the last time she saw Aiko, but she learned how to somewhat control those voices, buying her the necessary time to locate Aiko in the Secret Realm. "What?! Already?!" Aiko thought that she still had a month to go! "We still need to travel to the Secret Realm with the Sect Flying Ship." The Blood Fox chuckled. "Nobody told me that!" Aiko''s eyes widened, which brought a chuckle out of the Blood Fox''s lips. "This is natural. Mei wanted you to focus on improving." The Blood Fox petted the small Aiko. "Tsk." Aiko clicked her tongue. This ruined quite a few plans that she wanted to do. One of which was to visit her ''disciple'' and get new clothing, but now she couldn''t do that! "When are we leaving?" Aiko asked. "Tomorrow or the day after." The Blood Fox said. Aiko''s face scrunched. "Well... shit." She sighed. "Fine, I will be ready." Aiko also wanted to wake up those Ghosts since they were asleep. Not just the one in the Lamp, but the one in the Primordial Soul Wood was also asleep! ''Curses.'' Aiko felt like she was chewing on something bitter. "Mei should''ve told me, this ruined way too many plans!" Aiko protested. "I will tell that to Mei." The Blood Fox smiled. "Now go prepare." ... {The Blood Fox visited the business where Mei was located.} "Aiko is upset with you." The Blood Fox had the biggest grin in her life. "Even if you try to get me angry, I know you are lying." Mei dismissed her. "She is upset that you didn''t tell her that she will have to leave soon. She was scrambling around like a headless chicken, cursing." The Blood Fox chuckled at Mei''s misfortune. "..." Mei didn''t say a thing. She thought that it would be better to keep Aiko in the dark so she could focus on improving... "Anything else?" Mei asked the Blood Fox with a disinterested tone. "Nothing much. The Twins are wreaking havoc and they said that they wanted to join the ''Rankings''." The Blood Fox said. "They are powerful, but they can get easily hurt. This Secret Realm will be a good experience for them as well as for Aiko." Mei said, shaking her head. "They both gained strength too quickly and are too powerful inside this Fox Village, but outside it''s different." Mei narrowed her eyes. "That is true." The Blood Fox agreed with Mei on this point. "How rare." Mei chuckled. It was rare for the Blood Fox to agree with her once her obsession over Aiko boiled over. "Not really." The Blood Fox shrugged. It was important for Aiko to learn the harsh lessons. "And here I thought that you said you didn''t want a partner." Mei said sarcastically. The Blood Fox snorted. "I could say the same about you, homewrecker." She believed that Aiko would be just with her if Mei didn''t constantly interfere. A spark flew between Mei and the Blood Fox. The muscular customers slowly stood up readying themselves to leave this place. Their movements were organized, like they were used to this thing. A small tear of blood left the Blood Fox''s hand and it turned into a large needle speeding towards Mei. Mei tiptoed to the side from her sitting position before creating a water ball that was as solid as a brick. She hurled it at the Blood Fox without hesitation. The Blood Fox created a barrier around her body from blood, but that shield was not stationary and constantly moved. This caused the heavy ball of water to ''bounce'' off of the barrier. There was a brief silence as the heavy ball of water passed a wall, completely obliterating it. Likewise, that needle from the Blood Fox passed through the wall cleanly. "Not bad." Mei nodded. "But the Secret Realm is no joke." She narrowed her eyes. "I know, I''m the weakest from the team currently, but I should be able to Evolve soon after the Secret Realm starts." The Blood Fox licked her lips. "Good." Mei nodded. "I would be bothered if Aiko would cry because you died somewhere in a ditch." "I can say the same about you, Mei. Your almighty status means nothing in the Secret Realm." The Blood Fox chuckled, covering half of her face with her hands that were hidden under a kimono. Another spark flew between them, but this time neither of them attacked. They stared at each other for a while before both of them at the same time looked away. The Blood Fox had to pack, so she couldn''t waste time on Mei. Likewise, Mei was collecting all the earnings to buy Talismans and Treasures that might help her, but most of them cost Sect Points, which she didn''t have much. "Oh, right." Mei suddenly paused. "Did you learn any Techniques?" "Our team doesn''t have enough Sect Points to visit the Manual Pavilion." The Blood Fox said. "I will try to arrange something once we return from the Secret Realm, so just bear with it." Mei sighed. She was so occupied that she completely forgot about this! "I will keep that in mind." The Blood Fox nodded. She already had a manual from her family, but she wouldn''t use it. Moreover, now was not the time to think about it as she still had to pack! Chapter 297 – Plaza and Aiko in action ''Couldn''t contact the Clothier. Couldn''t get more Treasures from that strange Bronze Fox. Couldn''t get a proper bed ready.'' Aiko listed a few things that she couldn''t get, since she was not ready to leave yet. The more she listed, the more upset she was. Aiko glared towards Mei who was with her team. "Aiko is really glaring at me..." Mei still didn''t believe that the Blood Fox spoke the truth. "I told you." The Blood Fox snorted. "Moreover, since we are boarding this ship she will be unable to do all that much." Aiko had already caused disaster on both of those flying ships, so there was no way that they would allow Aiko to run around freely. Aiko was waiting on the plaza with the others who would enter the Secret Realm. A lot of them stared at the small Aiko, some even glared. That is because Aiko''s team got a large portion of the ''seats'' that would allow them to enter the Secret Realm. Moreover, Mei''s fame and her team''s beauty spread far and wide, so much so that others thought that Aiko was sticking like a sore thumb! Aiko couldn''t care about the gazes, but she spotted a familiar duo. She sneaked towards them, since she was curious about them and if anything changed. The first one was the familiar ice Fox. She was as beautiful as Aiko could remember, not quite the beauty of her team, but beautiful enough to make most speechless. The ice Fox was around 170 cm tall with a D cup. She had waist-long light-blue white hair. Her eyebrows were decorated with ice crystals, giving her a mystic feeling. Likewise, her eyes were quite striking since it felt like there were ice crystal particles inside. Her lips were slightly light-bluish in colour, but it didn''t look unnatural. Her nose was small, like any Foxes'' would have. However, her two tails were half frozen, which upset Aiko. 3/10 would not even touch it! Meanwhile, the other was the likewise familiar burning Fox. The burning Fox was around 180 cm tall. He was quite gorgeous, but could not quite reach the ice Fox''s beauty. His hair was a mixture of orange, red, and yellow. His hair was likewise long, but not quite waist length. His eyebrows were quite striking since it felt like they were quietly burning. His lips were of the natural colour, but a bit redder due to the constant heat. His eyes gave off the feeling of an endless flame, slowly burning inside his soul. His tail was of normal length like the ice Fox''s, but his tail looked incredibly warm, maybe a bit too much, which concerned Aiko. 5/10 might try it later... "You are still trying to burn her." Aiko popped out of nowhere, scaring the both of them. "Ah, if it isn''t the little Vicious Cub." The Glacial Fox smiled. "You shouldn''t try to burn her, you know." Aiko nodded before gesturing towards the burning Fox. The Blazing Fox smiled wryly. Whenever this little Fox came, he would be wronged... "It''s nice to see you too." He smiled innocently. Aiko blinked a few times. For some reason, she didn''t really like this guy. "How are you doing?" Aiko asked the cold Fox. She was really nice, like a portable freezing bed. Aiko didn''t like the cold, but for some reason, she didn''t mind her coldness. "I''m doing well for a Glacial Fox." The Glacial Fox nodded gently and slipped her name into the sentence, since she knew that the little Vicious Cub would not remember her name. "And it''s thanks to this Blazing Fox." She also slipped the name of her partner, so that the little Fox wouldn''t give them strange nicknames. "Really?" Aiko turned towards the Blazing Fox. "I''m doing my best to keep her warm." The Blazing Fox smiled gently. "... how suspicious." Aiko narrowed her eyes. "What is?" The Blazing Fox tilted his head. "You are almost burning me, but you are just keeping her warm? Suspicious..." Aiko glanced at the Glacial Fox. The Glacial Fox laughed and hugged the small Aiko. "That is because of my Bloodline. While others would already burn, I would just feel warmth." She nudged Aiko, unfortunately, there was no longer any baby fat that she could pinch. "So he is like a portable warming pouch?" Aiko nodded gently. The Blazing Fox sipped his tea alongside the Glacial Fox. "Yes, but he likes to stab me during the night." The Glacial Fox sighed and commented. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. The Blazing Fox stiffened. "You shouldn''t stab her too much!" Aiko played the innocent card. The Blazing Fox tried to ignore the small Fox and enjoy his tea, but then something shocking happened. "So when are you expecting kids?" Aiko suddenly asked. Both of them choked, especially the Blazing Fox who was drinking tea. The coughing fit attracted a lot of attention, and most of the Foxes on the plaza stared towards him. The Glacial Fox was no better. Her face was completely red and she felt embarrassed, but at the same time she didn''t want to scold the little Fox, since she really wished for it... "Remember to pull out in time if you are not ready! You can''t make her happy if you are so incompetent that you choke on tea!" Aiko suddenly proclaimed. Those stories from her team did a number on her mind. The Blazing Fox choked even more, he didn''t know if he should be happy or livid at the little Fox! "But at least you are both in good health." Aiko nodded happily. "It was all thanks to the wonderful business that you created." The Glacial Fox soothed the little Vicious Cub''s hair. "I did?" Aiko tilted her head. "The Massage House?" Glacial Fox tried her best to divert the little Fox''s attention, so that she wouldn''t return with more things to say about them. "Oh... I wondered why some chairs were burned, while others were completely frozen." Aiko sighed. Those two problems were the hardest to repair, since too many things were destroyed in the process and she had to straight up replace them. Both of them choked again. If they got a bit too excited they would do that, but it was not that often! "You also obtained 3 tails, must be nice..." The Glacial Fox sighed. She only had two tails, since she didn''t want to complete the ''coming of age'' ceremony. She just completely froze a few Souls and felt like she could gain a tail from it, so she did. "Yeeeeah." Aiko innocently looked away. It was a good idea to activate the [Heavenly Suppression Technique] in advance. Mei also included that Rune or whatever on her hand so that Aiko could use it constantly if needed. "The massages felt amazing, although it''s a bit sad that there was no happy e- Ugh." The Blazing Fox conversed with them until the Glacial Fox hit his side with her elbow. "What was that?" The Glacial Fox was smiling, but not really smiling. "Nothing." The Blazing Fox shivered. He was so used to visiting the Heavenly Massage Parlour that he completely forgot that he was in the presence of his partner! "Good." She nodded with a strange laughter. "So, when are the kids coming?" Aiko asked again and they both choked again. "What?" Aiko tilted her head. "You have such a harmonious relationship, so it''s only obvious something would be coming, no?" The Blazing Fox coughed awkwardly, he was happy with this kind of praise. The Glacial Fox shifted shyly, while the Blazing Fox had his issues; she was quite happy with him. Then all of a sudden, another pair of Foxes approached. Aiko only remembered the Shadow Fox from the tests, but she knew nothing about the other one. "It''s nice to see you again!" The unknown Fox laughed haughtily. She was quite small, but not as small as Aiko around 150~cm, but she was as flat as it gets. Her hair was somewhat short, which was rare, only reaching shoulder-length. She had similar colours to the Blazing Fox, but with a mixture of brown. Her eyebrows were quite stiff and unappealing. Her lips were a bit too big for her small face. However(!), Her tail looked like it was smashed by a hammer. It was so flat that Aiko almost mistook it for a beaver tail! Aiko was worried about its state! 0/10 would never get even close to it! "It''s nice to see you." Aiko nodded towards the Shadow Fox. "Hello." The Dark Fox shyly hid behind her partner. "I''m Shy Shadow." She murmured, but Aiko had superior hearing, so she heard everything. The Shy Shadow looked quite nice. She was around 165~cm, with a modest C- bust. Her hair was dark, like Aiko''s in her shadow form. Her hair was around mid-back length. She looked slightly similar to Yuxi, but she didn''t have any cute markings or makeup-like enhancements. She looked a bit dull since she was a bit too shy. Her lips were nice and kissable. Her eyes were kind, but shy. Fortunately, her long tail looked amazing, 7/10 would definitely give it a go. "Nice to meet you." Aiko was polite for the first time in a long time, since she felt comfortable talking to them. "And I''m the Exploding Fox!" The unknown Fox proudly said. Aiko tilted her head, then tilted again and lastly gently slammed her fist into her palm. "Ah! You are the Boom-Boom Squirrel!" Aiko proclaimed. The Exploding Fox went red in the face and there was an outburst of laughter on the plaza from the surrounding Foxes. The Exploding Fox was haughty, since her firepower through her explosions was unrivalled. As such, she believed that even the infamous Vicious Cub would show her infatuated expression. "What?" Aiko tilted her head when she saw that glare. "The last time I saw you was when you were desperately running away from my Blood Fox." Aiko didn''t understand why she was being glared at and why others were laughing. She was quite ignorant when it came to the events inside the Fox Village, but she couldn''t be blamed, since she worked a bit too hard inside the Grandmaster''s Abode. The Exploding Fox went even redder remembering that humiliation. "Oh? If it isn''t another small Fox." The Blood Fox came, as she thought there was something fun happening with Aiko in the middle. "Yeah. It''s the one you almost ate for breakfast." Aiko nodded gently. The Exploding Fox exploded and turned around, wanting to shout at the Blood Fox. Unfortunately for her, the Blood Fox''s stunning beauty made her speechless. "As an apology, be my servant!" The Exploding Fox blurted out. Everyone turned silent, none expected this turn of events. "Oho?" The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes and a chill went down the Exploding Fox''s spine. It seems like she suffered quite the psychological scars from the Fox Village testing grounds. Then, suddenly, she felt another pair of eyes staring at her, but they were even more bone-chilling than what the Blood Fox demonstrated. The Exploding Fox hurriedly turned around to see the origin. It was the Vicious Cub?! How is that possible?! Aiko smiled and everyone in the plaza shivered. They still remembered that smile, the smile that and action that earned her that nickname! "How about I take over and take good care of you~" Aiko wasn''t really smiling since someone was trying to steal her comfortable bed and caretaker. Aiko pulled out a flag out of her Storage Ring. It was ''given'' to her by Mei. The whole plaza took a step back, especially the Exploding Fox. "W-w-what nonsense!" The Exploding Fox yelled out. Aiko tilted her head innocently. "Oh, I know!" Aiko clapped her hands innocently. "You would prefer something like this, right?" She stored the 1 cm in diameter flag and pulled out the 10 cm one. The whole plaza was now huddled in a corner. Aiko''s first impression was too strong! Not to mention the current cute and innocently looking Vicious Fox! Chapter 298 – Other Foxes Aiko kept sitting on the Glacial Fox''s lap. She was wondering why everyone was so huddled up together... At that point, her team came to her. "It''s nice to see you in good health, Jade Fox." The Glacial Fox giggled. "How are you doing, Glacial Fox?" Mei smiled. "It''s nice to have some company other than my brash partner." The Glacial Fox laughed. "I can agree on that." When she ''obtained'' Aiko in that forest, there was no time when she felt bored, as long as Aiko was around. "You look much more lively than when we started." The Glacial Fox smiled gently. "Do I?" Mei raised her eyebrow. She didn''t believe that she changed all that much. "Alright, alright." Aiko interrupted them. "You can talk, just don''t talk over me, or wait till we board the ship!" She pouted. Aiko stood up and stretched. "How long are we going to wait? I don''t want to be here in the morning." She snorted unhappily. "They should arrive soon." Mei nodded. It would be a bad idea if Aiko was here in the morning. "What happens in the morning?" The Blazing Fox was curious. "If you swear loyalty to me, I might consider telling you." Mei narrowed her eyes. "We are good, for the time being." The Glacial Fox rejected the Jade Fox for the time being. She didn''t know how powerful they were, so she wanted to stay neutral for as long as possible. Mei shrugged, but didn''t press on. She didn''t want to obtain others by force, it would be her loss if she did that, as they would be more prone for betrayal. Soon after, an Elder arrived at the plaza with a strange expression. "What''s going on here?" Elder Lin had the strangest expression, but then he spotted the other group. "Do you have to cause a ruckus even when I''m in charge?" Grandpa Lin sighed. "Did you get a promotion, Grandpa?" Aiko tilted her head. "Promotion, my a- Anyway! What happened here?!" Grandpa Lin almost cursed out loud, but he would not be caught in her pace! "How would I know? I didn''t do anything... yet." Aiko shrugged innocently. Grandpa Lin''s lips twitched. "Whatever, is everyone ready to embark?" He asked as the leading Elder. "We are, but we don''t know anything about them." Aiko pointed at the huddled Foxes, none of them meeting her eye. Grandpa Lin glanced at them and they nodded like their life depended on it. "What''s wrong with those two?" He pointed at the frozen stiff Exploding Fox with her partner. "How would I know?" Aiko snorted unhappily. So many questions, can''t they just fly already?! Grandpa Lin sighed and pulled out a small ship. "Whoa!" Aiko immediately scurried next to him, startling him. ''What kind of speed-!'' Grandpa Lin was genuinely shocked. "You have improved." He blurted out. "Yeah." Aiko nodded, but didn''t pay much attention to him. "But isn''t this a bit too small?" Aiko tilted her head. The ship was slightly bigger than Lin''s hand. "It will become bigger." Grandpa Lin smiled. Aiko stared at him suspiciously, like she was staring at a madman. Grandpa Lin chuckled and let go of the small ship. It slowly floated around, becoming bigger and bigger. "Whoa! I want that." Aiko''s eyes sparkled. She could store and traverse easily with this! Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. "It''s not for sale." Grandpa Lin blurted out. "This ship is an old Treasure. It can''t be made again." "Can I research it?" Aiko glanced at him. "You think you can recreate it?" Grandpa Lin snorted unhappily. "As long as it''s in the Runic language." Aiko nodded. Grandpa Lin was startled. "I will notify my Master later." He couldn''t say yes, since he didn''t expect the little Fox to know such ancient language... ... Everyone slowly gathered around the now enlarged ship. It looked much more majestic than the flying ship used for the Inscription Test. "My Master will also be joining, so we can''t bring him shame." Grandpa Lin spoke quietly to the small Fox. "Mmmmm..." Aiko didn''t care about his Master, she just wanted to research this thing. "Elder Punisher?" A somewhat familiar Fox came close to them. The Thunder Fox was tall at 180~cm. His hair was short and strange, like he was hit by lightning, its colour was a mixture of white, light-blue, and purple. His eyebrows were strange, they had a zigzag pattern. Moreover, His lips were small, smaller than most females would have, but with a natural pinkish-red colour. His tail was in a similar state as his hair and Aiko was not willing to touch it! 2/10 would not get close to it! "What is it?" Grandpa Lin sighed. This Fox was too familiar to him. "Will Vicious Cub be attending?" The Thunder Fox gently smiled. Grandpa Lin''s eyebrows twitched. "Why, yes." He was tired of couples making out in front of him! "Oh, where?" The Thunder Fox looked around like he was looking for his lover. Aiko and her team were sick from that gaze, so much so that Aiko almost planted a flag into his ass, but was stopped by the Elder Lin. "Don''t cause trouble. I already have too much to deal with." Grandpa Lin pushed Aiko onto the ship, since he already wanted to depart! He can''t deal with lustful Foxes! ... Aiko and her team took the forecastle of the ship. It was nice and breezy over there. "How long will our journey take?" Aiko suddenly asked. "At most a few days, since this Flying Ship is much faster than Fox Village''s Flying Ships." Mei answered that question since she was the most familiar with this type of transportation. Aiko nodded. "What happened with the other Foxes from the test?" She was slightly curious about how they were doing. "They are either enslaved or dead. There are a few exceptions, like the Glacial and Blazing Fox." Mei answered, since it was not wise to keep this from Aiko. Aiko nodded. "Well. That can''t be helped." Aiko didn''t hold any remorse or affection for them since their time was brief, but this was a good demonstration that this Fox Village was not a good place to be in. "When do we leave this Fox Village?" Aiko suddenly asked. She was bothered by the scale of this world. "We need to wait for the envoy from the mainland. We can''t traverse the vast ocean without them." Mei sighed. She didn''t want to deal with them and she also couldn''t ignore them. "How long?" Aiko asked again. "A few dozen years? I''m not sure..." Mei sighed. "The envoy would always come when the ''time is ripe'', but that is just a bullshit excuse to ''I don''t want to bother coming to your island''." Mei sighed again. She didn''t like those envoys, since all of them were bastards! "Can we traverse the sea with this?" Aiko tapped the ship. "It''s tied to someone''s Soul, so don''t even try to steal it." Mei chuckled and soothed the pouting Aiko. "Why does everything need to be tied to a Soul!?" Aiko''s thieving soul was restless by the fact that the most wondrous Treasures were tied to the Soul. "Mistress." Yuxi smiled. "If you can get our species, you can rip those Treasures from their Soul." Wanshu also nodded to what Yuxi was saying. She loved her current species since it was the same as her partner¡¯s, but she also was able to steal soul-based equipment. Aiko nodded. That was her plan, she also planned to level up once she was inside the Secret Realm so that she could steal all the treasures! "Don''t steal too much. You can only store so much." Mei sighed. Aiko smirked. "You have nothing to worry about~!" Aiko already stored Feifei in her tails along with a bit of food and other pieces. This would allow Feifei to survive until they went into the Secret Realm. "''She'' is too weak, so don''t pressure her too much." Mei was worried that Aiko would destroy such an incredible seedling. It was important to keep Feifei in good health, so she could be very useful in the Immortal World... "I knooow." Aiko said unhappily. Mei would bother her with Feifei, since she didn''t believe Aiko would take good care of her. "What else should I do?" Aiko shook her head. "You can take as many Treasures as you can." Mei said. "Gotcha. Should we have some kind of rendezvous?" Aiko asked Mei. "Your team can find you through contract, while I can find you through that ''tattoo''." Mei smiled gently. "It''s quite useful." Aiko liked the fact that the tattoo on her hand could reduce the consumption of the [Heavenly Suppression Technique]. "Keep it going for as long as possible." Mei said sternly. "If you are found out... leave no witnesses alive." Mei chuckled darkly, but this kind of outcome would be for the best. Otherwise, Aiko might be in danger once the Human Hunters find her abnormality. ''We need to buy time before we have a strong backing.'' Mei narrowed her eyes. "Got it, got it." Aiko nodded her head. She knew that Mei was not joking and Aiko was not against silencing them if it helped her. "What about you?" Mei asked the others. "I plan to Cultivate to a higher Beast Rank." The Blood Fox said. "We will just explore, get around with Aiko and stuff." Yuxi said and Wanshu pouted. It was a good idea to keep Yuxi just for herself, so she would delay a bit to enjoy her partner. Mei nodded happily. It seems like none of them underestimated the Secret Realm. "If you feel like you are losing control, go to Aiko for some cuddles." Mei sighed. She didn''t like to say this, but since they were Demonic Foxes, they needed that soothing aura that Aiko was giving off. The trio nodded. While Yuxi didn''t have all that many issues, the same could not be said for the Blood Fox and Wanshu. They needed to recharge from time to time. "We will spend a few years there if nothing bad happens. So be prepared." Mei gestured. "What?" Aiko was startled, wasn''t it just a one-year kind of thing? "What?" Mei tilted her head. "We are going there for a few years. Didn''t you know?" Aiko''s eyebrow twitched. She really wanted to scold Mei and her ''common sense''! Mei coughed awkwardly when she saw Aiko''s relentless gaze. "Well, I say years, but we can leave whenever we want." Mei corrected her attitude, since she couldn''t bear Aiko''s gaze. Chapter 299 – Secret Realm explanation "What else didn''t you tell me?" Aiko asked sternly. Mei choked. She was not used to this type of Aiko. "The Secret Realm is not that big." Mei awkwardly spoke. "And?" Aiko kept staring at Mei. "The Beasts inside are much stronger than outside." "And?" "We will separate after entering the Secret Realm." "Hmhm." "There is a pseudo-day-night cycle, but it''s mostly night." "Uh..." "Beasts are also stronger at night and can sniff blood from greater distances." "Huh..." "There are also some unique Beasts that have Bloodlines, which are incomparably stronger than their normal counterparts." "Alright, stop." Aiko stopped Mei. "This feels like we are walking towards our death." She snorted unhappily. Mei coughed. "You are not exactly wrong, since we will get suppressed if we fight Humans." Aiko sighed. She knew about that part, but with stronger monsters... What if during a hunt, she is attacked by Humans? She will definitely get killed or at best gravely injured! Aiko didn''t want to participate since it seemed troublesome, but then she thought about it. "Can''t I use that special bracelet to hide my animalistic features?" Aiko suddenly asked. "Those bracelets won''t work inside." Mei shook her head. "Huh?" Aiko looked completely stupid. "Not even the necklace?" She hoped that at least the necklace would work. "It should work... somewhat." Mei smiled wryly. She was also concerned about this part. It was obvious that others would hunt Aiko if they found her to be to their liking. "Ughhhh." Aiko didn''t like that at all, considering that she would eat the system meat to quickly level up. "It should be alright, probably." Mei gently soothed Aiko. "That last word was uncalled for!" Aiko yelled. Mei laughed. "You will be alright. Your [Lightness Technique] has improved greatly and while it''s still not perfected, it should give you enough edge against normal Humans. "Let''s hope that it really works..." Aiko sighed. ... The journey was uneventful, probably because all the major Sects were participating. The other Foxes on the Flying Ship did not approach the group with Aiko in the lead, since they were absolutely terrified of them. The Elders wondered why the Foxes were too scared, but their own pride would not allow them to go around and ask them about it. They were old and majestic. How could they approach those younglings to sate their curiosity, they should be telling the Elders what happened without the Elders needing to approachs them! There were also no flying Beasts nearby, so it would not turn like before when Aiko had a peck-slapping contest. At the end of this flight, when Aiko had just talked with her team, she spotted other Flying Ships, but most of them paled in comparison, except for the west one. It was still patched up, but it looked more majestic than if you combined the others together. ... The Flying Ships landed and everyone embarked. There was this strange tension between the North and South, while the West watched and the East was, like always, late. Aiko felt a strange sense of deja vu, but it shouldn''t be possible, right? The Humans didn''t feel united, even between their own ranks, they were glaring at each other. This would definitely be a messy Secret Realm. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Aiko decided to avoid all the Humans and just scavenge around. Her main goal was to use this Secret Realm to Evolve and finally get a bigger form. She was quite bothered by the constant switching between big and small. The Humans were quite far away and probably had some kind of Treasure, since Aiko could not hear them at all. Mei also had a dissatisfied expression on her face, but seeing that she had the Recognition Inhibition Bracelet... it seemed like it was not because they stared at her. Looking at her team Aiko noticed that they likewise had Recognition Inhibition Bracelets. They won''t work inside, but this is a good idea outside as they won''t attract as much attention. The surroundings were plains mixed with sparse trees. Aiko could not see any difference from normal plains. How will they enter the Secret Realm? What actually was a Secret Realm? Aiko had a few questions that she previously didn''t have, since she believed that there would be some kind of teleportation Array or some kind of gate leading into the Secret Realm, but nothing like that appeared. The grass was green and the trees were slouched, nothing out of the ordinary in this place. "So, where is it?" Aiko couldn''t bear it and asked Mei. "Secret Realms are hidden until they show themselves. We have a day left before it opens." Mei said. "But the Secret Realm was supposed to manifest much later?" Aiko tilted her head. "Yes and no. It will manifest sooner, but you can enter it even later." Mei explained. "What our Fox Village set up is different from others. We get to go in ''first'' in order to get more Treasures." Mei sighed. Those old geezers were fools, no matter how much Foxes tried, they would always be overshadowed by most other Beasts. The other Beasts didn''t have smaller Beast Cores, so they could fight much longer without the worry of expending all of their Beast Core Energy. This put Foxes at a disadvantage, but also caused them to be weaker. The capacity of Beast Core gave a boost to other stats too, especially in insight. Most other Beasts learned things much faster than normal Foxes. "It will be hard, but a good learning experience." Mei smiled gently. She was prepared to rob a few things before seeking out Aiko, so it should be fine to leave them to her shenanigans... right? Mei was unsure if this was a good idea, but she trusted Aiko that she wouldn''t create THAT big of a mess. The Blood Fox looked around. Her brother was nowhere to be seen. She wondered if he didn''t join this expedition. It was possible, since he was busier than ever, but this Secret Realm was still a precious experience... The Twins looked around curiously. This would be the first time for both of them. They also attracted a ton of attention since they looked almost the same, which stroked the perverted fantasies of the Humans... Aiko didn''t like the attention her team was getting, even with the Recognition Inhibition Bracelets. Unfortunately, she couldn''t really do anything about it since there were too many of them. She might have a few millions in Stamina, but that didn''t mean it was bottomless. If they really tried, they would be able to wear her down. ''Millions...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. She became quite the tank, but she still didn''t want to push her luck. ''It would be a pain to regenerate all of it.'' Aiko sighed. "What''s wrong?" Mei asked. She was on high alert, now that they would be entering the Secret Realm. "Nothing, just bothersome stares." Aiko shook her head. Mei nodded silently, even if she had prepared the Recognition Inhibition Bracelets; Human nature was filthy and revolting. "So we will wait here till tomorrow or what?" Aiko asked. "We will be setting up camps around. This is sort of preparation or training for when you enter the Secret Realm." Mei gestured. "Do we have to too?" Aiko tilted her head. "No. We are a Beast, so our camps are simple in nature. This is mostly for Humans." Mei answered. "Then what are we doing here so early?" Aiko felt like she was chewing something distasteful. She couldn''t believe that they would fly here so early and just stand here and do nothing! "You got ''that'' Jade Slip?" Mei asked. "En." Aiko nodded. "I will take it from you for this Secret Realm. There are too many thieves around." Mei sighed. "Could they plunder it from the Storage Ring?" Aiko tilted her head. "There is a Technique like that. It allows you to steal one object from any Storage Ring but it''s completely random, still let''s not risk it." Mei shook her head. "How about my tails?" Aiko was concerned that someone would just steal Feifei. "I have no idea how your tails do that, so..." Mei sighed, Aiko was simply beyond her understanding! "Oh..." It seems like Aiko would have to experiment later with this, but right now she doesn''t have any collaborators with such a Technique... ''Wait a moment!'' "What if I got that Technique?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. "You don''t have a Dantian yet, so you can''t use it." Mei chuckled at the silly little Fox. "Ugh." Aiko didn''t like the fact that the most entertaining things were on the Human side. "You will reach that point one day and then you can learn anything you want." Mei soothed Aiko. "Aren''t you close to the Human Form?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. "Yes. Just one more Evolution and I can obtain it, but it''s not that simple." Mei shook her head. "Depending on the number of Bloodlines and your personal strength, the worse the Transformation Heavenly Lightning becomes." Mei sighed. "Oh...... Oh, shit!" Aiko cursed openly, didn''t she just give her Twins those Bloodlines?! Did she sabotage them?! Seeing Aiko''s sour expression, Mei tilted her head. "What did you do?" "I gave the Twins more Bloodlines." Aiko groaned unhappily. Mei almost fainted on the spot, but was supported by the Blood Fox. "It would not be good to show weakness." The Blood Fox whispered. She didn''t really like Mei. But at the same time, they were in the same team, so support was necessary. Mei nodded and massaged her head. This was getting more and more ridiculous! "They should be fine, since they also need personal strength." Mei tried to calm herself down. She definitely didn''t want another Bloodline, since she knew that her personal strength was out of this world! It would be bad if the difficulty increased. "Oh right." Aiko suddenly remembered. "I created these low-grade Treasures. They protect us from poisons." She made them quickly in her spare time, but they were much better than what she gave her team previously. "Oh..." Mei nodded. She didn''t expect Aiko to give them something like that. "It doesn''t work on all poisons, but it''s better than nothing." Aiko nodded to herself, trying to stay calm. "Let''s make a camp and I will distribute what I have on me." Mei smiled gently. She wanted to distribute it right before the Secret Realm, but it would be a better idea to do that now. Aiko and the team can ask about them, which will make everything safer for everyone! Chapter 300 – Tools and Secret Realm Mei distributed her own things to everyone. "This is an Escape Talisman. It will move you to a different location once you tear it." Mei said. "The distance is around 1 mile." "This is a Suppression Talisman. If you stick it on Beasts, it will temporarily weaken them." Mei gestured towards another Talisman. This continued for quite some time as Mei bought a lot of things. ... Aiko gathered her Spirit Stone with Mei''s help. She now has 100,000 Spirit Stones just to round it up. Her team likewise got a share, so that they could use it in the Secret Realm. "Not every secret in the Secret Realm needs might, to be obtained. Some need wealth and other things, so don''t be shy and use those Spirit Stones when needed." Mei gestured. Everyone nodded. Now that everyone had a ton of different Talismans, their safety skyrocketed. Aiko nodded most of the time, listening quietly. She was bothered by the fact that other Foxes either fucked or slept instead of getting ready for the Secret Realm. Aiko was suspicious why so many came when only a few dozen were allowed inside. The others were just toys for those that wanted to enter! Aiko shook her head in displeasure, especially at the Thunder Fox that was still looking around for the Vicious Cub. "Do not tell anyone your name. Use the nickname, no matter how shitty they are. They are a good protection so they can''t completely subdue your mind if you get accidentally contracted." Mei said. "Such a simple contract can still be torn down in a few dozen years, but I would prefer it if none of you got contracted." Mei didn''t really mind the others, but it would be a problem if Aiko threw a tantrum and went around destroying Sects. Everyone nodded, they all knew about this, except Aiko. Aiko groaned unhappily. She didn''t want to use her nickname because it was really, really shitty! Mei moved closer to Aiko to soothe her. "It''s fine, it''s just a temporary thing and after this Realm you will get a new nickname." "Will it be less shitty than this one?" Aiko groaned, shaking her head. She didn''t believe that those Elders could come up with something normal. Their naming scheme was like this: Mix element and their attitude if they are mediocre Foxes. Mix element/s and Fox if they are impressive Foxes. Mix higher grade element/s and Fox if they are incredible Foxes. Mix attitude or visage and Fox if they can''t properly gauge your value. That is, if the value is above those ''incredible'' Foxes. Aiko groaned again, she didn''t like their shitty naming scheme, couldn''t they give her some kind of normal nickname? She didn''t do THAT much to earn this nickname! ... The time flew past quickly and a huge Flying Ship approached this place. At the helm was a huge thundering bull. He steered the ship effortlessly, letting it fly down elegantly, like he had practised for thousands of years. A staircase made out of Qi appeared out of nowhere. The Beasts descended upon these with pride, attracting everyone''s attention. Especially the fragile beauty in the front, which Aiko was familiar with. "Oh! It''s the girl that helped me!" Aiko spoke loudly, since she didn''t expect to meet her here. This attracted everyone''s attention, they snorted or smiled with glee. Nobody would claim that since they would be beaten up by the thundering bull! The fragile Dragon girl blinked a few times towards the voice. She spotted the little mischievous Fox and smiled gently, waving towards the little Fox. Aiko could hear coughing and tea spilling from everywhere, like this kind of situation was completely abnormal. Even the bull was taken aback. "Who is that?" He asked the Jade Dragon. "A dear friend that helped me." Yueying answered without batting an eye, while the Thunder Bull took good care of her; his obsession... was not pleasant. The Thundering Bull grimaced, he didn''t want another competition, but he couldn''t openly challenge that tiny brat since it seemed like the Jade Dragon liked her. Aiko didn''t go over there, since she didn''t want to deal with that glaring bastard. "Let''s talk later once the livestock isn''t around." Aiko shouted towards the Dragoness. The Thundering Bull almost lost his mind. He wanted to charge at that brat right away, but he was stopped by the Sect Leader. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ''Is that the little Fox?'' The Sect Leader sent a telepathic voice to Yueying. ''En.'' Yueying smiled happily. ''She is good at instigating things...'' The Sect leader sighed. ''It''s all because of that ability that you got to know what others did to me.'' Yueying shrugged like she didn''t care. She was a lovely little Fox, so a bit of mischief was only natural. ''You are the strangest Dragon.'' The Sect Leader shook his head. ''Most would go after wealth or shiny things, yet you...'' He sighed. He wished that his little pupil would choose a good match from Beasts, but it seemed like she liked cute little things more. ''Don''t underestimate her. I think that she will wipe half of this Secret Realm alone.'' Yueying smiled from ear to ear. While others couldn''t see it... she could. That huge, towering Beast was now watching over the little Fox. It was quite... terrifying. The Sect Leader didn''t say anything more. He adjusted his speed and sent a telepathic message to everyone to not antagonise the little Fox. He knew that most would not listen, but it was better than not saying anything. The different Sects didn''t talk with each other. Everyone had their own camp and the Elders just glared at each other. Some also smirked, since they believed that their disciples would wreak havoc, but that was mostly from the East who didn''t see THAT phenomenon caused by a single Fox. The North and South prepared quite a lot of tools to subdue that majestic Beast, from sleeping powder to enraging powder. Talismans to reduce physical and mental strength and other things. They were all geared up for an all-out war against a single Fox! Aiko was completely unaware of this, but this would be quite the rowdy Secret Realm! Everyone waited, but Aiko hoped that the Secret Realm would open already. At this speed, she would enter slightly before she would turn into her big form which would be a big trouble! ... As fate would hate it, the Secret realm really opened just before her transformation. Not just Aiko, but everyone in her team frowned at this. It felt like Aiko was targeted by everyone and it would be bad if Aiko were harmed by them! For some reason everyone allowed the Foxes to go in first. Aiko didn''t wait for anyone''s signal and jumped inside alongside her team. She needed to find some kind of hiding hole to spend the morning before she could explore! [You have entered the Secret Realm: The Last Golden Chicken!] Aiko''s face twitched at that name. Who would in their right mind call it like that?! [This Secret Realm has a hidden Spirit Beast that lays Qi-infused eggs.] [Those eggs can be eaten or cooked with other Spiritual Food to bring forth drastic changes!] Aiko blinked a few times. ''This is not bad.'' She finally arrived inside the Secret Realm. It was nighttime, a very dark nighttime. Fortunately, thanks to her [Dark Vision], that was no problem for her. She arrived inside a deep forest. Even with [Dark Vision], it was hard to say what kind of colours this forest had. It felt eerie, even spine-chilling. Aiko shook her head. She didn''t have any idea where she was, but her [Intention Perception] screamed at her to run. Aiko was unable to transform into her small form to be able to hide, so she used her Skills and Abilities to run away. It was unwise to go under the ground since Aiko didn''t know where exactly the danger was. It felt like it was all around her, but that was impossible, right?! Aiko dashed between trees when a huge piece of rock almost smashed into her. "What the fuck?!" Aiko instinctively cursed, since she was almost smashed by that huge piece of rock. ''Did someone rip it from a mountain or something?!'' Aiko noticed large fingers that dug into the rock. She could do something similar, but the concerning thing was the fact that those fingerprints were huge! Aiko ran again, but something that she didn''t want to happen happened to her. *Poof* She turned into the big form! Aiko cursed, but a spine-chilling roar wreaked havoc behind her. A huge pair of golden eyes stared at her. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" Aiko immediately dashed, but she was incredibly slow. It felt like those eyes were toying with her since they kept throwing huge rocks around her, but never at her. Her alluring scent attracted more and more Beasts, as more and more rocks flew at her. None truly harmed her, but she noticed that her Stamina was depleting strangely quickly. Aiko decided that this couldn''t last any longer and dived underground. A booming sound sounded behind her. It felt like the ground distorted under her. [You have been hit by Golden Ape''s Beast Core Energy!] [You are vulnerable underground!] [-436,000 HP] ''What the fuck!'' If Aiko didn''t become a tank, she would be one-shotted by that stupid ape! She couldn''t believe how powerful that stupid ape was! Aiko coughed up blood which immediately soaked into the ground. [Encountered invigorating ground.] [You have recovered 10,000 HP.] ''...'' Aiko was completely speechless, but didn''t stop her movement until she couldn''t feel the [Intention Perception] screaming at her. It seems like the stupid ape finally gave up and Aiko was temporarily safe. Aiko emerged from the ground, but everything felt quite sticky. A sound that she never wanted to hear appeared all around her... "... I hate this place!" Aiko screamed loudly. She was in a nest of spiders and she could hear them crawl all around! Aiko immediately dived into the ground again and moved even further away. She popped her head out of the ground. *Slither Slither* "Fuck!" Aiko immediately went underground again and this time she encountered snakes! She crawled under the ground once again, slowly losing hope... ... "Ugh..." Aiko arrived in a meadow. Her [Intention Perception] no longer screamed and she didn''t hear any strange noises that would alert her. "I hate this place..." She didn''t have the strength to scream, as almost all of her resources were rock bottom. Her body was damaged several times, so it was aching badly. Fortunately, she wasn''t really bleeding, just her internal organs were messed up from the sudden intrusion of foreign energies. "I need to tame some kind of Beast in order to survive in this place..." Aiko groaned unhappily. She was too weak in this form, so she needed someone to cover for her. "That Ape was particularly scary..." Aiko whined. She shuffled her body towards a nearby nook inside a tree. It was not occupied, so she used her overly large tails to wrap herself to sleep. Completely unaware that something was watching her. ... ''A... Fox, huh?'' The large Beast tilted his head. This Fox popped out of nowhere with the scent of something incredibly delicious. Fortunately for her, this Beast was too old to care about those things. ''She really doesn''t care about me...(?)'' The Beast was puzzled, most would immediately run away from here just because they saw him. Yet this fearless Fox just slept in his presence! The Beast smelled blood. The grass bloomed and everything was nurtured. He narrowed his eyes gently. ''Is she so injured that she couldn''t care?'' He tilted his head. The Beast didn''t really care, so it closed its eyes and wondered if he would be woken up in the morning... ... The small Fox woke up only a few days later. The Beast also noticed that she shrunk and enlarged periodically. He blinked his eyes several times and thought that he already went senile, but that was not the case. The little ball of fur unwrapped, revealing a small Fox donned in a small Kimono. The Beast met the eyes of the Fox. Aiko blinked a few times. ''Was that Beasts always there?!'' Her [Intention Perception] didn''t say anything, so she was unaware of it! "You are finally awake." The Beast nodded. Aiko jumped, startled. "You can talk?!" "That''s only natural!" The Beast growled with displeasure. Chapter 301 – Aiko and kind Dragon Aiko had a staring contest with the visibly old Dragon. "You are a grandpa." Aiko nodded gently. She could see veins appear on his forehead, but it was also obvious that he wouldn''t hurt her. "You little brat, show some respect to the Elders!" The Dragon ''roared'' with ''anger'', but his eyes were quite gentle. It''s been a while since anyone didn''t run away from him due to fear. "Oh! Sacred, majestic, magnificent, Divine Dragon!" Aiko was waving her body like she was praying towards the Dragon, but her movement was so comical that it actually angered him for real. "You pesky brat!" The Dragon growled. "That''s me~!" Aiko raised her hand. She liked to play with the elderly, since they were fun to tease~. The Dragon rolled his eyes. He never met someone like this! This was actually quite entertaining! "So what brings you here?" The overly large Dragon spoke. Aiko was so tiny compared to him that it was laughable. "I was running away from apes, spiders, and snakes." Aiko narrated her experience and the Dragon could only blink. "How did you survive the 4 Disasters?" The Dragon was shocked at Aiko, who was able to survive meeting them. "I went underground." Aiko tilted her head. "What are you, a mole?" The Dragon chuckled. "Don''t call me a mole!" Aiko yelled unhappily. "Have you ever seen a Beast with such a beautiful tail!?" She hugged one of her tails to show him properly. The Dragon stared at it for a bit before shaking his head. "I did." He smirked. "Wha-! I call bullshit!" Aiko roared angrily. No way in hell did that Dragon see a mole with such a beautiful tail. The Dragon laughed heartily. He was having the time of his life. "Don''t laugh at me!" Aiko growled at him. She didn''t like him at all! The Dragon kept laughing: his booming voice scared all the animals and Beasts away. "I have never seen such an overly-conscious Fox." The Dragon chuckled. "Who is overly conscious?!" Aiko roared again, for some reason this old Dragon really angered her. The Dragon laughed again. "Come closer, keep me company." "But I want to explore this Secret Realm!" Aiko pouted. She also wanted to Evolve, but she worried that the disaster she might cause would destroy this Secret Realm. "That can wait." The Dragon was quite impatient. He wanted to spend his last moments with someone as energetic and cheerful as this little fearless Fox. Aiko pouted. "What can you give me?" She made a grabbing motion, like she wanted to rob the old Dragon. "Hmmmmm..." The Dragon thought about it. Even if he died, he would be just reborn here again. Once you are bound to a Secret Realm, you will stay inside the Secret Realm... "Something very precious that you are lacking." The Dragon was able to gauge the little Fox''s elements. He could give her one of his own elements and if he infused it with his Soul, it would become the most powerful version of that element there is! "Something that I''m lacking..." Aiko pondered on it, but she couldn''t figure it out. "But I still need to do a few things." Aiko didn''t want to refuse, since she was curious about what she could obtain, but at the same time, she was also worried about Feifei. It''s been a while since she was inside her Tails, so it would be bad if she starved to death. "Can''t you do them here?" The Dragon asked anxiously. "You won''t bite, right?" Aiko was quite anxious. "I won''t bite, I promise." The Dragon laughed happily. He didn''t need food, so there was no need to bite anything. ... If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Aiko pondered on it until morning. She realised that this place was quite safe, so she could spend her time here with the Dragon and get some Treasures from him. *Poof* Aiko turned into her big form and sighed. "Again..." Aiko whined unhappily and the Dragon stared at her closely. "Don''t stare at me like that!" Aiko covered herself, since that kimono was overly small. She was now more conscious about it, since she didn''t want to end up like those shameless whores that Mei told inside her stories. "You are too young for me to even notice you!" The Dragon roared angrily. He would never go after someone so young when he was already almost 100,000 years old! Moreover, he didn''t fancy Foxes! They might be nice, gentle, and soft, but they are hard to satisfy! "As if! I noticed you peeking at them!" Aiko roared in anger too. The Dragon choked. "I''m more interested in what happened to your body! What caused it!" He was really angry that he was reduced from Majestic Dragon to a common sex pest! "I don''t know why, but I know it''s because of someone from the Immortal World." Aiko shrugged. "Oh...'' The Dragon nodded gently. He couldn''t research it in that case, or he might become a pet to someone else. "Anyway!" Aiko grabbed her tails and ruffled them. The Dragon stared at those tails and tilted his head. "Some kind of space distortion? No, it''s a bit more complex than that. This power is not from this world..." He narrowed his Draconic eyes. The not-so-small Fox in front of him suddenly pulled out a living being out of her tails. His eyes shook and they enlarged until they were as big as a lake. "What is this curious ability of your tails?" The Dragon only somewhat understood what was going on, but he couldn''t understand how it happened. Feifei was confused. In front of her was a large eyeball, much larger than a house. Around her was quite the vast forest, but that was not important! What kind of scary creature was this? Feifei immediately hugged Aiko, since she was too scared. She burrowed her head inside Aiko''s soft bosom to calm down her nerves. Aiko gently petted her head, since she was supposed to take care of this little thing. "Oho. It can still breathe and think normally. She is human throughout!" The Dragon nodded, amused. He had the feeling that he wouldn''t get bored with this Fox around. "I''m scared!" The little Feifei cried out. That lizard was just too intimidating considering his size! "It''s fine, he won''t hurt you." Aiko soothed the little Princess. This would be her first time encountering a Beast other than a Fox. So it was natural that it would end up like this. "Oh... she passed out." Aiko tilted her head. "That''s only natural. Your soft body and sensual scent put her mind at ease, allowing her to let go of her consciousness." The Dragon explained. "So what? Want me to hug you too?" Aiko snorted. ''I might be able to rob his Treasures if I put him to sleep.'' "You are not strong enough." The Dragon snorted unhappily, seeing the little Fox''s obvious greed in her eyes. Aiko rolled her eyes unhappily. It seems like she was found out. "What are you even looking for?" The Dragon asked. "A place with a lot of Spirit Stones or anything that I can use as an energy source." Aiko explained. "Why?" The Dragon didn''t understand. He would understand if the Fox said that she wanted to enrich herself, but no Beast needed that much energy, considering her rank! "I want to Evolve." Aiko chose to be frank with this Dragon, since she kind of started to like him. He was composed and didn''t bat an eye even with Aiko''s billions-plus beauty. "..." The Dragon was speechless. "You don''t need that much to Evolve." "I do." Aiko snorted unhappily. The Dragon likewise snorted unhappily. "If you need that much, then show me why." He placed a purple rock in front of the little Fox. "What is this?" Aiko asked curiously. "It''s a dream stone." The Dragon explained. "It would normally cause you to dream, but I have modifi-" "Ohhhh! Cool Runes!" Aiko cut him short as she noticed the elaborate Runic language. "... You can read it?" The Dragon was shocked. "Yep." Aiko nodded happily and explained what she read. "It''s close enough, but this Rune with this Rune means ''Deep'' and not ''Dive''." The Dragon explained. "Ohhhhh..." Aiko nodded. She was translating all Runes ''roughly'', which was not necessarily bad, but it lost a lot of context in the process. However, with this kind of advanced education, she should be able to improve her Runic language greatly. "Wait!" Aiko stopped the Dragon. She still needed those Treasures, so once she obtained enough; she could learn from him. "What is it?" The Dragon tilted his head. He was happy that he could talk about the Runic language, but this daring little Fox stopped his passion! "We can talk about it later. I still need the Treasures." Aiko explained. The Dragon snorted unhappily. "Suit yourself." He was sad that she didn''t want to talk any more... But soon after, he was shocked. The ridiculously thick Heavenly Disaster Lightning destroyed everything without care in the world. Levelling mountains and drying up rivers. "What the fuck?!" The Dragon cursed for the first time in more than 10,000 years. "What kind of sick fuck would do that?!" He didn''t believe that the one behind that Dao was sane! This would absolutely kill the little Fox in front of him. No wonder that she sought Treasures! Without them, she would absolutely die! The Dragon nodded. "This changes everything." He also noticed that she was packed with Vitality. "Please enrich me with your Vitality. We have a lot of work to do, but I won''t be able to last that long." He wanted to punish the Heavenly Dao for this daring move, but he would not be able to leave this place. It was better to strengthen this little Fox, so that she could spank the bastard behind the Heavenly Dao for both of their sakes! "Huh?!'' Aiko was shocked that the Dragon knew about this. "My first love was a Dew Fox." He scoffed unhappily and seeing Aiko''s body, he might know who the one that caused this strange transformation was... "Oh..." Aiko nodded. She didn''t expect this old geezer to be so daring. Even she didn''t know the bottom of her Stamina if she really tried, but on the other hand mental exhaustion was no joke. "Now listen, you should explore first after you give me that Vitality. I will be able to last for a year or so thanks to it. In the meantime, I will prepare some things for you, so go ahead and use them to bash that Heavenly Dao on the head!" The Dragon proclaimed loudly. Aiko clapped her hands, since she could feel that he really was trying to help her. The [Intention Perception] was sometimes a bit too powerful... Chapter 302 – How to Steal a Garden 101 Aiko spent a few days with Grandpa Dragon until Feifei settled down. Feifei was still quite unnerved by the Dragon, but it should be enough for her to talk normally. Aiko also condensed the Vitality, but she did not go overboard. She only gave the Dragon 500,000 Vitality, which meant that she was still in the positives. Aiko nodded to herself and stood up. "I''m going to explore, while you do you, right?" She asked just in case. "Yes, with this Vitality I will be able to easily last for a year as long as I won''t move much." The Dragon chuckled. "Now go, so you can rob the bastard''s Treasures! But look for Herbs and Mines, since other Cultivators already scavenged normal Treasures. You might even find his memorial, which could help you or harm you, depending on how you use it and if you pass the bastard''s tests." He was surprisingly talkative for a Dragon. Aiko didn''t see him as an almighty creature any more, since he felt more like a common grandpa worried about his granddaughter. Aiko shook her head and chuckled. "I will do my best to scavenge as much as possible!" She proclaimed. The Dragon laughed and Aiko left Feifei in his care. Aiko was happy about this, since she didn''t need to be a caretaker for her! The Dragon was left alone with Feifei and her body quivered. She wanted to call for Aiko, but at the same time, she knew that Aiko needed to get stronger. "You have a good head on your shoulders." The Dragon spoke with a hint of admiration. "Y-yes." Feifei didn''t know what to say, so she just nodded along. "She will be able to get stronger, while you will do so too." The Dragon chuckled. "You might be just in Qi gathering, but that doesn''t mean you should be weak. Power is not everything." He shook his head. It felt like he was talking from experience. No matter how powerful you are, there are always cunning creatures that will, with enough time, defeat you. "H-how?" Feifei was too scared to learn anything. "First you need to calm down, then we will talk." The Dragon chuckled and went to sleep. His aura created an impenetrable barrier that kept Feifei and himself safe. ... Aiko dashed through the forest in her small form. She was happy that she had recovered her energy. Fortunately, the Moon was still in this place, so she was able to recover all of her energy. Moreover, her Blessings probably activated again, they were in bright blue colours, that must be it! Aiko nodded happily, speeding up. She wanted to get away from the Dragon before she would start scavenging. Since it seemed like most Herbs around here died from being unable to withstand the Dragon''s energy. "I should''ve asked for his name..." Aiko murmured. She was so used to Foxes having shitty nicknames, that she was worried that he would have some kind of ridiculous nickname too! "No matter now, I can always ask later." Aiko shook her head. She would have to learn about asking names, as long as it was not a Fox! Or a Beast! Aiko arrived at the end of the forest. It seems like this forest grew thanks to the Dragon, since the trees were a lot tougher than normal ones. Even Aiko with her full strength could not put a dent into them! The plains in front of her were peaceful, a bit too peaceful. There were no animals or Beasts on the plains, which made Aiko feel suspicious. She turned into her Fox form, since the Dew Essence lost its strength and dived into the dense and somewhat high grass. It was not high enough to conceal Humans, but for the tiny Aiko, it was good enough to completely hide herself! She also used her Skills and Abilities to hide herself even further, since she felt eyes on her. There was some kind of predator around and from the direction of the stare, it felt like the predator was somewhere high up. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ''Maybe a hawk or something?'' Aiko tilted her head. It was either a flying predator, or someone far away that just accidentally spotted her. Aiko explored the somewhat high grass and she was shocked by what she saw. ''I have never seen these Herbs!'' Aiko''s eyes glistened. She was happy that she dived inside this thick grass, since below it revealed a world of its own! So many Herbs, some of them Aiko knew, whilst she couldn''t recognise many others. ''I don''t know how to harvest all of them...'' Aiko frowned. ''How about I just scoop them up with the ground?'' The terraforming little Fox narrowed her eyes. ''I don''t have a shovel, but I do have [Earthen Walk] that can somewhat replace it.'' ''Let''s try the shop!'' Aiko smirked. ''Terraforming Ability or Skill, as cheap as possible.'' Aiko nodded to herself. [Gardening] - 100 Skill Points [Soil Excavation] - 50 Skill Points [Digging Site] - 1,000 Skill Points ''They are quite cheap, but what do they do?'' Aiko tilted her head. [Gardening] [Skill] [Allows you to tend to flowers and other garden-like flora.] [Soil Excavation] [Active Skills] [Allows you to dig up a larger amount of soil. (size depends on Skill Level.)] [Digging Site] [Active Ability - Costs Beast Core Energy] [Allows you to designate an area of influence where you can dig faster. It will also reduce the chances of damaging treasures or anything that is under the soil. (Size depends on Ability Level.)] [You can''t access the rest in Secret Realms.] ''I don''t think I will need the first one, but it''s cheap...'' Aiko frowned. ''As for the rest, I definitely need them!'' Aiko smirked, with these kinds of Abilities, she didn''t need to struggle with digging, she just needed to use her Stamina and Beast Core Energy! Aiko bought all 3 of them, since they were cheap. Moreover, it seems like the system didn''t want her to destroy this Secret Realm. What Aiko didn''t know was the fact that was not the case. Secret Realms were not connected to the outside World, so she was able to buy only certain things or things related to the Secret Realm. Aiko spent her Skill Points somewhat lavishly, since she would still Level up later and thus gain a large amount of Stat and Skill Points! It might not be as impressive a number as what she would get from her Beast Core, but it was still something! Aiko nodded to herself. ''[Digging Site]'' Aiko designated the largest area, which was 1m2, and waited for her Ability to finish. Aiko almost dozed off waiting for the Skill to finish. [Digging Site designated. All digging Skills and Abilities enhanced!] Aiko then activated [Soil Excavation] on a nearby Herb, but to her shock, the whole 1m2 of soil was highlighted! ''What does this mean?'' Aiko titled her head. The system was more silent than usual, which Aiko didn''t mind since she wanted to explore this by herself! She tapped the highlighted area and the ground below her disappeared completely! ''What the fuck?!'' Aiko fell into a half-meter-deep hole, startled. ''What the fuck just happened?!'' [Digging Site completed. Please choose another ''anchor'' point.] Aiko blinked a few times and then she stared at her system. Tails Storage(2,400m3): [Heavenly Blessed Light-Water 1,000L], [Primordial Soul Wood], [100 Ghost Parade Lamp(Damaged)], [Talismans], [Tools], [Soil with Herbs(.5m3)] ''Huh...'' Aiko blinked a few times, but she was still speechless! Her tail worked like an inventory that she always missed, since for some reason the system didn''t accept her things most of the time! Not to mention that from the time that the system became even more talkative, the system only accepted system items! But now she had a special portable inventory, Aiko was very happy! ''Hehehehe~'' Aiko giggled like a little thieving gremlin. She would absolutely ''excavate'' this whole place! [Gardening: Lv.1->2] [Soil Excavation: Lv.1->2] [Digging Site: Lv.1->2] Aiko blinked a few times. She was quite shocked by this! ''Why did the [Gardening] level up?'' Aiko tilted her head. ''Was it because I handled the Herbs? Surely not?'' She was confused as to why she earned the level, but this was definitely a good thing for her! ''I can level them up at the same time!'' Aiko''s eyes sparkled, like she was up to no good! ''[Digging Site]!'' Aiko shouted and waited for her digging adventures! ... {High up on the top of Mountain} There sat a majestic Eagle, watching over his ''small'' garden. He was quite happy with it, since it took him a while to make it into a flourishing paradise of Herbs, but the time was well spent. All of those Herbs were in preparation for him to achieve the Human body and shatter this place to pieces! He laughed with glee while watching over his garden. He wiped out pretty much anyone who approached it. The majestic eagle spotted a small rodent. It was an incredibly tiny Fox. "Tsk." The majestic Eagle clicked his tongue. "Another rodent that is trying to munch-" He was startled since he could no longer detect the small rodent. "What the-" The majestic Eagle was stunned, but this would be the last of his worries. He watched over his garden as one piece, a perfect square, of the garden suddenly vanished. "Huh?" The majestic Eagle blinked a few times, like he couldn''t believe his eyes. That''s right, this guy was the 4th disaster and the one who ruled the skies when the Dragon couldn''t! Yet even this majestic being could not comprehend what was happening. "Is that some kind of illusion?" He tilted his head, but then another piece disappeared. "..." The majestic Eagle slammed his head on a nearby rock, since he wanted to wake up from his nightmare, but he was uninjured. Another piece of his sacred garden vanished. "Huh..." The majestic Eagle was still speechless. Then another piece. "Uh..." The majestic Eagle started to sweat. Then another piece vanished. "Wait a moment!" The majestic Eagle was now heartbroken. Then yet another piece of his garden vanished. "You bastards! Stop robbing my garden!" He suddenly yelled out. Then all of a sudden, a much larger portion of his sacred garden vanished. "SCREEEEEEEEEEEECH!" The majestic Eagle roared and descended towards his garden! Chapter 303 – Loot and how others fare Aiko excavated quite a large portion of the garden, but she was currently facing a big issue. [Tails Storage(2,400m3): [Heavenly Blessed Light-Water 1,000L], [Primordial Soul Wood], [100 Ghost Parade Lamp(Damaged)], [Talismans], [Tools], [Soil with Herbs(2048m3)]] ''I''m running out of storage...'' Aiko clicked her tongue. ''How do I increase storage capacity?'' She narrowed her eyes. ''Let''s buy it!'' Aiko nodded to herself like she was some kind of genius. ''Something that increases the storage.'' [You can''t access the rest in a Secret World.] A big vein appeared on Aiko''s forehead. ''What do you mean that I can''t access it?! I need it now! Not later!'' Aiko growled in displeasure. "SCREEEEEEEEEEEECH!" Aiko was startled and immediately dived into the ground, soon after a terrifying pressure descended upon the Garden. ''Let''s not stay here. My harvest was plentiful.'' Aiko nodded to herself. [Gardening: Lv.2->3] [Soil Excavation: Lv.2->3] [Digging Site: Lv.2->3] Aiko nodded to herself and disappeared from that place. ... She went above the ground near the Dragon, since she knew that this place was completely safe. ''I can stay here to regenerate my Beast Core.'' Aiko sighed, those 2048m3 consumed 20,480 Beast Core Energy, putting her at risk of running out of energy that could be used for her Abilities. ''I''m lucky that [Earthen Walk] consumes Stamina before it start consuming my Beast Core Energy''. Aiko nodded happily. She could still use her Beast Core Energy to enhance the speed of the [Earthen Walk], but even the speed with just Stamina is good enough for now. ''Hmmm... maybe I should return.'' Aiko pondered on it. Aiko decided to return and consult the Dragon about the Herbs, since she didn''t have Mei''s precious Jade Slip. ... "You are back quite quickly." The Dragon narrowed his eyes. "I accidentally robbed someone scary." Aiko coughed awkwardly. "Who?" The Dragon tilted his head. "A bald bird, probably?" Aiko didn''t know what kind of bird it was, but it was definitely a bird, since it was descending on her. "Bird?" The Dragon thought about it, but couldn''t figure it out since there were too many birds in this Secret Realm. "What did you steal?" He couldn''t help, but ask Aiko. "Garden." Aiko replied quickly. "Garden?" The Dragon was confused. "What garden?" He couldn''t understand how someone could steal a garden. Herbs and stuff, sure, but garden? "Yeah, like this." Aiko pulled the 1m by 1m by .5m out of her tail, shocking the dragon once again. "What the-" The Dragon''s eyes widened like lightbulbs. "Wait! They are even so well-preserved!?" He was left speechless. Those Herbs were in perfect condition, well almost, and could be used in Alchemy right away! "Wait, a bald bird with a scary presence and garden?" The Dragon thought about it, but then burst into laughter. "Good, good! You did very well!" The Dragon praised Aiko while laughing loudly and the whole forest shook. "I can''t believe that that bastard was robbed under his beak!" The Dragon kept laughing so much that it hurt Aiko''s ears. "Can you stop? It hurts." Aiko whined openly and the Dragon laughed even more. "How was he?" The Dragon smirked towards Aiko. "Pretty livid, he was screeching at ''me''." Aiko chuckled. She was happy that someone praised her grubby hands. "Excellent!" He laughed again. "How much were you able to steal?" "Only around 10%, I don''t have enough storage." Aiko shook her head with a gentle sigh. "Hmmmm..." The Dragon thought about it, but he unfortunately didn''t have any storage devices. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. "How about harvesting the Herbs and robbing the rest?" The Dragon asked. "I don''t know how to harvest many of them, so I will have to wait for my partner." Aiko said, nodding her head. She would have to wait for Mei and then rob the rest! Aiko chuckled darkly, scaring even the Dragon. ''It''s good that I''m not dead, otherwise she would''ve pillaged my body...'' The Dragon shivered. "Oh, right." Aiko suddenly paused. "What is your name?" She tilted her head, still worried that he would have a strange nickname. "I..." The Dragon paused for a long time. "It does not matter, call me whatever you want." "Hmmmmm." Aiko didn''t like that idea. Her naming scheme might offend him, so she didn''t immediately think about it. "I will rest since I''m a bit too tired. Where is Feifei?" Aiko looked around, but couldn''t find her. "She is meditating." The Dragon lifted his tail. "Hmmmmm..." Aiko narrowed his eyes. This place had thick draconic energy, which means that if something unexpected happened to Feifei... ''I can blame it on the Dragon.'' Aiko nodded to herself. It seems like it is time to get closer to Feifei and test the rest of the system items. Aiko smirked and nodded gently, but that would be for later. First, she needed to recover her energy! ... Aiko meditated for a few days to fill her Beast Core with energy. It was not as straining, but she didn''t get much sleep thanks to the fact that her favourite pillows were away. "You really should sleep." The Dragon sighed. "That can wait." Aiko shook her head. She knew that she wouldn''t be able to rest properly without others. "You will be more and more exhausted over time." The Dragon shook his head. He couldn''t understand why this little Fox was so stubborn. "I know, I know." Aiko shooed him away. She was aware of her predicament, but she was still fine. The Dragon sighed again and ignored the little Fox. If she wanted to make things more difficult for herself... he couldn''t stop her. Aiko nodded and was ready to leave this place. She didn''t want to interrupt Feifei in her Cultivation. But just as she was to leave this place, Feifei stirred awake, staring at Aiko. "Cultivated well?" Aiko smiled gently. "Mmmmmm." Feifei gently nodded her head. She preferred the big Aiko more, but the small Aiko was not bad either. "I have some plans with you, would you be willing to serve me?" Aiko narrowed her eyes and even the Dragon looked at her. He was very interested in what this little Fox was plotting now. Would she help the little child or devour her Soul after she is nurtured? He didn''t know, but he was curious where this would lead. "My life was yours the moment that you helped me escape my predicament." Feifei smiled gently. She shone like a bright star, no longer wanting to die, but she still wished to fulfil any kind of demand that Aiko could have. "Ack." Aiko had to shield her eyes, since Feifei was blindingly bright, especially that smile. ''Calm down, she is the perfect experiment material.'' Aiko nodded to herself and looked at Feifei. ''Gosh! Why do I feel so bad for wanting to experiment on her?!'' Aiko ruffled her hair. ----- {Somewhere else in the Secret Realm} Mei went through the portal with Aiko, but was naturally separated. This was not a bad thing, since Aiko would be able to loot around and become independent. She was more worried about the other members. The twins needed to be together to be powerful and the Blood Fox was simply too weak in the grand scheme of things. Mei spread her Divine Sense far and wide. There was no danger around her, but at the same time, this place also didn''t hold any Treasures. ''Aiko''s aura is weakening, but not enough that she would be in danger.'' Mei checked the Rune on her hand. It was sapping her strength and supplying Aiko with energy for either the [Heavenly Suppression Technique] or her other techniques if she was in mortal danger. It could also offset Techniques that could endanger Aiko''s life. It was a very versatile and elaborate Rune. ''The others won''t know where I''m, so Aiko is the beacon that will connect us all.'' Mei sighed. She wished to be alone, but if Aiko really wished; she could definitely find her. Mei shook her head. She had unfinished business with this place and she would destroy a few things along the way. She might collect a few Herbs for Aiko to learn how to harvest. Mei smiled gently. She wanted to be alone, but at the same time, she couldn''t wait to unite with Aiko again. It was a strange and foreign feeling, one that she had forgotten for... a very long time. Mei looked around. This place was too empty, so she would have to walk and find something... ----- {Somewhere else in the Secret Realm} The Blood Fox found herself around a cave that gave off a familiar feeling. She hated this feeling since it caused her too much pain. ''I almost killed my brother because I was temporarily possessed...'' The Blood Fox had a very terrifying expression on her face, even the ruler of Hell would praise that expression! ''What do I do...'' The Blood Fox believed that if she entered, she would not be able to return unharmed. It might even make her mad, but... ''Aiko is too powerful, Yuxi and Wanshu are too powerful, and Mei is completely unfathomable.'' The Blood Fox frowned. To go inside or to not go inside... ''I won''t be able to gain anything if I chicken out. I also don''t like the fact that Aiko is sacrificing so much for us. It''s time to pay some of that back. If I can rob this place, I can definitely give her Sacred Treasures.'' The Blood Fox made up her mind. It was a dangerous gamble, especially since she didn''t know how long she would spend inside, but that couldn''t be helped. She wanted to pay Aiko tenfold, since she was kind and caring towards her! The Blood Fox walked towards that disgusting cave, ready to conquer it! ----- {Somewhere else in the Secret Realm} "Yuxi?" "Wanshu?" ""..."" The duo stared at each other speechlessly. "We entered the Secret Realm, right?" Yuxi asked with a tilted head. "That we did." Wanshu confirmed. "What are you doing here, then?" Yuxi couldn''t understand the situation, shouldn''t they be separated? "I can ask you the same." Wanshu stared at Yuxi with a smirk. "What are you thinking about?" Yuxi took a step back. "I''m thinking that we clean this place and I will get to enjoy myself~" Wanshu hummed gently, undressing Yuxi with her gaze. "Pervert!" Yuxi glared at her. "But the way you are blushing, its like you are inviting me~" Wanshu stuck out her tongue. Yuxi clicked her tongue at that shameless display. "Fine, fine." Wanshu conceded for the time being. She didn''t want to upset her wifey. "Let''s clean this place out." Yuxi sighed. She wanted to collect many Treasures so Aiko would praise them, but her naughty partner seemed to have a different plan. "I will do my best to assist you~" Wanshu hugged Yuxi from behind, groping her. "Save it for later!" Yuxi swatted her. "Oh my~" Wanshu giggled seductively. "So you are expecting something already~?" She teased her partner, since nobody was around. "Shush!" Yuxi blushed red and swatted Wanshu away. It was time to fight and not the time to flirt! Chapter 304 – More Systems ''What now, system?'' Aiko tapped her fingers in impatience. [Subject Feifei already swore her life to you, but it will take time to make her part of the system] Aiko rolled her eyes. No shit Sherlock. However, Feifei kept staring at Aiko in adoration, like she was some kind of God and Aiko could not bear it! ''Hurry up you lazy fuck!'' Aiko cursed the system, while maintaining her smile for Feifei to see and not get anxious. [System is already working at full capacity.] ''Full capacity my ass, even I would-'' Aiko wanted to curse again, but since just finished its assignment. [ Name: Princess Feifei Age: 16 Physique: [Sacred Heavenly Dew Body] Bloodline: [Dew Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)] Profession: [-] Sub-Profession: [-] Titles: [The Abused Princess] Affiliation: [Aiko''s ''Servant''] Cultivation: [Early Stage Refinement Realm] Body Cultivation: [Early Stage Body Refinement] Martial Talent: [Innate Floral Heart(Dormant)] Qi: 51 (Absolute Peak at 1,000?) Cultivation Method: [Simple Qi Gathering Technique] Spiritual Roots: [Mutated Heavenly Spiritual Essence Roots(Water, Earth, Nature, Dew)] Contracted Beasts: [-] Innate Ability: [Floral Heart(Dormant)], [Dew Heavenly Paradise(Dormant)], Martial Skills: [-] Movement Skills: [-] Auxiliary Skills: [-] Relationships: [Aiko (Affection: Interest)], [Mei (Affection: Likes you)], [Blood Fox (Affection: Likes you)], [Twins (Affection: Likes you)], [Dai Lu (Affection: Adores you)] ] ''Why does her system look so much cleaner than mine?'' Aiko asked suspiciously. [That is because you are starting at the animal stage. As such stats are much more important, meanwhile most Cultivators just need to know their amount of Qi to know their strength.] ''...'' Aiko was still suspicious, but since she didn''t reach a proper Human form yet; she didn''t try to retort the system. ''She is 16-'' Aiko suddenly felt very disgusted and she wanted to burn that place down once more. [Don''t overthink it.] ''You say that, but she was much younger when I kidnapped her!'' Aiko roared inside her mind. There were certain boundaries that shouldn''t be crossed. [She is now in a safe place, with love all around her. Don''t overthink it.] ''...'' Aiko clicked her tongue in annoyance. She would absolutely burn that place down once she explored the world once again! "Is it that bad...?" Feifei sounded heartbroken, so Aiko was startled. It seemed like the click of a tongue that Aiko had made was misunderstood by Feifei. "No." Aiko shook. "Look for yourself, say [System]." "[### System]" Feifei repeated the word, but Aiko had a headache. ''Why is it censored again, reveal your name!'' Aiko shook her head, since she couldn''t click her tongue. "Oh!" Feifei was startled, but her curiosity was still higher than fear, so she looked towards Aiko. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. "What do I do now?" Feifei asked. This was the first time she found something so amazing, something so... mystical! She was unsure what to do with it, so she would ask Aiko in moderation, since she didn''t want to annoy her! "This is how your body is and at what stage and so on." Aiko was very curious about this different system, since it felt much nicer than her own! "You can press the words and see what they mean." Aiko then gestured, the Dragon was also looking. "Now this is interesting. It must burn quite a lot of Providence to show your fate." The Dragon nodded with interest. "Does it?" Aiko was unaware of such circumstances. "Yes, it does." The Dragon nodded happily. He had never seen such a thing, but maybe he should create something like that just for himself to keep him entertained! Feifei pressed the things she was most interested in. [Sacred Heavenly Dew Body] [1st Stage: Your body gives an alluring scent that all Nature-based Spiritual Beasts like!] [2nd Stage: Locked. Cultivation is too low.] [Dew Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)] [You share the Bloodline of Primordial Being. Thus aiding you in your Cultivation.] [Redacted.] [The Abused Princess] [You have been abused most of your life. Beings are slightly kinder to you.] [Innate Floral Heart(Dormant)] [Cultivation is too low.] [Redacted.] [Simple Qi Gathering Technique] [A simple Technique from an Immortal Being. It does not have Drawbacks, but it won''t allow you to go past the Early Stage of Refinement.] [Mutated Heavenly Spiritual Essence Roots(Water, Earth, Nature, Dew)] [Highest Grade of Mortal Spiritual Roots.] [It allows you to harness the powers of: Water, Earth, Nature, Dew] [Redacted.] Feifei was clicking happily and reading it. She was not discouraged by the redacted parts and was looking forward to what it would uncover! "How do you like it?" Aiko asked happily. It seems like it worked well on Feifei. "It''s incredible! Thank you so much!" Feifei started to cry, since this was the best gift that she ever got. ''Now I feel seriously bad for experimenting on her...'' Aiko groaned, but she wanted to make Mei happy. She wanted to give others Bloodlines and test those items to see if they were not defective! "There is more to come!" Aiko pushed her morals aside for the time being. "Thank you!" *Hic* "Thank you so much!" Feifei cried even more than before. ''Why do I feel like a Villain...?'' Aiko groaned again. [Bloodline Gift] Aiko used the first item that she used on the Twins, but now the target was not a Fox, what would happen...? Feifei was enveloped in a warm light. She was no longer malnourished or abused, yet her body was still changing to a healthier one. Aiko was left speechless, staring at the ever-changing little Princess. She grew a few centimetres and obtained a more teen-like look, but that didn''t end there! Her body was changing again. Instead of ageing, parts of her body were enveloped in light, allowing her to obtain scales on her body! "I feel so warm." Tears rolled down Feifei''s cheeks as she gently floated above the ground. "..." Aiko was completely speechless at this sight and checked Feifei''s system. [Bloodline: [Dew Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)], [(New)Celestial Sacred Dragon]] "......" Aiko blinked a few times, but no matter how much she blinked, that ''thing'' didn''t disappear. "Did I just turn someone into a Dragon?" Aiko murmured. The already speechless Dragon almost frothed from his mouth. "What do you mean that you turned her into a Dragon?!" "It was an accident, alright!" Aiko yelled back at him. She didn''t expect this turn of events. ''Is that because it was done around a Dragon?'' Aiko tilted her head. She then looked at her system, which made her groan even more. [Servant(Slave): [Princess Feifei (Affection: Blind Worship)]] "Thank you so much, Mistress! I will always be by your side. If you want to, I will split the Heavens for you!" Feifei had the look of a crazy worshipper. Aiko groaned again. She truly didn''t expect this turn of events! "Just be happy." Aiko brushed her away, but... "I''m undeserving of such endless kindness, Mistress!" Feifei turned into Aiko Worshipper. Aiko''s lips twitched. She looked at the new Feifei. She was a fair-skinned lady, the picture-book type of beauty. Not only that, but she had long, light-green hair that went all the way down below her waist. Her forehead hosted two tiny horns. Her pupils were slits now, but they shone with an endless gentleness inside them. Her eyes had also turned the same shade of green as her hair. She had grown a few scales on the side of her shoulders and around her neck. There might be more, but Aiko was not willing to undress her just to find out. Her lips stayed the same, but they now had a more sensual tinge to them. Her nose was small, with a few tiny scales on it. She also had a long tail behind her. Aiko expected it to be scaly, but it had a strange, fur-like sensation to it. Her body also had a perfect hourglass shape, in other words, a beauty that could destroy Empires! Aiko groaned once again. It seemed like this would be a good time to stop, but should she? Feifei was already a beauty, but what would happen if she used the other gifts? Unfortunately before Aiko could use her items a stern voice sounded near her. "Explain yourself!" It was the Dragon who was looking flabbergasted, like he just found his missing relative. "What is your question?" Aiko ignored his questioning eyes and asked as if nothing happened. "Let''s start with her." The Dragon pointed at the overly familiar energy, surrounding the little ''Human''. "She transformed thanks to a new Bloodline." Aiko translated words from her system, so that the Dragon could understand it. The Dragon sighed like he aged a few hundred years. "How did you manage that? Aiko narrated the items from her system to the Dragon. "Hmmmmm." The Dragon was deep in thought. Would it be possible to use the same items on him so he could get away from this place? It should be possible, right? He thought about it for a long time, before nodding to himself. "What will you do next?" He narrowed his eyes. "It would be dangerous if others saw her." "I can just hide her inside my tails." Aiko shrugged. The Dragon groaned like he was dealing with a rebellious child. "And what then, she will stay inside for eternity?!" The Dragon was quite displeased by Aiko''s half-assed answer. "If the Mistress wishes." Feifei willingly submitted to Aiko''s command. Veins appeared on the Dragon''s overly large forehead. He couldn''t believe that after dealing with one brat, the other would support it! "Take this seriously!" He roared angrily. "I''m taking this seriously. If it would not be for Mistress, I would be raped for the rest of my life." Feifei declared, stunning the Dragon. ''That would explain some of her devotion...'' The Dragon nodded gently. "How old are you?" The Dragon had no sense of body age. "16." Feifei answered without fearing the Dragon. "I see, 16 huh..." The Dragon then paused. "16?! You are too young to be abused like that! I will burn that shitty place!" Both Aiko and Feifei were touched for different reasons. Feifei felt like he was the father she always missed, while Aiko felt a kinship because of his arsonist tendencies... Chapter 305 – How each fare ''This Secret Realm is completely barren...'' Thought Mei when she tried to explore around. There were plenty of Beasts around, but no notable Treasures or Herbs. In most places, there was also a restriction on flight, which further limited Mei. The Rune on her hands stabilised and became even ''chubbier''. ''At least Aiko is faring well, I wonder who is fattening her up...'' Mei pondered on it, but the only friend Aiko could have right now, would be Feifei or some unfortunate Soul that was beaten by Aiko. ''No matter, I can investigate them later, it''s unlikely that Aiko will run into the 4 Disasters.'' Mei shook her head. She didn''t believe that Aiko would run into them since those guys were picky about their ''food'' and would not usually attack indiscriminately. ''There are just 3 things I need to destroy before I can reunite with Aiko.'' Mei narrowed her eyes. One was an inheritance ground that wouldn''t help anyone and the other two were memorials. She will be able to peek at how those bastards are faring through their memorial and inflict some damage on them when she destroys them. Mei easily traversed the plains. She was aware that she was being watched and the one who watched her was pretty angry about something. ''I wonder what happened to him.'' Mei tilted her head, but since that person hadn''t descended on her, that meant that she hadn''t entered his territory yet. Mei walked into her first target, the inheritance ground. There were already Humans around, but Mei used the Concealing Talisman alongside the [Heavenly Suppression Technique]. Unlike Aiko''s, it could affect a bit more than just her animal features, so her presence thinned further. None of the ''prodigies'' from the other Sects could see her and she just passed around them into the inheritance ground. ''I don''t understand why they would be waiting. Do they believe that the Treasures inside would just jump outside for them?'' Mei shook her head. She was unsure if they were stupid or just pretending to lure others in, but she didn''t care. This inheritance ground was an old ruin with a path inside. The stone blocks that it was built from were already cracked and covered with moss and other flora. It was already on its last legs, but that didn''t mean that Mei would just go past it. She would destroy it. Inside the ruins it had a strange sense of danger, but since Mei already cleared this one time; she knew exactly where to go. She was easily able to avoid all of the traps and arrive at the end of these ruins. ''That still took so many days...'' Mei didn''t like her speed. While sure, when she was younger she was much slower and it took her several months, but that didn''t mean it should take her this long when she knew the path. ''A familiar face.'' A voice spoke from the inheritance table, right into Mei''s mind. It was an incredibly ornamented table, that spoke of its might when this place still stood tall. Mei rolled her eyes. ''You can call it retribution.'' She answered without flinching. ''I suppose so, but do you believe that you would be able to leave this place if you destroy me?'' The voice spoke without any fear. ''That is for me to assess and not for you to worry about.'' Mei shook her head. ''Who said that I''m worried?'' The voice sounded displeased. ''You won''t be able to leave this place.'' It repeated. ''Yeah, yeah.'' Mei waved her hand like she didn''t care about what he thought. She was already pretty powerful, but thanks to Aiko''s new method of checking temperature, it got even more ridiculous. She spread her Divine Sense, but this time it was not the ''searching'' type, but full-blown battle type. The thick Divine Sense spread and crushed everything in its path. ''What?! How can you be so strong?!'' The voice was shocked. ''I blame that on a little ball of fluff.'' Mei sighed in her mind, Aiko was so abnormal that it started to rub off on her. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ''I can''t believe it!'' The voice was no longer confident, it could be said that it was shaking in its boots (table)! ''That''s what you get for always being such a salted fish.'' Mei proclaimed before crushing the ornamented table, thus ending this inheritance grounds for good. The whole ruins shook, slowly crumbling as Mei gracefully walked outside. "Something is happening to the inheritance ground!" One Cultivator shouted. "Contact our Senior Brother now!" Another screamed painfully. Mei didn''t care about their uproar, even if they tried to find her; they would definitely fail. ''Next up are the memorials.'' Mei narrowed her eyes. ----- {Inside a strange cave} The Blood Fox was sitting on the ground and comprehending the thick stench of the blood inheritance. "Come closer, you will see it better!" A small ''Aiko'' was trying to constantly tempt the Blood Fox. "Could you just shut up, you are a goddamn annoying pest!" The Blood Fox had a headache from this little pest that was trying to act like Aiko, but failing miserably. "But you would be able to see it clearly!" ''Aiko'' pouted unhappily. "If you were the real deal, you would just steal the blood inheritance and plop it in front of me!" The Blood Fox snorted disdainfully at the poor imitation. "... What...?" Even the imitation was stunned. "You heard me right. So if you are really her, go pluck that inheritance and place it in front of me." The Blood Fox demanded from the fake. "..." The fake was completely speechless. How can there be anyone that would steal the whole inheritance?! That''s just impossible! "Hmpf. Then don''t come closer and you will never comprehend- You already comprehended the first part?! Are all of you monsters?!" The fake suddenly yelled. "Gosh, you are seriously so annoying..." The Blood Fox cleaned her ears, since it was seriously painful to listen to this fake. "..." The fake didn''t want to give up, but nothing worked on this damn Fox! Not to mention that the fake had a feeling that this would be its end if this Fox comprehended the whole legacy! It didn''t want to become a pawn for a shitty Fox! The Blood Fox meditated again. She was not strained yet, and for some reason, the voices inside were helping her exploit this blood inheritance. She had no idea why they were helping her, but she didn''t reject it since it would speed things up. ... "... Unbelievable." The fake Aiko shook her head. This Fox didn''t take years to refine this place, but only a few months! "Be quiet, servant." The Blood Fox said sternly. The air around her body was very different from when she entered this cave. It felt more majestic, more royal than before. "..." The fake Aiko had to listen, since she was refined by this damn Fox! "This inheritance..." The Blood Fox paused to strain the nerves of the fake Aiko. "Is pretty shit." The fake Aiko glared at the bastard Fox. She really wanted to strangle her, but couldn''t since she was her slave. The Blood Fox enjoyed the angry thing before her before slapping it harshly. "And change that goddamn form, before I stomp you into the ground!" She proclaimed and the fake Aiko turned into some sort of black blob. "I didn''t expect this." The Blood Fox nodded as she investigated the blob. "It''s nice and smooth." She narrowed her eyes. "Can you change your form in anything you wish?" "Yes, Mistress." The Black Blob answered. The Blood Fox hummed. "You see that nest?" The Black Blob angrily wobbled and the Blood Fox smiled with glee... "Turn into that, but make it so that it''s created out of tails, as close to mine as possible." The Blood Fox found the best gift possible for Aiko, who needed their tails to sleep peacefully. Of course, she would not use this if Aiko was around, but if Aiko was away or they needed to stay guard or do something. She could give this... thing to Aiko so that she could sleep peacefully, when tails weren''t an option. "I take it back. You are quite useful... as bedding that is." The Blood Fox smiled with glee when she saw the Black Blob quivering with anger. "What else can you do?" The Blood Fox would interrogate this thing before she went around to gather more things for Aiko and also improve her strength by Evolving. ----- "There are too many Cultivators." Wanshu snorted unhappily. "Tell me about it." Yuxi massaged her shoulders, for some reason they were targeted. ''Disgusting pricks are coming after us since we look like twins...'' Wanshu knew the reason and clicked her tongue. Even Seniors in the Fox Village went crazy after they noticed the twins, not just them, but any kind of twins. As long as they looked like copies of each other, trying to subdue them to have the pair for themselves. "What do we do? We won''t be able to find that many things if we are chased all the time..." Yuxi whined. She wanted to be praised by Aiko, but so far they were just bothered by Cultivators. "We are collecting Souls, so we will be able to gain more Tails." Wanshu soothed Yuxi. "Huh?" Yuxi blinked. "How do you know that?" "I already got the ''training'' on that thing, it''s not very pleasant, so I will do my best so you can avoid it." Wanshu smoothed Yuxi''s hair. "I will do my best, so that others won''t bully you!" Yuxi hugged Wanshu. She really liked this caring side of hers. "So, what do you want to do now?" Wanshu asked gently. "Let''s rob everyone blind, like Aiko would.'' Yuxi spoke like a true Cultivator. "We can then share the loot and our grievances with her." She chuckled darkly. "Keep in mind that even Aiko is restricted in this place." Wanshu warned Yuxi not to get her hopes up, but still caressed her head adoringly. "I know, but Aiko always has something up her sleeve." Yuxi believed that if it was Aiko, she would be able to do something. It was not blind fate this time. She once spotted Aiko battling with Mei and that Divine Sense was both different and terrifying! Wanshu blinked and pinched Yuxi''s side gently. "Don''t rely on her too much! What if she gets hurt? Then Mei will beat both of us up!" Wanshu sulked, Mei was truly unfair in this. "You should''ve trained more then." Yuxi shrugged. "I have trained and can challenge Mei!" "You have not trained. It''s all thanks to Aiko that we are this powerful." Wanshu corrected Yuxi. "But we still trained to master our powers." Yuxi corrected Wanshu in turn. Wanshu clicked her tongue. "Fine." Yuxi gave her a tender kiss, which turned more passionate, before more Cultivators interrupted them... Chapter 306 – Feifei drains the Secret Realm… Feifei bonded with the Dragon quite quickly, so much so in fact, that it stunned Aiko. Aiko''s lips twitched. ''I feel like a third wheel...'' She shook her head gently. "Can we continue?" Aiko asked them, who were merrily talking to each other. "Y-yes!" Feifei was startled, since she completely forgot about Aiko. She was so engrossed in talking that it didn''t occur to her that they were still in the Secret Realm. Aiko massaged her head. She was seriously forgotten! How could this happen?! "What do I do next, Mistress?" Feifei asked attentively. "Just Aiko, that nickname gives me goosebumps." Aiko''s body shivered. "Okay~" Feifei smiled from ear to ear. ''I have given her the Bloodline.'' Aiko nodded. ''I still have the [Sub-Profession Coupon] and [Cultivation Gift]. Feifei Doesn''t have a profession, so I will withhold the Sub-Profession Coupon for now.'' [Cultivation Gift(Servant)] Aiko clicked on it and Feifei stiffened. She closed her eyes and frowned. She seemed to be in pain... "What''s happening?" The Dragon frowned. "I gave her a Cultivation Gift, it should pass soon." Aiko was not really sure what it exactly gave, but she should definitely be careful about it. She didn''t want to inflict pain on others, but she can''t change how others obtain this gift. A special warning should be given to them. Aiko nodded to herself, while Feifei was gasping for air. It seemed like she even forgot to breathe. [Cultivation Method: [Simple Qi Gathering Technique], [Sacred Dao Leyuan Long Scripture(Complete, ??? Form)]] Aiko checked Feifei, the only thing that changed was the added Cultivation Method, but it seemed a bit strange. She was neither Dragon nor Sacred, yet she still got it? Is this supposed to represent her true form? Aiko was confused. She didn''t quite understand it, but she hoped that it would help her, considering the pain she had to go through. "Are you alright, little one?" The Dragon addressed her as a hatchling. "I''m fine, Grandpa." Feifei nodded gently, but she still had confusion plastered on her face. "How are you feeling?" Aiko asked with curiosity. She needed some feedback about what happened to Feifei, so she could understand this phenomenon a bit better. "I feel... overwhelmed." Feifei tilted her head. "It felt like my head was being squished by a mountain of information, but as soon as it arrived it disappeared and turned into a shiny ''book''?" She tilted her head to the other side, puzzled about what happened. "Is that ''book'' useful?" Aiko required a bit more information than that. "I don''t know." Feifei shook her head, but then she paused. "I can give it a try." She didn''t forget all the favours Aiko and her team gave her, so she would do anything to repay them. "Try it then." Aiko nodded. If she used this on Mei, how would that work? Aiko was looking forward to finding that out~! Feifei sat down in a meditation position and recited a tiny part of the book inside her mind. This was the part that she was supposed to use in the Refinement Realm. She tried to draw the Qi from the outside world as it was described inside the book. Feifei''s Dragon scales shined gently and Qi rushed into her body. [Qi: 51] [Qi: 20] [Qi: 0] It felt like her body was deprived of Qi. She felt empty, but at the same time, she also felt lighter. [Impure Qi was purged from the host''s system.] Feifei heard a strange voice inside her mind, but she ignored it and tried to draw in outside Qi again. [Pure Qi: 1] [Cultivation: [Early Stage Refinement Realm]] This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. [Pure Qi: 20] [Pure Qi: 40] ... [Pure Qi: 160] [Pure Qi: 180] [Cultivation: [Middle Stage Refinement Realm]] [Pure Qi: 200] [Pure Qi: 220] ... [Pure Qi: 320] [Pure Qi: 340] [Cultivation: [Late Stage Refinement Realm]] [Pure Qi: 360] [Pure Qi: 380] ... [Pure Qi: 480] [Pure Qi: 500] [Cultivation: [Peak Stage Refinement Realm]] [Not enough Qi in the atmosphere to progress.] Feifei opened her eyes and found two dumbfounded beings in front of her. It was her grandpa and Aiko. "What''s wrong?" She tilted her head. Feifei didn''t know that she had drained this place of its Qi in but a few moments. There were only a few remnants of Qi left, but those were needed to maintain the space. Aiko massaged her head. Is this how Mei felt...? Maybe she should tone down things or Mei''s heart might stop beating. "You drained this place of its Qi..." Aiko explained to Feifei what just happened. "Oh..." Feifei nodded innocently since she only knew a bit about Mei. "I can''t advance further, but I obtained something called [Flawless Qi Pathways]." [Flawless Qi Pathways] [You have Qi pathways without imperfection. It is possible to use Techniques from higher Cultivation Stages without harming your own Cultivation.] Aiko almost coughed up blood. ''Why are her things so much better?!'' Aiko stared at Feifei speechlessly. [Cultivation: [Peak Stage Refinement Realm]] [Peak Stage Refinement Realm] [You are eligible to advance to the Qi Condensation (Qi Gathering) Stage.] [As being, ''Feifei'', has Lost Ancient Bloodline, she can achieve all 21 Layers.] "..." Aiko just stared at the notification from the system. This was much more elaborate than Beast Cultivation! ''God damn humans!'' Aiko snorted unhappily, but she didn''t let it show on her face, so that Feifei wouldn''t misunderstand again. "Since you have draine- Why are you suddenly moving?!" Aiko yelled out when she saw the lazy lizard moving. "The stagnant Qi was cleared, so I can move a bit." The Dragon laughed. He liked Feifei more and more. Aiko rolled her eyes. She couldn''t believe them, happily chatting away while leaving her alone once again. Aiko snorted unhappily and stood up. ''Since they are going to talk, I might as well look around and loot some things.'' The answer to all Aiko''s worries was shinies that could entertain her for a while and she would do just that! Aiko left the two on their own. She was not worried about Feifei with that Dragon around. "She just left, will you be alright?" The Grandpa asked. "Huh?!" Feifei was shocked and looked around. She couldn''t see Aiko anywhere, she was gone... "Nooooo! I haven''t even thanked her!" Feifei immediately cried out, startling the Dragon. "She will return eventually." The Grandpa tried to soothe her, but... "But what if she hates me?!" Feifei cried even more. "Then I will beat her up!" The Grandpa tried to protect his new granddaughter, but... "I hate you! Why do you want to hurt Aiko!" But Feifei cried even more. The Dragon was confused and didn''t know what to do. He never took care of little ones before, so it was difficult for him to soothe Feifei... ... Aiko ran inside the forest. Fortunately, her big form had expired, so she was much faster and nimbler as nothing weighed her down. She kept her Divine Sense on, so that she could train and keep watch on things. She was not good enough to spot Herbs with it, but fortunately, she didn''t have to do that, since she already robbed that ''garden''. So the only thing she was looking for were places with thick Qi that might host some kind of Treasure or something similar. Maybe she should also scavenge some temples or structures, but since this was Aiko''s first outing in Secret Realm, she also wanted to enjoy it a bit. ... A small Fox ran around with her stealth Skills. There was no one around, as if everyone had already found their treasures and left this place. This slightly disheartened Aiko''s robbing heart, but she should be able to find some kind of secret cave or temple, right? Aiko climbed the nearby mountain to look around. The only thing about Humans that was much better than Beasts was the fact that they could fly much, much sooner. Aiko wished she could fly already, so that she would be able to explore this place much more quickly, but unfortunately, she had to walk everywhere. The only thing that would help her at this point would be a Flying Ship, but Mei told her that nobody would be willing to make a small ship, since it would not sell for much. The craftsman abided by the rule: Go big or go home. Aiko naturally didn''t like that, since she wanted her own ship. She would have to learn by herself and steal some Floating Stones for her own ship! ''I will definitely find Floating Stones in here!'' Aiko yelled out, but someone had a different opinion. [This Secret Realm was robbed too many times by powerful Cultivators. It''s impossible to find Floating Stones as they all would have been scavenged already.] Aiko''s enthusiasm was short-lived and she glared at the system. The system stopped talking, sensing its owner''s displeasure. "Then what can I find?" Aiko pouted. [Inheritance-] "Denied. Those are shit!" Aiko spat on the ground. [Herbs-] "Did you forget that ''garden''?" Aiko snorted at the system. [...] "That''s all?" Aiko stomped her feet. [Memorials...?] "What is that?" Aiko didn''t know that one. [They are remnants from powerful Cultivators, that can aid in your journey. Some might even follow you, so that you can learn more from them.] "Do we know where they are?" Aiko was interested in this one. [This system doesn''t come with a radar function.] "Fuck off!" Aiko was angry at the stupidly proud system and looked around. "How do they look?" Aiko asked with hope in her eyes. [It can be anything, from a rock to a grand temple.] "You are not helping, you do know that, right?" Aiko snorted again as her hope was lost. [...] "Whatever." Aiko rolled her eyes and looked around. Thanks to upgrades and her body, her sight was impeccable. She was able to see far and wide. She spotted a few temple-like structures, but one was already destroyed. The other two still stood strong. ''Is there anything on the other side?'' Aiko tilted her head. She was curious if this place was really that small. She went to the opposite side of this place and looked around, but could not find any other temple. Aiko was disheartened, but at least she had those two locations that she could explore for now. Aiko ''rolled'' down the mountain on a rock due to her eccentric behaviour. It was quite fun and Aiko wanted to try it again, but then... *SCREEEEEEEEEEEECH!* It was time to book it! Chapter 307 – Misfortune after Misfortune Aiko ran through the forest. This was the easiest way to lose the flying bastard, which she succeeded in. She was running towards the first temple thingy. It would take her some time and unfortunately, there was not much to do along the way. She met a few Cultivators, but they were injured and someone else got to their Treasures first. It didn''t seem like Aiko would be able to obtain all that many Treasures thanks to the competition. She hoped that she would at least find something shiny inside the Memorials or temples or whatever she should call them. The first one might look ruined, but there should still be some hidden scraps that Aiko could scavenge. She sped through the forest for a few days until she arrived at the ruined temple site. Cultivators were running all around and creating something on the ground. Aiko was slightly curious, but her senses also warned her about the possible danger. As she was about to turn around, something near her exploded. "We have found the one that destroyed this Inheritance!" One Cultivator shouted towards the small Fox. ''What the fuck?! How can he see me?!'' Aiko was unaware that they created a Soul Seeking Array and unjustly accused the small Fox. All they cared about was the fact that they found a possible outlet for their emotions. Aiko had her stealth activated, but she was still seen through since her Soul was quite large. Aiko immediately sped up as fireworks of different energies exploded behind her. ''No matter! I can still hide in the next Memorial site!'' Aiko proclaimed in her mind, but she quickly noticed she wasn''t as fast as before. She then remembered Mei''s words. "You will be suppressed if Human Cultivators attack you." "It wasn''t me, you brainless bastards!" Aiko yelled at them as her speed dropped. "She called us bastards!" "Kill her for calling us brainless!" "Kill that whore!" The overly fast peanut gallery sped towards Aiko, and just like Aiko they had their own Techniques to bypass the 36k restrictions. Aiko could still use her sprint in conjunction with the [Lightness Technique] to temporarily boost her speed, and lose them with her double jump acrobatics. This gave her some breathing room, but a certain duo of Cultivators was still able to keep up with her speed and acrobatics. One was distorting the space around him, whilst the other was clad in lighting. Aiko was furious that she couldn''t lose them, but the one distorting the space soon gave up. "I will leave it to you, Brother." He yelled loudly. "Your stamina is awful! I will introduce you to some fine women to improve it!" His brother yelled back. Aiko really hated those kinds of talks, so she threw a flag backwards with her tails. The lightning-clad Cultivator didn''t expect retaliation, so he was defenceless. He was hit with Aiko''s flag in the gut and he flew backwards. That thing packed quite the punch and it was especially powerful if you didn''t defend against it. "Brother!" The space-distorting Cultivator yelled. *Cough Cough* "I''m alright brother, but we will need another Array!" He yelled out. "I will tell them." The space-distorting Cultivator said. Aiko sped up towards the next memorial, hoping that she would make it in time to hide inside in order to ambush them. She also slowed down a bit in order to regenerate her lost stamina. Since she was pushing her speed to the limit, her stamina dropped much more quickly. This caused Aiko some pain during the regeneration, as it was quite slow compared to her consumption. This Secret Realm was to blame for that since it was skewed towards Human Cultivators while punishing Beasts, but Aiko did not expect to be so bad. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Her wounds only consisted of a few singed spots, which healed within a few moments of rest. Aiko was lucky that she was small. If she was bigger it would be much harder to dodge those projectiles while keeping her speed... ... In a few days, she arrived at the next memorial. Aiko was hidden within the shadows, observing the situation. There were only a few Cultivators in here, so it seemed she would be safe as long as she sprinted inside. Aiko wondered if she should go inside now or later, since it was slowly getting darker. She would easily be able to run through the night, but once it would approach morning, Aiko would turn into the big form which would cause her a lot of problems. The main issue would be the fact that her strongest defence [Moon Crust] would be sealed in her Dew Form. This caused a huge issue for Aiko as she would be quite vulnerable, but thankfully she was still quite the tank, so she would be able to withstand at least a few fireworks. Aiko decided to go inside right now and find a nice, cosy place where she could recover some of her mental power. It would not be perfect and she would be quite cranky, but that didn''t concern her as the Cultivators would pay for it. Aiko sneaked around them, as far from them as possible, until she was able to enter this place. She didn''t notice that one familiar girl glanced at her and rolled her dice. Her beautiful, quite mature face frowned and she stood up. "What''s wrong, Senior Sister?" The very familiar guy asked her. His way of addressing changed, since in his voice there was a hint of worship. "We will leave this place, so we are not caught in the aftermath." The dice girl said. "Okay." He immediately agreed. While he did wish for Immortals to teach him, nothing beat the safety that came from following his Senior Sister and he would keep going like this for as long as possible! ... Aiko was inside the memorial when the whole place rumbled. Aiko was shocked and jumped inside as she watched the whole memorial crumble. ''What''s wrong with these places?!'' That was the second place that crumbled, no wait that was not the point! "You-!" The Cultivators outside glared at Aiko. It seemed like there was yet another misunderstanding. "It wasn''t me!" Aiko yelled out. "You can tell that to Yama!" One Senior Cultivator yelled out and gathered his Qi for his Martial Technique. This energy was much scarier than those simple fireworks, and Aiko immediately dashed away before they could attack her. Fortunately, her speed was top-notch, as there was no suppression on her just yet. She was able to get away quite easily, but she still could faintly feel them chasing after her. Aiko sped up towards the last Memorial. She did not believe that she wouldn''t be able to obtain at least something from the last one! Anything would do at this point as Aiko was completely livid that she could not obtain anything and that she was just misunderstood by others! "I will rob you blind, you fuckers." Aiko cursed. "Oh, little Fox, we meet again." A voice interrupted Aiko''s thoughts. It was a guy riding a dragon. Aiko tilted her head, but could not remember anything about this weirdo. "Who are you?" The Dragon with the Young Master almost crashed. "Hahaha." He laughed bitterly. "It doesn''t seem you are in the best mood, so I will come later." He bid farewell, which was the best thing he could do against the angry Aiko. Aiko ignored him. She didn''t care about him enough to chase him. Moreover, he was the only one who didn''t attack her immediately, so she appreciated his temperament. Aiko shook her head as the Dragon flew away. She sped up towards the last Memorial. ... A few days later she was at the last Memorial and there were even more Cultivators. Aiko was still able to sneak inside with some difficulty, but fortunately, no one noticed her. Inside this Memorial Temple was a very large maze. ''If you want to do a maze, then don''t make it so you can see the whole maze. It defeats the whole point...'' Aiko shook her head. She memorised the maze and walked down to enter it. She walked forward, then left, then right and then- "Why is it a dead end?!" Aiko was confused. She backtracked towards the beginning, but- "It''s another dead end?!" Aiko''s mind spun. She could not understand what was happening. Why could she not find the exit point of this place? Did the maze change? Aiko was puzzled. "Maybe it has those ''hidden walls'' like in ''that'' place?" She tilted her head. This was quite likely the case, so Aiko went back to the first dead end and punched it... There was no reaction... at least not from the wall. "AAAAGH! THAT HUUURTS!" Aiko screamed as she rolled on the ground. Those walls didn''t budge even when she used her near million strength. Aiko could not understand why the wall was so tough when there was no Qi fluctuation, or was that wall just naturally that tough? "That''s impossible." Aiko had never encountered such a wall before, and why would some kind of shitty memorial have such sturdy walls?! It did not make any sense to her. She did not know that these memorials housed small remnants from Immortals. That meant that if those remnants were harmed, the Immortals would also be harmed in turn! As such this place was built like a ''fortress'' it was supposed to give you a sense of awe and prevent you from having any thoughts about destroying this place. Unfortunately, Aiko did not know about this, so she was unable to make a calm judgement. She walked inside the maze again and again for days to end. Aiko had to even sleep in here just to calm down her nerves since she could not destroy or burn this place down. But over time, her nerves were grounded and she was really upset that she could not even leave this place! *Rumble* "What is happening? Maybe it will allow me to exit this place?" Aiko was hopeful. *Rumble Rumble* "... Not again!" Aiko cried out as the whole place collapsed on her. She used her strength in a desperate manner, but then... *Poof* She turned into a big Fox which pretty much cut her strength to a bare minimum. Aiko was slowly buried by the rouble, but since these pieces were too big, she was able to squirm her way out of this place. She was hopeful that it would be safe outside since she did sustain some injury from the falling rocks and dust. But that was just wishful thinking. When her head popped outside she was surrounded by the Cultivators who immediately strained their eyes on her. "I''m innocent!" Aiko immediately yelled out when she saw them readying their weapons... Chapter 308 – Trouble and Trouble The male Cultivators were stunned by the beauty of the fragile buxom beauty. They were immediately aroused, some even salivated. Aiko hated the feeling of their gazes on her body, especially those that undressed her in their mind. However, before she could do anything a firework blew up next to her. Aiko was too slow in dodging this and suffered minor injuries. [-20,000 HP] Aiko gazed towards where it came from and she noticed a group of very angry Cultivators. Moreover, all of them were human, which means they held a grudge against Aiko! It was not that they held a grudge, weeeeell... they did. All the attention was on Aiko and their simps were ignoring them. That group of female Cultivators hated that feeling, the feeling of being ignored. Aiko dodged another firework, but couldn''t dodge the next one. For a group of unorganized Cultivators, their cooperation was top-notch. This was the power of deep hatred! "Why are you attacking me?!" Aiko cried out. She couldn''t understand why they were all glaring at her. "You stupid whore!" "You filthy Vixen!" They were completely enraged by Aiko''s innocent display and the roars from the male Cultivators. Moreover, because of the suppression, the group of lunatics had the upper hand. "Stop attacking me!" Aiko cried out as she jumped around. She kept all 4 of her tails out, as to maximise her power as much as possible, but that didn''t protect her from getting bruises from their cooperation. Aiko ran into the forest, but the mob of people was like a stampede of bulls charging at her. All the trees in their path ended up uprooted or twisted. "Stop chasing me!" Aiko shouted at them, but the only response was more fireworks. While her body was quite resilient, the same could not be said for her tails. A Fox''s tails were their weak point after all, especially so for the Spirit Foxes. Aiko could only run away and jump around. She was under so much stress that she completely forgot about the Talismans! If she had paid attention, she would have gotten out of this situation so much easier... ... The ruckus that those bulls were creating spread throughout the Secret Realm. You had a lone Fox being chased by a stampede of angry she-bulls, followed by a bunch salivating horndogs. Most would tilt their head in disbelief, until they spotted the Fox. Then they would become either a horndog or a rampaging bull, joining this mad parade. There were some Cultivators that were resistant to it, but those took a safety precaution and watched from far, far away. The groups chipped away at both Aiko''s Stamina and Health. Aiko was distressed, but it was not so bad that she would not be able to deal with them. She would throw her Flags and rocks at them periodically, but every fallen Cultivator was swiftly replaced by the next in line in their seemingly unending horde. Aiko would have to run until they all tired out... ... ...... ......... After a week, almost the whole Secret Realm knew about this. They also heard about a strange Fox switching sizes... Aiko was still being chased and her Stamina was rock bottom. If it was not for Mei''s Rune, she would be being beaten right about now. Aiko was surrounded once again, but she didn''t have the strength to escape this time. If there was no suppression from the Secret Realm on her, they all would be dead already, how unfortunate... Aiko shook her head sadly, but that fragile beauty energy was even stronger now. Most of the male Cultivators kept salivating and barking at Aiko. Offering her their eternal love and little brothers. Aiko was disgusted, but too tired right now to rebuke them. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Just as everyone readied themselves for a beat down, a certain girl stepped in with a male Cultivator. "Please stop. It''s not wise to continue this..." The girl with the dice said gently. "Divinator Bai." One female Cultivator spat out. "That is my name, yes." Bai Jing nodded gently. "You dare protect this wench?!" The female Cultivator glared at her. "I don''t understand." Bai Jing tilted her head. "I''m only doing the natural thing." She shook her head. "I''m surprised that your dog doesn''t salivate like those lowlifes." The female Cultivator snorted distastefully. "I value my life." He immediately retorted. "I''m sure you do and that''s why you are following that wench!" The female Cultivator was angry that her handsome Senior Brother was following such a disgraceful Cultivator. "She isn''t a wench. Moreover, you are so ugly that even a toad would look pretty." He sighed, shaking his head. "You-you!" She turned completely red from rage. "You and your big mouth." Bai Jing shook her head. "What did I do now?" He snorted unhappily. Bai Jing rolled her eyes and readied herself for battle. She was not a proper combat Cultivator, but she was dead either way if the ''little'' Fox''s condition worsened... As such she was willing to fight for the best odds of survival! They all readied themselves for battle when a huge explosion happened. Most of the female Cultivators were blasted away, but thanks to the fact that they used their Defensive Treasures, they survived. "I wondered who was causing this ruckus." Another beautiful Fox appeared out of nowhere. What was more shocking was the fact that she didn''t look suppressed at all! The female Cultivators shivered and tried to crawl away, but a certain beautiful pair of twins stopped them. "Where do you think you are going?" They smiled as their bodies morphed into their combat form. Their tails growing longer and the ends growing the heads of terrifying Beasts whose red eyes made the Souls of their enemies shiver. "I will drain them so we don''t attract Beasts." Another gorgeous Fox appeared. Her features were striking, especially her bosom. Her ability to manipulate blood was terrific. Everyone''s blood ran cold... "Mei..." Aiko murmured weakly. She was too tired to appreciate this rescue. Mei was heartbroken when she saw Aiko in that state. She had many small injuries, ripped clothing and a very exhausted expression. Mei was livid, but it was not yet time to go wild. It was the team''s turn to rip them apart. She came close to Aiko, there was a duo of Humans that stood in front of her. Mei could feel a unique energy from her. ''A Divinator... how is Aiko able to befriend so many...'' She sighed and shook her head. The girl was steady and nervous, but she didn''t fear her. "Did you Divine me?" Mei asked her. "No, I only foresaw destruction, so I was trying to prevent it." Bai Jing said gently, but her nerves were quite tight. Mei nodded gently. "I will contact you later, so don''t even try to run away." "We still have some things to finish. We can meet later." Bai Jing handed the beautiful Fox her Token. With this, she could be contacted by them and possibly maintain a friendly relationship. Mei picked up Aiko gently and she immediately fell asleep. There was also a Dragon peeking from behind trees, but the Young Master didn''t dare to show his face, so Mei ignored him. They left the place to Aiko''s team. It was a carnage so to speak. They ripped the female Cultivators while slapping the male ones. The male ones were mostly innocent, but Aiko''s team hated the way their lecherous gazes fell upon Aiko and how they addressed her, so they gave them a good slapping. ... Mei arrived at a certain place, since she could feel Feifei''s energy. When she arrived, Mei was completely speechless. "Feifei?" Mei asked with doubt in her voice. "Yes, Mistress." Feifei bowed towards Mei. ''Since when was she a pseudo Dragon...?'' Mei could not understand the current situation. Her brain could not comprehend it. "What happened to Aiko?" Feifei asked with concern. She could not believe that Aiko would turn out like this. "She got in a scuffle over something, I''m still investigating." Mei sighed. She had to meditate after destroying the last place, since she was completely drained. Moreover, Aiko was not helping her and sapped most of the strength she managed to recover these last few days. Mei believed that something happened to Aiko since she would not be consuming such a large amount of resources, so she went to investigate. And she found Aiko surrounded near to where she was meditating. She was puzzled, but that puzzlement slowly turned into rage. They hurt Aiko and hurled insults at her. It would be fine if it was one or two Cultivators, since it would help Aiko grow her fighting style, but there were so many groups after her! Mei used the loopholes of this place to her advantage and almost wiped out the female group of Cultivators. She would have finished the male group if they tried something, but they were just salivating over Aiko, so Mei left it to the team. Better to leave them alive and not make their sects hate her even more. "You look tired." Feifei tilted her head. "Help me settle, Aiko." Mei sighed and pinched Feifei''s cheek. "I''m here to be of use, Mistress." Another person bowed. "Huh, what are you doing here?" The Dragon asked. He felt so out of place since everyone ignored him, but he did notice this small girl who tailed this beautiful Fox. "I was refined, so now I''m doing what I''m told." The girl rolled her eyes and transformed into a very specialised bedding for Aiko. Mei was stunned. There were too many changes! Moreover, didn''t the Blood Fox say that she was far away, what happened?! The Blood Fox was indeed very far away, but that was only because the cave had an unstable Qi space. This caused time in the cave to progress faster than the rest of the Secret Realm. So even if the Blood Fox spent a month inside it would only be a day outside of the cave... "How can I trust you?!" Mei was on guard against this thing. "My Mistress said that I should tell you this if you say that:" The bedding spoke in an irritating voice. "I will be able to score bonus points with Aiko, since this bedding is exactly like my tails." *Crack* The ground under Mei cracked. "That Vixen!" She cursed the Blood Fox. Mei didn''t think that the Blood Fox would spend her time looking for Treasures for Aiko. She knew that she wanted to advance her Cultivation, but to just throw it away like that... Mei couldn''t understand her line of thought... "With that out of the way and my humiliation approaching, can we please skip this so I can return to my Mistress? I would rather fight than be a bedding." The bedding frowned. Mei placed Aiko on the ¡®bedding¡¯ with a special Ward Rune on her body. This would allow her to transport Aiko a short distance if the ''bedding'' plotted something. With all of that out of the way, she turned towards the Dragon. They both stared at each other like they knew each other... Chapter 309 – An old Friend "You are still alive, huh?" Mei said to the Dragon while shaking her head. "I could say the same about you. Are you still calling yourself a Queen?" The Dragon snorted at her. "And do you still call yourself Fanrong Long?" Mei likewise snorted at him. "That was a long time ago." The Dragon didn''t deny that he used to call himself ''Prosperity Dragon''. "Pfft." Mei soon burst out laughing and the Dragon joined her. They laughed for a while, puzzling not only Feifei, but even Aiko''s team that just arrived. "What''s happening?" The Blood Fox asked while staring at them. ""Nothing."" They both replied in sync. Mei and the Dragon stared at each other. "I hope my little Mate didn''t trouble you much, old friend." Mei chuckled at him. "I have not been entertained like that for a long time." The Dragon ignored that sarcasm and replied happily. "Seriously?!" Mei couldn''t believe her ears. "She didn''t destroy or steal anything?" She didn''t believe that Aiko played an angel in front of him. The Dragon looked away. Mei sighed, understanding his reluctance to speak. "What did she steal this time?" "A large part of the ''garden'' of one of the 4 Disasters." The Dragon laughed. "That chicken didn''t know what was coming for him!" He kept laughing happily. "Garden?" Mei tilted her head. "Just wait until your ''mate'' wakes up and you will be pleasantly surprised." The Dragon chuckled. "Why can''t you just tell me?" Mei pouted. "I''m not a charity, nor your ''mate''." The Dragon snorted. A long time ago he had a crush on her, so he was currently a bit sulky that his old flame had gotten a mate. "Stop sulking. What are you, a child?" Mei slapped his scales without a care in the world. "So what if I sulk?" The Dragon snorted unhappily. "Just because I have rejected you, doesn''t mean you can take it out on me or my mate!" Mei slapped him again on the scales. *Crunch* Their bodies stiffened. They turned around to see Feifei and the rest of Aiko''s team munching on jerkies while watching them. The team acted like they were watching some kind of drama, the only missing feature would be the 3d glasses, but unfortunately, that concept didn''t exist in this Mortal World. "Are you enjoying the show?" Mei''s lips twitched. "I can''t believe you treat them so well..." The Dragon murmured. "What?!" Mei snapped at him. "You lazy bastard, I always treat everyone well!" She proclaimed. "No, you don''t." The Dragon and the Blood Fox said in sync. Mei glared at both of them, but could not harm one without severe consequences, so she beat the one she could without consequences. "Why are you so tough!" Mei panted as she was not able to punish the Dragon at all. "Why are you so weak?" The Dragon snorted back. Mei growled at him, but it was just a cute whimper. "At least you are cuter than before." The Dragon nodded. "Who is cuter, your mother is cuter!" Mei kicked him as she took every word from him as an insult. *Munch Munch* Aiko''s team turned into the jerky gallery, watching intently as the entertainment in front of them unfolded. "Is it because of your ''mate''?" The Dragon paused. "I should definitely thank her later, you are a lot cuter than before." "Cute my ass! I will beat you up!" Mei currently had the energy of a rebellious little sibling. She tried to kick and claw the Dragon, but his scales were so tough that she could not even leave a faint scratch on them. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. "And what happened to her?" The Dragon asked, pointing at the strange tail nest in which a small Fox slept. "The Cultivators said that they were chasing a Fox who destroyed all the inheritance grounds." The Blood Fox replied. She was currently inspecting Feifei, since she noticed the new features on her body and was curious about them. Mei naturally stiffened. Aiko was not the one who destroyed those inheritance grounds, but it was her. This means that this trouble that ''Aiko'' had created, was not Aiko''s, but hers! Mei blushed and kicked even more energetically to get that embarrassment out of her system. "Hmmmmm..." The Dragon narrowed his eyes, but didn''t say anything. He still liked this ''young'' Fox, so he would naturally not divulge her secrets. ''You should tell her later.'' The Dragon whispered into the Fox''s mind. Mei flinched and retorted with, "I know." before continuing her kicking spree. She was embarrassed that she caused so much pain to Aiko and she didn''t know how she was supposed to tell her... "Alright, let that little rascal rest for now. I''m still preparing for her Evolution, so you all can stay here. It will be more lively that way." The Dragon closed his eyes and rested. Mei was quite shocked. ''What in the world did Aiko do to change him like this...?'' If a Dragon offered to help you with Cultivation or Evolution, it meant that it was sure to succeed! ''Maybe I should ask him for a favour later...'' Mei narrowed her eyes. She didn''t want to get left behind, so it was better to Evolve into the next stage and attain Human Form. Then she could Cultivate over here and hide away in Aiko''s Tails to ensure her safety. It was not a bad plan, but she needed to convince Aiko... ... A few days passed and Aiko finally woke up. She yawned in her big form and rubbed her sleepy eyes. Her ears were droopy like she didn''t get enough sleep yet. "Morning." Mei greeted Aiko. "Mhm." Aiko blinked before going back to bed. The Dragon expected ''Mei'' to completely flip, but he was shocked by her soft eyes gazing at Aiko. ''What in the world happened after I was banished here...'' He could not believe his eyes that the Tyrant Queen could be so soft on someone. The Dragon closed his eyes and meditated on this question and the only answer that he came up with, was that it was thanks to the little Foxie. If it was not for her, he would still be bored out of his mind, waiting to slowly die in this place again and again... ''She is a breath of absurd and chaotic air into a very mundane life.'' He nodded inside his mind and rested until the little Aiko woke up. ... A few more days later. Aiko finally woke up and stood up without much issue. The bedding was quivering in anger that it had to serve as a bed, but one glare from the Blood Fox pacified it. "Morning." Aiko murmured. She was still a bit sleepy, but thanks to the abundance of energy, she was mostly rested. Mei greeted Aiko once again and was immediately hugged by Aiko. "Thank you for helping me." Aiko nuzzled Mei. Mei felt even more embarrassed, but she coughed like a sage. "You should be more careful next time." "En." Aiko nuzzled Mei''s bosom a bit more before yawning again. "Do you know many Herbs, Mei?" The Dragon perked his ears. The amusement was coming quicker than he expected. "Of course." Mei gently pinched Aiko''s cheek. "Who do you think I am?" She proudly stuck her chest out. "A washing board-KUH!" The Dragon spoke without thinking and got slammed by Mei''s energy. "But Mei is not flat?" Aiko tilted her head. "Not in this li-ARGH!" Mei almost couldn''t bear it and suplexed the daring Dragon! "But I like this Mei..." Aiko rubbed her face between Mei''s peaks, but for some reason, she didn''t push her away? What happened to Mei? Aiko was unaware that Mei felt guilty for causing her so much trouble, so she steeled her nerves to indulge Aiko a bit more than she would usually do. After a while, Aiko stopped and asked again. "Do you know many Herbs and how to harvest them?" "I know many, but harvesting is a different league altogether." Mei sighed gently. "Then, can you harvest this?" Aiko pulled a large slab out of her [Tails Storage], it was a very familiar dirt half-block with Herbs on top. Mei almost coughed up her lungs when she saw those priceless Herbs! Some were almost Spiritual Herbs! "W-where did you get-" Mei paused her sentence since she remembered a certain sentence from a certain someone: "A large part of the ''garden'' of one of the 4 Disasters." "Don''t tell me this is the ''garden''?!" Mei could not believe her eyes. "I have more, but there is too much left, so I would like to return there and harvest it all." Aiko nodded gently. "You have more?!" Mei almost fainted. *Crunch* A large crunch was heard behind them. This time not only Feifei and Aiko''s team, but even the Dragon were munching on jerkies. The Dragon even had popcorn with funny glasses on his overly large head. "What the fuck are you doing?" Mei spat out. She could not believe that her dignified friend would wear such colourful glasses. "One reincarnator told me that if you are watching a show, you should wear this and eat popcorn." The Dragon shrugged and munched on the popcorn that he picked up from who knows where. A few veins appeared on Mei''s forehead and she went to smash the Dragon into the ground. Meanwhile, Aiko sat down with her team and joined in on the jerky munching. "Not you too!" Mei noticed Aiko munching with her team and staring at them as they fought. "But there is nothing else to do..." Aiko pouted and munched a bit more because of frustration. ... When everyone calmed down, Mei dragged Aiko and Feifei next to the block of dirt with Herbs on top. "Now watch me carefully as I will harvest these Herbs and preserve them with their own powers. This will be useful when you have a large amount of Herbs while not having a container for them." Mei explained. "You can''t use this if you are grabbing Herbs quickly, as this takes time. So only do it when you know you have the time and that you are safe." Aiko and Feifei nodded at Mei''s words. Mei still could not get over the abnormal change in Feifei''s body, but she would study it later. She gently grasped one Herb and sent her Divine Sense down its roots. She wrapped the Herb with the Divine Sense and gently kept squeezing and releasing. The Herb pulsated and Mei kept doing it until the Herb shined gently. This meant that the Herb created a protective membrane and would not decay as quickly if not at all! Mei nodded happily and looked at the duo. "And with this, it''s finished." Mei had a hard time surpressing the urge to grab a bunch of Herbs and start refining them into Special Pills for her Human Form Evolution. Mei had to keep chanting. ''It can wait. It can wait. It can wait. It can wait. It can wait. It can wait.'' In order to calm down her nerves and not jump on this opportunity. She kept harvesting Herbs until she harvested the entire block! Even if she didn''t mean to, her mind just kept telling her to do it, so she couldn''t stop herself! Chapter 310 – More Blocks and Divine Sense Aiko kept pulling out more and more of the blocks of dirt like there was no tomorrow. Mei kept harvesting it all again and again until she felt completely exhausted. "Are we stopping now?" Aiko took the harvested Herbs and placed them in her [Tails Storage]. Without the dirt the Herbs didn''t take up all that much space, so Aiko''s tails could once again store lots of things. Mei also harvested the grass, so Aiko also stored it for later. "What do you mean, ''Are we stopping''?! Do you know how hard it is to do this?!" Mei cried out. She felt unhappy that Aiko kept pulling things out of her tails. Aiko tilted her head and smiled. She was currently in her big form so she smothered Mei, trying to appease her. But all she got in return was a mean pinch from Mei. "Why?!" Aiko cried out. She could have nuzzled Mei''s, but the other way around it was a no-no?? Aiko couldn''t understand what was wrong with Mei. "I just want to rest." Mei glared at Aiko. "Okay." Aiko smiled innocently and guided Mei to a nice place. Aiko plastered Spirit Crystals into the ground and then placed furs on top of it. As such, she created the most glorious and warm bed possible. Mei massaged her temples. "You know that you are the only one that would use Spirit Crystals like this, right?" Mei shook her head at Aiko. She was completely speechless at her antics. "But it''s warm and comfortable!" Aiko pouted, like Mei couldn''t appreciate the beauty of this bedding. "Forget it..." Mei gave up correcting her, since every time she tried to correct her, Aiko would just come up with something even crazier. Her mind was already unsteady and she couldn''t afford to deal with more of Aiko''s shenanigans right now. ''I should be able to reach my Human Form here. Then, if I drain this place, I should be able to use the Forbidden Technique to transform myself back into a Fox and seal the Human Body Cultivation.'' ''With that, I will be way ahead of my competition and I will also be able to keep being with Aiko in my Fox Form. The only disadvantage is that my Human Body Cultivation will drop in strength over time...'' If that Cultivation dropped too much, Mei would lose her Human Cultivation altogether and she would stay as a Fox forever after. That would cause her to lose her privilege in achieving Kitsune Form, which was supposedly the last form for Foxes! ''There is still a long way ahead.'' Mei sighed. Foxes would become stronger the longer they lived. They had many ways that would increase their strength compared to other Beasts, but most Foxes would not live long enough to harvest the fruits of their hard labour... ... As Mei went to bed, Aiko tried to sneak away, but was stopped by her team. "Where are you going?" The team narrowed their eyes, it''s not been all that long since Aiko was injured, so they were unwilling to let her go. "I''m visiting chicken." Aiko smiled innocently. "Pfft." The Dragon almost couldn''t contain his laughter, but gently nudged the other Foxes. "Let her go, I will step in if the chicken dares more than cluck at you." He chuckled darkly. "Good support!" Aiko raised her thumb in approval before running away. The team was still concerned. They didn''t trust the Dragon completely, even if Mei and Aiko believed him. They wanted to be the caution of the team, but the Dragon''s strength was undeniable. They would not be able to harm it even with their full strength... As such, they could only concede and watch as Aiko left. ... Aiko dashed through the forest to a familiar ''garden''. She already rubbed her grubby fingers before diving into the ground. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Aiko did not test it yet, but she should be able to grab those blocks from below, which means she could be as stealthy as she possibly wanted! The ''garden'' this time was guarded by other Beasts. They were probably the lackeys of that flying chicken, but since Aiko was underground, those Beasts were unable to find Aiko. Aiko rubbed her hands and applied [Digging Site] and later [Soil Excavation]. There was still a lot of the ''garden'' left, but since her Skills and Abilities levelled up, she was able to choose a much larger space. As such, she was much quicker in taking that ''garden'' She could also hear a screech from the sky, it was a painful and confused screech, but Aiko ignored it. Mei liked these Herbs, so she would take them all for her! Happy Mei meant happy times for Aiko. She would be able to nuzzle her and get Pill Candies from Mei. This was the best situation for Aiko and no chicken would stand between her and her goal! Aiko grabbed part of the Garden until her [Tails Storage] was full. She didn''t need to leave space for other Treasures, since these would be processed by Mei! Aiko nodded underground and moved back into the forest where the Dragon resided. The headless chicken was roaring around, confused as to why this happened to it. ... Aiko returned to the camp. Her team immediately swarmed and inspected her body for injuries. Aiko was getting better at using her big body, since previously it was only used for Pill Refinement. Now she had to actually move and fight in it, she was able to get a better handle on the ''controls''. Aiko nodded happily at her team''s care. "There are still things we can learn from Grandpa Dragon, so let''s ask him." Aiko dragged her team next to the Dragon. The Blood Fox didn''t like it. It was fine that the Dragon protected Aiko, but the others didn''t want anything to do with it! They were worried that the Dragon would harm them in order to separate them from Aiko! "I would like to practise my Divine Sense with you." Aiko said. She knew that her team also practised the same, so this was a good opportunity. "I have a different form of Divine Sense, but I can give you a few pointers." The Dragon didn''t reject this motion, since it would be much more lively with this. Aiko nodded gently, but smirked right after. "I wouldn''t be so sure about that." Her team already guessed that Aiko would play around a lot, so they took a bit of distance. "Oh?" The Dragon narrowed its eyes. "Are you challenging m-" Before the Dragon could finish his words, Aiko pulled out the ''wolf'' card and summoned her Divine Sense. A large wolf appeared behind her staring at the Dragon. "I''m sorry." The Dragon immediately prostrated, making Aiko speechless. "Erm..." Aiko didn''t know what to do, since she didn''t expect this to happen. "I would like to train?" Aiko didn''t know what she wanted to do, when she was that pitiful Dragon bowing to her. The Dragon slightly raised his huge head. Seeing that Aiko was still Aiko, he coughed awkwardly. "I almost thought you were that bastard." The Dragon patted his chest. "Who?" Aiko tilted her head. "No matter, no matter." The Dragon shook his head. "I will teach you to the best of my abilities, and you three- four can watch." The Dragon snorted steam out of his nostrils as he summoned his Divine Sense. His Divine Sense was incomparably large and threatening. The Divine Sense Dragon scales were huge and shiny and this meek Dragon turned into a much more threatening form! Aiko was stunned speechless as the strange Grandpa really turned into a majestic Dragon! "This is Dragon''s Divine Sense. There is one more race that has this kind of sense, but let''s skip that part." The Dragon smiled. The rest was for Aiko to figure out over time. "Now our Divine Sense works by extracting our True Essence into Divine Sense and summoning it." The Dragon explained. "The older you are, the more Essence you have to store." The Dragon pointed at the huge Divine Sense. "This Essence can be extracted from the Divine Sense in order to empower you, but since it''s so potent, you can''t keep it in your body for too long or you would be risking lasting damage." The Dragon explained the Divine Sense of his race. "I''m not sure if it''s the same with your Divine Sense, but I can tell you that you are not ready to extract it just yet. Your body is not powerful enough to bear the power that comes with your especially potent Divine Sense." The Dragon explained more. "In order to be on the safe side, you should meet your ''kin'' and get more concrete answers." The Dragon could not help with this, since he would be implicated later if he did so. Aiko nodded gently. The Dragon was caring and willing to explain so much. This prompted Aiko to try hard and learn! "Now, for practical training, it would be best to have your Divine Sense fight mine." The Dragon said, but before Aiko''s team could voice her disagreement, he continued. "Of course, I will only defend. While your Divine Sense is more potent than mine, the limiting factor is your Soul and Mind." "With this, you should be able to get more familiar with your Divine Sense without accidentally hurting anyone. I will also shield your friends if your Divine Sense stops listening to you." The Dragon flicked his finger and created an elaborate Defensive Formation that would protect everyone. "Keep in mind. This training is not about how much damage you can deal to me, but how much control you can obtain over your Divine Sense." The Dragon raised his finger and warned Aiko. "It does not matter if you are powerful if you can''t even control it!" Aiko nodded like an attentive child. "Control, not power." She smiled. ''I should be able to do it, since I don''t have to worry about harming Mei.'' She was very happy about this part since she was always overly cautious of hurting Mei, but with this~; she would be able to go all out! Mei woke up a few moments ago to a grand sight. She knew that her old friend was powerful, but she didn''t expect to be so majestic. His Divine Sense was much better for training with Aiko than hers. She had to be careful with Aiko''s since it was in a different league when the wolf was out. It was not like Mei would be badly harmed by Aiko, but injuries were unavoidable if Aiko went all out. That might also in turn cause Aiko some trauma. If she made subconscious restraints, it would only harm hinder her in the long run when it comes to her Divine Sense and Divine Consciousness! Chapter 311 – Skirmish, Beast Core and How to take care of Mei Aiko''s ''small'' wolf jumped at the Dragon''s oversized Dragon. The wolf clawed and bit the oversized Dragon, but the Dragon only observed. The wolf was dealing no damage to it, which made the wolf angrier. It growled for the first time and increased the pressure towards the oversized Dragon, but Grandpa''s Divine Sense just made his own popcorn to much on. The Dragon also picked up what was left of his own popcorn and munched on it. This made Aiko quite angry and her Divine Sense became even more ferocious. The Dragon narrowed his eyes, but didn''t say anything. He was trying to gauge Aiko and the behaviour of her Divine Sense, so he didn''t want to interfere too much for the time being. ... After some time, Mei woke up and Aiko scurried away from the Dragon. The Dragon''s Divine Sense was uninjured, but Aiko was completely exhausted. She was looking for comfort from Mei. Mei who just woke up saw even more blocks of dirt in front of her and almost fainted. "Do you want to overwork me to death?!" Mei cried out and Aiko smiled innocently. She felt much better being comforted by Mei. "Of course not, but there is more of it, so we need to process it before it spoils!" Aiko smiled again. Mei whined, but these were precious Herbs and Aiko was not wrong with what she said. Mei would have to stand up and harvest those Herbs, since neither Feifei nor Aiko could do this for the time being. Feifei hadn''t unlocked her Divine Sense and Aiko''s Divine Sense was not gentle or precise enough to do this. That made Mei and possibly the team deal with this, but she didn''t trust them with such precious resources. "Don''t look at me, my Divine Sense would munch on it." The Dragon turned away with his Divine Sense, but one could see that the oversized Dragon was salivating at the Herbs. Mei groaned unhappily, but there was no helping it. She would have to do it, otherwise no one would! ... Mei and Aiko took turns in harvesting, resting, and training. Aiko had blocks upon blocks of dirt with Herbs, so Mei was harvesting a lot of it. There were also times when Aiko would go away for something, which Mei capitalised upon. "Old friend." Mei spoke to the Dragon. "What is it?" The Dragon gazed at Mei. "How much do you know about multiple Beast Cores?" Mei asked him an important question. "Hmmmmm..." The Dragon fell silent for a moment. "Is it because of the little one?" He asked with narrowed eyes. "Yes." Mei nodded. "You don''t have to worry about it." The Dragon shook his head. "The way I can see it, those two Beast Cores are acting in harmony. It''s like you would take a Beast Core and slice it in half. That''s the feeling I got." He then lay down. "She is in no danger, even if more Beast Cores appear all of a sudden. You could see it as her natural form of being." "Is it because of her ''Origin''?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "No." The Dragon shook his head. "Someone used Providence to aid the little Fox, so that she wouldn''t be hurt by multiple Beast Cores, but it got so ridiculous that the Beast Cores actually act in harmony." He chuckled unhappily. "They act in harmony?" Mei didn''t believe it. She also saw the Beast Cores'' strangeness, but she didn''t expect this kind of oddity! "You don''t have to think too much about it. What you have to think about is the Techinques you give and allow her to use." The Dragon warned. "If they are improper or unfinished Techniques, it could have undesirable effects on your mate." The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Mei nodded. "I do have a few complete methods, but it would depend on Aiko''s attainment." "Can we also get those?" The Blood Fox asked. She was rivals with Mei, but that didn''t mean they wouldn''t help each other, right? "You need to strike a good balance with your Divine Sense before I''m willing to give you anything." Mei nodded. She had planned on giving them some things so that they could somewhat keep up with Aiko. On the other hand, it was also important to have a strong enough Divine Sense to exceed your peers. Why was that? Strong Divine Sense means strong Mind. That means that if you encounter a bottleneck, it can be solved much easier than for those who don''t have Divine Sense. You can also understand Techniques better since your Divine Sense can assist you with them, but that''s an advanced application. And Aiko''s team has yet to achieve balance, so Mei would not cross that river just yet. "Okay." The Blood Fox nodded. She and the others worked on their Divine Senses under the tutelage of the Dragon and while he did have a different Divine Sense; he also had a great insight! Aiko returned to a strange atmosphere. "Are you alright, Mei?" She walked towards Mei. "I''m fine." Mei narrowed her eyes. "You wouldn''t happen to be replenishing your ''block'' reserves, right?" "Ack!" Aiko coughed awkwardly. "Of course, I wouldn''t do something like that." She avoided Mei''s gaze like it was a plague and whistled innocently. Mei sighed. "Fine, how much is left?" "Less than half." Aiko immediately confessed and Mei fainted. "M-Mei!?" Aiko immediately ran next to Mei to check on her. She then decided to place Mei in the nest that she had created and let her rest. "I didn''t expect this..." Aiko murmured. "Did you really already steal so much?" The Dragon asked. He could not believe that this little Fox was so greedy! "Yeah. My tails are starting to get more and more full." Aiko nodded. She almost arrived at the point were her shrinking storage space became a problem. She would soon have to take several trips since there would not be enough room to store the harvested Herbs and those blocks of dirt! The Dragon shook his head. "You will overwork your Mate." "But they are precious... and Mei''s eyes also shined." Aiko looked sad, because Mei liked those Herbs, but at the same time, it seemed like she was getting hurt by Aiko. The Dragon sighed. "Neither of you understand the word moderation..." He murmured before making plans in his head. Since Aiko liked to overdo things, he would over-prepare for her Evolution. That way, he won''t be surprised or caught off-guard. "What?" Aiko couldn''t quite hear him. "Nothing." The Dragon shook his head. "Take good care of your mate." "I don''t know how." Aiko tilted her head. "Caress her hair when she sleeps and do it gently, no ruffling!" The Dragon proclaimed. The Blood Fox liked this training, but she didn''t like the fact that Mei would be the first test subject. She was more than willing to become the first test subject in case something wrong happened. "What is it?" Aiko tilted her head. "Nothing." The Blood Fox shook her head and left. She would train her Blood Abilities on the captured sluts. That way she will be able to advance, but also not think about this situation. The Dragon shook his head. This whole team was a handful. He didn''t know how bad it would get at later stages, but there are at least 2 love triangles, if not more! While it was amusing for a while, later it would become a problem and he would also be one of the affected parties, so he would have to solve it... He didn''t want to spend his time on this. They were all adults... mostly, so they should talk it out. The problem was that one was unable to be honest, another was oblivious, the next one was jealous... and so on. This was just brewing for a disaster, but the main culprit was completely unaware of it! What''s more, it also feels like they will be all fine and just duke it out in the background! He could not understand this whole thing at all! ... Mei woke up with a pleasant feeling in her head. She wondered what it was, so she opened her eyes. "Morning." Aiko greeted her and the feeling in her hair didn''t disappear. "What are you doing?" Mei asked. It was suspicious that Aiko was nice. "Grandpa told me that you would like this." Aiko answered and kept massaging Mei''s head. "It''s not bad." Mei frowned, not at Aiko, but at her old friend. He did something unnecessary again! Just this time she didn''t mind it... Aiko kept caressing Mei''s head so well that Mei fell asleep once again. [The possibility of registering User into the system increased!] Aiko blinked a few times. It seems that Mei will be part of the system soon, but how soon? She did not know, but she did want to gift Mei her own Bloodline and then test other things like Cultivation gifts and so on. Aiko narrowed her eyes. She would have to do too many things, but there was limited time once again. She didn''t know how long and how severe her next Evolution would be, but she would have to persevere for now! Aiko was also happy that Mei would join the rank of the system. That would mean she could observe Mei''s growth in real time! Aiko was very much looking forward to that one, but she also worried that she would uncover secrets that Mei might not want her to know! She was quite worried that Mei would hate her for it! ... The next day, Mei woke up even more refreshed. She was smothered by something soft and nice, so she didn''t want to open her eyes. Aiko didn''t mind that Mei slept so much. It meant she was recovering well and there was no need to worry. She would have to do this once in a while to properly let Mei rest, but it was unachievable to do it all the time. Mei sat down and grasped the soft things. She would really love to wrap herself in it! "Kya!" A squeak drifted from behind her and Mei absent-mindedly turned around. She saw Aiko blushing, stammering at her. Her ears were low, but twitching. She looked like a cute little innocent Fox. Mei looked down, on what she was grasping and caressing. A similar blush appeared on her face when she noticed that she was holding Aiko''s long tails. Both of them grabbed their own tails and didn''t speak. Mei''s face burned quite a lot. Fox Tails were sensitive, but they all indulged Aiko since she was small. Aiko was no longer small, but she still sought them. They were at first confused, but they just dismissed it as part of Aiko''s shenanigans and affection. But now that she grasped Aiko''s tail, it seemed like Aiko realised what was wrong with what she was doing. Let''s hope that Aiko will learn from this and not indulge her... Chapter 312 – A lesson to be learned… Aiko offered to assist Mei with her rest each time, but the stubborn Mei would reject it every time So Aiko just ignored her and snuck next to Mei whenever she slept to assisted her anyways. Mei was upset at first, but chose to give up, since it didn''t feel all that bad. ... "How much is left?" Mei asked Aiko gently. "We are in the last 10 batches." Aiko pulled out another block of dirt. "So little..." Mei sighed. "You say that, but weren''t you grunting just yesterday?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. "You are imagining things." Mei pouted and finished harvesting another block. "Are you sure that you can store so much in your tails without it degrading the Herbs?" Mei was pessimistic about this part, since she had never heard of any spacial storage that would allow you to preserve Herbs. Most of the herb preserving containers were special boxes with special cloth or water inside that would allow you to store the Herbs without degrading them. "It should be fine." Aiko didn''t know for sure, but so far even if she pulled out the Herbs, they looked just like before. Was it because she mixed her own energy into her [Tails Storage]? Aiko was concerned that the Dragon''s energy could penetrate her [Tails Storage], so she filled it up with her own energy while she was in her Dew Form. Mei gazed at Aiko. She was currently in her big form. Mei didn''t like this kind of body for certain reasons, but she was able to suppress that prejudice for the time being. "You should wait till you turn small." Mei glanced at Aiko before returning to harvesting again. "I won''t leave this place in this form." Aiko understood that it was not wise. This form was too big compared to her smaller form. She would have a hard time dodging things once again if she was in this big form. Mei nodded with a light smile. She was concerned that Aiko would be reckless after training her Divine Sense with her old friend, but that seemed like a needless worry on her part. Her old friend was patiently teaching everyone and they advanced greatly in their Divine Sense training. The first one to reach the threshold for Mei to give out the Beast Technique was surprisingly the Blood Fox. But since she didn''t reach the proper Beast Rank for it, it was postponed. "I will be going again." Aiko just turned small and the blocks were quickly vanishing. "Okay." Mei nodded. "Be careful." She could feel that chaotic energy from the directions where Aiko was always going. It seemed like the Beast was losing its mind over losing its garden and would soon fall into a chaotic state. At that time Aiko would be in danger since that kind of energy easily seeped into the underground... With Aiko gone, Mei turned towards the Blood Fox. "You surprised me." Mei willingly admitted. "I''m just trying to catch up." The Blood Fox shook her head. "I will prepare the Pills for you, so you can safely and easily advance to another rank." Mei sighed. "But I would still prefer it if you took Aiko''s kindness. It''s safe here and nobody will be able to hurt her." The Blood Fox didn''t answer. It felt like everyone had some kind of expectation for Aiko, like she would always be with them on that long treacherous journey. "Can it be called our journey if someone walks in front of us?" The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. "You are too young." Mei sighed and shook her head. This kind of thing only applies to Human Cultivation, not Beasts. It seems like the Blood Fox was a bit too steady in her approach, which might come back to her in the butt later. The Blood Fox didn''t say anything. She knew that Mei meant well, but she was worried that she would depend on Aiko too much. What she was after was a relationship of equals, but with this pace, she would become just another ornament like Wanshu. She was part of the group with her own Mate, but they didn''t engage with Aiko much now. Either it was Wanshu''s jealousy or the fact that Aiko might be more desirable to Yuxi. The Blood Fox could not tell at this point. This whole group was too chaotic to begin with. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Mei didn''t know what to do with Aiko. The Blood Fox tried to get closer to Aiko since she was desired. Yuxi liked Aiko thanks to her strange dreams. This whole group was a mess... "How long will it take?" The Blood Fox asked. They had to keep this under wraps otherwise Aiko would throw a tantrum and force the gifts on her... "Don''t worry, it will be done." Mei understood her worry, but she would still tell Aiko. Aiko needed to know the state of her team. Concealing anything was never a good idea to begin with. Aiko might throw a tantrum or she might leave them on their own paths. Aiko needed to learn that her team had their own journey, but asking for help was not a sin either. Until they realise that, it will be a hard journey for everyone... ... Aiko dashed through the forest for possibly the last time, with the help of the Blood Fox. She was able to sort and ''compress'' the Herbs, which allowed her to store a bit more than she expected. This would allow her to take the rest of the ''garden'' and never return here. What the group didn''t know was the fact that Aiko already suffered a few internal injuries, but thanks to the system''s HP regeneration; she was always fine. There was no need to tell them and worry them, so Aiko never told them and always healed the minor internal damage before returning, so none of them were any wiser. ''The chicken is thrashing again.'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. The flying ''chicken'' was thrashing around the mountain. It lost its opportunity to advance and break the chains of this Secret Realm, so it lost its mind and was destroying its nest. It also became more sensitive to energy and sound. Once it noticed that familiar energy, it immediately descended upon its garden. Aiko was currently setting up her Ability in order to be able to harvest the last few pieces when pressure descended upon her. ''Alright, this is not good.'' Aiko frowned. The damage was not too much, but it still pained her heart that she was losing HP. [-50 HP] [-50 HP] [-50 HP] [-50 HP] Each second she would lose 50 HP, which was not much, but it would definitely stack up over time and slow her return by at least a few hours. ''Stupid brainless chicken!'' Aiko roared in her mind. ''Why can''t you just beat your head on a nearby rock and die?!'' She was being completely unreasonable, since she wanted to make Mei happy. This also prompted her personality to become a bit more twisted. ''If Mei likes it, you are supposed to give it!'' Aiko felt no remorse for stealing this thing when her body was coated in darkness. The [Good/Evil] was showing its teeth when Aiko suppressed her Moon Form. The chicken thrashed faster and harder, destroying the last part of his ''garden''. ''Oi! You bastard!'' This naturally interrupted Aiko''s Ability which was almost ready. The Flying Beast roared once again when it noticed that the last piece of the garden was destroyed. It didn''t care that it was the one that destroyed it. All it cared about was to kill the one with that familiar energy. *SKREEEEEEEEEEEEECH* The Flying Beast roared one last time before its heart and mind were completely consumed. It would never achieve any greatness at this point and only fall deeper into the bottomless hole that is the demonic path. The Flying Beast''s energy spiked like never before and Aiko was in a lot of pain. [-50,000 HP] [-50,000 HP] [-50,000 HP] The insignificant damage turned into a significant one. Each second she lost way too much HP than she liked and at this rate, it would become dangerous soon. Aiko immediately booked it, but the Flying Demonic Beast would not let her leave. He kept crashing into the ground trying to injure Aiko and thanks to that more and more energy penetrated the ground. At this time Aiko was cursing, but thanks to her Shadow Form, she was still calm and ruthless. She would deal with this prick in her own way, and that would be by guiding it towards her new Grandpa. The Dragon would be able to easily defeat this stupid Flying Beast, making Aiko safe. The Flying Demonic Beast noticed where that energy was going and it panicked. It could never match the energy of the Beast that dwelled deep inside this forest. As such, it became even more desperate. *Crash* [-500,000 HP] Aiko coughed up blood on the ground. She was shocked by the damage. If this continued, she would definitely die. She was not as fast underground as above the ground. Yet she still managed to somewhat dodge the close blunt attack from the Flying Idiot and emerge from the ground. The bloodshot eyes immediately strained and trained at Aiko. It would absolutely kill this dumb animal for destroying its garden! That was the vow that the Flying Demonic Beast made. A shiver went down Aiko''s spine and she immediately used all her strength to dash away. But the Flying Demonic Beast was still far faster than Aiko. It was quite a desperate time for Aiko as she was unable to dodge everything that the Flying Dumb Chicken threw at her. It almost felt like the Flying Smelly Chicken was toying with her. The Flying Half-plucked Chicken was definitely toying with this small Beast. It could not believe that something, so small, could ruin its garden, so it was enjoying its time with it before it would slowly peel of its skin. ... The Dragon noticed the outburst of energy and gazed towards that direction. Mei was a step slower than her friend, since her Cultivation was much lower. ''I hope Aiko is alright...'' Mei hadn''t taken time to correct Aiko''s behaviour, since she always looked so excited when she gave Mei gifts. Mei... didn''t receive all that many gifts in her lifetime, or at least not gifts that were out of pure adoration and nothing else included. Most of them would give her gifts in hopes of getting in her bed, but Aiko was different... ''This was another mistake.'' Mei could only hope that Aiko would be safe... The Dragon waited and observed Aiko. She was gaining experience in dodging and running quite quickly, so he didn''t react immediately. ''This will help her gain some of the experience she is missing.'' He nodded to himself. If there was no strife, then Aiko''s path might kill her later. It was a good idea to gain experience in a controlled environment like this one... The Dragon soon used his breath to roast the Flying Demonic Beast. He would then scold Aiko and explain that she should not hide behind others to obtain things and that she shouldn''t overdo her plundering, so that a similar thing would not happen again. After all, it was only safe because he was a Dragon, but if Aiko did this same when only her team was around... that would cause complete annihilation at best! Chapter 313 – Levels and Teasing Aiko was scolded severely for hours by Mei and the Dragon, while the rest of the team was enjoying the roasted chicken. Naturally, this kicked Aiko down a notch, which caused her to revert into her Moon form. At first, the Dragon was concerned that this scolding was a bit too much, but he didn''t wish to go against his old crush. ... After a few days of resting, Mei decided that Aiko had been punished enough to allow her to eat it too. Aiko was overjoyed and swore that she would bother Mei while she was asleep. Mei, like always, got a headache, but Aiko was already next to the roasted juicy meat. *Munch* [Level gained!] Aiko stiffened. It''s been a while since she saw this familiar pop-up. Most meat no longer gave her any experience, much less levels. But with just a few small pieces; she was able to level up! Aiko munched on it like her life depended on it. This would save her a lot of system meats and allow her to not use them for the time being. The Dragon watched Aiko strangely. That small Fox was getting stronger and stronger by eating. He couldn''t understand why she was also getting more beautiful, so he asked Mei. "Ignore it." Mei gave him this answer while massaging her own temples. It was obvious to the Dragon that this pained her too, but he still asked one more thing. ''Is she a descendant of Taotie?'' He already knew that she was from ''that'' clan, but if she was also Taotie... that would be an issue. ''She is not.'' Mei used telepathy to talk back to him. ''Or at least I have not seen any signs of her getting ravenously hungry and trying to eat anything in her path...'' She sighed. ''How strange...'' The Dragon narrowed its eyes. Mei''s lips twitched. At least someone could understand her pain. ... Aiko by herself munched half of the roasted chicken, which shocked everyone. She licked her lips and looked at her level. [Level: 50->500 (5th Evolution)] Aiko needed level 700 for her next Evolution, since she was aiming for the Demonic branch due to her [Shadow Spirit Fennec Fox]. She wanted to combine her Bloodlines to give her something stronger than what the twins had! Like this, she had to only eat 200 pieces of meat to achieve the Threshold of Evolution and then she could wreak havoc in this place! Moreover, she also noticed that Mei and others feared the Twins, because of their unique tails, so Aiko wanted those too as an additional safety measure. You are less likely to pick a fight against someone who can threaten you~! Aiko nodded to herself happily and cleaned her face. Her team was still staring at her in disbelief that she was able to eat so much of it... ... Mei finished harvesting the Herbs with Aiko watching over her. It was all stored in her Tails, but most of them Aiko did not know. She would have to study the Jade Slip again once she got out. Mei nodded happily. Finally, this ''gift'' was over and she could lay down and rest for a few days. She noticed Aiko sneak near her, but ignored it this time. Having Aiko''s attention once in a while was not a bad thing. Moreover, she also felt more rested when Aiko did those strange things, but she would definitely beat the old fogey up, lest he teach Aiko even more weird stuff! There was also the issue that she should confess that this whole thing happened because of her, but it was postponed and postponed, so it was fine to keep it under wraps for the time being. Meanwhile, the Dragon observed Aiko curiously. That strange energy made her stronger, but it also felt like that same energy could vanish within a moment of notice. This told him that the power that Aiko gained through eating was not permanent and would vanish. He didn''t know when, but it would happen. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ''Maybe I should teach her how to retain it, but then...'' The Dragon didn''t have enough information about this energy and if it was tied to Providence like everything else, it would cause trouble for those that gave Aiko this power. Maybe that was why they didn''t make this power permanent, since they would lose Providence too quickly, but by killing powerful beings they could twist the rules and give Aiko more power? That felt like it was closer to the truth, but Aiko did not kill this Flying Chicken, he did. Aiko just ate it, but still gained power, so it seems like the Providence system is much more complex than he expected. He also couldn''t see Providence currently, since he was locked in here. The best would be an outline, but how much and how often this thing consumed Providence, that he did not know... ... Aiko weaselled Mei''s head on her lap. She would play with Mei''s hair and help her sleep so that Mei would be gentler on Aiko next time she got herself in trouble. While she did learn not to steal too many times from the same person, she believed that it would not be a problem if everything was stolen at once. This was a World where stealing was a must if one wanted to survive. Through stealing you could get a lot more power and survive easier, this allowed her to steal more stuff and make everything easier on her! Aiko nodded at her own genius and kept caressing Mei. ... The next day Mei was a bit too rested and in a bit too good mood, so she pinched Aiko. Aiko massaged her cheek as Mei wrapped her arms around one of Aiko''s tails. Aiko flinched and panicked, but she did not have the will to push Mei away. Mei enjoyed the tail, gently brushing it with her fingers, enjoying the flushed expression that Aiko had. She would tease her like this for a while, until Aiko realised that she shouldn''t chase after tails and sleep in them. Mei also could feel the gaze of someone else piercing her Soul, but that was definitely the Blood Fox. ''Everyone is so contradictory...'' Said one of the most contradictory beings there was... Aiko soon gave up on her struggle and just let Mei nuzzle her tails. At first, Aiko was embarrassed, but over time that feeling... felt quite nice, so she started to caress Mei''s hair. They were in their own little world until one uninvited guest spoke. "Now you look like proper Mates." The Dragon nodded happily. The pair flinched out of their own little world and they quickly separated, especially Mei which was as quick as a flash of lightning. Mei was so engrossed in enjoying the attention and affection she was getting that she completely forgot who she was getting that attention from. She still felt conflicted, but there was no denying that Aiko was beautiful, especially in her big form. There was the ''big boob apprehension'', but Mei could get over it as long as she spent enough time with Aiko. And that would be possible since Mei would achieve Human Form. After she evolved to the next stage, during that evolution you could choose to also undergo Human Transformation. If you could survive that combined power, you would obtain more powerful Spiritual Roots. That in turn would allow you to Cultivate faster, which Mei was after. Moreover, since she would Evolve in the Secret Realm, the ''Heavenly Lightning'' would be much, much weaker and Mei could pass it quite easily. On the other hand, it was taboo to Evolve in the Secret Realm, but who cares about that rule since it was imposed by the damn Humans! Mei nodded to herself and prepared her Cauldron. She had already pushed what happened with Aiko to the back of her mind. For some reason, Aiko felt a bit hurt, but she didn''t know why, so she likewise pushed it aside and assisted Mei. "I will use a few of the Herbs with the grass as kindling." Mei said gently, but then turned towards Aiko. "You wouldn''t happen to have special water that could enhance the Herbs?" Aiko shook her head. She grabbed her tail and stuck her hand inside, pulling a bit of the water out. "I only have this, but I have no idea-" Aiko was startled when she saw both Mei and the Dragon glued to her. "That is Light-Water, right?" The Dragon asked Mei who was more knowledgeable. "It appears so, but this feels a bit different." Mei confirmed his suspicion. "Oho..." The Dragon nodded. "She must''ve robbed quite a few inheritances for this." He chuckled. "It was in my tails after my Evolution." Aiko replied normally, but the Dragon almost choked to death. "This is not normal! She is not normal! Why are you all so damn abnormal!" The Dragon for the first time broke his wise demeanour and burst out. Mei nodded happily, it was about time that Aiko broke him too. She was happy that she was not the only one to break from Aiko''s behaviour. "How much do you have?" Mei ignored the big Dragon who was making a fool of himself and asked Aiko gently. "1,000 litres." Aiko replied to Mei with a smile. Mei completely froze, her mind was unable to process that information. "Y-you mean 1 litre, right?" Mei''s face kept twitching. "1,000- Mei?!" Aiko was startled when Mei fainted again. One was thrashing around and throwing a tantrum, while the other fainted. Aiko had a headache, but she didn''t care enough about the Dragon to explain everything to him, so she moved Mei and took care of her until she woke up. ... Mei woke up the next day with a migraine. Her head throbbed from the constant shocks she was getting from Aiko. Mei blinked and stared at Aiko. "You know that 1 litre has 1,000 units, right?" Aiko didn''t know that measurement, but still nodded. "That means you would have 1,000,000 units of incredibly rare light-water." Mei explained again, but Aiko nodded. "That light-water is precious even if you have 100 units, but you have 1,000 litres...?" Mei felt like her mind was breaking down when Aiko nodded again. She didn''t know what to do with Aiko so she plopped down. It was quite the soft pillow and Mei soon fell asleep. Meanwhile, Aiko had the most conflicted time of her life. Mei just nestled on her bosom, but she didn''t know what to do with her. Mei liked to tease Aiko if she was nice to Mei. A good example were the tails, but now that Mei nestled on her bosom... Aiko gulped with fear, but there was also a tinge of excitement bubbling inside her. What would happen if Mei woke up? Would she tease her? But what kind of teasing would that be? The one that happened in stories that Mei told? Aiko''s mind spun a few circles and gulped again, only time will tell what Mei will do... Chapter 314 – Cleaning and Pills Aiko was squirming the whole time, but that did not wake up Mei, who continued to sleep peacefully on Aiko''s bosom without a care in the world. Aiko soon gave up trying to weasel her way out of this and she tried to get some sleep in as well. Unfortunately or fortunately, her escape attempts lasted for such a long time that Mei woke up fully rested. Their eyes met, Aiko''s face went red and it was not just her face. Her Human ears and neck were also coloured in deep red. Mei was no different. At first, she was nonchalant about this whole situation, but once she realised where she slept... yeeah. Mei woke up very quickly with a completely red face. Neither of them said anything and Mei turned to work on the Herbs. Meanwhile, Aiko was somewhat tired and since Mei slept on her, she thought that it would be only natural to do the same. They slept together in the business and Aiko always slept on Mei''s tails, so this situation was no different... is what Aiko told herself. Considering how little time Mei needed for rest, it should be fine for Aiko to do the same. She snuck behind Mei and wrapped her hands around her waist, and put her head in the nook of Mei''s neck before dozing off. Mei''s body went stiff. She didn''t expect Aiko to continue this whole thing, but what made everything worse was the fact that Aiko was breathing on her neck! That gentle and slow breath tickled Mei and constant shivers went down her spine. The Blood Fox noticed this situation and sighed. She stepped next to Mei whilst shaking her head. Mei glared at her, but before she could say anything... The Blood Fox peeled Aiko off and placed her in her own tails. She didn''t mind Aiko sleeping on her since she had been used to it from when she was small. The only one overly conscious about this whole situation was Mei, or so the Blood Fox thought. ... Aiko woke up later wrapped in the Blood Fox tails. She didn''t question anything and rested a bit more to recover completely. Aiko dressed up in a new kimono and walked next to Mei. She was sorting a few Herbs constantly, like she was in a loop. "Can I get a bucket?" Aiko asked Mei. "What for?" Mei was confused. "For the water." Aiko gestured towards her tails. She would use the [Heavenly Blessed Light-Water 1,000L] for Mei, so that she could clean the Herbs properly. Mei unfortunately didn''t have a bucket, but that didn''t matter for her. Mei''s Divine Sense could not be compared to Aiko''s or her team''s, so she could use her Divine Sense as an improvised bucket. "I will just use my Divine Sense so give me a bit of it." Mei was intending to get only 100 units, but Aiko dumped a few litres out of her tails. "I meant a bit!" Mei cried out as she caught that special water with her Divine Sense. "It is a bit." Aiko dumped 3 litres for Mei. "Listen, even 100 units are priceless, so don''t take out so much of it!" Mei scolded Aiko, but inside; she was feeling warm and fuzzy. Mei used that special water carefully to wash the Herbs prepared. Aiko kept placing more Herbs on the plate when Mei was not looking, but Mei ignored them. Right now she was focusing on this batch, because she wanted to see how many Pills she could get out of them. After the clean-up, Mei prepared the Cauldron for Pill Refining. She wanted to refine one batch of the Human Transformation Heavenly Pills. She had all the materials thanks to Aiko going around and robbing everyone. Mei had nothing against such an approach. It is a rob or get robbed world after all. Aiko watched Mei work. She wished to help Mei, but she also didn''t wish to mess up the Herbs, since they looked expensive. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Mei worked elegantly, so much so that it shocked Aiko. She could not turn her gaze away from Mei''s performance. ... Soon, the Cauldron hummed and a Pill scent spread to the surrounding area. It smelled nice and inviting. "Burn anyone who would wish to get close." Mei said sternly. "You don''t have to tell me." The Dragon wanted to roar to drive away everyone without the need to use his flames, but that would mess up the energy around the Cauldron, so he could not. He would just spit on the incoming Beasts when they got close... "It''s unfortunate we are not outside." Mei sighed. While the number of Pills didn''t increase, the jump in quality was staggering. She could feel her attainment in Alchemy growing. This meant that she could reach a higher Grade using these Herbs alone. Mei, however, was not in a hurry. Haste makes waste, she would slowly polish her skills and let herself achieve the next Grade as naturally as possible. The Pills coagulated and Mei lifted the lid with her Divine Sense to escort the Pill out of the Cauldron. They were perfectly formed without any imperfections. "If the Heavenly Dao saw this, it would definitely bless these Pills..." Mei sighed, like it was such a waste for these Pills to not be blessed. Unfortunately, they could not leave this Secret Realm, since they would be unable to return. "It''s the second-best thing, but even without the blessing, these Pills should be at least twice, maybe even thrice as strong as normal Perfect Grade Pills." Mei nodded. "I will show you how to wash the Herbs again, so you can help me." Mei turned towards Aiko who was still staring intently. She pursed her lips. "Would you like to learn more about Alchemy?" She intended to teach Aiko more, but with the washing, everything would be much easier on Aiko since there were a lot fewer impurities. "Can I?!" Aiko was startled. She knew that these Herbs were very expensive. "Of course you can." Mei pinched Aiko''s cheek gently. She would indulge her as much as she wanted, but without spoiling her. "Wouldn''t it be better to start on easier Herbs?" Aiko''s control was not the best yet, so she wanted to wait. Mei''s smile widened. It seems like her little sweetie listened well during the scolding. "I had prepared Herbs for this in advance, so you can practice on those as much as you would like to." Mei also brought a few Cauldrons, just in case Aiko blew them up. Aiko nodded happily and waited for Mei to show her how to wash them. Mei carefully demonstrated her skills in washing, but this could be simply summed up as: 1. Squeeze it gently with the water, so the water penetrates the Herbs. 2. Let the water sit for a while and watch as the water gets cloudy from the impurities. 3. The Herbs are cleaned, so you can store them away. 4. You need to separate the impurities from the precious water. 5. Reclaim almost all the water and start the cleaning of the dirty Herbs. Aiko found these steps easier said than done, but she had her own plans. She used her [Tails Storage] to separate a few Herbs. She then separated a bit of the [Heavenly Blessed Light-Water 997L] with the separated Herbs. Aiko tried to gently push the water inside the Herbs and then she waited. "Are you watching?" Mei asked gently as she saw Aiko distracted. "Y-yes!" Aiko stuttered and nodded repeatedly. "Just watch carefully, I will show you one last time." Mei said affectionately. "Okay." Aiko nodded gently while watching the small portion in her [Tails Storage] mingle. "So, you do it like this..." Mei started to explain once again. ... "And you are done." Mei placed the cleaned Herbs in front of Aiko. "And I''m done." Aiko pulled a batch of the Herbs from her [Tails Storage], startling Mei. "They are indeed mostly cleaned..." Mei nodded. "But you forgot to squeeze the water out, so that the Herbs wouldn''t change the element." She warned Aiko. Aiko nodded, but sighed. "I already tried that, but my Divine Sense is not gentle enough to not crush the Herbs..." She whined slightly, complaining to Mei while hugging her. Mei nodded. "I expected something like this to happen." She had some hopes that Aiko''s Divine Sense would be gentle enough, but these Herbs were too rare and as such much more fragile than common Herbs. "If you can clean the other Herbs like this, then I will finish the rest." Mei nodded at this plan and pinched Aiko''s cheek. "And stop hugging me, or I won''t be able to work properly." "Yes, ma''am!" Aiko sat next to Mei and saluted. "You..." Mei sighed, shaking her head. Meanwhile, Aiko went into her system and combined the Herbs with the [Heavenly Blessed Light-Water] and let them mingle with a few squeezes. Meanwhile, Mei was working on the Herbs with a puzzled expression. ''When did she clean them? She was staring at me for the most part...'' She could not figure out when Aiko did this. ... Mei cleaned the Herbs and asked Aiko for more. "Have you cleaned anything else?" Mei noticed Aiko staring at her the whole time, so she didn''t believe that Aiko did anything... "Yes, I cleaned everything." Aiko nodded gently. "... What?" Mei thought that Aiko could no longer surprise her after pulling that light-water out of nothing, but it appears that was not the case! "I cleaned everything." Aiko repeated. She was a bit bored, so she also cleaned the [100 Ghost Parade Lamp(Damaged)] and [Primordial Soul Wood]. She did not clean her Tools or anything else, since she didn''t see the point in doing so. Mei''s head throbbed once again. Aiko did not know the word moderation or just chose to ignore it. Aiko sat next to Mei and caressed her head. "What are you doing?" Mei asked, trying to push away Aiko''s hand, but Aiko simply replied. "You seemed to be in pain..." Mei sighed and let Aiko do her thing, since it did help her for some reason. "Just pull a few Herbs at a time and I will clean them. Store the [Heavenly Blessed Light-Water] after I''m done with it." Mei explained Aiko''s duty. "Okay." Aiko smiled like an angel and waited for Mei to finish cleaning the Herbs. "You can also give me the dirty light-water and I can separate it too." Mei smiled at Aiko gently. "About that..." Aiko didn''t know how to say this to Mei, but... [Tails Storage(2,400m3): [Heavenly Blessed Light-Water 100L], [Primordial Soul Wood], [100 Ghost Parade Lamp(Slightly Damaged)], [Talismans], [Tools], [Herbs - lots mixed with Heavenly Blessed Light-Water], [Filth - too much, ditch it as soon as possible!]] Would Mei scold her again...? Chapter 315 – Mei can’t catch a break! Aiko shied away as Mei was staring at her. She was holding her throbbing head. The Dragon was sleeping, just in case something more ridiculous happened, so he was able to dodged that stray arrow. Aiko squirmed a bit further, just in case Mei wanted to bully her again, but fortunately, that was not the case this time. "Have you separated the water from the Herbs?" Mei asked with a sigh. "Yes, and I keep doing it as the herbs keep ''dripping'' water." Aiko nodded innocently. "At least that''s a good thing, we do not wish to turn the Herbs'' Element into that of Water or at least not all of them." Mei explained to Aiko. "Even [Heavenly Blessed Light-Water] would do that?" Aiko asked Mei curiously as she sneaked next to her. "..." Mei had once again trouble hearing. She definitely didn''t hear the words ''Heavenly'' and ''Blessed'' from Aiko''s mouth right...? Mei stared at Aiko without blinking. She was trying to observe Aiko to ensure that she was not making fun of her. Unfortunately, Aiko was just smiling innocently, so Mei was unable to figure it out. "This is Heavenly Blessed Light-Water?" Mei asked Aiko, just in case she was imagining things. "Yes." Aiko nodded happily. It seemed that this water was better than what Mei expected! Mei... fainted again. ... The next day Aiko was sitting next to Mei taking care of her. "Are you sure you are not ill? You faint so often..." Aiko was concerned about Mei''s well-being. Mei pinched Aiko''s cheek. "And whose fault is that?!" She was unhappy that Aiko was trying to play innocent when it was her fault to begin with. "And you-!" Mei kept glaring at Aiko. "Next time you should tell me the whole name!" She kept kneading Aiko''s face until she agreed to do so. Mei sighed, lying down. She would nuzzle Aiko''s tails as punishment for the time being, since this was the only thing that had any significant effect on Aiko. However, Mei was too excited about the fact that the Herbs were a grade higher than she expected, all thanks to the special water. That meant that she would be able to get even better Pills and instead of creating the 6th Grade Human Transformation Heavenly Pills; she could create the 8th Grade Human Metamorphosis Pills. It does sound like that Pill is less effective since it doesn''t have that shitty ''heavenly'' in its name, but that was not the case! This 8th-Grade Pill allowed oneself to completely reconstruct the body, which was the 3rd way to improve her Human Physique! Mei nodded happily. With this she would get the perfect Human Body and even the Forbidden Technique would not be able to reduce her Cultivation that much over time, allowing her to focus more on other pressing issues. ''In that case, I will speed things up...'' Mei narrowed her eyes. She had enough Souls to get all 9 Tails, the only reason she did not do that was the fact that it would be too obvious, but now! Now that she could obtain the perfect Human Body, there was no need to hold back! She would definitely be revered in the Mainland Sect, which would bring a lot of benefits to her! Mei nodded happily once again. Aiko was both a blessing and a painful curse on her mind. One bestowed everything that Mei wanted, but the other reminded her about Aiko''s abnormality... "Give me the Herbs, I will give them a good squeeze." Mei licked her lips as she stood up. Aiko was startled by this sudden change of behaviour and backed away a bit. "You are acting like I would bite you..." Mei was shaking her head. "Wouldn''t you?" Aiko was guarding her body, just in case. "You-" Mei sighed before kneading Aiko''s face again. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ... They returned to their temporary Alchemy station where Mei cleaned and squeezed the Herbs. Aiko kept pulling out more and more Herbs as Mei happily squeezed the [Heavenly Blessed Light-Water] out of them. She would then place them in front of Aiko again, so that Aiko could store them later. This repeated for a long time, until all the Herbs were squeezed. "None of them changed Element?" Aiko asked curiously. "No, since it''s not simple Light-Water." Mei shook her head. "Thanks to that, not only did we get better Herbs quality, but we also enhanced some of their properties without breaking the balance." This was too difficult for Aiko to understand for now, but she would keep these words in mind. "How much [Heavenly Blessed Light-Water] do we have left?" Mei asked Aiko. [Tails Storage(2,400m3): [Heavenly Blessed Light-Water 999L], [Primordial Soul Wood], [100 Ghost Parade Lamp(Slightly Damaged)], [Talismans], [Tools], [Cleaned Herbs - lots]] "999 litres." Aiko said to Mei. "Excellent." Mei was making sure to extract as much of the special water out of them as possible. This would allow them to use it for as long as possible! Mei was happy with this outcome and asked Aiko for certain Herbs. She would now start practising for when she would try to make the 8th Grade Human Metamorphosis Pill! Aiko placed the Herbs in front of Mei, but since this would get boring quite quickly, Aiko set up her own little Alchemy station for her own practice. Mei smiled gently and focused on her own little station. They kept working, sorting Herbs and preparing them for the time when they would refine them into Pills. ... The team was likewise working hard. They were practising their Divine Sense, so that they could Cultivate Beast Techniques. For the time being, the Blood Fox was the only one that was preparing for her Evolution, but as silently as possible as not to tip off Aiko. When Mei was practising, she created a few Pills for the Blood Fox that she could use during her Evolution. Mei did not push for the Blood Fox to get Aiko''s favour. It would take some time for the Blood Fox to realise her mistake, but Mei hoped that it would not be too late at that point. Unfortunately, if it was too late, the Blood Fox could only blame herself and her fate that was too short for glory. Not everyone would be able to reach ascension in their lifetime. Most of them would not reach ascension even if they were given multiple lifetimes! That was the one unchanging fact that Mei could not change, but fortunately, her body was in good form, so she would have an easier time ascending then when she did so previously. ''I wonder if Aiko will destroy the Heavenly Immortal Gates... surely not.'' Mei chuckled at that ridiculous thought. There was no way that Aiko would be able to break something that''s unbreakable for Mortal World Cultivators. ''But she would destroy it if she got upset in the Immortal World...'' Mei believed that Aiko would definitely destroy those gates once Aiko Cultivated a few years in the Immortal World. Mei looked around. Aiko was paying close attention to her Cauldron, so Mei waved at the Blood Fox. The Blood Fox tilted her head, but still walked next to Mei. "Here. Use it well and all." Mei gave the Pills that the Blood Fox needed in a small pouch. "Thank you. I will excuse myself." The Blood Fox nodded gently before disappearing. Aiko these days does not pay much attention to her team. She was either working with Herbs or her Divine Sense, so she was too busy to care about them all. That meant that the Blood Fox could take her time with the Evolution. She also brought with her the special ''bedding'' that she ''tamed'' some time ago. Mei turned back to refining. She would keep practising until she was somewhat sure that she could succeed with the process. She didn''t need to be 100% sure, but sure enough that she could succeed was good enough. Most would not do it like this, but since this Pill was considered an Immortal Grade, that meant that only Immortals could produce it. While Mei was Immortal, she did not have any Immortal Qi to affect the process. As such, ''good enough'', was the best she could hope for. ... A few weeks later, Mei finished her preparations. It took her some time, but she was satisfied with her practice. It was not perfect, but good enough, and that''s all that mattered. Aiko also finished quite a few Pills. She was able to finish the 3rd Grade Healing Pill and Blood Pill. Mei was satisfied with this progress, but there was also a strange sense of unease. Aiko was doing quite well, getting around 5-6 Pills of a good quality. She still wasted quite a bit of resources, but that was because her breathing was uneven from her excitement. That would fix itself over time, since Mei went through something similar. "Aiko, can you please finish your Pills and wait?" Mei asked Aiko. For these kinds of Pills, she needed to set up an Array and not have any distractions. If it failed, at best she would lose the Herbs, but at worst the Cauldron would explode. We were talking about a Pill that took 4 dozen Herbs to refine into a Pill, so the power inside the Cauldron was immense! So much so that she would have to ask her old friend to shield others, just in case. "Sure!" Aiko nodded and slowly packed up her things. She noticed how serious Mei was, so she didn''t want to fool around. Mei set up an Array and fed it a few Spirit Stones. This Pill Refining would take a lot of time. There were almost 50 Herbs and she needed to shape all of them and then combine them piece by piece. She also prepared a few 5th Grade Mind Restoration Pills and 4th Grade Qi Restoration Pills. The latter would not be as helpful since the Beast Core would convert only some of it, but it was still better than nothing. Mei looked over the Herbs. They were all washed and looking all pretty. The special grass was also under the Cauldron, which would enhance the flames and make them more gentle towards the Pills. The supporting Pills had their own little bowl for easy access for when Mei needed them. Her tools were prepared. The Cauldron was warming up. The Dragon set up another Defensive Formation around Mei and everyone else. Everyone was huddled behind the Dragon just in case something went wrong and the Dragon was ready to shatter the space to get Mei away from the Cauldron. Everything was ready for the 8th Grade Human Metamorphosis Pills! Chapter 316 – 8th Grade Pill and Mei’s Feelings {What Aiko does when no one''s watching...} Mei just fell asleep. There was still some time before Aiko could start bothering her without actually waking her up. She would use this time to get rid of all the impurities stored in her tails! Aiko sneaked away, only the Dragon noticed, but he would not tattle on her, so it was fine. She rushed through the forest. During her time around the ''garden'' she noticed strange holes in the ground. Aiko didn''t like those holes, since the sounds inside were incredibly creepy. She stopped in front of one such hole, staring down deep inside she could see some cobwebs. ''Perfect place to ditch this filth.'' Aiko nodded happily and placed her tails above this place before using the [Tails Storage] to dump the impurities down. A great waterfall of filth was unleashed all thanks to a single Fox. Once the ''water'' hit the bottom, it made a disgusting squishing sound. It sounded like a cacophony of people shating themselves, then unshatting themselves only to shat themselves again. Aiko recoiled from that sound, but she wanted to dump the rest of it into the hole. *Hiss* A very disgusting hiss sound from deep inside the hole. It was reminiscent of the spider''s hissing. ''Better bury them completely with this.'' Aiko believed that she was inflicting justice on those vile spiders! The dumping took a whole hour before it was finished. The cave down was half flooded with a thick browny-black substance. Just looking at it made Aiko want to puke, but if that didn''t do it, the smell definitely did. It was much, much worse than your common diarrhoea! Aiko shivered before leaving this place. She didn''t like staying away from Mei for too long, just in case she would encounter another creepy, enraged Beast! ... {Back to the current timeline} Mei was focusing on creating the 8th Grade Human Metamorphosis Pills, everything was in place and she started to pick up the Herbs. One after another were slapped inside by Mei''s Divine Sense. The insides were toasty, but Aiko could see Mei adjusting the temperature for each Herb individually. ''Isn''t this a bit too difficult?'' Aiko gulped. She would certainly be unable to recreate this skill. Aiko would need to spend more Skill Points to match Mei''s skill! Aiko watched Mei closely as the day passed, but Mei was still not finished. ''Isn''t it supposed to take at most 6 hours?'' Aiko was confused. Mei was only halfway through the Herbs, but a day had already passed. How was that possible? Mei never stopped moving her hands. It was difficult to create a 6th Grade Pill, much less 8th Grade. Each Grade was not as simple as twice the power, but it could result in 20 or more times of power. As such, the requirements, in order to create such a precious Pill, were likewise much higher, especially for those who do not have Immortal Qi. Another day passed and Mei finally used all the Herbs, but this was not the end. She now needed to mix the Herbs in a specific combination, or all of them would be ruined. Mei was constantly frowning and she also started to munch on the supporting Pills. They would replenish her reservoirs well for the time being... Another day passed and Mei was panting. Her face was flushed and she was focusing intently. She was currently in the final stretch of coagulating the Pills. This step was likewise hard, since if the Pill was too hard, it would be difficult to absorb, but if it was too soft, it would turn into a gooey substance and decay quickly. As one of the final steps was happening, the sky darkened and clouds emerged. "She is overdoing it again." The Dragon clicked her tongue. "We should make room, Mei''s Pills will be blessed by the Heavenly Lightning." You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. The Dragon guided everyone away while setting up another boundary, so that no one could invade Mei''s alchemy place. Satisfied with his work, he calmly waited. The clouds gathered above Mei, ready to strike any moment, but for some reason, they were waiting, like they were unwilling to strike it to begin with... Mei was calm, she knew that the hardest hurdle was already past her and the only thing she had to do now was to guard against this Heavenly Lightning so that it didn''t strike her! She gathered her Beast Core Energy to form a protective film. It was not as powerful as normal Qi protective film, but since Mei still had more Beast Core Energy than Humans have Qi, it would offset this difference. The clouds roared as the Pills were approaching their final form. The moment Mei would lift the lid, it would strike the Pills, blessing them in the process. She was waiting for it patiently... Now! Mei lifted the lid and the Heavens roared down on her little Cauldron. It was obvious that they didn''t want to do it, since this force would surely shatter her Cauldron. But that didn''t matter to Mei as the Pills were finished and even blessed! The Heavenly Lightning connected with the Cauldron, blinding anyone in its vicinity. Right after this, a medicinal scent spread all around the forest. It was a thick and soothing smell, one that would drive lesser Beasts mad. Yet none would approach this place, as the Dragon''s tyranny was well known. The light subsided and the Pills emerged in a beautiful green colour and round shape. Added to that, there were streaks of lightning running across the Pills. The maximum amount was 9 streaks, but for this instance, Mei could get 5 at most. Why? Because she lacked Immortal Qi to improve the Pills further, but even without that Immortal Qi, she still got a solid 5 out of 5 streaks across most of them. 8 Pills had 5 streaks, while another 2 Pills still had 4 streaks running across them. It was a very good harvest for Mei. One Pill was used as a filth gatherer, so there was one black putrid Pill, but since that one was isolated, it didn''t ruin the other Pills. Mei was happy with this outcome as she stored the Pills inside the special bottle that she had prepared in advance. It might not be able to store 8th Grade Pills for long, but it should be long enough for Mei to find a better container! "Is it finished?" Aiko asked curiously. She never imagined such a disastrous outcome! "It is finished." The Dragon nodded and Mei fainted. "Mei!" Aiko was startled and chased after Mei. She was sleeping soundly on the ground, but that wouldn''t do! Aiko moved Mei to a proper bed so that she could recover. "Should I store the Cauldron for the time being?" Aiko asked the Dragon. "No need to bother, that one is beyond saving." The Dragon shook his head. "Why are you so negative, it''s still intact." Aiko shook her head as she approached the Cauldron to pat it, in order to demonstrate that everything was alright. Aiko gently patted it, but her hand went through and the whole thing turned to dust. "HUH?!" Aiko was shocked and recoiled. "I didn''t break it!" She didn''t use that much strength, yet the whole thing crumbled into dust! "Of course, you didn''t do anything." The Dragon chuckled. "The Heavenly Lightning was the one that did it." He snorted. "Why?" Aiko tilted her head. "Because Heavens do not favour Beasts." The Dragon chuckled darkly. He would pay the Dao a visit one day and break it completely! "What do we do now?" Aiko asked the Dragon. While the place was not destroyed, it still smelled of charred earth, which was not nice on her sensitive nose. "Leave it be, leave it be." The Dragon sighed. "Mei will solve this issue once she rests properly." Aiko nodded gently and headed to Mei. She would help her rest properly and ask questions later~! ... A week went by quickly. Aiko was taking care of Mei and practising her Divine Sense when she was too bored. As such, her Divine Sense underwent a great change, thanks to Mei''s demonstration during her heated Alchemy. The Dragon was still unsatisfied with the wolf, but there was little to do about it. Aiko would have to subdue it over time or just banish it altogether. The next day, Mei finally woke up. She groaned unhappily before wrapping herself with Aiko''s tails. Aiko already knew this would happen, so she wasn''t as affected as before, but that didn''t mean her face didn''t heat up. It took some time for Mei to properly wake up and sit down, but Aiko patiently waited for that time. ... Mei rubbed her sleepy eyes. Her Beast Core was pretty much empty and she was recovering slowly, all thanks to Aiko''s overflowing Vitality. Mei would definitely ask Aiko later about more Vitality, so that her Transformation can become so much smoother. Aiko gently caressed Mei''s back, trying to inject some of her Beast Core Energy into Mei, but since she was not familiar with this, it was a failure. Mei still appreciated this gesture and nuzzled Aiko. This shocked Aiko and she didn''t know what to do. Mei was gentle, but Aiko could feel that psychological weight on her body. She could not bear it and collapsed back onto the bed with Mei on top of her. Mei soon dozed off again and Aiko had a flabbergasted expression on her face. ''Mei is such a bully...'' Aiko thought in her mind. ... Another day passed, and the duo separated. Neither of them spoke a word, that was especially so for Mei, whose face was completely red. She could not believe the fact that she let her guard down completely. She glanced at Aiko, but when she noticed that; she blushed away. ''Cute...-'' Mei thought that Aiko was cute, but then she was startled by her own thought process. Everything changed so abruptly after the Alchemy. Was she really that weak that she would just throw away everything and let her guard down? Was Aiko truly that harmless? She did not know the answer to those questions, but what she did know was the fact that her body was rested and her mind replenished. Even if Aiko had a strange system and skills, these things greatly aided Mei, so she could not be unhappy with Aiko just because... Mei would have to observe Aiko further, but it seemed like Aiko did not mind Mei all that much. She was quite accepting of her ''strange'' advances, which troubled Mei. ''I hope she is not like this with others...'' Mei formed a strange fantasy in her mind where Aiko would freely hug others. A not-so-beautiful frown formed on her face... she no longer wished to leave this continent and go to the mainland. While this continent was shitty, it was not as shitty as the mainland, with constant wars. Moreover, marriage for connections was commonplace on the mainland, which Mei hated! Chapter 317 – Aiko messing with the Dragon Aiko was searching their base, since someone seemed to be lost. "Where is the Blood Fox?" Aiko tilted her head. She believed that the Blood Fox would be the one that would train the most, but that was not the case! When she hid behind the Dragon, she noticed that the Blood Fox was missing. At first, Aiko thought that she had gone further away, since she was the weakest, but even after a long time, nothing changed? How strange... Aiko could only shake her head and wait for the Blood Fox to return. She did know the general direction where the Blood Fox went, thanks to the contract, but that didn''t mean she wanted to walk so far away from her current base. Moreover, when Aiko tried to ask around, most of them said that she went training, which Aiko found suspicious. Was there any better place to train than with a freaking Dragon?! Aiko could only sigh at her team. ... After a few days, Mei completely recovered her energy. "I will be going to Cultivate my Tails." Mei said with a smile. With the right combination of Tails and Cultivation, it should in theory be possible to achieve the Kitsune form before ascension, but even then Mei was not entirely sure about it. She would give it a try since she had nothing to lose. Aiko observed Mei suspiciously, but since she couldn''t figure out what was wrong with everyone, she soon gave up and went to the Dragon for comfort. "What do you need, little one?" The Dragon gazed at Aiko and wondered what kind of shenanigans she would pull this time. "I have this Lamp that is partially broken. Can it be repaired?" Aiko glanced at the Dragon and pulled out a [100 Ghost Parade Lamp]. "Oh?" The Dragon blinked with amusement and interest. "I had never imagined that I would find the 10,000 Ghost Parade Sacred Lamp." He observed the Lamp with curiosity. "It''s just [100 Ghost Parade Lamp]." Aiko corrected him. "No, this is the genuine 10,000 Ghost Parade Sacred Lamp." The Dragon denied Aiko''s claim. "The only difference is the degradation, but the material and everything surrounding it gives the genuine feeling of the 10,000 Ghost Parade Sacred Lamp!" He proclaimed happily. "I could never imagine that I would encounter such a Treasure. Where did you get this, little one?" The Dragon was interested in Aiko''s story. "Well..." Aiko started to narrate her journey all the while thinking about the system. ... Aiko finished her story and her thought process. It was obvious that the system was not omnipotent, but it would adjust its knowledge according to what Aiko heard or was entitled to. For instance, this Lamp degraded so much that its name changed... is what Aiko thought. After all, her Cultivation Techniques were likewise changed when Aiko observed them closely with the system. ''It''s possible I missed some Treasures, just because the system was unable to appraise them.'' Aiko nodded to herself. "What a wild journey..." The Dragon was in disbelief. He did not want to believe that the Lamp was used for debauchery! What a waste! "Can it be repaired?" Aiko asked again. "That is unlikely with your current tools and resources." The Dragon didn''t hide anything. "Why?" Aiko didn''t understand it. "Look here." The Dragon pointed at the Inscription that Aiko had created. "See this?" He asked the little Fox. "Yes, I created that one." Aiko nodded, but she still couldn''t understand what was wrong with it. "Try touching it." The Dragon chuckled. Aiko gently touched it, but the Runes smudged- no, they turned into dust. "What the?!" The surrounding was gently flooded with Ghost Qi. "The Inscription Ink is useful for normal Inscription and tools, but when you slap it on superior equipment, the Inscription Ink will slowly keep burning up until it is all gone." The Dragon chuckled. "As such, those fixes are quite temporary, unless you have the resources for special Ink that can bear the pressure of the Runes." He slowly explained the history and uses behind it. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Oh..." Aiko nodded. "But I can repair my Inscription, right?" She asked the Dragon and she hoped that it would be the case. "You can, as long as the Ghosts inside are not too vicious, they won''t burn as much of the Inscription Ink." The Dragon nodded. "But... you are storing only one Ghost?" He tilted his head. "She is... quite chubby?" Aiko coughed awkwardly. The Dragon choked slightly. "No wonder." He coughed awkwardly and changed the topic. "You can repair it, I will gather Qi for you into a mist, so you can create a more powerful Inscription." The Dragon patted Aiko happily. It was a good thing to have two very talented daughters! Aiko nodded. She would try to patch this thing up until she got the proper resources for the special Inscription Ink that would be able to sustain this for a long time. And even if it couldn''t sustain forever, she could always just patch it up, since it would be her own Inscription. Aiko smiled happily and waited. ... The Dragon gathered thick Qi for Aiko. It no longer was a mist, but it felt more like a foggy swamp. The pressure was no joke and Aiko wondered if it would be safe... "It will be fine." The Dragon was confident that Aiko would be unable to consume all the Qi he gathered from the ambient Qi. Aiko blinked a few times. ''If you say so...'' She did not say those words out loud, since she would definitely get scolded for it, but it was fine to badmouth the Dragon in her mind. Aiko prepared her tools for Inscribing and the Dragon was startled. "Is that a Spiritual Carving Tool?" The Dragon blinked a few times. Inscription Tools that also hosted Spirits were exceptionally rare and even rarer were those that could be autonomous. "Something like that." Aiko did not understand it completely, so she replied vaguely. She would definitely need to research this later, so that she could answer these mean questions. The Dragon sighed. ''What a lucky little Fox, most Inscription Cultivators would wipe their whole families just to obtain such a thing. She will definitely have a hard life...'' He could only shake his head, since this was little Aiko''s journey and not his. However, he would try to support her to the best of his abilities! Aiko prepared the Inscription Ink with everything and her skills activated the moment she created the first groove. Sparks flew everywhere as Aiko created a more elaborate Inscription, her skills having grown significantly thanks to the fact that she wrote down those stories and created more Massage Chairs. The Dragon was immediately shocked, since the ambient Qi that made a small swamp was declining way too rapidly! ''She didn''t complete even 10% and she almost depleted the Qi that I gathered?!'' The Dragon felt that this was absurd, but his eyes did not lie! His body was also experiencing the effects of the sudden decline of the ambient Qi. A chill went down his spine and he started to gather more Qi for Aiko. ''She is not yet applying the Ink, I wonder why...'' The Dragon was confused, since most people would use the engraving tool to also impart the Qi into the grooves, but Aiko was not doing that...? Why? He could only watch as the small Fox was working her magic. The others were likewise startled since they felt the ambient Qi decline quite quickly. Mei was the calmest, since she already expected Aiko to do something like this. Aiko had been calm for too long without causing trouble. ''I will have to gather more things for her Evolution.'' The Dragon sweated and Mei chuckled. "What''s so funny?!" The Dragon glared at his old friend. "Nothing~" Mei chuckled with glee. A vein throbbed on the Dragon''s forehead, but he would not be so childish as to attack his old friend over this. He is an adult, a very old one, so he should maintain his calm- "You little brat! Stop stealing all the Qi that I gather!" The Dragon could no longer bear the insane requirements that Aiko set up to do. "Don''t worry, I''m missing just a few lines." Aiko replied expressionlessly, since she was too focused on her Inscription. "Just a few lines my butt! Stop it now!" The Dragon could no longer gather enough Qi to satisfy the small gluttonous Inscription. "Aaaaand finished!" Aiko wiped out the nonexistent sweat and smiled gently at the Dragon. "Stop smiling! I won''t help you next time!" The Dragon snorted unhappily. This little Fox devoured too much ambient Qi! If he didn''t gather enough in time, she could shatter this small realm easily! Then they would be doomed as they would only exist in the space between the Mortal World and the Secret Realm. The Dragon huffed in annoyance. Mei said she would be going to Cultivate her Tails, but she was smirking at him right now! The Dragon was beyond annoyed and he hid his head under his wing. No way would he entertain those two devils! Aiko tilted her head. "It seems Grandpa is sleepy." She nodded her head gently. The Dragon quivered with anger, but since he was the adult, he would not take it on them. "Maybe he is constipated?" Aiko suddenly blurted out and Mei burst out laughing. "Constipated?! Who is constipated?! You are constipated!" The Dragon could not curse. He would not curse. He was an angel in Dragon''s form. Moreover, he was also a revered Dragon! No way would he curse at them! "Mei, I think Grandpa will need Pills for consti- Kyaaa!" Aiko started running around as the Dragon kept burning the ground behind Aiko. "I will show you who is constipated!" The Dragon huffed as he kept burning the ground behind her. He would do this for some time, so that Aiko would understand her wrongdoing! Meanwhile, Mei was laughing her ass off. There was no way that the majestic Dragon would not be upset at her. Aiko was pretty much asking for some kind of punishment with her words and a punishment she got! Aiko kept calling towards Mei for help, but she just kept laughing. "What''s so funny?" The Dragon growled at Mei. "What? You want to go at it?" Mei growled back and a spark flew between their eyes. Both of them were ready to duke it out. "Can you manage your Mate?" The Dragon huffed in annoyance. "That is too bad, since I''m Cultivating my Tails." Mei touched her face with her hand, looking all troubled. The Dragon breathed another fire, but Mei easily diverted it. "I''m being serious here." The Dragon huffed. "I''m being serious, too." Mei narrowed her eyes. "Moreover, I will soon be undergoing Evolution, so you will be taking care of her." "You are fucking joking with me, right?" The Dragon felt a cold sweat on his body. It was not truly a sweat, but his bad mood, but who could tell. Mei chuckled. "Don''t worry, if you give her tasty meat, she will leave you alone." She chuckled with a mean smile on her lips. "Does she like monkeys?" The Dragon coughed. "Meat is meat." Mei shrugged. The Dragon could only sigh, it seemed like his fate was to be a babysitter and a cook... Chapter 318 – Using others Mei was away for some time and Aiko was quite bored. ''Maybe I should explore again...'' Since Mei was getting more Tails, Aiko had free reign over her time. The Grandpa Dragon did keep an eye on her, but he would not hinder her movements. This was a good thing for Aiko as she would not get bored if she could explore. Aiko rubbed her hands together, maybe she would be able to find something interesting. "I will take a walk outside~" Aiko said to the Dragon and he just nodded at her. This way, he knew that Aiko would go explore and could help her in need, but Aiko would also be able to locate the Blood Fox if she was too bored. It was a win-win situation. Aiko left safety of the camp, the first thing she would explore would be the holes in the ground. Yes, those spider holes. Aiko wondered if maybe something had washed up with her dumping of the impurities or if she could find something else intriguing. She also hated spiders, so it would be easy to rob them blind if they attacked her. Aiko arrived at the site where the spider holes were located. The stench was truly incredible and she really wanted to turn around, but a strange feeling nudged her forward. Would she be able to locate something nice if she followed this feeling? Aiko didn''t know, but she really wanted to find out. Walking around the perimeter of the spider holes, Aiko realised that it was coming from the middle of this place. That was bad news for Aiko. The whole area was slowly decaying from the impurities. The trees were rotting and the ground turned into a mushy, disgusting soil. She really didn''t want to approach the middle, but that''s where her senses guided her. She also noticed a few other Beasts who were staring at the middle spider hole of this place, yet they did not dare to approach it, due to the fear of the impurities and the putrid stench. This meant that Aiko would be the first one to approach it if she so wished. From the corner of her eye, she also noticed a few Human Cultivator groups. They were likewise staring at the Beast surrounding this place with puzzled expressions. It seemed like only Beasts could feel that temptation, but not the Humans. Aiko didn''t want to dive into the ground for obvious reasons, but she also didn''t want to step on it. And even if she used the [Lightness Technique] she hadn''t mastered it to the point where she could use falling leaves as stepping stones, so she would have to figure out something else. She could also go in there through [Shadow Walk], but Aiko didn''t know if it would feel the same as the [Earthen Walk]. The [Earthen Walk] made it so you would feel the surrounding earth vividly in order to navigate through it, but the [Shadow Walk] made it so you ''merged'' with the Shadows and traversed through them. Was the feeling the same? Somewhat, but Aiko didn''t know how it would interact with the feeling of this mushed earth. Another thing she had was the [Quick Double Jump], which allowed her to cross greater distances, and jump in the middle of the air, neither of those were useful at the distances she had to cross. For the double jump to reset you need something ''firm'', but since the trees are decaying and the ground is mushy, there is no ''firm'' place to stand on. That was the only demerit of that Skill. Aiko also didn''t want to spend her System Points on anything as she was saving it for her Evolution, so that it would go smoother. She was hoping for something much rarer than what Yuxi had, but at the same time something similar, so she could have those cool Shadow Tails that munched on Souls! Aiko chuckled darkly, but the question remained. Was she brave enough to walk into that muddy swamp, or would she chicken out and use the system to buy something that might be useful only here? She did not know the answer to that question and she did not need to know it. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. From the corner of her eye, she noticed a particular group of humans that had an enlarged leaf in front of them. Aiko perked her ears, so she could listen to them. "Are you sure it would work, Junior Brother?" One female Cultivator asked shyly. "Of course! I can guarantee it!" The male Cultivator snobbishly said, making every other male frown, while the females were squealing at him. ''Fumu, a means of transportation.'' Aiko nodded gently and she suddenly paused. Why did she need to work hard, when there were plenty of useful Humans around? Aiko smacked her forehead. ''I should make use of all humans that I come across, that way I won''t need to work as hard or come up with ideas.'' She chuckled darkly and for some reason the group of Cultivators shivered. Aiko assimilated with the shadows and approached them. The feeling was not bad, but she could still feel everything that was around her, so it would not be a good idea to do this when she was in the middle of the hole. "But how do we approach those places, they feel sinister?" Another female Cultivator asked the snobbish male Cultivator. "Simple, I have these special boots that would allow me to freeze anything surrounding it, but they are not in the best condition, so it would be better if you kept close to me." The snobbish male Cultivator smiled lewdly. "O-of course! As expected of Junior Brother, you are much better than those second and third-rate masters!" The female Cultivator praised that snob and the other females pouted that they were a step too late. Aiko rolled her eyes, it was obvious that this guy had nice Treasures, so she would also take his storage tools when she jumped off this. She collected as many stones as possible around her. It would come in useful when she would shatter the ice that the boots would create and thus not allow them to follow her as easily. Aiko made a mental plan and merged with the shadow of that female prostitute. This would allow her to steal everything that he had when the time came! ... The group of Cultivators started to gather. Aiko wondered what took them so long, but it seems like that Junior Brother was an asshole who couldn''t control his urges, or at least that''s what Mei said in her stories... Aiko shook her head. It was not time to get distracted yet, she needed to focus! But that stench! How many times did they go at it that he smelled like his chosen prostitute and she even liked him?! Aiko scoffed at him, but still waited patiently. She would need to bide her time to rob him and explore that place. They boarded the leaf as it swayed. "My apologies Senior Brothers, but it seems like this leaf reached its capacity." The snobbish Cultivator sighed, shaking his head. His seniors were visibly angry, but did not say anything as all the females boarded that leaf. "We will kill that bastard once he returns." They whispered among each other. "If he lays his hands on my Dao Companion, I will cut off all his limbs and feed him to the Beasts!" Another whispered back. They were already making plans and Aiko was all for it. There is a possibility that the females will be caught in the crossfire once she steals that stuff, but all that blame will fall on that male Cultivator instead of her! What a perfect plan! Aiko nodded to herself as she waited on ''board'' of the leaf. She was still hidden inside the shadows with all her skills activated, so that they would be unable to find her. At one time she felt that the male snobbish Cultivator was looking at her, but that must''ve been Aiko''s imagination as her [Intention Perception] did not pick up anything. They flew above this place as most of the female Cultivators got close to the snobbish Cultivator. He was visibly enjoying his time as they openly groped him like ''shy maidens'', but considering they all smelled of blood, that was definitly not the case. Aiko waited until the female got close enough to the snobbish male Cultivator. That would allow her to steal everything and jump down, since they were approaching the middle of this place. ... The female was getting closer and closer, she was even slipping her outer garment down her shoulders to reveal her ''appealing'' body. ''Tch, his eyes must be rotten.'' Aiko was so used to perfect bodies from Foxes that anything else looked alien to her... especially this slightly chubby female Cultivator. ''Should''ve picked a better hiding spot.'' Aiko sighed, but since now was the time to steal his Treasures; she could not delay it! Aiko noticed that he had two storage mediums. One was a Storage Pouch and the other was a Storage Ring, but she was unable to determine what kind it was. Well, for Aiko that didn''t matter much, as long as she got both of them either Mei or Dragon Gramps would be able to deal with the rest! Aiko nodded to herself. She used her sharp claws with [Lacerate] to get the Storage Pouch and one more time to get the Storage Ring... Unfortunately it felt like that snobbish male Cultivator knew about her, or at least felt her presence, since he blocked the second blow. Aiko was unhappy with this outcome, but she still held the Storage Pouch, which had the boots inside. In theory, that''s all that Aiko needed, but she was not satisfied with this outcome. How was he able to detect her? Does he have some kind of special Cultivation Technique? Was he able to detect her because she glared at him? Aiko had too many questions and not enough answers, it would be dangerous if she stayed up here with all of them. The other female Cultivators were shocked and they swiftly fixed their clothes ready for a fight, but Aiko was not here for a fight, but to explore this place! The snobbish male Cultivator was ready to grab the little thieving Fox, when she suddenly jumped off. The snobbish male Cultivator was shocked, so much so that his whole body froze in place. He didn''t know what to do with this situation which allowed Aiko to get some distance. Aiko snorted at him unhappily. She couldn''t believe that someone as simple as him was able to block her second blow. ''Next time I will go for the rings first.'' Aiko nodded to herself in her mind. She could already see the female Cultivators pulling out their weapons and aiming them at Aiko. ''The majority of the energy seemed to go through the petiole.[1]'' Aiko grabbed one of her rocks and enhanced it with her Beast Core Energy, throwing it at the petiole. The petiole exploded and the leaf lost a lot of its mobility. ''Nice!'' Aiko smirked as she was free-falling down onto the ground... Chapter 319 – Cultivator and Troubles Inside a Cave The female Cultivators hurled their fireworks at Aiko, who was still free-falling. "Wait! She has my Storage Pouch!" The snobbish male Cultivator screamed. He was worried that they would destroy the boots and they would be unable to explore this area. Aiko activated her Moon Divine Ability for the first time in a long time. [Moon''s Crust] a semi-transparent barrier that protected Aiko. This Divine Ability formed a barrier that looked like the surface of the Moon. It had quite a few craters and other features, but the main feature of this Divine Ability was the fact that the defence got stronger the more you assaulted a single place. It worked by compressing the struck part of the barrier closer to the body with each hit, so it did have a limit where the barrier would no longer cover your body and another weak point was against fast impacts with high penetrative power. It was not the best defensive Ability to use against sword Cultivators, but as for fireworks. *Ding Ding Ding* Aiko listened to the fireworks bouncing away from her barrier. The barrier did get closer to her, but the rate was slowing down over time, that was thanks to the increase defensive from getting hit in the same place. Aiko hummed happily as she stuck out her tongue. This enraged the female Cultivators, but the snobbish male Cultivator was observing her closely. Aiko wondered what was wrong with him, but since she was approaching the ground; she needed to fish out those boots from the Storage Pouch! Aiko searched through it. There was a lot of unnecessary stuff, like female clothing and undies. Some were even highly detailed! There were also low-grade Pills and tools, none of which Aiko fancied. She searched and searched, until she finally found those boots that she needed in order to survive the place to where she was falling. Those boots were bigger than Aiko''s feet, so she would have to tie them securely in order to survive inside that hole. Aiko nodded closely as she wrapped numerous strings around the boots to secure them on her feet. With this she should be alright even if they sway a bit, since her main driving force would be the double jump and acrobatics. Aiko looked up to check out the situation since she was too focused on the boots and to her shock. The somewhat handsome black haired cultivator was near her. Aiko slightly panicked from his speed and used a double jump to steer away from him in mid-air. Like this, she would also get closer to the middle hole that she was aiming for. Aiko nodded her head happily, now he shouldn''t be able to follo- "How are you still following me?!" Aiko yelped when she noticed that the Human Cultivator was riding a sword. "And how are you able to do that?!" Aiko glared at him. The snobbish Cultivator laughed. "There might be a no-flight zone in this Secret Realm, but it can be bypassed, little thief." He was approaching the little Fox that stole his Storage Pouch. "Oh..." Aiko nodded like she didn''t care about him. "By the way, what are you going to do about that?" She pointed behind him. "You won''t be able to sway me to look away." The snobbish male Cultivator would not look back and lose sight of her, who knows what kind of other strange skills this little Fox had! "Well, that is fine by me, at least there will be less Cultivators bothering me." Aiko smiled happily. She held no remorse towards them, this was their life and since they chose to waste it... "You can''t make me turn around!" The snobbish male Cultivator had a bad premonition and flinched. Someone was talking to him and he immediately turned around to see his female companions falling to their death. "Fuck!" He cursed openly and a rock brushed past him. The male Cultivator turned around to look at the little thief, since that rock was dangerous. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "Now do your best~!" Aiko shouted happily as she was holding rocks, ready to throw them. She was not that far from the hole, but she should still be able to throw a few of them at him. "FUCK!" The snobbish Cultivator cursed and abandoned the flying sword with quite a forceful jump. Aiko was speechless at his speed and tilted her head. ''Why did he not use that to approach me?'' This was way faster than what he had previously demonstrated. ''Aha, he is chasing the pussy.'' Aiko nodded at him and threw 3 rocks towards his direction before vanishing into the hole. He barely dodged it and glared back, but the little thief was nowhere to be found. ... Aiko was falling into the hole, it was larger than she expected, but now was also a good idea to see if she can refresh her double jump with these boots. She swirled in the air and approached the nearby wall. She tried to gently touch it with her boots and to her shock, it really froze over! Aiko was delighted at this, since she would be able to refresh her double jump and break her fall! The stench was even worse inside than outside, possibly because she was approaching the source, the thing that she dumped out of her tails. Aiko was not too happy about this, but in order to explore this place, sacrifices had to be made! She used the double jump to break the fall, but she didn''t dare to approach the black liquid. It felt disgusting and smelled even worse. Aiko used her acrobatic skills with her double jump in order to traverse this place on the walls. She did not forget to throw rocks behind her to shatter the ice, so that none could follow her! This place was quite complex and Aiko had to map it out. The whole cave system was around 70-80% submerged in that liquid, but that was only thanks to the fact that the cave was very narrow the deeper you went. Aiko did not find any enemies along the way. It felt like this whole place was deserted, but she couldn''t blame them. The stench was so bad that it was driving her crazy! She would have to wash up after this exploration or she would be scolded by Mei! Her [Tails Storage] was also getting smaller, all thanks to the putrid stench, which made Aiko upset. She would have to create plenty of Storage Rings in the future, just in case something similar happened again! Aiko nodded to herself. She kept jumping around with her double jump, depleting her Stamina, but unlike when she was chased by the Human Cultivators, she didn''t need to dodge around. Preservation of Stamina was essential and she would have to work on it in the future. She also should craft a shield that would tank the hits for her, since Aiko couldn''t bother dodging all the small fireworks. With that plan in mind, she finally arrived at a large cave opening. The cave was huge and once Aiko landed she froze an area of around 1.5m around her. She looked around. While this cave was huge, something else was even bigger... ''Ew... What a disgustingly huge spider...'' Aiko shivered. She didn''t want to approach it. She knew that it was dead and there would be no danger from it, but that didn''t mean she liked approaching spiders, even dead ones! ''I don''t want toooooo.'' Aiko cried in her mind, but at the same time, she could feel that strange tempting feeling from behind the corpse. ''Do I need to move it?'' Aiko tilted her head. She didn''t know what to do with this situation. She really didn''t want to touch it. ''It should be fine, right?'' Aiko tilted her head. She walked near the corpse and around it, unfortunately, the spider''s huge ass was in the way, so she would have to move it somehow... ''I don''t want to.'' Aiko flatly said in her mind, but that feeling was too tempting to pass out on! Aiko shook her head and steeled her resolve. She grabbed the spider''s leg in order to pull it away. *Crack* The spider''s leg fell apart and Aiko winced. "Ewwwwwwwwwww." Her body shivered from that sound and movement. Aiko thought about it for some time and decided on her next plan. "Alright, since your fat ass won''t move, then I will move the earth!" Aiko proclaimed as she set up a [Digging Site]. She would just go around the huge ass by digging through earth! ... Aiko panted harshly. She had to dig quite deep to bypass that ass, but at the same time, she was worried. Will she be able to reach the end? Won''t anything bad happen? Aiko shook her head and set up [Digging Site] for the last time. Her inventory was filled with that putrid polluted dirt and she kept throwing it out in the other part of the cave. That way, her current digging spot would stay clean enough to stand on. Aiko touched the last part in order to store it in her inventory and as she did it, some kind of white liquid spilled on her! She dodged it to the best of her abilities, but some still got on her clothes. "Ewwwwwwwwwww." Aiko whined again. She really didn''t want to deal with this shit. "Eh???" Aiko suddenly noticed that she could not move. The white liquid hardened, that was spider¡¯s silk! "..." Aiko blinked a few times. It should be good material, but how is she supposed to get out of this situation...? Aiko wiggled her way out of her clothes, since she didn''t want to transform and lose those boots, that would be a disaster! She was able to somewhat lose those clothes and walk around nude. The clothes itself were fine, she just had to peel them off of that sticky liquid. ''But how am I supposed to store this inside my tails...'' Aiko sighed as she was dressing up. It would take her a while, since she couldn''t sit down, but it was better than walking around nude or with a kimono. Aiko decided that instead of her [Tails Storage] she would use her Storage Rings. That way even if they become filthy, she could just melt them down and be done with it, but it would be a pain in the ass if more of that sticky liquid got into her tails! Aiko sighed while shrugging. It would take a while to gather all of this, but it should be doable. While she didn''t have a proper Spacial Ring, she got quite a number of Storage Rings! With this, she should be able to store most of it and then give it to either Mei or that Clothier or whatever his name was. Aiko decided to give him a name later, so that she didn''t need to think about it. Chapter 320 – More Treasures and Eggs? After gathering quite a bit of the silky liquid, she found the path leading deeper inside the cave, so Aiko kept snagging more of the silky liquid into her Storage Rings. It went quite deep inside and Aiko''s rings were filling quite a lot. At this rate, she would have to store it inside her [Tails Storage], which she didn''t want to. What if her tails got even stickier?! Fortunately, the narrow cave filled with liquid ended in what seemed to be a normal cave. What was strange was the fact that it was a very dry cave. Aiko could feel a warm current coursing through this place. She was curious about what created this warmth, but not curious enough to immediately charge forward. Aiko tilted her head and approached slowly, looking around the narrow opening to see if there was anything that would threaten her. Another thing that happened was the fact that this place was not covered with that filthy soil. It seems like this heat just burned it away immediately, or maybe that silky liquid protected this place? Aiko was not entirely sure. Walking deeper inside, she came toward a split in the path. She could go either left or right, but she chose the right path, because the left was giving her a bad vibe. And the right one had a warm current, so Aiko wanted to pick that one up first. She walked deeper inside until she came to a larger cave opening. It was still small compared to the one that hosted the huge spider and it could barely fit a large house. Aiko nodded to herself, this place was not bad since she didn''t need to worry about humidity, but that also didn''t mean that she wanted to live there. She would naturally take the source of this heat and place it somewhere where she could live happily without worrying about Human Cultivators robbing her. There was a slight issue though. This place was empty, like empty-empty, not even her eyes were able to see through it and nothing helped her. Aiko tilted her head with a strange expression. ''But it''s coming from the middle of this place...'' She could not understand how that was possible. Aiko slowly approached the middle of this place when suddenly she lost footing. There was a strange sploshing sound on her right foot, but there was no water around. It was just either soil or rock. Aiko had so many questions, but no answers. Soon a scorching pain ran through her spine. "Hot! Hot! Hot!" Aiko kept hopping on her good leg, holding the other one whilst trying to free her other leg from the burning hot boot. After succeeding, she notices that her leg was quite badly burned, but thanks to the system, it was healing quite nicely already. Aiko tilted her head. She could not understand what was happening, so she got a rock from her storage and threw it into the middle of this place. *Splash* The middle of this place made the same sound as when you throw a rock into a pond. Aiko grew more and more confused, even activating her [Moon''s Eyes] to help her see through illusions yielded nothing, but then she had an idea. What if she used the tip of the fluff from her tails in order to activate [Tails Storage]? It should probably work and if it''s really water, she should be able to absorb it! But first thing first, she should let her injured leg heal and dry the boot. Aiko didn''t know if this place was unpolluted because of the heat or silky liquid, so she would rather not risk walking barefoot. ... After drying and re-equipping the boot, Aiko waited patiently. She had to figure out where the ''edge'' of this place was, in order to try to use her tip of the tail. She didn''t want to go blind at it, since it might harm her that way and she definitely didn''t want to test the resilience of her tails. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Aiko nodded to herself as she pulled out a flag pole and probed the surroundings with it. She was able to figure out the edge of this place and all she had to do now was to gently lower her tails into it. There was a sucking sound, like Aiko''s tails were drinking that thing. At first, Aiko was concerned, but the system was not as concerned. [Unknown Water 128L(Rising)] It was certainly water, just unknown. Maybe because Aiko didn''t see the actual water, the system tagged it like this, but there was no other warning, so Aiko kept slowly lowering her tail into it. She would drain this place and see what was so strange with it! ... Aiko kept draining it for a while, but because she had done it slowly, she didn''t know how much time she spent on this. She realised that this was a handmade hole, since it had a very smooth edge and instead of the normal gradual depth increasing, it was just a giant circular hole going straight down. Like this, Aiko would definitely run out of space in her tails if the volume reached over 1,000m3. She would have to dump that water outside this place and drain more of it later... Fortunately, that was not the case, as her tails kept making that slurping sound when you emptied a bottle through a straw. It seems like this part was finished and Aiko could test the waters by jumping down. However, Aiko was not stupid, so she first dropped a rock down. It made normal rock on stone sound, so it seemed like it would be safe for the time being. Aiko jumped down and the scenery changed. The whole ''illusion'' collapsed, revealing an even more narrow passage and a few marbles on the ground. Aiko tilted her head. She was somewhat familiar with these marbles. Those were Beast Cores, but they were also slightly different. They were slightly larger with something swimming inside. On the outside, there was also Runic language that could best be translated as ''Seal''. ''And now we will conduct the summoning of the final boss.'' Aiko rubbed her chin. She was curious about these marbles, but she was also curious about the overly narrow passage. Aiko stored the marbles without giving them a proper look and as such the system recorded it as [Colourful Marbles]. She would have to investigate them later, but that could definitely wait! Aiko wanted to squeeze through and find out what was on the other side of this narrow passage. ''Will I even fit?'' Aiko tilted her head. It would be better if she used her small form, but what if that filth spreads? Aiko was conflicted on this, but there was not much she could do about it. She would have to choose to either abandon this small, narrow passage or transform into the Fox form... ... Aiko decided to transform and deal with the consequences later. She would ask Mei about cleaning later, or get cleaned by her team, since there was no way she would be able to clean her tails alone. While she knew how to clean her body, fur was a completely different league. Aiko crawled into the narrow passage. She was looking for Treasures or anything else remotely valuable now that she is committed to this. At first, she did not hold out any hope, since it seemed empty, but she did find a pair of large eggs. One was definitely dead, considering the numerous cracks, while the other was still intact. Aiko stored both in her [Tails Storage] since her Rings were full. She backtracked to the open space. It was quite large without the water and that strange ''illusion'' that she couldn''t see through. This was a perfect place to hide something, but Aiko could not find anything. It either rotted away due to that filth, or someone else already looted the rest. Aiko could only shake her head and go outside. She found the huge spider again, but for some reason, the temptation persisted. ''Were those strange Beast Cores not enough to satisfy this temptation?'' Aiko tilted her head as she didn''t understand it. ''Do I have to butcher this thing?'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. Every Beast had a Beast Core and the size and efficacy depended on their sizes and Bloodlines. This huge spider should have quite the sizeable Beast Core, which might be useful for something in the future, but Aiko was not very keen on butchering it. ''I''m already dirty and will definitly end up getting blood on myself...'' Aiko whined in her mind, but she wanted all the Treasures. She would have to deal with the clean-up later... Aiko used her [Lacerate] on the spider carcass and it broke apart easily. She was quite startled by this, but that didn''t stop her from using more [Lacerate] on the carcass. It was a completely hollow carcass, which startled Aiko. ''Did someone already take the Beast Core away?'' Aiko tilted her head. It was quite possible, but why did she still feel that temptation? She decapitated the spider with a single [Lacerate], it revealing the Beast Core that was hidden behind its eyes. It was large and green, which made Aiko feel quite strange, but she still stashed it away for later. She dismantled the rest of the carcass only to find a huge black stone buried into the ground. Aiko felt familiar with this stone and she remembered that it was the same feeling as the one that she used on Yuxi. Aiko stashed that Black Stone away. She would be able to use it during her Evolution and she might also gain something fun in return~! ... Aiko stored everything of value before leaving this place. It was the same thing as before, boots freeze the ground solid for resetting double jumps, and double jumps boosted her speed, while throwing rocks onto to shatter the small patches of ice and destroy the path behind her. With this, none would be able to enter like Aiko did and they would have to find their own ways in. ... Aiko happily made her way outside. She stored all valuables in her [Tails Storage] for the time being and she would sort them later once she asked Mei about that silky liquid. That was the plan, but first, she needed to take a quick bath. The smell was unbearable and her storage capacity was getting smaller and smaller. That was not good for Aiko as she would not be able to store more things in her [Tails Storage]. She would have to find some kind of hidden pond that would be nice and not too cold. With that, she would use some Warming Stones to heat it up a little bit more, so that she could have a pleasant warm bath. Aiko sneakily made her way out of the dead zone. It was delightful to see greenery around her again, but it would take some time to find the pond, so she would hide until it was night before resuming her search... Chapter 321 – Bath with uninvited guests… Night was upon the Secret Realm, it was slightly longer than in the outside world, so Aiko had plenty of time to find a nice pond or a lake to wash in. It would take a while to wash the filthy smell, but thankfully Mei gave Aiko some soap, just in case something happened. She didn''t know what it was made out of, but it smelled pleasant and created bubbles, so Aiko quite liked it. It was hard as a brick, but soft when underwater, it was quite funny. Aiko dashed under the guise of the night. She was looking for rivers or sources of water, anything that could potentially lead her to a suitable pond or lake. She didn''t need all that much water in her small form, but she had to keep in mind that she would turn big sometime soon. It would be troublesome if the pond was too small for the big Aiko, so she would have to adjust her search thanks to that. Aiko didn''t like the big form in certain ways, but liked it for others. For example, those heavy fat pillows were awful for Aiko, but the increase in the size of the tails was incredibly good. It was easier to wrap herself in them and turn herself into a giant fluff ball with them. Aiko narrowed her eyes. She spotted some kind of clearing with river sounds nearby. Maybe she finally found it? Aiko changed her direction to that clearing and to her surprise she did find a pond! It was barely big enough for her big Aiko, but that should be fine. She would handle the majority of things in her small form, and finish up the rest in her big form, which means she would have to wash her tails and hair before she turned big and it became burdensome. Aiko spread her senses, trying to scout nearby monsters, but fortunately, there were none. The pond was small and it had a rock on the west side which could hide anything from sight as it was quite the sizeable rock. Aiko nodded happily, if something happened, she would be able to hide behind that rock, get dressed and run away! With that plan in her mind, she went near the rock to undress. Her small body would be easy to wash, so Aiko hurried to do as much as possible before she turned big. She also dumped a few Warming Stones into the water beforehand, so it would not be as cold. With those things out of the way, Aiko took a dip. It was still cold, since she was too impatient, but the water near the Warming Stones, was alredy nice and lukewarm. The rest would heat up eventually, Aiko just need to wait a bit. It was easier to clean things in warm water, so Aiko took the brick of soap and rubbed her tails furiously. She would do her best to clean the stench from them, since this was one of the few parts that stayed in both her fox and human forms. The other was her ears, but not her hair. For some reason hair and fur were separate, but since Fox Aiko would have a hard to washing herself, she would leave that for someone else. Aiko rubbed her tails together to spread the soap somewhat evenly. She was creating quite a mess, but all Aiko cared about was getting clean and not to get scolded too badly. Next up was her head, which was more troublesome than her tails. Sure, she had 8 tails and they were a pain to clean, but nowhere near as much as her Fox ears. Those damn things were sensitive and if water got inside them, it would hurt Aiko for some reason. She had to carefully clean the insides whilst making sure not to get any water inside. While Aiko still had Water Elemental Affinity, she did not have much control over it, not to mention she didn''t have any abilities that could utilise that element. She did have [Clean], but Mei still banned her from using it on herself for some reason. ''But it just destroyed the clothes...'' Aiko pouted before ruffling her hair. The hair was fine and not that long. Some Human Cultivators had hair longer than their bodies, which must be a real pain to clean! Aiko vowed that she would have shorter hair later, but it must be natural or Mei would scold her for it. Aiko sighed gently. It was such a bother, why does everyone have long hair when it''s such a bother to clean it?! This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. She could not understand the Human Cultivator, nor Mei that followed in their footsteps. Foxes hated the Human Cultivators, yet they did everything similarly to them. What''s the point of having such a unique race when you are going to copy someone else''s race?! Aiko sighed as she finished ruffling her hair. The next step, she was not looking forward to. Her ears were cumbersomely large, which was a bother for the current, not-really-caring, Aiko. She did the outside first and washed them gently. The insides had fur too and it was a lot more troublesome to wash. She had to grab the fur inside, gently soap it up, wash it and dry it in one go. It was such a bothersome system, but it allowed Aiko to protect the insides of her ears. With that finished, she noticed something approaching her, so Aiko scrubbed even more than before. Her ears were finished, but she would have to do a few more passes when it came to her hair and tails. It was important to get rid of that stench. ... Morning approached and Aiko transformed, all that was left to do was wash her cumbersomely large body and she would be able to leave. Aiko gets on with it, but her senses pick up on intruders. Fortunately, that intruder was still quite far away and there were two of them near each other, so Aiko didn''t need to worry just yet. She would be able to wash some more before they came closer. Moreover, they weren''t walking towards her, so Aiko had even more time. She kept washing her skin. She hated those cumbersome melons, but there was nothing she could do about them. Aiko shook her head as she used the pond''s water to wash her body. She was taking her time with it, since it was much larger, but thankfully she didn''t have to clean her tails or ears again. The duo moved, or at least one of them. It was approaching the pond, so Aiko scrubbed faster. She finished cleaning her body and wanted to get out of the water to dry her tails. "4th-Tailed Fox..." Murmured a voice in disbelief. Aiko suddenly heard a voice behind her. She was sure that the intruder was further away, so what happened?! Fortunately, Aiko was covered by her tails, so that the intruder did not see anything. Aiko peeked at him, since she wanted to know who that intruder was. ''It''s him!'' Aiko''s eyes widened. It was the pussy chaser! Aiko frowned. She was not just another pussy and she definitely would not be chased! ''I will definitely get rid of this form!" Aiko vowed on this with her life. The snobbish Cultivator coughed. He reeked of sex, which disgusted her. "Fair maiden, may I join you?" He was trying to play the polite gentleman, but she was not swayed! "You can," Aiko agreed, but also added. "Since I''m leaving, you can have it all for yourself." She didn''t care about what he would do with it once Aiko left, but she would definitely not bathe with someone who was pitching a tent! The snobbish Cultivator sighed calmly. "I beg the Fairy for help. I was injured by a vicious Beast and I have a hard time using my limbs." He planned to weasel his way into the pond with her, since every female Fox loved the fragile type of men that they could abuse during their crazed sex sessions. "That is too bad." Aiko replied indifferently, startling him. The snobbish Cultivator was shocked that his sugary words didn''t work on a Fox. How could this Fox refuse him, when she got him so hard?! "Noble Fairy, I was truly injured... I beg for your help." He was playing the weak card again and showed his injuries. They were not injuries per se, but pollution from the filth that Aiko dumped. ''So that''s what would happen if I touched it?'' Aiko was curious. His skin had dyed black and certain parts had dots or were peeling off. ''This is an incredible weapon...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. If she could store that filth safely and hurl it at her enemies... What a scary thought! The snobbish Cultivator saw the Fox pause and believed that she was swayed by his words. "I will even close my eyes and share my herbal soap with you." He played up the fragile, begging act. ''That is a lie, once she takes her eyes of me, I will stare to my heart''s content!'' Aiko was not swayed. Could that herbal soap be better than what Mei created? That''s highly unlikely, as Mei had used many high-grade Herbs and other materials to make it. Aiko did not believe for a second that some snobbish Cultivator could beat Mei when it came to wealth and knowledge! "That is alright, you can wash here by yourself." Aiko timed her words with her transformation and as the morning fog filled the surroundings; She match her return to her small form, with a transformation into her fox form and dashed away from this place. "Fairy..." The snobbish Cultivator gently cried, but his eyes were filled with obsession. ''What a beauty... I wonder if she is from the Fox Village or part of this Secret Realm?'' He licked his lips while staring at the soap on the lake. ''I will definitely find you!'' ''What a scary guy...'' Aiko shook her head as she disappeared into the forest without him knowing. ''I hope we never meet again...'' Aiko didn''t want to fight naked, and her small Fox form would be too wet to move quickly enough to dodge his Techniques. She knew that she would not be able to match his speed and even wondered if he had some kind of Treasure that upped his speed past the Secret Realm limit! ''Fighting him head-on is a no-go, but If I could use that filth it would be quite the quick fight!'' Aiko smirked to herself as she dashed back to the Dragon. She did not know how much time passed while she was digging, but that was alright. Mei was still Cultivating her tails, so it should be fine. Aiko found her way back and she was even tempted to visit the Blood Fox, but at the last second, she changed her mind. She still needed to clean herself in her small Fox form! ... Aiko arrived at the camp. Mei was still hidden somewhere Cultivating her tails and the first one to greet her was the Dragon. "[Clean]! [Clean]! [Clean]! [Clean]! [Clean]! [Clean]! [Clean]!" The Dragon was roaring as a gentle light with water enveloped Aiko and cleaned her fur. "I''m back~" Aiko hummed happily, it seemed like more bathing wouldn''t be necessary! "Back my ass! What kind of stinky hole did you explore that you smell worse than a Royal Dung Beetle!?" The Dragon was completely speechless at this little smelly rascal! Chapter 322 – Seals Undone and Chaos Ensues The Grandpa Dragon was glaring at Aiko. He was upset that she brought something so smelly with her. "So what were you doing?" The Dragon kept an eye on Aiko and kept periodically casting [Clean] on her. "Looting." Aiko smiled innocently and the Dragon almost facepalmed. "What?" Aiko was unhappy with his reaction and glared back. "What did you loot?" The Dragon gave up as Aiko was a lost cause. Hopefully, she would learn over time that it was not always good to take things from everywhere. Aiko pulled the marbles out of her [Tails Storage]. The Dragon immediately choked. "Where did you find those?!" He remembered those Beast Cores, they were his colleagues'' Beast Cores! "In a spider den?" Aiko assumed that the huge ass spider would not just camp there for nothing, so it was probably a spider den. "Did you kill the Disaster?" The Dragon immediately assumed it was one of the four disasters, since no other would be able to restrain those Beast Cores. "N-no." Aiko shifted her body guiltily. She didn''t kill those spiders, but she did dump that filth into their dens... The Dragon narrowed its eyes. "Since you have the spider''s Beast Core, you can have this one too." He gave Aiko the Beast Core from the flying chicken. "Thank you?" Aiko wasn''t sure what to do with this, since she didn''t have the wind element. "This guy had Cultivated for a long time, so you should be able to gain his Elemental Affinity... probably... possibly?" The Dragon tilted his head. "Why is that a question?" Aiko was taken aback. "I can already feel multiple Elemental Affinities from you, you probably were not born with them, which means you have obtained them. That in turn means you can obtain more of them at an easier rate than others." The Dragon nodded gently. "Uhuh..." Aiko could not understand how he was able to make that connection with so little information. "Anyway, please give me those ''marbles'', as they are my friends." The Dragon turned soft, almost sobbing-like. "Sure..." Aiko didn''t really want to part with her Treasures, but since they were his friends; she didn''t reject it. "Thank you, little one." The Dragon turned softer as he held the Beast Cores with its whiskers(?). "So where is the Blood Fox?" Aiko asked the Dragon. "She is Evolving somewhere else and no, you are not allowed to leave, you will be rewarded for this deed." The Dragon added since he realised that his mind had slipped and tattled on Blood Fox in his distraction. "Tsk." Aiko clicked her tongue and stared at him. "Stop clicking your tongue, you will get rewarded!" The Dragon snorted unhappily. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. But the Blood Fox will grow weaker, talk about abuse." Aiko shook her head. "If she can''t even Evolve naturally, she is not worth nurturing!" The Dragon glared at the little rascal, but still gathered his softest energy to break those seals. "Done." The Dragon said. The first Beast Core was freed and the temperature immediately rose sharply. *SKREEEEEEEEEEEECH* A huge ass bird flew out of that Beast Core, gracing everyone with its presence. "Calm down you old fart!" The Dragon slapped that stupid bird, so that it wouldn''t burn everything around it. "Auch! Who dares to slap- It''s you, old fart!?" The Three-Legged Crow was shocked. "Yes, it''s me, now calm down your Suns." The Dragon snorted unhappily. He had to burn through quite a lot of energy to shield the young ones. "Oh, yes." The Three-Legged Crow coughed awkwardly and flew down turning down the oppressive heat on the way. "So where are we?" This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Secret Realm, all of us got sealed." The Dragon sighed. "Damn bastards from the Golden Palace!" The Three-Legged Crow spat on the ground and the ground immediately melted. "Tell me about it." The Dragon shook his head. "I''m guessing that they already used my body to reinforce the Heavenly Gates?" The Three-Legged Crow asked. "Probably, considering there are others sealed here with you..." The Dragon sighed again. "More of us in here? I''m surprised this place has not collapsed." The Three-Legged Crow chuckled. "So you are the bastard that burned me!" Aiko suddenly spat out, startling both of them. "You little vi-" The Three-Legged Crow had a short temper, since he was killed and sealed, but fortunately the Dragon still had some sense of reason. "This little one is the one that found and rescued you, I didn''t even know that you and the other were here too an hour ago..." The Dragon shook his head. Who knows what more has been sealed in this place... At that moment, he glanced at the little Fox and made a mental memo. Mei already told him about the disaster and the same stuff was sung by the little one''s team. He might be able to use her hungry nature to prepare for the collapse of this place and then move everyone outside. "Oh..." The Three-Legged Crow looked at the little Fox with interest, but soon held his nose with his wings. "Gosh, she smells so bad! [Clean]! [Clean]! [Clean]! [Clean]! [Clean]!" Aiko''s lips twitched. She was slightly upset that everyone treated her like this, especially the one that she saved! "But anyway." The Three-Legged Crow stopped for a moment. "Who else is here?" The Dragon was already working on other Beast Cores. "Just wait a moment, you impatient bastard!" "Then work quicker, you hungry bastard!" The Three-Legged Crow snorted unhappily. Another Beast Core was unsealed and it unleashed a tsunami on everyone. "Does that bastard not know how to hold back?! Fuck! I don''t have an element to deal with him!" The Three-Legged Crow unleashed his Sun to combat that ridiculous tsunami. The two transcendental powers clashed against each other, levelling everything in a 100-mile radius. "Wake up you lazy bastard!" The Dragon roared and the tsunami stopped. "Is... that... you...?" The lazy Black Tortoise spoke like he was still sleeping. "Come down you oversized lazy bun!" The Dragon roared again. He spends even more energy trying to shield others from these jerks. "Oh... Is it really you?" The lazy Black Tortoise blinked a few times. "Damn, and here I dreamed about the Head of the Kitsune Clan." He snorted unhappily. "Oh, there are a few-" The Black Tortoise immediately strained its lazy eyes at Aiko and her team. "They are affiliated with Mei and this one is her mate." The Dragon explained while glaring at him. "Tsk." The Black Tortoise clicked his tongue. "Don''t you dare to click your tongue at me or I will wrestle you into the ground! Keep in mind that I still have my body, unlike you old farts!" The Dragon glared at the Black Tortoise. "You are just an Azure Dragon." The Tortoise snorted unhappily. "But with a body!" The Dragon glared at him even more. "That means that it was not a dream and I really fought the Golden Palace, huh..." The Black Tortoise yawned. "I wonder what they did to my body..." "They were reinforcing the Heavenly Gates, so that no Mortal World would be able to connect to the Immortal World." The Three-Legged Crow scoffed. "Oh, I thought that someone was warming my waters, but it was your little candle." The Tortoise yawned again. "You want to go for another round?!" The Three-Legged Crow roared as more Suns appeared behind it. "We can go, we can go." The Black Tortoise smiled as another huge tsunami formed behind it. Suddenly, both of their bodies were wrapped by the Dragon''s Divine Sense. "Little one, what would you like? We can have roasted crow or turtle soup." The Dragon spoke gently towards Aiko, while joking about those two pricks. "I never had turtle soup before..." Aiko narrowed her eyes. "But we can also go for the crow, as we only had the most common birds for food." She caressed her chin, thinking about it carefully. The Three-Legged Crow was shocked by the little one''s courage, but the more he looked at her, the more sweat formed on his body. "L-little one, I''m not that tasty and I can give you some Treasures!" The Three-Legged Crow panicked as he saw Aiko''s origin. The Black Tortoise rolled his eyes. He was not scared about her origin, since she would not be able to do anything to him. "Treasures..." Aiko tilted her head. "But meat..." Aiko frowned beautifully. "Ugh, this is such a dilemma..." The Dragon chuckled and let them go, since they finally calmed down. They shrunk in size, since the didn''t have bodies, but they still towered over Aiko. Aiko wanted to transform into her pseudo-Human form, but the turtle was quicker. "Ugh! What is this smell?! [Clean]! [Clean]! [Clean]! [Clean]! [Clean]!" The Black Tortoise was hiding inside his shell while casting [Clean] on the little Fox. Aiko felt a warm current course around her body, it was an incredibly soft and pleasant feeling. It was a lot different compared to the bird or Dragon, not even Mei could match this feeling! "Where did you find her?" The Black Tortoise asked the Azure Dragon. "Don''t tell me you fished her out of some kind of swamp?" The Azure Dragon felt offended. "Of course not, and you should behave, since she was the one who dragged your sealed ass to me!" The Dragon snorted unhappily. "Oh..." The Black Tortoise didn''t believe it, but he also couldn''t refute him, so he let it go. "By the way, where is Mei? It''s been a while since I was able to see her beautiful jade legs..." The Black Tortoise drooled when he was hit on the shell. "Who dares-?!" "Jade legs-?!" "AGH!" The Black Tortoise was the most comical of the bunch with his reaction. The first hit rocked his shell with Mei''s energy and she kept pounding him once she heard him say ''jade legs''. Mei was angry at this nickname, since no one appreciated her Illusions or Alchemy skills! And now that Mei had 9 beautiful tails behind her, she packed quite the punch! Especially against someone who did not have a body! "Mei!" Aiko shouted happily. "Can we keep that guy? His [Clean] is so amazing and nice!" The Black Tortoise coughed up non-existent blood. He could not believe that someone would degrade him into a cleaning tool! "Hmpf." Mei slapped him again, but let him go. "That is not a bad idea." Mei jumped near Aiko and smiled. "111/10 will definitely sleep again!" Aiko''s inner thoughts leaked as she saw Mei''s tails up close. Chapter 323 – Chaos and Back Mei stared at Aiko dumbfounded. "Could you not rate everything about me?" She pinched her cheek gently. "And where did these guys come from?" Mei was no longer surprised that Aiko would be able to call down Immortals. "From a cave." Aiko replied, shocking Mei. "Eh?" Mei smirked. "So those fools got killed." She laughed with glee. "You must have died too if you are stuck here!" The Three-Legged Crow snorted unhappily. "Hehehe~" Mei was giggling at him, since she knew that they were not her opponents as long as they didn''t have their bodies. "Stop laughing! This is a serious situation! The Golden Palace wants to lock down the Immortal World!" The Three-Legged Crow yelled at Mei. Mei shrugged while kicking away the perverted turtle. ''That is definitely concerning, but...'' She glanced at Aiko. "There shouldn''t be a problem." Mei chuckled darkly. The Mythical Beasts noticed that glance, but they did not put Aiko into their eyes. Mei had much better plans and they would definitely not rely on a juvenile who had only recently left her mother''s side. "But it would not be a bad idea to make you into pets..." Mei narrowed her eyes and chuckled sinisterly. "You can''t be serious?!" The Black Tortoise yelled out. Mei picked up the small Aiko. It seems like Aiko took good care of her body since she could not smell anything foreign. It was quite the opposite as Aiko felt like she was squeaky clean, but that was impossible, that lazy tortoise would never use [Clean] on others! "How about it? Would you want any of them as pets?" Mei treated Aiko like a sweetheart, nudging her to say yes. Aiko paused and then discreetly smirked. "I don''t want them!" She yelled out, startling Mei. "They burned my feet and were mean to me!" Aiko made a similar sinister expression to what Mei always did. "Oh? Is that so?" Mei turned towards the Mythical Beasts and smiled sinisterly. Normally, she would not be their match, but that is only if they had their physical bodies. Now that they are just Beast Cores with Souls, Mei would be able to easily defeat them. She licked her lips. "What do you have to say in your defence?" Mei chuckled with greedy eyes. It was obvious that she would rob them blind in the name of ''protecting her Mate''. The Three-Legged Crow shrunk, since he already knew what those eyes meant, but that dumb lazy turtle did not know. "I have many Treasures that she could use!" The Black Tortoise was greedy to become Mei''s Contracted Beast. "Then show us, if Aiko doesn''t like them, then~" Mei licked her lips. She would munch on his Soul and share it with Aiko if needed. The Black Tortoise shivered like the true pervert he was. "I have..." A Treasure that protects someone against the Tidal Waves of the Immortal World. A Treasure that amplifies Heavenly Lightning. A Treasure that allows you to gather more Water Qi. "I don''t really like them..." Aiko said. "The first one can only be used in the Immortal World, the second one... well we both know what would happen if I had that." Aiko and Mei shook their heads at the same time. "The last one... I only have a bit of Water Affinity, but I don''t have any other Techniques than [Clean]. Not to mention, I was banned from using that one!" Aiko pouted. "That''s only natural, your [Clean] is too harsh to use on living bodies." Mei shook her head. "Tsk." Aiko clicked her tongue. "Don''t click your tongue at me!" Mei pinched Aiko. *Poof* A moment later, Aiko transformed into her big form. "..." Aiko gazed at Mei holding her in her arms. "..." Mei was flabbergasted at the timing. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. "Do you still want to pinch me?" Aiko was bigger, so instead of pinching cheeks, Mei was going to pinch something else... Mei wanted to throw her away, but Aiko would have none of that and hugged Mei''s face. "You-!" Mei was completely speechless at Aiko and her daring demeanour, especially in front of those old geezers. Aiko kept hugging Mei until she was bitten. "Auch!" Aiko glared at Mei and she glared back. "You deserve it, come here!" Mei started to chase Aiko, while Aiko was running away. "They completely forgot about us..." The Three-Legged Crow felt humiliated somehow. He was always revered and never ignored, yet those two now completely forget about their existence! "I know right..." The Black Tortoise voiced his opinion. "I''m so damn jealous! I wish she would hug me!" The Three-Legged Crow looked at him, completely speechless and disbelieving of what he heard. "Are you serious?" "They looked so soft and her legs were so squishy..." The Black tortoise looked like he was in some kind of dream when something hit his shell. "Agh! Who dares-" The Black Tortoise snapped out of his dream and was livid, but... "Shut up!" Aiko shouted and hammered her flag under the turtle''s shell. "AGH!" The Black Tortoise screamed and spasmed as Aiko kept running from Mei. "Stop right there!" Mei shouted at Aiko. "No! You will bite me again!" Aiko retorted and kept running. Mei was unable to approach her thanks to the somewhat trained and ridiculous Divine Sense. "I won''t bite you!" Mei glared at Aiko. "Who would believe that if you glare like that?!" Aiko kept running at her top speed. "..." Meanwhile, the Grandpa Dragon kept an eye on the situation whilst tinkering with the last Beast Core. ''They completely forgot about my existence...'' He was having an existential crisis. ... "What did I miss?" The Blood Fox returned to the camp, but it didn''t look like anything changed with her body. "Mei bit Aiko again." Yuxi replied while munching on jerkies. "Oh..." The Blood Fox was already used to this sight, but there was something that bothered her. "What about them?" She pointed at the small, but strange Beasts. "Aiko found their Beast Cores and Grandpa is letting them free, but basically-" Yuxi and Wanshu took turns to explain what was happening. "Huh... Aiko can find anything at this point, huh?" The Blood Fox sighed, shaking her head. "Not to mention, you got closer, too." The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes as she smelled the sweet scent of temptation. Wanshu was currently sitting on the ground with spread legs, while Yuxi was lying on Wanshu''s body like as if it was her favorite sofa. Wanshu on the other hand had her hands wrapped around Yuxi''s waist and Yuxi fed both of them as they watched the drama unfold. "Just a bit." Yuxi blushed and looked away, but Wanshu bit her ear, since she felt neglected. "Wanshu!" Yuxi cried out. "Yes, dear~?" Wanshu played innocent, as she nuzzled into Yuxi''s neck nook. Yuxi looked away, she had a weak spot against her Dao Companion, so she would indulge her for the time being. "So when are you leaving the team to make babies?" Aiko shouted as she passed near them. Both of them choked and the Blood Fox laughed at them. It was nice to be back, but Aiko had a strange expression. Aiko paused her steps and Mei caught her. "Are you not running away?" Mei narrowed her eyes as she held Aiko. "The Blood Fox is back." Aiko narrowed her eyes, she didn''t care about this chase any more since it seemed like a scolding should take place. "The Blood Fox changed, we need to scold her!" Aiko proclaimed, which startled Mei. "Why should we scold her, she chose that-" Mei explained her reasoning, but Aiko munched on her hand. "Ah?!" Mei was speechless. "She can''t decide her path if she doesn''t have any information about it!" Aiko proclaimed. "You are both in for a scolding! That includes you two and Grandpa too and while I''m at it, I will also scold those two perverts!" Aiko pointed at the Beast Cores at last. Everyone was dumbfounded and didn''t know what they should do. A rough wind suddenly picked up around them. "Ah! Finally got it." The Dragon wiped his non-existent sweat as he unsealed yet another Beast Core. The wind was rough and it felt like it would become even rougher, but then- "Enough!" Aiko roared and her wolfish Divine Sense appeared thrice it''s normal size. It was salivating at everyone, especially at the Tiger that was making a ruckus. "Meow?" The White Tiger played innocent as he suddenly rolled on his back exposing his belly. The winds also naturally died down. "Everyone sit down. You are in for a scolding." Aiko said sternly. It felt like she was a completely different person, with authority out of this world. Everyone huddled together and Aiko started to berate them, especially the newcomers and the Blood Fox. ... ...... ......... After two days and several transformations, Aiko finished and the wolf went to sleep. Everyone was shocked out of their mind that Aiko was able to speak for so long without rest, not to mention her words were overly harsh. The Blood Fox had her head low, while the Mythical Beasts turned into cute pets from the barrage of mean words from Aiko. "Phew!" Aiko wiped her forehead. She felt so relaxed after finally riding their asses about their attitude. "The Blood Fox will be dealt with later, but you lazy, perverted, ignorant bastards will have to give me gifts or I will munch on you!" Aiko proclaimed. """Yes, ma''am!""" They all answered in unison, the Black Tortoise in particular sweated buckets. ''She didn''t like any of my gifts...'' ''Sucks to be you, heh.'' The Three-Legged Crow laughed through telepathy. ''Can someone update me on what''s happening?'' The White Tiger was the most confused, since he just got out of his prison, but was immediately scolded by a small Fox! ''Fine.'' The Three-Legged Crow told the White Tiger about their situation. ''We should go now, otherwise we won''t be able to return to the Immortal World!'' The White Tiger was upset that they would use his Sacred Body just to reinforce the Heavenly Gates! ''Heh, you are at her mercy.'' The Three-Legged Crow showed no resistance when the tiny Fox petted him. ''Can''t we just- Oh, Mei is here too?'' The White Tiger was shocked that Mei was in the Mortal World. ''Did she die too?'' ''We don''t know yet.'' The Three-Legged Crow shook his head. ''Then-'' The White Tiger wanted to speak, but his body stiffened the moment the tiny Fox caressed his fur. ''Y-y-y-you-!'' ''Hold your horses if you don''t want to die.'' The Three-Legged Crow snorted at him disdainfully, none of his fellow comrades knew about self-preservation! Chapter 324 – Spiritual Gifts "Alright, let''s start with you." Aiko pointed at the Three-Legged Crow. "Yes, ma''am!" The Three-Legged Crow nodded obediently. It was not a good idea to mess with a Fox in a ''Ghost'' form, much less one with ''that'' origin. "I have a few Treasures that allow you to harness the power of the Fire Element." The Three-Legged Crow introduced the Treasures that he could part with and that were tied to his Soul. The first Treasure, assisted the user in harnessing the Fire Element at a higher level, speeding up the Cultivation of Fire Cultivators, but also allowing Fire-type Beasts to nurture their fire-based Bloodlines. ''How does that even work?'' Aiko had some questions, but she waited for the rest of the Treasures. The second Treasure will protect you against the Fire Element up to the Spirit Beast rank. Above that rank, it would only reduce the incoming damage. ''Useful, protection is always welcome.'' Aiko rubbed her foot, the one that was burned, and the Three-Legged Crow gulped nervously. The third Treasure was able to gather Fire Element to create a small Fire Jade. "Ohhhhhhhhh." Aiko was most interested in this one, since it acted like a passive income of shiny jade. "It takes a lot of time to form one, but it''s a pure Fire Jade, which has astronomical value for Forging Cultivators." The Three-Legged Crow tried his best to sell his Treasures, since he still wished to live and get revenge. "I suddenly like crows." Aiko nodded happily and the Three-Legged Crow sighed in relief. "But I can''t use the Fire gathering Treasure, since I don''t have that Element." Aiko sighed. "There is no problem." The Three-Legged Crow smiled happily. "I''m the embodiment of a Sun, sharing a bit of the Fire Element with you won''t hurt me at all and you would be able to obtain the Fire Affinity, which would also allow you to nurture the Fire Jade quicker!" He proudly patted his chest with his wing. "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Aiko''s eyes shined, now she didn''t need to think about Mei''s Fire Shard that she was hiding from her! The Three-Legged Crow turned around and smirked at his colleagues. They glared at him back, but that was especially so for the Black Tortoise, since he didn''t think of giving the small Fox his element! "Can I also get a Spiritual Flame?" Aiko asked the Three-Legged Crow. "That one would be difficult, I don''t have a body to nurture a Spiritual Flame, but if the Azure Dragon helped me, we should be able to prepare something." The Three-Legged Crow immediately dragged the Azure Dragon into this mess. "But even with that, we can''t give you a powerful flame. It wouldn¡¯t be able to burn through everything like my Suns." The Three-Legged Crow shook his head. "Oh..." Aiko was saddened by it, but as long as she got that flame, she should be able to create the [The Ever Shaping Cauldron]. "But! This flame would also be indomitable!" The Three-Legged Crow spoke haughtily. "What does that mean?" Aiko tilted her head. While she did have the books, she just couldn''t whip them out and search for these things. It would be bad if she got exposed for having something so transcendental. "It means that even if in the future you find another Spiritual Flame, it would not be able to consume the one that I gave you. I will make it especially gentle so it doesn''t devour others, but at the same time I will make it so you can learn how to treat and control Spiritual Flames in the future!" The Three-Legged Crow was enthusiastic about anything that was fire-related, so he was especially eager to fulfil this impossible task! "Then how do I get the Fire Affinity?" Aiko asked another thing she wished to know. She was now less interested in the Treasures and more interested in something more permanent, like buffs. "I will condense some of my Essence into a bead. It will work similarly to a Fire Shard, it will just have a much higher chance of granting you the Affinity if you consume it, but if you Evolve around it, it will give you the Fire Affinity for sure!" The Three-Legged Crow proudly lifted his beak. ''Now praise me! I even sacrificed a bit of True Essence for you!'' His ego was reaching sky-high numbers. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "You are amazing!" Aiko was happy to oblige and butter this one up. It would be so useful if she could collect all the Elemental Affinities! She would not be limited by Elements and she would be able to Cultivate anything she wanted! ''Outside of the Pure Yang Techniques...'' Aiko clicked her tongue inwardly. "It won''t change her race or anything like that?" Mei narrowed her eyes at him. "Of course not, I''m not like you who likes to attach di-AGH!" The Three-Legged Crow was kicked by Mei for spilling her dirty little secret. Mei liked to experiment with Pills, so it sometimes happened that she temporarily turned someone into a Human, animal, or made them grow something on their bodies... She was not happy about this history, so she would definitely erase anyone that mentioned him. Aiko hugged Mei and dragged her away. Mei was still angry, but now for a different reason. ''Why are they so damn soft!?'' She cursed inwardly. "You can''t kill him, I still need those Treasures!" Aiko pouted at Mei. "But-" Mei tried to retort, but Aiko wouldn''t let her. "No buts! Just because you have a strange kink of attaching dicks to others, doesn''t mean you can just silence others whenever you wish!" Aiko proclaimed and Mei''s face was dyed red. "I never attached anything like that!" Mei screamed with a completely red face. "Uhuh." Aiko narrowed her eyes. "Can you swear on your love for me that you never did those things?" She teased Mei and didn''t really mean it. Mei blushed even more and turned around. The Mythical Beasts curiously looked towards the couple. "How can I do that..." Mei murmured with an embarrassed expression. "???" Aiko expected some witty retort, but Mei was completely sheepish! "You dunce, she loves you." The White Tiger proclaimed, but everyone else was slowly distancing themselves from him. "Huh?" Aiko could not figure out the true meaning of that sentence and she would be unable to even ask, since... "Taste this move that I learned from someone. The Grand Suplex!" Mei suplexed the White Tiger three times before she stopped. The White Tiger''s body was twitching and it also was half buried into the ground. Mei then shot a glare at the others, but everyone, including Feifei, was playing dead. Feifei only joined them since she wanted to be part of this drama and she found it funny that Aiko was scolding everyone, while Mei was blushing like a maiden in spring. Aiko had so many questions, but chose to ask them later when they were alone. Aiko coughed to get their attention. "We can skip the Grandpa, since he is already helping me with my Evolution, next would be White-..." She turned to look at the White Tiger, but the only response from him was his twitching body. "Never mind, let''s just skip the next step and make a turtle stew." Aiko sighed. "Why?!" The Black Tortoise cried out. He could not understand why he got the shortest stick. "Your Treasures are basically an: Over-glorified water barrier; a thing that attracts more lighting; and a thing that allows you to gather Water Qi!" Aiko retorted. "Well fine, the last one is somewhat useful, but I don''t have Water Qi to begin with!" She glared at him. "The only useful thing about you is the ability to remove stench!" Mei listened attentively until she heard the last part. "What stench?" "Ack!" Aiko flinched. "No stench! Nothing happened!" She immediately got defensive, since she didn''t want to get scolded by Mei. Mei narrowed her eyes as Aiko tried her best to avoid her gaze. "I can offer you more things!" The Black Tortoise chose to help the small Fox in order to curry favour with her. "What can you offer?" Aiko immediately asked, while cheering in her mind for this somewhat quick-witted turtle. "I can offer to help you gain Spirtual Water, it''s not Water imbued with Qi, but similar to a Spiritual Flame, it has its own conscience and can help you Cultivate!" The Black Tortoise proclaimed. "I will make it in a similar fashion, that the Crow would do, so they don''t clash together. It can help you cool things, but it can also help you nurture any Water-based Bloodlines!" The Black Tortoise explained his intentions. "Talking about Bloodlines. I can offer you a drop of the Ancient Black Tortoise Bloodline. I''m not sure if you will gain a Bloodline from it, but at worst, it should greatly improve the Water Affinity that is inside your body." The Black Tortoise smiled. "Fine, you pass." Aiko pouted. She believed that Spiritual Water would be as useful as the Spiritual Flame. ''I believe that it''s important to know when to cool things and at certain rates, if it can help me cool the outer side of the Cauldron, maybe we can get an even better yield?'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. "Can you not use me as a breeding place for your Elemental Spirits?!" The Dragon cried out. "It''s fine, isn''t it?" The Black Tortoise narrowed its eyes and used telepathy for every Mythical Beast. ''We can nurture you into an Elemental Spirit, so you can escape this place. You don''t have much time to live, so your Essence would be easier to condense and transfer. If everything goes well, it should be possible to preserve your Beast Core by reinforcing it with your body.'' The Black Tortoise explained. ''Everything would be easier if that damn Phoenix Clan did their part!'' The Three-Legged Crow snorted disdainfully. ''You are still bitter about not getting that birdie from the Phoenix Clan, huh...'' The Azure Dragon shook his head. ''Shut it or I will burn you!'' The Three-Legged Crow''s feathers stood on his head threateningly. ''Tell me that once you have a body.'' The Dragon snorted disdainfully, blowing a gentle wind towards the Three-Legged Crow, but it turned into a powerful gust, blowing him away. "Are you finished?" Aiko tilted her head. "How long will everything take?" "About a year." The Azure Dragon stretched the schedule a bit, so that he had enough time to prepare all the ingredients for this little glutton... Chapter 325 – Cauldron that Shocks Beasts Aiko blinked her eyes at the pitiful White Tiger. "This should teach you not to say things you shouldn''t, right?" Aiko asked him. The White Tiger nodded weakly. "But it''s definitely good to know Mei''s dark history." Aiko smirked. The White Tiger was startled, but he would not react to this. He was still scared of Mei slamming him into the ground again. Whoever came with that ''suplex'' thing must''ve been a complete demon! "So, what can you offer me?" Aiko asked him. Now that he has recovered, he should be able to converse with her and give her Treasures. The first Treasure, assisted the user in harnessing the Wind Element, speeding up the Cultivation of Wind Cultivators, whilst it also allowed Wind-type Beasts to nurture their Wind-based Bloodlines. The second treasure was another Elemental harnesser but this time for the Lightning Element. The third Treasure allowed to disperse part of the Heavenly Clouds. In other words, it would allow you to reduce the power of Heavenly Lightning or Disaster Lightning. Aiko was very interested in the first two, since she believed she would be able to recreate that effect as long as it was an Inscription! However, to her shock, the Runes were woven into the material itself! That means there was yet another application of the Runic Language that she didn''t know. ''Since I will have my own Cauldron later and it will be inside my body...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. ''It should be possible to create them, right?'' "How did you get these Treasures?" Aiko asked the White Tiger. "You nurture them inside your body." The White Tiger replied immediately. "You need a very powerful Beast Core that can compress and meld materials, with the materials also matching the element of your Beast Core." The White Tiger warned. "Then how about the lightning one?" Aiko pointed at the Treasure that was of the Lightning Element. "That was by chance. I was hit by lightning and it sort of happened." The White Tiger scratched his head. Aiko really wanted to know what his Luck or Providence stats are. It must be astronomical, considering his damn luck! She shook her head. "Okay, how can I make one?" Aiko was curious about this, since she could share them later with her tea- "That is impossible." The White Tiger said, shattering Aiko''s dreams. "W-why?!" Aiko cried out. "Fox Beast Cores are 10x weaker on average, so you will need to create your ''Pearl'' in order to be able to create these things." The White Tiger sighed. "Pearl?" Aiko blinked a few times. "Once you clear the ''Human'' path, you will be awarded the ability to create a special Pearl." The White Tiger kept explaining. "That is the embodiment of your Elemental Affinities, Knowledge, different kinds of Qis and so on." "The better this Pearl is, the higher your Cultivation roof is." The White Tiger nodded. "You can even use your Beast Techniques and Abilities while in ''Human'' form!" The White tiger proclaimed, with jealousy all over his face. Other Beasts are unable to use most of their Abilities in Human form, but Foxes could use all of them! How unfair was that!? "Oooooooh!" Aiko had her hopes rekindled. "But what if I have a powerful Beast Core?" She narrowed her eyes. "You still need a dedicated place to put that thing. If you are not careful, it could pollute your body and poison you." The White Tiger shook his head. "Oh..." Aiko had her dreams shatter again, but this time she felt a bit strange. ''Can''t I just use the future Cauldron to host those things? But it would have to be much bigger for that to work...'' She groaned unhappily. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "You wouldn''t happen to know where I can get pure Meteorite, right?" Aiko groaned. "I don''t know." The White Tiger shook his head. Aiko felt sad at this, but then the White Tiger continued. "But that guy can locate Minerals-" The White Tiger was startled at the speed of the tiny Fox. "Can you locate a Meteorite?" Aiko''s eyes shined as she was right next to the Three-Legged Crow. The Three-Legged Crow was shocked by her speed and gulped. ''Good boy, you did well not to antagonise her too much!'' He sweated buckets. "I can find those." The Three-Legged Crow replied positively. ''But I can''t let her have a normal Meteorite, it needs to be either mutated or blessed...'' He narrowed his eyes. "Are there any inside this place, or will we have to look outside?" Aiko''s eyes shined. "This place was already stripped, I can feel only a few common materials..." The Three-Legged Crow shook his head. Those ''common'' materials would be priceless Treasures in the Mortal World, but since the Three-Legged Crow came from the Immortal World, those things didn''t even enter his eyes! He would find the best materials for this tiny Fox! "What do you need it for?" The Three-Legged Crow asked, so that he could choose metal that would fit her purpose. "I want to create [The Ever Shaping Cauldron]!" Aiko proclaimed loudly. Every Mythical Beast froze and looked at the tiny Fox. "You are joking." The Most shocked one, was the Azure Dragon, since his Clan had one of such Cauldrons. "I''m not!" Aiko pouted unhappily. "But I need proper metal, Divine Sense and Spiritual Fire to make it." The Beasts almost fainted when they heard that and Mei was nodding happily. ''Finally, I''m not the only one to have heart attacks from little Aiko.'' She nodded approvingly. They didn''t need anything else to be described. "Do you have the ''original'' version?" The Azure Dragon asked cautiously. "Yes, it can reach the [The Shapeless Cauldron] form." Mei answered for Aiko. The Mythical Beasts fainted, even the Azure Dragon. They knew how powerful this thing could become and that was why they had to guard it with their lives. Nobody can know who has that Cauldron, or it would ruin Empires and even Worlds! ... It took them a while to recover from that shock. They were glancing at each other, like they were trying to assess the situation. It would not be a good idea if anyone outside this place heard about this. Everyone nodded at the same time as if they made some kind of plan. "I,- the Azure Dragon The White Tiger The Three-Legged Crow The Black Tortoise - swear upon our name and Soul that we won''t tell a Soul about what happened within this small Realm. If we as much as hint at what happened here. The Great Dao will strike us!" They all solemnly swore and vowed not on the Heavenly Dao, but on the Great Dao. Heavenly Dao could be considered a small Dao, but the Great Dao ruled over many small Dao and would not discriminate against anyone. As such, this was the safest vow they could make. As with any other vow, there was still a chance that other Cultivators, especially Humans, could promise them to erase the vow if they got the information on that little Fox. But with the vow of the Great Dao, that would be impossible. Aiko was startled and Mei clapped happily. "I didn''t think I would hear you say those words again." "Don''t insult us, Mei. We all understand the importance of this situation and what it might cause in the future." The Black Tortoise was serious for the first time since he appeared in front of them. "It is important that she doesn''t use it in front of others, but we are in Mortal World, so it will be alright if she uses it in private." The Three-Legged Crow said seriously. "I think Mei should manage Pills or anything that comes from [The Ever Shaping Cauldron], if the market floods with the Pills and Treasure, not only will it collapse the market, but it would also cause too many questions." The White Tiger added. "I agree with them, Mei. How about you create some kind of special business that can accommodate Pills and Treasures?" The Azure Dragon asked. "I would do that even if you didn''t tell me." Mei snorted unhappily. "I don''t plan to create any business, since it would be difficult to move." She shook her head. "Hmmmmmmmm..." The Mythical Beasts pondered on it. "How are her Pills?" The White Tiger asked. "Presentable." Mei tilted her head. "Then it should be alright to flood the market." The White Tiger said. "As long as they are not as good as yours, there should be no issue." He nodded to himself, but other Beasts followed. "That is true. If she was as monstrous in Pills as you were, it would be impossible to sell them." The Black Tortoise said. "But what about her Forging Skills?" The Three-Legged Crow asked. Aiko''s Pills might not be as good as Mei''s, but what about the Treasures? "She doesn''t Forge, but specialises in Inscriptions." Mei commented. "She IS a monster in that." She shook her head. "Hmmmmmm...." The Mythical Beasts paused. "She is forbidden to sell Treasures. I think you agree with us, right, Mei?" They narrowed their eyes. It was difficult to weave Inscriptions while Forging, so most Forging Cultivators would not do it. However, everything changed if you include [The Ever Shaping Cauldron], as it''s inside one''s body, it would allow the weaving of the Runes much more easily, creating many monstrous Artefacts and Treasures. "It is only natural that those Artefacts would be used only by our faction." Mei narrowed her eyes. "... Fine..." The Mythical Beasts didn''t want to agree, but at the same time, they could not limit Mei and Aiko. As such, they could only concede for now. "My Sacred Azure Dragon Clan will protect you once you arrive in the Immortal World." The Azure Dragon said. "That is, if it still exists." Mei threw a jab at him. "Auch. How mean." The Azure Dragon chuckled. "With that out of the way..." The Mythical Beasts narrowed their eyes. They all swore that their Clans would protect Aiko when she arrived in the Immortal World and even if their Clans no longer existed. They can just create new ones and put pressure on others, so that Aiko has enough time to grow in strength. Even if they staked their lives on it, they would do it, so that their Clans would have the possibility of reviving into a new era! Chapter 326 – Stolen Treasures! Aiko looked around as nobody was paying attention to her. The Blood Fox was reviewing what she gained from the Evolution. The Twins were sparring to improve both their Skills, coordination and Divine Sense. Mei was helping the Beasts with their Beads to increase their compatibility with Foxes. Everyone forgot about her. Feifei was helping Mei since she was interested in those Beads too, so Aiko could not even bother her. This whole thing was to help Aiko, but what is she supposed to do now?! ''Explore!'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. She should probably visit the nest of that flying roasted chicken. Aiko couldn''t even bid farewell, since everyone was too engrossed in what they were doing. She sighed before running away. Time was of the essence and she really wanted to explore that nest. It should still be left intact, right? ... Aiko dashed through the woods, spotting a few Cultivators, but she avoided them like the plague. She didn''t need to rob them for the time being, since her Tails were full. ''I should''ve gottten rid of that strange water.'' Aiko clicked her tongue. She was so engrossed in scolding and extor- gaining benefits from the Beasts, that she completely forgot about that water! ''I will get rid of it later.'' Aiko sighed. She didn''t want to dump it somewhere, since she worried that she would change the landscape once again. Aiko narrowed her eyes. ''Maybe I should do it there, so there is something fun to observe?'' She tilted her head and snickered. ''Let''s find a suitable place for it!'' With that decided, Aiko sped up towards the towering mountain. ... She arrived in a day, since she was running the whole time and this place was not that big. The mountain fortunately had only a slightly steep incline, so you could in theory climb it by just walking. And that''s where Beasts were superior to Humans, since they had 2 pairs of legs, it allowed to not only run faster, but also climb more efficiently as long as it was not too steep. Aiko walked the steep mountain, but she then frowned. ''This will take a while...'' She didn''t want to use the double jump or [Earthen Walk] to experience climbing again, but her speed dropped significantly. ''Should I use the double jump...?'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. It would certainly be quicker and her [Earthen Walk] would be able to save her if she fell. ''Well, it''s a bit rocky terrain, so the [Earthen Walk] will be a lot slower...'' Aiko shook her head. ''Let''s just do it and deal with the consequences later!'' With that decided, Aiko started using double jumps to climb quicker. Her speed was incomparable to before, which pleased Aiko. Like this, she would be able to arrive at the top of the mountain in a day or two! ... "I hate this place." Aiko said as she kept climbing. The peak was in sight, but at the same time, it was so far that it made her frown! Why is it so far away?! Make these mountains smaller! Aiko huffed in annoyance as she kept jumping the mountain. It would take a lot more time to arrive at the peak, but she would persevere! ... "I did it!" Aiko huffed, since this drained her Stamina by quite a large margin. Aiko was so overcome with happiness that she almost cried. "Hahahaha! I did it!" Aiko happily shouted. She looked around while laughing. "Hahaha." "Haha..." "Ha...?" "Haaaaa!?" Aiko went through the 5 stages of grief... Denial: "This can''t be real. I''m dreaming, right? There is no way that on the other side of the mountain, there is a normal road that leads here...!" Aiko denied the reality vehemently. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Anger: "Those assholes! How could they do this!? If you are going to build a road, you are supposed to build a road on all sides!" Aiko cursed all the builders of this road! Bargaining: "No, maybe the flying roasted chicken harassed them, so they were able to build just on one side..." Aiko tried to bargain with her anger. Depression: "Why did they do it like that..." Aiko was depressed that they didn''t even give directions to the road. Acceptance...? "Hahahaha." Aiko laughed at the top of her lungs. "Everything can go to shit!" She stuck out her tails and dumped that strange water down the mountain! The water flowed especially well along the road. "I will see if you can still enjoy this place you fucks!" Aiko roared in anger as she kept dumping that water down the mountain. It was like boiling lava and it killed everything organic in its path whilst heating up some stronger rocks, and melting the rest. "Hmpf." Aiko snorted as she dumped a last piece of the water down the mountain. "Now let''s check the loot!" Aiko forgot about her grief the moment she spotted that glorious nest! It was magnificently big, with many hidden compartments and it-it- "-It was looted!" Aiko banged her paws on the nearby rocks. "I can''t believe someone looted this place before me!" She was crying because she had missed this loot. "I know, I should''ve come sooner, but why didn''t they wait for me?!" Aiko was throwing a tantrum and it took her a long time until she calmed down. ... "Phew..." Aiko''s eyes were quite puffy from the tears. "There is nothing of value, so I will just leave-" Aiko went back to the edge of the peak, but she realised a small, just a tiny issue, with this place. "Oh..." Aiko blinked innocently. She was surrounded by boiling lava and burning trees. "Oh, shit..." ... {Meanwhile, somewhere else.} "So..." A certain kitty came to a certain birdie. "I know that I shouldn''t ask, but..." The other Beasts looked at the kitty. "Are you sure you have all of your Essence with you?" The kitty asked the birdie. "Of course, why?" The birdie tilted his head. "Well..." The kitty didn''t know what to say and just pointed at a certain mountain. "It''s a nice and shiny mountain?" The birdie took a while to realise what was wrong with it. "Oh... it''s melting...?" "I can clearly feel our combined energy from that." A certain reptile said. "..." A certain kitty blinked innocently. "..." A certain birdie groaned unhappily. "..." A certain reptile sipped his water while he watched the show unfold. "......" A certain birdie groaned even more. "Fine, I will check what happened." "Don''t worry, we will keep working on those beads." The reptile smiled happily, now he could laze around and bath in his waters. The birdie took off and flew towards the mountain. He arrived at the peak to check the situation, but he spotted a certain small Fox. It took him a while to process the information and his brain hurt badly. "Do you need a ride?" The birdie surrendered to this absurd sight and situation. "Please?" The little Fox asked softly. The little Fox boarded the Bird Express without saying a word. The birdie likewise did not say anything. ... Aiko arrived back at the camp riding the Three-Legged Crow. "What happened?" The Black Tortoise asked. The Three-Legged Crow shook his head. "I''m back!" Aiko smiled innocently, like she just didn''t burn a whole mountain down. Mei immediately pinched Aiko''s cheeks. "Are you causing trouble again?!" "No..." Aiko answered briefly. "You will stay inside this place until we are finished with your Evolution!" Mei ordered Aiko. "Fine..." Aiko pouted. She intended to locate who stole her Treasures, but she was grounded before she could do that. ... Days passed, then weeks, and Aiko finally decided to scribble on nearby rocks. She was too bored to do anything. So she Inscribed a few Runes on each rock. One made the rock lighter, while another made it heavier. Aiko was looking through the Runes, trying to find something interesting she could do with it, but her brain was locked and unable to come up with anything fun. That was only natural since she was scolded by Mei a few times for trying to sneak out. ''Alchemy.'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. ''Let''s do that until I get bored!'' ... As such, Aiko turned into a Pill factory. She was creating so many Pills that Mei had to swap the ingredients and recipes a few times. It was a funny sight to see a small Fox surrounded by heaps of Pills all around her. [Alchemy Mastery: Lv.9->Mastered] ''Took a fucking while!'' Aiko snorted unhappily. She was finished with Pills after a few months, but that was not only because of that, but she also wanted to talk with the Blood Fox. Aiko cleaned her place and walked towards the Blood Fox who was meditating. "You know what you did wrong?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. "Yes, Mistress." The Blood Fox bowed. She was a bit unhappy that she was getting chewed out for her decision so much, but she was unwilling to rebel against Aiko. "Good. Next time, you go through your Evolution it will be boosted with my Vitality!" Aiko proclaimed. "Yes, Mistress." The Blood Fox understood that she did not grow as strong as the Twins. Sure, she got quite a few Treasures, but they could not compare to the raw growth that the Twins demonstrated. "I have a few things for you, but I will give them to you later, once Mei decides you can Cultivate Beast Manuals." Aiko said gently. "Yes, Mistress." The Blood Fox grabbed a brush and brushed Aiko''s tails to soothe her anger. She wished that Aiko would forget about the previous situation as soon as possible! "Do you know how to say something else?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. "Yes, Mistress." The Blood Fox smiled. "Now you are just messing with me!" Aiko pouted. "Yes, Mistress." The Blood Fox laughed, while combing Aiko''s tails. Aiko sulked because of those responses and they didn''t talk for quite some time. "I heard that Mei will be Evolving soon." The Blood Fox tried to start a conversation with Aiko. "Yeah..." Aiko stopped herself from reprimanding the Blood Fox again. "It will be a sight to behold and I already have a gift for her, for when she achieves the Human Form." Aiko smiled happily. This was a good way to use that Tea Set. "We unfortunately don''t have gifts, but we do have enough Spirit Stones to get them once we leave." The Blood Fox was a bit saddened that she did not have anything for Mei, but it couldn''t be helped since Mei didn''t share anything about this Evolution until they overheard Aiko and Mei talking. "It''s fine." Aiko giggled. "A small delay is no issue." She hummed gently. Chapter 327 – Mei’s Evolution Time passed and Mei came to Aiko, who was doodling Runes once again. "I''m about to Evolve," Mei said gently. "so, I would like to ask for a Dew Drop of Vitality." "Sure." Aiko readily nodded. Fortunately it was currently early morning, so she was already in her Dew Form. ''How much is enough...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. ''Eh...'' She then shrugged. [-100,000 Vitality] [-100,000 Vitality] [-100,000 Vitality] ... [-1,000,000 Vitality] [-1,000,000 Vitality] [-1,000,000 Vitality] ... Aiko looked like a shrivelled up pickle. ''100m Vitality should be enough for Mei, right?'' She was unsure if even that would be enough. "That''s enough!" Mei''s lips twitched. Her specially created container for this drop was already straining under the drops strength. ''How can it be at its limit?! It can house Vitality that is similar to Beasts at Holy Spirit Beast Rank!'' Mei was unsure if she should even use this drop if it was that powerful... ''What will happen to my body if I use it...?'' But the side of herself that loved any and all sort of experiments was really looking forward to it~! Mei closed the container and stored it safely. ''This storage container will be useless after this...'' She cried silently in her mind. "Anything else?" Aiko was planning to give her Bloodline, but for some reason, Mei was still not part of the system. "No, I will go and prepare." Mei smiled gently. "Okay." Aiko nodded. She would see the other Beasts and what they are doing in the meantime. ... With Mei gone, Aiko had a lot more freedom to cause trouble, but since Mei would be Evolving, it was better to stay put for the time being. ''I can tease Mei once she is Human.'' Aiko decided that the weak Mei would be the perfect victim for her mischief. "So how does this work?" Aiko popped out of nowhere near the Beasts, asking them gently. They were startled at first, but soon they answered. "Dragons don''t have normal Beast Cores like other Beasts. As such, the potency and the sheer amount of stored Energy are incomparable to other Beasts. With such concentrations of Energies, even if they don''t wish for it, they will naturally start creating Spiritual things over time. Such as Spiritual Fires, Waters, Treasures, and so on. "Ohhhh..." Aiko nodded gently. "So as long as I have enough Energy, I can create Spiritual things too?" She was interested in creating her own Treasures. "Not quite, the Energies of most Beasts are deeply rooted and don''t circulate well around the body. The only ones that are different are the Dragons, and Foxes. But the latter can''t be used as Spiritual Nurturers due to their smaller Beast Cores." The Black Tortoise said gently, whilst continuing his focus on the Spiritual Water. "Oho." Aiko nodded. ''In other words, it might be possible for me to create an army of Spiritual things.'' She smirked. "Don''t even think about it." The Azure Dragon suddenly said. "Your energy won''t last even if you have a superior Beast Core. You can''t just make up that difference with more Beast Cores." He shook his head gently. "Awwwww. Party pooper." Aiko booed him. "If I think I can make it, I can make it!" She proclaimed while pouting. "I will inform Mei of this, so she keeps you in check." The Azure Dragon sighed. This little Fox was getting more and more out of control as time went on and she really needed someone to reign her in. "In what stage are we right now?" Aiko asked gently. She was curious if she would be able to Evolve soon. She did not look over the Evolution Tree yet, but that should be alright, since she stored all of the Stat Points for this very occasion. "A few months and you are not allowed to Evolve until Mei finishes hers!" The Azure Dragon commanded Aiko. "Sure." Aiko readily agreed, since she didn''t believe that Mei would take all that long. "What will I do now?" She asked them. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "Go revise your Evolution or something. We are busy." The White Tiger said. He had the hardest time nurturing things, so it was difficult to keep his hands steady. ''Why is it always me!? Why does everyone else have it so easy!?'' Cried the White Tiger inside his head. "Fine." Aiko pouted and returned to Mei''s side. She was currently stockpiling things. "Do you have everything?" Aiko asked gently. She wanted to do something, since she was a bit bored. "I have everything." Mei giggled and petted Aiko. "Boooo!" Aiko pouted. "There is nothing to do!" She sighed. "And you don''t even see me as part of the family! You won''t let me do almost anything!" She pouted even more. "I do see you as part of the family." Mei smiled gently. "But you are still too weak to help me with more advanced Pills and your Divine Sense can''t handle rarer Herbs properly." She narrowed her eyes. Aiko pouted even more. "Then hug me, since you will be away for some time and I will be bored." Aiko made a grabbing motion like a needy teenager. Mei sighed with a smile. Aiko was truly one of a kind. "Come here." Mei nodded and hugged Aiko gently. [Subject Mei is now registered into the system!] Aiko''s eyes shined. ''I will give her a good Bloodline!'' She promised to herself! "Hm?" Mei tilted her head. "What was that?" "You are part of the system now." Aiko chuckled like a devil. Mei frowned, but before she could speak, Aiko continued. "And now I will be rewarding you with a Bloodline, so you are stronger!" Aiko declared. Mei was startled, but this time she did not completely believe Aiko. It was fine if Aiko gave others Bloodlines, since they were weaker, but there was no way that it would work on someone much stronger. That would violate the basic Laws. "Sure, sure." Mei chuckled. "Then I will be going. So don''t cause too much trouble, alright?" "I will try." Aiko could not promise anything, since she would definitely cause some kind of trouble. "Look at you." Mei sighed. "Playing all innocent! Just be prepared that once you become Human, I will straighten you out!" Mei did not believe that Aiko would be able to keep her strange Skills even when her Beast Form got locked. ''At that time I will be able to educate Aiko properly.'' Mei nodded to herself and she felt like she was in a much better mood. "Don''t approach my cave, or the Heavenly Lightning might take it as you interfering with my Evolution and strike the both of us!" Mei pinched Aiko''s cheek. "Got it!" Aiko saluted before running away. Mei sighed. "I will definitely be struck, huh?" She shook her head, but she was not worried, maybe this experience would be able to straighten Aiko out a bit more. ... Aiko waited with the other Beasts, she was trying to observe the changes in Grandpa''s body. "So are you pregnant now?" Aiko asked the Grandpa Dragon. """PFFFFT.""" The 3 other Beasts almost spat out their organs. They never heard something so ridiculous. They understood that this little Fox liked to play around, but wasn''t this a bit too much?! "When will you give birth, Grandpa-ma?" Aiko asked innocently. The Azure Dragon was furious, but he could not move in order to spank this little brat! The other Beasts were holding in their laughter. They could not believe what the little Fox was saying. It was too hilarious for them, but at the same time, they didn''t want to anger their comrade. "You are already bored, huh?" The Azure Dragon glared at Aiko. "Yeah." Aiko kicked her legs. She was bored since she already tried everything she could, but she was not allowed to leave this place after she burned down a whole mountain and its surroundings. "Maybe you should''ve practised restraint. Then you would not be here and could explore freely." The Azure Dragon chuckled with glee. Aiko pouted. "Who told those bastards to build a road on only one side of the mountain..." She was like a small child who was wronged. The Beasts choked at her comments. They thought that she had some kind of fight with someone, but that whole thing happened because she was being petty?! Ridiculous! "You should really practice restraint..." The Three-Legged Crow gazed blankly at the small Fox. Aiko pouted once more and wanted to retort back, but then the surroundings darkened. "What a lucky bastard." The White Tiger said. "To think she could get superior Species." He shook his head. ''Now is the time!'' Aiko smiled. [Bloodline Gift(Servant)]! The somewhat small black cloud grew bigger... ----- {At the same time somewhere else.} Mei panicked. ''What did my little brat do this time?! Why is that damned cloud getting bigger?! And why am I overflowing with another Bloodline?!'' ''Mei frowned, but before she could speak, Aiko continued. "And now I will be rewarding you with a Bloodline, so you are stronger!" Aiko declared.'' ''Fuck!'' Mei cursed. ''I should''ve told her no! She complicated everything!'' She should''ve expected that Aiko was not lying and that she would truly do that, but it was just such a ridiculous notion that Mei was unable to believe it! ''At this rate, I will have to pop the Dew Drop sooner!'' Mei grimaced. She wanted to save it for later when the Heavenly Lightning was at its strongest, but now she would have to use it prematurely. ''"Just you wait! I will spank your butt for this!" Mei proclaimed. ----- Aiko shivered for some reason. ''Is someone after my life?'' She tilted her head, but she could not figure out what was wrong. ''Now that Mei has her own Bloodline, that would leave just me and the Blood Fox.'' Aiko nodded. ''The Blood Fox is still being punished, but in the next Evolution I will be sitting with her and looking at her, so that she can''t escape!'' She inflated her cheeks like a pufferfish. ''No way will anyone escape my gifts!'' She proclaimed in her mind. She moved a bit further from the Beasts, since they were staring at her strangely. "Everything is going well~" Aiko hummed. She was unaware that there was a certain Fox currently cursing her since Aiko made her Evolution much more difficult than it needed to be. "I can''t even practise my Divine Sense since Grandpa is unwilling to move." Aiko pouted. She would have to find some kind of victim who would be able to train with her or entertain her. All the while being in this place! Chapter 328 – Transformation Lightning The Evolution was ongoing, whilst the huge black cloud was discharging arcs of lightning. It was quite the sight to behold, but... ''Why does it feel like this lightning is different from what I got?'' Aiko tilted her head. She was sure that this lightning was different and she did not mean just size. It felt like there was something otherworldly mixed inside. Aiko was sure that this was a special kind of Evolution, but she didn''t expect this kind of ''specialness''. Aiko tilted her head. She was looking forward to the destruction and creation. ----- Mei was meditating and stabilising her energy. This Heavenly Lightning Cloud was huge, much bigger than what she expected or experienced. She already took the Dew Drop from Aiko and there was a thick energy coursing through her body, creating a dominant barrier around her body. It would not allow other energies to enter until it was depleted. This was both a good and bad thing. It meant that she would be protected from the Heavenly Dao, but at the same time, she would not be tempered by it. Thus, her body would be a lot weaker. ''I''m glad I took it in advance, I can absorb most of it, so it allows energy to pass into my body. That way I will have a barrier and tempering at the same time.'' Mei was quite happy about this find. ''I still can''t believe how much Vitality she poured into this single Dew Drop.'' Mei frowned. That was once again both a good and bad thing. Good, because storing it was easier as it didn''t take all that much space and bad, because if others found out, Aiko would definitely be enslaved at all cost. ''If she can just give out Vitality and be able to regenerate it, then she would be able to make anyone Immortal.'' Mei frowned. She understood that there was some loss and they would not be truly Immortal, but that possibility was still there and Humans were greedy by nature. They would certainly try to get Aiko if they knew this information. ''I will have to prevent that at all costs!'' Mei nodded. She was currently slightly distracted, which was fine since the clouds were still gathering. Mei had plenty of time to absorb the Dew Drop and prepare for the upcoming change. She was unsure how this would pan out, since in her previous life she first reached the next stage and only after that she then went ahead, obtaining the Human Form. In this life it''s different since she is doing it while simultaneously getting her next Beast Rank. Mei was looking forward to this. While experimenting like this was not good, she could not help herself with this one. ----- Aiko stared at the cloud that was getting bigger. "Are we still outside of its range? Aiko asked them gently. "We are fine." The group of Beasts grunted. Aiko pouted and went to seek the Blood Fox. ... "Can you believe them that they would just ignore me?" Aiko pouted while complaining to the Blood Fox. "They are trying their best." The Blood Fox combed Aiko''s tails gently. ''I have to comb out so many knots...'' She sighed gently. "What''s wrong?" Aiko asked. "Nothing, it''s just that soon I will have to train even more skills." The Blood Fox sighed gently. "I hear ya." Aiko chuckled. She had enough of her Skills, she would have to upgrade them later, but since she was bothered by either the cost or requirements. She put it to the bottom of her priority list. ''It was fine until now, so it should be fine to do it later.'' Aiko nodded. ''Maybe after my Evolution, I will eat more meat to Level up and then I will upgrade the Skills.'' Aiko nodded, that way she would have plenty of Skill Points to use on them. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The cloud finally stopped expanding and Aiko looked forward. ''I hope Mei will be alright... ----- Mei was creating a barrier out of her internal energy in order to not anger the Heavens. The Heavens acted like rowdy children if you disrespected them, which is what Mei was trying to avoid. ''That way I will be able to gain more out of this, since the ''tempering'' will go into my Beast Core as well.'' Mei smiled. That was one of the ways one could dramatically increase the capacity of their Beast Core, but most would not dare do this, since it had a significant chance of breaking their Beast Core. Mei was like that too, but since she had so much Vitality in her body, it allowed her to take this risk, since at worst only the Vitality barrier would suffer. The Heavenly Transformation Clouds rumbled. They finally achieved their final form for this type of Evolution and were ready to strike Mei. Mei steeled her resolve as she saw those towering clouds above her. ''Now I can understand why nobody does it like this.'' She had to say that the sight was quite terrifying, but not enough to regret her decision. She would be able to temper not only her Beast Form, but her Human Form as well. ''That way I can stay one step ahead of Aiko.'' Mei nodded. She would not be left behind only to be dragged ahead by Aiko like the rest! *Rumble* The Transformation Lightning descended on Mei''s barrier. The barrier creaked and almost shattered with the first bolt. ''Hahaha!'' Mei laughed with a shocked expression. ''This is insane!'' She could not believe that the first strike was so powerful and the next one would have even more power! ''Curse you Heavens!'' Mei cursed the Heavenly Dao in her mind, but she still circulated her energy in order to mend that barrier. ''This is going to hurt.'' She could feel her Beast Core expanding, but at the same time, it was creaking. Fortunately, because of the abundance of Vitality, her core swiftly adjusted, whilst being restored. ''I might use more Vitality than I expected...'' Mei frowned. Another Transformation lightning struck her barrier. It was completely crumbling this time, but it didn''t shatter yet. ''I''m surprised it survived the second bolt.'' Mei was pleasantly surprised that she didn''t feel all that much pain and her Beast Core expanded even more. The third Transformation Lightning struck her barrier. It shattered and the Vitality barrier absorbed the rest. ''6 to go.'' Mei frowned. She immediately tried to erect another barrier, but it was once again shattered. The fifth and sixth Transformation Lightning strikes turned in a similar fashion. The seventh Transformation lightning completely ignored Mei''s barrier, striking her directly. ''This hurts!'' Mei cried out inside her mind. It was a lot more painful than she expected. In her first life, she was able to achieve her Human Form without much trouble since she had weak Bloodlines and an even weaker Beast Core. Unfortunately, now that she was powerful and someone gave her a new Bloodline, the Transformation Lightning was incomparably strong. ''I won''t succumb to you! I still have to deal with that hag and those shitty emperors!'' Mei''s eyes lit ablaze. She would not die here! She would live and survive! The eight Transformation Lightning struck her body. Mei grunted in pain, but she was still mostly uninjured. The ninth Transformation Lightning struck her body and she could feel it tempering her Human Form. ''Just one Lightning should have been enough.'' Mei nodded gently. She wiped the trickling blood around her lip and sighed. She paused for a few moments and looked up. "Why isn''t it disappearing...?" Mei''s eyebrows twitched. *Rumble* "Fuck!" Mei cursed as she hastily erected a barrier. *BOOM* An incomparably powerful Transformation Lightning struck her body. Mei immediately coughed up blood. "What the fuck-" Mei wanted to curse and question the Heavens, but... *Rumble* "..." Mei silently cursed as she prepared Pills and Treasures. She would have to sacrifice quite a lot to survive this! *BOOM* Her precious Treasures and Pills shattered, but she could feel her body strengthening greatly. Mei coughed up Blood as she prepared even more Treasures. "I will survive!" Mei shouted at the top of her lungs. *Rumble* ... *Rumble**Rumble**Rumble**Rumble**Rumble**Rumble* "Motherfucker, that is not a repeater-!" Mei cursed the Heavens openly now. *BOOM**BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM* ... Mei could no longer speak as her body was completely charred. She no longer had ears nor tails, but a weak Human body... ... Aiko felt the connection to Mei weakening a lot and she panicked. She immediately rushed to where Mei was Evolving. The cloud above was likewise vanishing, as if satisfied with what it did. Aiko would curse it and kick it later, but Mei was more important now! She arrived where Mei was Evolving and gasped. There was just a charred Human body and nothing else. The surrounding was pretty much levelled into a huge crater. Aiko rushed near Mei, but she could not squeeze more Vitality out of her body. Fortunately, she prepared one Vitality bead in her tails as a sort of experiment, in order to see if she could keep the more rare materials inside her tails without them decaying. The small Vitality bead was certainly decayed, which upset Aiko, but it still had plenty of Vitality inside for Mei to use. Aiko fed Mei the Vitality bead and prepared a comfortable bed nearby. It was not wise to move Mei too much in such a condition, or at least that''s what Aiko thought. The bed was made out of Spirit Crystals and several layers of fluffy furs from her Storage Ring. She still had that silk, but she would rather not use it on Mei and risk her skin sticking to it. Aiko turned around and to her relief, under that completely charred skin was a new and pristine one. She gently patted her own shoulder. ''You did good.'' The Beasts were too occupied with their own stuff and they also didn''t believe that this Transformation Lightning was all that difficult, so they didn''t come. Aiko''s team wanted to come and look, but were stopped by the Azure Dragon, so that they would not disturb Mei. Aiko was the only one that was able to pass past them, since she was too slimy to be kept in place. It was not that they wanted to keep Aiko here, since they knew that with a Human body, there would be some unease from Aiko. Aiko was still in a Fox Form, while her partner was in a Human Form. It was obvious that they might argue or bicker, probably even break up or at least that''s what the Black Tortoise hoped. But contrary to everyone''s belief, Aiko gently nurses Mei... Chapter 329 – Nursing and Touchy/Cringy Aiko Aiko nursed Mei as she was shedding the charred skin. She was curious how that worked since it looked like the charred skin was part of Mei''s normal skin, but then it would suddenly peel like it was some kind of eggshell! Aiko could not understand it at all; it was such a magical sight. Mei''s face peeled, revealing the peerless beauty. If the Immortals were here right now, they would remember her as ''that'' ruler! Aiko stared at the peerless beauty that Mei radiated and stroked her chin. ''What would happen if I had given her more Vitality...'' She was wondering if Mei''s face would change for the better or not. Soon her neck peeled back. ''What a slim neck!'' Aiko always believed that Mei was on the chubbier side, but now she believed that she was too thin! ''I will have to feed her delicious food.'' Aiko groaned as her own supply of food was diminished by the hungry consumer named Mei. Aiko kept staring at Mei, giving her water once in a while before she would inspect her body. ''I''m really looking forward to the rest.'' Aiko smirked. ... The twin peaks peeled back its charred skin and showed their eternal glory. ''They are quite tiny and snackable.'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. Those cherries were cute and small, it was nudging her to give them a good flick. Aiko got closer out of her curiosity and touched those cherries. Mei''s body quivered, but she did not wake up. ''Oh... they are quite nice.'' Aiko wanted to play more with them, but stopped herself. ''It will be more fun once Mei wakes up.'' In all the stories Mei told these things were only good if she was awake, while if they happened whilst asleep they were obviously quite bad, so Aiko would follow suit and wait for Mei take wake up. However, that didn''t stop her from staring at Mei''s body without shame. If sight could burn through things, Mei''s body would be littered with holes right now! Aiko kept watch; she was wondering if Mei would wake before it had peeled back or after. She was not bothered by nursing Mei, but it would be a problem if Mei didn''t eat for a long time. ... The belly was revealed and Aiko immediately rated it like she would rate tails. ''Oh yes, that beautiful middle line that only some Foxes have and this soft sensation.'' Aiko nodded like a true gourmand, while Mei''s body quivered. Aiko fed Mei more water before waiting for more to peel. ... The waist was revealed and at this moment Aiko was really concerned. ''Mei is too thin, that means I will have to share a lot more meat than I expected...'' Aiko groaned in displeasure. She also hoped that the same wouldn''t happen to her teammates, but that was just wishful thinking on her part. ... The thighs were revealed and for some reason, they were quite plump compared to the waist area. ''Did I screw something up by giving her more Vitality?'' Aiko for the first time questioned her over-usage of Abilities. ''Would anything change if I gave less?'' She was unsure about what would happen if she gave Mei less Vitality, but it might''ve had her body turn out differently. ... Next up were arms and legs. The rest of the legs were quite thick, while the arms were exceedingly thin. Aiko was seriously concerned and would definitely feed Mei while apologising to her! ... The last part was the feet and hands. Both toes and fingers were munch-able and pretty alluring, especially Mei''s fingers, which were very thin and pretty. Aiko kept observing as Mei''s body squirmed to life. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. "Are you alright? Are you hungry? Does it hurt anywhere?" Aiko immediately barraged her patient with questions. Mei''s head throbbed from those questions and she immediately pinched Aiko. "Who told you to touch me while I''m transforming?!" Mei was beet red when she remembered that gentle touch. "I''m sorry..." Aiko apologised, but then she switched gears. "Why are you so weak? You are also so thin! What do you want to eat? I don''t have much, but I can always hunt something for you!" Aiko then paused. "How about monkey soup? I heard it was delicious from Grandpa." Mei tried to stop that barrage of questions, but since she was too weak to do anything to Aiko; she failed miserably... "I''m in my Human Form, so it will take some time to get strong again." Mei noticed that her body was pretty much overflowing with Vitality. Her body was likewise tempered to Heaven and Earth, which would allow her to absorb a lot more than her peers. She also noticed that due to the abundant Vitality she would be able to use that Forbidden Technique without any drawbacks! Mei smiled gently, but still pinched Aiko. "Rascal! Who told you to give me another Bloodline?!" "But I told you!" Aiko cried out like she was being wronged, but didn''t move from her spot, since she was worried that Mei would get hurt. Mei enjoyed this hesitating little sweetheart and her heart warmed a bit. She didn''t hold any grudge against Aiko. She was just upset that things derailed so much! ''I will have to investigate that Bloodline and everything around it.'' Mei sighed gently. There was so much to do... "Are you hungry? How about that monkey soup?" Aiko asked. "Don''t go anywhere." Mei suddenly said. She was feeling uneasy since the last time she changed forms, she was almost raped! She didn''t have to worry about anything with Aiko around, especially now that she saw how hesitant and gentle she was. "You will stay here with me." Mei hugged Aiko who didn''t know what to do. "We can let the Blood Fox sort out the food." Mei smirked, but she was happy that Aiko got such a competent team. It would make many things easier! "Okay!" Aiko blinked a few times. "You should get dressed now." She suddenly said while looking away. "Why~?" Mei hummed. "Because in those stories, there would be peeking bastards that would get an eyeful." Aiko snorted unhappily. "Oh? Are you jealous?" Mei giggled. "Jealous? No. I already got my eyeful and touchy-touchy- Auch!" Aiko held her head with her hands, since the last part got her a good smack from Mei. "You rascal!" Mei immediately snorted unhappily and got dressed. Aiko kept staring at her with a silly grin. "What are you staring at?" Mei tilted her head. "At a booty that''s saying: Plunder m- Auch!" Aiko got another smack for more cheesy lines. She pouted unhappily, but didn''t give up! She will make Mei get used to such lines, so that she wouldn''t be picked up by some kind of spineless flowery trash! Mei giggled at the pouting Aiko who was scissoring with her ears. It seemed like she was unhappy about something, but Mei could not figure out what it was. ''Does she really like my naked body?'' She wondered. While most lusted after her body, that was only before they looked at her legs and boobs, afterwards they would only lust for certain parts of her body. ''How strange...'' Mei sighed. It seems like Aiko''s attraction compass was broken. Although... she had to say that her breasts were much nicer in this life than in the previous one. "What''s wrong Mei? Why are you rubbing your boobs? I didn''t pinch- Auch!" Aiko got yet another smack for the last part of her sentence. Mei sighed and shook her head. She could not believe what Aiko was saying through her lips. ''Accursed stories! I shouldn''t have shared them with her! Now she is corrupted!'' Mei cried in her mind that her soft fluff turned into cringe fluff. "Do you want a cake?" Aiko asked. "Don''t you dare finish that sentence!" Mei immediately glared at Aiko as she heard it. "But..." Aiko was saddened. "No, buts!" Mei cried out. "But, I want something sweet..." Aiko murmured and Mei sighed. ''So she just wanted-'' But then Aiko finished her sentence. "And smack-ab- Auch!" Mei would not let Aiko finish it. "Why?! You liked these in those stories!" Aiko cried out like she was wronged by Mei. Mei blushed like a tomato. ''Did you have to bring up my embarrassing past?!'' "No! I don''t like it any more!" Mei cried out with a red face. "Oho~, so you liked it bef- Auch!" Aiko got yet another smack. She rubbed her head, it didn''t hurt, but she wanted to make Mei guilty. "Hmpf." But she was ignored by Mei... "Your red face is cute." Aiko said, immediately shielding herself, but no smack came her way. Mei kept blushing and only hummed. "Mhm." She didn''t know how to deal with this kind of Aiko. Aiko tilted her head. "We should go and get something to eat, you are too thin." Aiko shook her head. They walked towards the main location of their camp. ... The Beasts were all stunned. In front of them was a peerless beauty with black hair mixed with streaks of brown and blue. It was quite a unique combination, but it didn''t end there. Her face was flawless, with a natural, healthy colour. Her lips were small and cute, while her nose was slightly pointy. It had a strange allure, but not a bad one. Her eyebrows were like the stalks of Herbs, thin and long, but beautiful nonetheless. Her eyes radiated a strange colour as they were a mixture of brown and blue with a pinkish rim on the inside. Furthermore, her hair was long, almost touching the ground. She had long legs that attracted attention from all sides and plump thighs that screamed: Let me squeeze you! Her bosom was likewise appetizing, since those peaks had grown quite large. Mei''s rear was sexy and smack-able, while her waist was slim and eye-catching. Her thin arms attracted attention and gave her even more beauty, like it was screaming: Fragile Beauty over here! <- The Beasts didn''t know what to say, since all of them knew Mei, but they didn''t remember her being so beautiful. The first spineless bastard woke up. "You have broken up, right?" The Black Tortoise saw Aiko glaring at them and assumed the wrong thing. "Then I can be your m- GUH!" He was beautifully round-kicked into the air. Aiko chased after him and slammed him into the ground from the air. She then finished it with two suplexes for good measure. Aiko brushed her hands and then glared at the rest. They all cowered in fear and were unwilling to comment on this situation. "You have become prettier, Mei." The Azure Dragon nodded. "Try to keep the bastards away from you, this time." "Hmpf, that''s only natural." Mei snorted unhappily that he was bringing that situation to light. Overall, it was a good reception and no one had negative feelings... except for Aiko towards the Black Tortoise... Chapter 330 – System and Fight? Aiko was always hanging around Mei to keep that annoying turtle away. It was difficult to deal with him since he didn''t have a real body and if Aiko munched on him a bit too hard, then he would be unable to create that bead for her. She already decided to punish him later once she skinned him alive of his Treasures. "How are you feeling?" Aiko kept asking this question every once in a while. "I''m fine. You will understand one day when you obtain this form." Mei gently petted Aiko. She was a lot more agreeable in this form. Mei felt even guiltier about what she caused before however she was unable to tell Aiko yet. She liked this happy and kind Aiko and was worried about what would happen if she knew that Mei caused most of that trouble... ... Aiko went outside the improvised den, which was heated with Spirit Crystals. "Should I hunt for more meat?" Aiko asked the Blood Fox who was cooking. "You don''t have to." The Blood Fox smiled gently. She nudged Aiko back inside, so that she could focus on cooking. The Twins were already out hunting both for food and training their Divine Sense for combat. The latter was difficult to use in that way without damaging oneself from the backlash. Moreover, it was also hard to gauge someone''s strength when it came to Divine Sense, so using it was always a gamble, one you were more often to loose if you aren''t well versed in the art. That is also one of the reasons why Cultivators don''t use Divine Sense in battles, since the outcome is completely uncertain! Aiko went back inside and observed Mei. "Are you still healing?" "Mhm." Mei hummed while lying on the soft ''bed''. "I can''t believe that you turned lazy so quickly." Aiko threw a playful jab at Mei. Mei choked and glared back. "That is like the pot calling the kettle black!" She immediately wanted to pinch Aiko, but she dodged. "Come here!" Mei commanded. "No." Aiko pouted and dodged again. "You will have to try harder if you want to pinch me again!" She proclaimed. *Poof* It was that time of the day, so Aiko transformed again. "And now pinching has a whole new meaning~!" Aiko smirked at Mei. "You-!" Mei was completely speechless at the shameless Aiko. "What~?" Aiko hummed, getting closer with her big form. Mei immediately turned around, but Aiko never intended to do anything, so she just hugged Mei. "Hehe~, you are warm, Mei~." Aiko hummed happily while hugging Mei. "Why are you taking advantage of me when I''m weak?" Mei pouted. "Because you took advantage of me when I was weak..." Aiko blinked a few times. Mei exchanged a few glances with Aiko and said, "Then I won''t do it again." She was at a disadvantage, so she had to give in. "Too late for that." Aiko rubbed her face on Mei''s bosom. "..." Mei could only sigh. Her first Mate was not this shameless, but they did share similar cuteness. "I will be healing for a bit longer before I start Cultivating again. Do you have any questions?" Mei asked Aiko, since she could tell her about her new form without holding back. "Does it hurt? How about your balance? How is your hearing? Can you still seduce- Auch!" The last sentence earned Aiko a smack. "It didn''t hurt. You just need to get used to it. It''s worse, but better at the same time. Don''t even think about it." Mei had already gotten used to the fact that Aiko would assault her with a barrage of questions and learned how to answer quickly. "You didn''t have to smack me." Aiko rubbed her head, and while it didn''t hurt, she was still trying to make Mei feel guilty for smacking her. Mei snorted at Aiko since she had already seen through her. She was already guilty of her previous wilfulness, so she didn''t want to feel even more guilty! "Anyway." Aiko stopped rubbing her head. "Want a lap rest?" She smiled innocently at Mei. "You just want to see my boobs jiggle." Mei smacked Aiko again, but still used her lap for rest. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it "Hehe~" Aiko smiled like a pervert. Now she understood why, in those stories, those people were simps. It was simply amazing to see them jiggle and sway and since she lacked any entertainment, it was obvious that she would pick some bad habits to occupy herself. Aiko really wanted to knead them, since they were slightly apart, but seeing Mei''s gaze she turned around trying to distract herself. "At least you are not molesting me." Mei teased Aiko. "Hpmf, don''t test me." Aiko had no remorse about cupping a feeling. Mei giggled and caressed Aiko''s thigh as she turned around. She would rest like this for a bit and recover more, thanks to the strange Ability that Aiko had. Aiko naturally stiffened, since nobody ever did those things to her. She didn''t know what to do with Mei who excited her, but also innocently slept on her. ''No... can it be considered innocent, when she caresses me like that?'' Aiko tilted her head. It was possible that Mei didn''t do it on purpose, but what if she did? Aiko crossed her arms and tapped it with her finger. Should she do something about this or not? Aiko didn''t know if it was appropriate, since she was quite happy with their current relationship. She also had to figure out who caused her so much trouble, but with Mei around in this fragile state, that would turn out to be difficult... Aiko sighed and rested with Mei. She would just stockpile a bunch of Spirit Crystals behind her, so she could lean on them and rest peacefully. ... Mei had quite a nightmare during her rest. She was being chased by Aiko who would lick her thighs and rub her boobs... Mei groaned unhappily, but she was mostly healed to a point where she could gather the Heaven and Earth Energies. This would also allow her to speed up the rest of her recovery. Mei turned towards the still-sleeping Aiko, opening and closing her mouth. She would just let her sleep for the time being and only tell her later. Right now she had to investigate all of the Cultivation Manuals and see if any of them fit her new body. Since she obtained an additional Bloodline, her Body changed accordingly. ''I will have to investigate my Spiritu-'' [ TAB: [Human Form], [Fox Form] Name: Mei ''Queen'' Age: 69? Physique: [Sacred Star Furnace], [Flawless Qi Pathways] Bloodline: [Sacred Ocean Kitsune], [Dew Goddess Kitsune], [Heavenly Volcano Goddess Kitsune ([Earth Fox]+[Blazing Star Fox])] Profession: [Alchemy Ancestor (Peak)] Sub-Profession: [Talisman Ancestor (Peak)], [Array Ancestor (Peak)], [Formation Emperor (Peak)], [Inscription King (Peak)], [Forging Master (Beginning)] Titles: [The Fallen Queen] Affiliation: [Aiko''s Mate] Cultivation: [Mortal] Body Cultivation: [Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Realm] Martial Talent: [Sacred Infernal Furnace] True Qi: 12 Pure Qi: - Infernal Furnace: - Cultivation Manual: Too many to count Spiritual Roots: [Mutated Star Spiritual Essence Roots(Ocean, Mountain, Fire, Dew, Star)] Contracted Beasts: [-] Innate Ability: [Sacred Infernal Furnace], [Sacred Encompassing Star], Martial Skills: [Too many to count] Movement Skills: [Too many to count] Auxiliary Skills: [Too many to count] Relationships: [Aiko (Affection: Bordering Love (Confused))], [Blood Fox (Affection: Likes/Hates you)], [Twins (Affection: Likes you)], [Dai Lu (Affection: Worships you)], [Feifei (Affection: In Love)] ] Mei rubbed her eyes a few times. She could not believe what she just saw. This thing was able to accurately gauge her current skills and internal foundations! ''No wonder Aiko is so obsessed with this. I can see what I''m lacking and adjust it as I see fit.'' Mei''s eyes burned with her experimenter''s soul. She wanted to disassemble this thing and take a look inside it later. She was quite happy that it was able to evaluate her so closely. Nothing could be hidden from this thing, even if she hated it. ''[Heavenly Volcano Goddess Kitsune]...'' Mei clicked her tongue. She never heard of such Bloodline, but it was obvious that this thing caused all that ruckus... ''I also got the cursed [Dew Goddess Kitsune] Bloodline.'' Mei shook her head. Her Innate Ability completely changed, which will cause her a lot of pain. Not because it was not good, but because it was too good. ''Most have to temper their body through pain and suffering, but I can just use the [Sacred Infernal Furnace] to strengthen my body and [Sacred Encompassing Star] to guide the energies.'' Mei nibbled her nails since this was too overpowered. You would be happy with just one of those, but she got both of them. Let''s not talk about just getting stronger, if she can keep this hidden she would even dominate the Immortal World in time! Mei clicked her tongue again when someone hugged her. "You shouldn''t bite your finger." Aiko said sleepily as she held Mei''s hand. She yawned before continuing. "How do you like the system?" Aiko noticed that Mei was staring blankly into nothingness, so it was obvious that she was looking at something foreign. "Mhm..." Mei was extremely happy. She even knew that she shouldn''t temper her body any more, otherwise, it might decline! This was invaluable information! "Ah, right..." Aiko yawned again. "Here is another gift, so I hope you will get something good." Aiko clicked on the [Cultivation Gift(Servant)] and waited for Mei to absorb it. At first, Mei flinched at being flooded by the information, but the system took over. [Cultivation Manual: [Divine Scattered Stars Scripture(Complete, ??? Form)], Too many to count] After who knows how long, Mei blinked slowly. This was such a profound Technique that she got lost in it several times. It truly earned the name Divine Scattered Stars! Mei''s guilt completely peaked. "I was the one who destroyed those temples." Mei suddenly blurted out. The half-sleeping Aiko stiffened. She was having some kind of hallucination right now. She just heard Mei say that she destroyed them. Mei noticed that Aiko was confused, so she said it again. "I''m sorry for not telling you about my plan and causing you so much pain." Mei''s voice quivered while she spoke. Aiko had no expression, which made Mei even more scared about what she would do. Before Mei could say anything, Aiko stopped hugging her. "I will need some time to think." Aiko understood that it was not a good idea to immediately jump into the river. She would safely cross it once she calmed down. Aiko left Mei in that empty nest. ''This is killing me...'' Mei understood why Aiko left, but this loneliness was not good after she confessed... Chapter 331 – Aiko out, Mei as Nurse Aiko was outside alone. Her mind was a bit murky, but she was sadder about Mei hiding the truth, than she was about the destruction and mad chase. She wanted to get Treasures, everyone in her team knew this, but one of them knowingly sabotaged it without giving her heads up, so that she wouldn''t chase after those places. Aiko had hoped that they had grown close enough to share such things, so that she didn''t need to experience misunderstandings caused by them such as the chase, but at the same time, she somewhat understood her grubby nature. She would definitely question them and ask them if she just couldn''t take a peek, or change the plan to accommodate her. Aiko sighed, no one approached her since everyone was working, especially the Beasts whose forms seemed to be somewhat distorted. ''Not having a body is an issue.'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. She would have to pick a Skill that would allow her to bypass that or some kind of Skill that would make her corporeal. That way even if she entered some strange places, she would still be able to affect them and get out. As long as the given place had a way out through a corporeal body, Aiko would be able to leave that place. No matter where it would be. ''Impossible to seal.'' Aiko loved the sound of that. Her mood was improving, but she would absolutely need to scold Mei for that. There should be some kind of punishment too. ''There was... a rope... in that one story. I can definitely use that.'' Aiko chuckled like a devil. She will make it so that Mei will not be able to forget that! ''There is also the issue of Mei keeping most/all things to herself.'' Aiko sighed. She would not be able to change that, since there was definitely some kind of history with those Treasures. ''But I can gently nudge it.'' Aiko smirked. Nothing was impossible when it came to her restless hands! ''Should I return now?'' Aiko tilted her head. ''We should definitely talk, but I don''t want to.'' She was in a good mood and she was worried that Mei would come up with some bad excuse. ''Like in those stories...'' Aiko shook her head. It seems like she would get nowhere if she were to keep sitting here. She stood up and walked back... ... Mei was hugging her knees when Aiko arrived back. It seemed like both of them had things to think about, so Aiko didn''t disturb her. She sat down near her Spirit Crystals, since they were nice and warm. ''There is not much to do for me... should I use some of those gifts on me?'' Aiko tilted her head. ''But then what if I can''t get something cool? Maybe I should use it later?'' She sighed gently. She was unsure of how that gift worked, since Feifei was a Human and she didn''t use it on anyone else with worry that they wouldn''t get anything cool. Aiko was lost in thoughts when someone hugged her. "Don''t hate me... I will explore with you in the future and show you many amazing things." Mei whispered gently. Aiko didn''t say anything. She was tempted, but that was a different thing. "I''m sorry for not telling you about my plan. I will try to be more accommodating, but there are certain things I can''t tell you." Mei spoke slowly. "It was a pain looking for those temples only to see them crumble." Aiko said with a change of expression. "The last one almost buried me alive." "I''m sorry." Mei tightened her hug, while resting her head on Aiko''s back. "Mhm, you are in for a scolding." Aiko nodded like it was a matter of time before she executed her plan. Mei felt warm, which was unlike her. She was quite happy that she met Aiko. Aiko might be chaotic and sometimes mean, but she is also overly kind to those she cares about. ''That Dew Drop says it all.'' Mei still held some apprehension towards Aiko giving out so much, especially now that her body was cold. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "M-Mei?!" Aiko was startled when Mei completely nuzzled her. "I''m tired, let''s go to sleep." Mei said gently. She would apologise again once her nerves calmed down. She didn''t want to lose Aiko. The realisation that she was so attached to her struck her like lightning, so now she would have to do everything in her power to keep Aiko around. ''Weaknesses are only good when they are cute...'' Mei smiled gently. Aiko was still stuttering, but soon gave up resisting. It was a calm, warm night... ... Mei woke up the next day. She noticed that Aiko had failed to return to her small form, but she didn''t know why. ''Before I wanted to pinch her, she was small, so why is she now keeping her big form?'' Mei tilted her head, but noticed something strange. Aiko was not responding. Mei''s heart tightened, but there was no need to panic just yet. Aiko was still breathing steadily, it just seemed like she was in deep sleep. Mei called the Blood Fox to discuss this, since she spends more time with this kind of Aiko. The Blood Fox arrived with a warm meal. "Aiko is asleep?" She tilted her head. "We went to sleep and now she is like that." Mei didn''t know what to do. "So, she depleted her Vitality again, huh?" The Blood Fox expected something like this, but this kind of response was quite delayed. Previously when Aiko overdrew, she would faint immediately. ''Unless there was some kind of stressful situation?'' The Blood Fox raised her eyebrow. Stress is a powerful thing that can keep you awake, even if you wish to sleep. This could also be the main reason why Aiko was like this. The ''stress'' disappeared or she relaxed too much and now her body ''slept'' in order to recover. "Now it''s your turn to nurse her..." The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. "Unless you want me to do it?" Mei stiffened. "I''m fine." She then asked. "Is she alright?" "There is nothing wrong with her. She is just recovering like previously." The Blood Fox shook her head. "She won''t need basic sustenance, but cleaning her body once in a while is a good thing." She then added. "It will take a few months, so be prepared." "Eh?" Mei was speechless. "Months?!" "If she overdraws her Vitality too much, then yes." The Blood Fox said it as a matter of fact. Mei was completely dumbfounded. She didn''t expect that Aiko would suffer so much, just because she asked her for that Dew Drop! "I will do my best." Mei nodded gently. The Blood Fox stood up, since her work here was done, but just before she left she turned to Mei. "You have changed." With those parting words, the Blood Fox was already gone. Mei was stunned, since she never expected those words to be said to her. ''I changed? How?'' Mei was confused, which was natural. ... Mei nursed Aiko a bit. Well nursed was a strong word. She just moved Aiko around the Spirit Crystals, so that she would be warm. ''She should lose some weight.'' Mei clicked her tongue, since Aiko was quite heavy. ''It''s all because of those things!'' Mei glared hatefully at certain hidden peaks. ... Mei nursed Aiko for a long time, but there was another dilemma. ''How am I supposed to clean her?!'' She did Cultivate a bit in her free time, but she was nowhere near ready to use the [Clean] spell on Aiko. ''I refuse to clean her by hand!'' Mei refused to undress Aiko and bathe her. ... ...... ''My lord... what am I doing...'' Mei was currently undressing Aiko to clean her body. Sure, she could call the others to clean Aiko, but Mei felt responsible for her, so she wanted to clean her. She hoped that she would progress in her Cultivation fast enough that it would allow her to use the [Clean] spell, but that was not the case! The Cultivation Scripture was too profound even for Mei, but at the same time, it could be used to reach unknown heights! ''I still can''t understand where Aiko gets these Treasures...'' Mei shook her head. She had countless Cultivation Manuals in her head, yet she had never heard of such Scripture. *Boing* Mei blushed at those ''gelatinous'' peaks. ''Is this how Aiko felt when she saw me naked...?'' Mei gulped. She could not understand why Aiko would try to touch them. ''No, what am I imagining.'' Mei shook her head. She gently took a towel to wipe Aiko''s body, but there was a certain problem. ''Why can''t they be firm?! They are spilling everywhere!'' Mei cursed a certain Fox in her mind. ''Just you wait, once I arrive in the Immortal World I will fist you!'' She proclaimed in her mind. She kept wiping Aiko''s body until she was clean. ''This form is inconvenient.'' Mei hoped that Aiko would Evolve since she liked firm breas- ''What am I even thinking?!'' She immediately shook her head. ''It''s not like I''m after her body!'' She gulped nervously. "M-Mei...?" Mei could hear Aiko''s quivering voice. "Finally awake? I was cleaning you up, since you took a while." Mei replied without a change of expression, but her completely red face betrayed her intentions. "Are you enjoying the sight?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. "Ye- No." Mei coughed awkwardly. "Then fix my clothing!" Aiko snorted at Mei with a pouty expression. "Yes, yes!" Mei immediately helped Aiko put her clothes back on. "And here I was worried that I was a pervert." Aiko sighed. "I have nothing to worry about, since Mei is a bigger pervert." She proclaimed like that was a fact. Mei stiffened. "I''m not a pervert!" "Who undressed me?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. "That was to clean you!" Mei retorted. "But you DID enjoy it, didn''t you?" Aiko looked all smug. "N-no?" Mei¡¯s face flushed. "Pervert!" Aiko immediately proclaimed, almost shouting. "Shush! Don''t shout!" Mei immediately covered Aiko''s lips to prevent her from shouting. Aiko shamelessly licked Mei''s soft hands, getting a cute eep out of her. "You-you-!" Mei stuttered as she cleaned her wet hand. She then noticed Aiko taking a deep breath. "No! Don''t shout!" Mei covered Aiko''s lips again. Aiko was smirking this whole time at Mei, which unnerved her. "Don''t shout, alright?" Mei pleaded. Aiko nodded and Mei put down her hands. "And now give me a kiss." Aiko smirked. "No." Mei declined immediately, but once she noticed Aiko taking a deep breath, she conceded. "Fine! Fine! Don''t shout!" Mei gave Aiko a gentle kiss on her cheek and Aiko pouted. "There you have it." Mei smiled smugly, since someone didn''t specify where she should kiss; she decided by herself~! Chapter 332 – Heart to Heart They had a somewhat harmonious conversation. Aiko would always sit around her and Mei would be forced to come closer. "So you lived another life, huh?" Aiko for some reason was getting a feeling of deja vu. "Yeah... it was not the greatest life, but not the worst either." Mei shrugged. Aiko tilted her head. "How was it before your whole new life thing?" She asked Mei gently. "It was not as bad as it''s right now. I''m honestly concerned for the mainland." Mei sighed. "I was here in an age before we had that enslaving technique, so I have no idea how that came to be. It was mostly peaceful and I did reform the Fox Village from my time because I was quite spiteful towards Humans, but it was needed since Foxes were on the decline from all the betrayals we suffered." She stretched her body. She was not used to the additional weight certain parts provided. "Oho, how about some bedtime stories?" Aiko smirked. "What? Are you interested in who my first ''Mate'' was?" Mei chuckled. "Why say it like that?" Aiko tilted her head. "We had a strange relationship, but it was not bad. I suppose I was trying to escape the fact that ''that'' bastard tried to push me down." Mei sighed. "We sort of hit it well, even though we were both 300+ years old at the time of it happening. My memories are a bit murky since it happened a long time ago and since I reincarnated over here weak... yeah, not much to remember." She shrugged. Aiko was quite interested in those stories, so she nudged Mei. "What happened to the bastard?" Aiko listened attentively. "Died, but if I meet his reincarnation, I will kill him again, and tear apart his Soul!" Mei shrugged. "Good luck with that, but tell me more." Aiko''s eyes sparkled and Mei was quite burdened. "The Golden Age was quite rough. There was not enough Qi for everyone to reach the Immortal Stage, so we as Foxes used our expertise to create illusions of Beasts for others to fight so they could hone their skill without bloodshed." Mei sipped her tea. "That way there was no severe decline in population and no wars were truly waged. We pretty much held the white flag over everyone''s head and told them not to fight, or else." Mei chuckled. "Of course, greedy as the Humans are, they never had enough of our art, so they were trying to push us to make ''art''. Foxes are naturally more beautiful since we need to collect Souls. You are more likely to surrender yourself if your opponent is beautiful or handsome rather than ugly or repulsive." Mei sighed. "Let''s just say that they pushed us a bit too far." Mei shook her head. "What happened? War ensued?" Aiko was looking for action. "The Foxes closed themselves off and created the Heavenly Fox Sect on the Mainland. Which in turn set up a Fox Village on every other continent, after which every Fox would withdraw from the wider world and only Cultivate between each other." Mei smiled. "Because of the lack of art and ''Beasts'' to fight, Humans turned their attention to real fighting." Mei chuckled. "The fight intensified over time as many races went extinct, until everyone tried to put the blame on us." Mei chuckled darkly. "Since we kept all the art in our territory, it meant that we were still progressing at the same pace, unlike the rest of the world. They slowed down or straight up stagnated. It was no longer a Golden Age of Cultivation, all thanks to a single race." She sighed. "Thanks to the fact that we were progressing at a steady pace and had quite a few Immortals ascend, more and more forces took note of this." "They tried to question us, make us take the blame." Mei chuckled. "Back then the only ones who could truly rival us were the Dragons, but thanks to my diplomacy we were in a somewhat friendly relationship. While everyone else voted against us, since the Dragons took no side, the others struggled to unite." Mei sighed. "Then they started fighting over who should be in charge over their alliance, but due to conflicts among themselves, and some groups not wanting to join without the Dragons, no proper alliance could be formed." Mei paused. "I believe that is when some local faction or another made sure that dubious technique fell into our Village''s lap." Mei was somewhat sure of it, but she had already ascended by the time it got this bad. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. "They believed that this technique would spread to other Villages and then take root on the mainland..." Mei narrowed her eyes. "Considering the mainland still provides resources, that appears to have failed, but it made our lives in this Village more miserable." She sighed. "Pretty much everyone stopped using their brains and only indulged in carnal pleasure. Since Foxes that earned their Beast Cores turn impotent, there was no population boom, but a decline." Mei glanced at Aiko. "Do you still remember that glorious and huge structure that can house hundreds of thousands of Foxes?" Mei asked Aiko gently. "I went there only once, I believe, but it''s quite a murky memory." Aiko didn''t play the ''I remember it'' card, since she knew that she had to be honest. "That is fine. Right now we are housing less than a hundred thousand Foxes and it''s still declining. More Foxes succumb to the depletion of the Beast Core because of that Technique." Mei sighed. "And if the depletion alone was enough, if you overindulge, your Beast Core will eventually shatter, taking what little reasoning remained with it and turning you into a wild beast at best." She shook her head. "And we are cleaning those bastards, right?" Aiko rubbed her hands with glee. "We are trying to round all of them up at once, so that none can escape, but it''s taking quite some time." Mei shook her head. "There is a tournament incoming and we will definitely attract attention, so we will have to be more careful moving forward." Mei advised Aiko. "Why can''t we hide our abilities?" Aiko tilted her head. "Do you believe that is possible with your current infamous reputation?" Mei giggled. "I''m sorry..." Aiko''s ears dropped low. "It''s fine. We can always adjust the plan; after all, your position has already been decided." Mei chuckled darkly. "What will I do in the great purge?" Aiko asked Mei. "That is a good name, but you won''t be doing much; you will just take your rocks and sticks and go wild." Mei smirked. "Try to prioritise only the ones using that technique; however, if there are a few strays, then that is also fine~" She hummed gently. "I will keep that in mind, but when will the great purge commence?" Aiko narrowed her eyes, if she could get stronger, flagging would be that much easier! "The emissary form the mainland should come here after the tournament. With some luck the Sacred Realm will be opened up for exploration, since the other Sects would want to do the same, as a last chance at getting the ''good Foxes'' before they leave the continent." Mei nodded. "Once the Sacred realm is opened, there will be the biggest influx of Foxes in a very long time and those rats would definitely want to get a new piece of ''meat'', so that is the best possible time." Mei nodded. "But the plan might have to change depending on the circumstances." "How do those Sacred Realms differ from Secret Realms, like this one?" Aiko tilted her head. "Most Secret Realms are created by powerhouses that just ascended, while Sacred Realms were a poor creation of a tiny world." Mei sighed. "Once you get into the Immortal world you have a lot more on your plate than in this peaceful Mortal World. There are too many powerful factions that will try to rule over us, so it''s important to get as strong as possible." "Will do~" Aiko was overjoyed with her current assignment. "Okay..." Mei smiled gently. It was good that Aiko was enthusiastic about this part. "How about the mainland?" Aiko asked gently. "The mainland is very different-" Mei was suddenly interrupted. "We already got your Beads and Mei has already Evolved, so you can take your time little one." The Grandpa said. "You also don''t have to worry about those other bastards, since they went dormant after spending too much energy." He chuckled darkly. "Okay~!" Aiko answered, but she was more interested in stories right now. "I will tell you only a bit about the mainland so you can prepare your wits. It''s a much more hostile place than this simple sex-oriented hellhole." Mei chuckled. "Why do I need wits?" Aiko asked. "There is a lot of politics going on behind the scenes on the mainland. Our true purpose and origin was to secure enough Souls to ascend to the Immortal World with full tails. Politics makes everything easier since we can isolate the smaller Sects before draining all their Souls." Mei continued. "As such the mainland is more hostile and intricate, if you are in a bad place at a bad time, you might be killed. If you anger someone by accident and then let it go, then you might see your world crumbling around you as they plot against you secretly." "So just kill anyone who slighted you or you slighted, got it." Aiko nodded like she was some kind of genius. "Hold your horses; you can''t do that." Mei chuckled. "Why?!" Aiko was startled. "The mainland has its own set of rules, killing is naturally prohibited since they don''t want to lose talents. You can only kill through politics or if they agree to a death match." Mei shook her head. "They are very unlikely to agree to death matches, so you will have to lure them out and make them miserable so that they either agree or do something that will cause their loss of life." Mei explained. "I have to learn more things..." Aiko groaned. "You have me for that. I can help you slowly adjust, since our whole team is still too young for the mainland." Mei chuckled. "Too young? I''m reaching my 40s!" Aiko pouted. "And I only managed to get to the mainland when I was around 250 I believe." Mei tilted her head. She did not know if she remembered that correctly, but it should be pretty close to that number. "Oh..." Aiko paused. "So, what do we do?" "Just get as strong as possible. Even if they plot behind closed doors, if you are talented enough, none of the Elders would dare to touch you." At least that''s what Mei believed and remembered. "And even if they were that stupid. I''m still here and can shut them down." Mei smiled gently. "Got it." Aiko nodded gently. She could slowly learn over time. "How about I tame a few Beasts as my security for when I Transform?" Aiko smirked. "Can you do that?" Mei raised her eyebrow. "I already got eggs, so I just have to try." Aiko shrugged like it was not her issue. "You have to feed and take care of them. Are you sure you can do it?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "I can just feed it Beast Cores, no?" Aiko tilted her head. "And do you know it''s Element?" Mei chuckled like she had cornered Aiko. "System." Aiko replied briefly, but Mei immediately clicked her tongue. Aiko chuckled gently and enjoyed pouting Mei for some time... Chapter 333 – Evolution Starts "You shouldn''t rely on it too much." Mei scolded Aiko. "You shouldn''t rely on it too much." Aiko threw those words back at her, since she understood that Mei liked the overview of her Skills and accomplishments. Mei coughed awkwardly. "I''m an adult, so I can use it." "I''m an adult, so I can use it." Aiko crossed her arms. Mei choked up. "Hey! You are not an adult!" "Hey! You are not an adult!" Aiko pouted. Mei was like an oversized child when it came to certain things. "You-!" Mei glared at Aiko. "Hmpf." Aiko looked away pouting. She was not happy with Mei telling her that. "Just you wait! I will just break this place!" Aiko chuckled sinisterly. "Auch!" And got immediately smacked by Mei. "You won''t be able to break this place even with your Evolution." Mei shook her head. "Watch me!" Aiko immediately ran outside to collect the necessary Treasures for her Evolution. The Azure Dragon welcomed it, since he wanted to get out of here and this was part of his plan. "You have to slowly Evolve, so you can absorb as much energy as possible." The Azure Dragon said seriously to Aiko. "I will." Aiko nodded. It was only natural that she would do something that would benefit her. She had a pile of beads that she would use during Evolution. The Green Beast Core from the Spider. The White Beast Core from the fried chicken. The Blazing Red Bead from the Crow. The colourful Bead from the Kitty. The Ocean Blue Bead from the soon-to-be turtle soup. The somewhat woody brown Bead from the Dragon. And lastly, the Black Stone. ''Did I forget something?'' Aiko narrowed her eyes, but it should be fine. This should be enough... "Now remember-" The Dragon wanted to nag Aiko again, but was dismissed by her. "I know, I know. I will do my best." Aiko said. "Protect Mei or else." Aiko raised her hand and a flag appeared in her hand. "What is that supposed to mean?" The Dragon was unaware of Aiko''s tendencies. He just heard some stories from her team, but they can''t all be true, right...? "Let''s just say that your rear and I will get acquainted." Aiko snorted, whilst pulling one of her larger flags out of her Storage Ring. "So those stories were true?!" The Azure Dragon flinched. He was suddenly fearful of this little Fox! Aiko snorted again, before leaving. ''Am I forgetting something? I hope not...'' No matter how long she thought, this should be all of it, right? ... Aiko ran away into the mountains. She wanted to avoid harming Mei with her Evolution. They were also connected with Karma, so it should be alright. Aiko''s Evolution shouldn''t last all that long, so everything should be alright! Aiko found herself a certain nice place inside the mountains. There was no one around which pleased her greatly. She would be able to peacefully Evolve over here and then come back as a new person! Aiko smirked and looked at the Evolution Tree. ''There are a ton of Evolutions...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. There were all kinds of Evolutions, but not quite what she was looking for... ''Right, I have not hit the right Level yet!'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. She pulled out some system meat and munched on it. [Meat x2,685 -> x2,515] [Level: 530 -> 700 (5th Evolution)] [System is postponing rewards for lack of Providence.] This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Aiko frowned. It seems she wouldn''t get any cool new items until she gained more Providence. Aiko shook her head and looked at her Evolutions again. She had a lot more Evolutions to choose from than before. She carefully looked over them, but there was a certain Evolution that was greyed out. [Divine Witch of Nightmares] [Species: [Divine Witch of Nightmares Fennec Fox]] [####] [####] [####] [Innate Ability: [Little Nightmare]] Aiko didn''t know what she needed for that, since almost all the information was distorted. Aiko found this quite fascinating, since everything else was fairly well described. But Aiko really liked the [Little Nightmare] that the Twins had, so she would settle on this one! ''But where do I put it...'' Aiko didn''t know where she should slap her stats in order to make this thing work. ''My dexterity is the lowest when it comes to base stats...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. She slapped 10,000 Stat Points into her Dexterity and it bumped it over 1,000,000 in raw stats. ''Good.'' Aiko smirked as said Evolution was less grey. She had to dump another 55,000 Stat Points into Dexterity until the [Divine Witch of Nightmares] finally unlocked. ''I got it!'' Aiko''s eyes shined. She would finally get her own little nightmares! *Click* ... A storm was brewing around Aiko''s location. She was currently undergoing her Evolution. ''This is a lot worse than I expected.'' The Azure Dragon narrowed his eyes and shielded his entire home with a powerful barrier. "Oi! You lazy bastards! Get to work! We will have company!" The Azure Dragon roared at the lazy Beast Cores. The Azure Dragon was sure that, with that kind of phenomenon, there would be some especially nasty bastards coming over. "What is it, you lazy bastard?!" The Black Tortoise yawned. "Aiko is Evolving. We will annihilate anyone who comes close!" The Azure Dragon''s eyes burned brightly. "Oh, Mei is alo-" The Black Tortoise wanted to visit Mei, but the Azure Dragon temporarily removed the barrier that shielded them. The Black Tortoise choked on his own spit and he felt like his intestines were getting pulled out of his body. "What the fuck?!" The Black Tortoise kept choking even after the barrier was back in place. "What the fuck was that?!" The Azure Dragon pitied him for his ignorance. "Are you sure she is Evolving and not just trying to destroy this place..." The Three-Legged Crow asked cautiously. "I have prepared enough Spirit Stones inside those mountains that it should offset her consumption for the most part. She also took the beads, which would further help her in Evolution." The Azure Dragon sighed. "As you can see. The Heavenly Disaster is already here." The Azure Dragon sighed. "As you can see. We have Fire, Wood, Water, Ice, Wind, Lightning and... Metal...?" Every Beast suddenly turned towards a certain furry creature. The cat was innocently licking his balls. "What?" "You did give her just Wind Element, right?" The Azure Dragon asked. "There was also a Lightning Element mixed in by accident." The White Tiger smiled innocently. "You-!" The Azure Dragon glared at him. "You mixed metal into it, didn''t you?!" "I didn''t." The Cat said innocently. "What are your claws made out of?!" The Dragon kept glaring at him. "Metal." The Cat tilted his head. "What did you use in order to form the Bead?" The Dragon had veins appearing on his head. "Paws- Aaaaaah! I guess the Metal Element got mixed in, whoopsie." The White Tiger chuckled innocently. "This is a problem, you know! It''s not a laughing matter!" The Azure Dragon roared. "There are not enough Spirit Stones to feed her Evolution!" "She will be fine. We went through worse." The White Tiger shrugged like he was not part of this. "She is a Fox! She has a smaller Beast Core!" The Azure Dragon smacked that obnoxious cat into the ground. "Dammit!" The Azure Dragon was upset. Mei was not as worried. ''I suppose Aiko will feed on the Spirit Crystals.'' She sighed gently. It would be such a shame if that happened, but it can''t be helped, since it''s Aiko who they are talking about... ''She will be fine...'' Mei said gently in her mind, but she still felt anxious. If this Evolution was on the same scale as the one before then it would be a great trouble for all of them... ... The clouds increased in size and attracted the attention of the Cultivators inside the Secret Realm. Fortunately, not many approached due to the fearsome aura that Aiko was creating due to the Heavenly Disaster. There were some brave Cultivators that went against this energy, but they didn''t make it all that far. So most Cultivators steered clear of that place. It has been a somewhat peaceful Evolution so far. ----- "Sect Leader. We have detected abnormally large amounts of energy in a Mortal World." A masked person said. "Send people in and if it''s a Beast, try to lure it over. If it can''t be lured over, kill it." The handsome man with well-decorated clothes said slowly as he cut yet another leaf from a small tree. "Yes, Sect Leader, but..." The masked person hesitated. "What is it?" The handsome man asked slowly. "The Mortal World is being shielded by the Moon Goddess." The masked person said cautiously. "Bribe Mahayana Cultivators to go and contact it." The handsome man said without a change of expression. "The Mortal World is completely locked out, Sect Leader." The masked person replied with even more care. "Send Immortals into the Mortal World?" The handsome man''s face cracked. "The World is completely locked out, Sect Leader." The masked man bowed so that he didn''t have to see that terrifying expression. "..." The handsome man almost snipped off the whole small tree when he heard that. "Abolish Cultivation of the people from that Mortal World. They will be forced to descend. Give them enough Spirit Crystals so that they agree to it." The handsome man was no longer handsome as he had a distorted expression on his face. "Yes... Sect Leader." The masked individual was not happy about it, but since this guy was backed by the Golden Palace, his own Sect could not go against him. "Make sure that you bring whoever is producing that energy to our side." The handsome man repeated. "Yes, Sect Leader." The masked man bowed once again before leaving. "Even Buddha is running around because of a single Fox." The handsome man sighed. "I can''t believe that everyone is so crazy about Foxes. At the end of the day, they are just headless wenches waiting to be plucked." From his anger, he accidentally snipped the tree in half. "What a bad day..." The handsome man sighed. "The purge of the Immortal Beasts is not going well thanks to the damned Dragons! They have to meddle in everything!" He slammed his fist on the nearby table and almost blew away his whole house. The handsome man glared at the Moon, but could not do anything about it... Chapter 334 – When ‘Immortals’ ‘Fight’ The sky darkened even more, thanks to a certain Fox''s tendency to overdo everything. The Beasts could only blankly stare at the sky, as the cloud had no intentions of shrinking. "So... we had the same Evolution, huh?" The Azure Dragon chuckled. His resistance to sudden bullshit was quite strong with the time he spent with Aiko. "..." The other Beasts didn''t know how to properly answer that. At first, they were concerned, then shocked and now finally speechless. This kind of ridiculous sight could only be observed in the Immortal World. It was impossible for something like this in Mortal World. "Will the Secret Realm survive?" The Black Tortoise asked worryingly. "Secret Realms are still failed creations of a Small World, they are much tougher than you would expect." The Azure Dragon narrowed his eyes. It was unlikely that it would completely shatter, but it might turn out uninhabitable after Aiko was finished. The Dragon sighed gently. "I can feel multiple presences approaching this place; you know what to do." The Beasts narrowed their eyes. History was being written in front of them, so it was only natural that they would not allow the stinking Humans to approach it. ... The first Human Cultivator approached. His Cultivation stage was so great it could not be suppressed by this meager place and was thus displaying quite vigorous energy. Before the Cultivator could approach the one that was Evolving, he was stopped by a freaking Dragon! The Cultivator couldn''t utter a word before the Dragon''s Divine Sense smashed into him. The Cultivator had to put his all into defending, otherwise, he would be immediately crippled! More and more Cultivators came into this Secret Realm and they were pretty much swarming towards the Evolution point. "Well, help me out, you bastard!" The Azure Dragon roared. The Cultivators could not damage him, but they could restrain him with their treasured ropes. The Three-Legged Crow blinked innocently. "You got weaker, huh..." It waved its wing and they instantly vaporised a group of Cultivators... along with 10% of the Secret Realm. The Black Tortoise pulled out a strange plank and surfed the waves he was creating. His waves swallowed many unprepared Cultivators and flooded the fires, alongside another 15% of the Secret Realm. The White Tiger roared as lightning tornadoes formed around the Secret Realm. They were charged and dangerous and were freely running around. Whenever they met with the Crow''s fire, it would join these dangerous twisters and set them ablaze. And when they met with the Tortoise'' left behind water, they would turn the body of water into a electrically charged whirlpool of death, Death as good as guaranteed for any that fell into it. He was able to demolish another 25% of the Secret Realm, since his Metal Element was also wreaking havoc all around. Mei was sipping her tea as she looked outside. The disasters were spreading, but thanks to the Azure Dragon, they were all safe and sound. The Immortals charged forward like they lost their mind, while the Beasts had a field walk. They were able to soothe their feelings about being defeated in the Immortal World and sealed into the Mortal World. The Azure Dragon was observing their rampage and decided to hide inside his shield while also strengthening it. This would allow him to keep everyone safe, while also executing his mission to get out of this place. ----- The Beasts were completely wreaking havoc as one Fox was carelessly enjoying her time. Aiko looked around. She was Evolving, but she was still conscious. It was a truly strange feeling as she could feel those different Energies mixing inside her. She was a bit grumpy that she couldn''t control those energies, but it couldn''t be helped; she was not as powerful as those 4 Beasts. The energies didn''t hurt her, so Aiko was not worried. She could feel her body slowly transforming, but it would seem like it would take a lot of time... Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Aiko noticed her Beast Cores were also being tempered and remembered this feeling. ''Maybe I would be able to temper my Beast Cores further later?'' Aiko tilted her head. It would be unlikely that she would find so much energy to temper them. Aiko didn''t find this feeling unpleasant, but it was quite draining. Thanks to the abundance of energy, Aiko could feel her strength rising in real-time. ''Evolutions are great, but the consequences...'' Aiko shook her head. Evolutions were usually not accompanied by lightning, but an intense drain on the Beast''s resources and energies. Aiko had the whole package, which made her upset. She would definitely shaft the one that was behind this! The energies kept rushing into her body and Aiko could just lazily lie around... ----- The Beasts were starting to get concerned, since they never expected that so many Mahayana Cultivators would come. There were so many of them that it broke Mei''s heart. ''So many resources wasted.'' She clicked her tongue. She was not worried about her safety since they had a freaking Dragon on their side, but it still pained her heart, to see so many delicious Souls being wasted so quickly. ''I wonder who sent them...'' Mei narrowed her eyes. This Mortal World would not be able to hold so many Mahayana Cultivators, so it was obvious that they had to come from somewhere else. They were not Devil Cultivators, nor Demon Cultivators, so they couldn''t come from there. They also weren''t Hell Cultivators, so that was one more faction out of the equation. The only people left would be hidden masters, which was unlikely and the Immortal World or Fiendish Sect, but if the Fiendish Sect had so many powerful Cultivators this whole world would be already turned upside down... Immortal World Cultivators were now the most likely culprit, but it still shocked Mei. Why? Because Immortals can''t easily descend into the Mortal World. They would be restricted to the Peak of Mahayana Cultivation and as such would be vulnerable to outside sources. None of the Immortals that she knew would be willing to do that. That left banishment for crimes or abolishment of their Immortal Cultivation. The former would be unlikely, since there was a special World for that. The latter was also unlikely, since no Cultivator that reached the Immortal World would be willing to lose his Cultivation just so they could descend. This whole thing was bizarre. Mei would understand if they sent only a few Immortal Cultivators, since they could use the Heavenly Descension Stones, or whatever they were called. They would conceal you from the Heavenly Laws of Mortal Worlds and you would be able to freely come and go. However, those stones were too precious and few in number to be used like this. Mei sighed. She was tired from all of this thinking. She would have to Cultivate soon, so that she could recover her brain power... ... The Beast kept fighting for a year, when the numbers finally started thinning. "I''m sooo tired!" The Black Tortoise no longer used his plank for fun, but as a raft to keep him afloat, so that he could bask in the black clouds... Yeah, he couldn''t even catch bronze from the sun, since a certain Fox covered almost the entire Secret Realm! He was so upset that he wanted to blast those clouds away, but he was unable to... The pressure from those clouds was no joke and the only thing that protected them from being squeezed dry was the barrier that the Azure Dragon formed. They had to be careful not to accidentally break it otherwise they would die! ... After 2 years from the start of Evolution, no more former Immortal Cultivators came to this place. It seemed like they either ran out of people or gave up. This was good news for the Beasts since they were completely drained. "I will sleep for hundreds of years..." The Black Tortoise complained and the other Beasts nodded with him. The Azure Dragon chuckled. He was weaker than ever. "You can''t rest. It''s time for you to maintain this barrier." He chuckled with glee. His time was upon him, so it was time to leave. "Damn you! Couldn''t you live a bit longer!" The Three-Legged Crow complained. He was horrible at creating and maintaining barriers. He was not like the Dragons who had to keep constant barriers around the Immortal World, so that it wouldn''t flood within moments! "Good luck." The Azure Dragon chuckled. "Are you leaving?" Mei asked gently. "If everything goes well, we will reunite soon, Mei." The Azure Dragon chuckled again. "Should we look for your egg, so that we can get you out of this place?" Mei sighed. She believed that he was too carefree for the fact that he was about to die of old age... "It shouldn''t matter in theory, but if something goes wrong, please do." The Azure Dragon chuckled before he breathed out for the last time. Aiko''s Evolution took too long, so he was unable to completely finish his plan and would have to hope that everything would turn out okay. ----- *Shatter* "WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE RAN OUT OF IMMORTALS?!" The handsome man was no longer handsome, but a distorted old geezer. "We sent all the Immortals from that Mortal World there, but none returned." The masked individual sighed carelessly. "No more Immortals?" It felt like the handsome man had lost all his hair and sanity too! "No more Immortals." The masked individual shook his head. The ''handsome'' man collapsed into his chair. "What am I going to do now...?" "You will sleep, brother." The masked individual said softly and the ''handsome'' man turned towards him. His sanity was clouded, but he still understood those words. Unfortunately, he was too late and the dagger was already piercing his heart. "Why?" The ''handsome'' man could not understand why he was being treated like this. The masked individual shook his head. "If you still don''t understand what you did wrong, then you didn''t deserve to be the head in the first place." He said as he took his mask down. "Brother?" The ''handsome'' man was completely confused. This was not his masked brother, but a beautiful lady? Who is this?! "You are even more hopeless than I thought..." A soft voice spread throughout the room. "It''s time to give up, brother. It''s time to let go." She twisted the knife, shredding both his heart and releasing the powerful poison within the dagger, and watched as her brother''s body dissolved completely. "IF you can''t even understand something as simple as who I am, then you never deserved her ''hand'' in the first place." She shook her head. "Now... how am I supposed to greet my spouse?" She didn''t think that her brother was THIS incompetent! Chapter 335 – Mei tests others It''s already been 2 years since Aiko started to Evolve. It was an absurdly long time, but the reserves of the Spirit Stones and other rare materials were enough to keep her in check. Mei was quite upset that Aiko had disappeared for such a long time, that she had started cultivating out of spite! ''I will spank you later for leaving me alone!'' Mei glared towards the mountains, but she was not as upset as she thought. She believed that Aiko was trying her best to get stronger and more powerful, so she shouldn''t be too upset about it. Mei was now on the border of Foundation Establishment, but she would be unable to progress for the time being. The Qi inside her body had to settle down and get used to her body. She had more than twice the amount of stored Qi inside her body than she had before! It was such a baffling amount that Mei believed that Aiko cheated! ''No, she did cheat.'' Mei snorted. She didn''t believe for a moment that there was another Fox in Human Form that could surpass her! ''I can compare it to the Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Realm, when it comes to Qi.'' Mei clicked her tongue at that insane amount. ''Not to mention my body is also comparable to that same stage, so I pretty much can go against the Peak Stage Foundation Establishment Realm without any issue!'' Mei marvelled at that. ''Let''s do something about Feifei, so we can surprise Aiko and punish her later.'' Mei dangerously narrowed her eyes. She went outside to find Feifei. The Dragon went out cold, so she felt quite alone, but Feifei would be able to fill that hole until Aiko returned. Feifei was dragged into Mei''s place with a red face. She didn''t know what Mei wanted, but this forceful approach excited her. "W-what can I do for you?" Feifei stuttered since Mei was way too beautiful! "I will help you control your Bloodlines, so you can appear as a complete Human and transform when you are in danger." Mei said as she narrowed her eyes. "Your Bloodline is powerful, so it might be possible to turn into a full-fledged Dragon later, but you will always be a step away from Dragons, since you won''t have their Divine Sense." Mei sighed. "But just being able to manifest a Dragons'' power inside your Human body will be a good thing for you. Most Dragons like anyone who can assume their form, especially if they have the energy to match!" She proclaimed excitedly. Feifei pouted, feeling like she was betrayed. ''Am I not beautiful enough?'' She shook her head. "You don''t want to?" Mei tilted her head. "Nono, I do want to!" Feifei spoke from her panicked state of mind and immediately nodded to reassure Mei. "Okay." Mei narrowed her eyes. "If you don''t want to do this, we don''t have to." She learned to be more gentle to others, which didn''t help Feifei''s case. "O-okay!" She was blushing like a young girl during spring. "Let''s start the training then." Mei licked her lips and Feifei shuddered. ... Mei smacked her lips as Feifei lay on the ground, completely exhausted. "This turned out quite well. I should do the same with others, but..." Mei narrowed her eyes. Aiko''s things were much better than what she had... ''No, should they get it later once they have Human Form?'' Mei tilted her head. She got a never-heard-before Manual, so it might be better to wait for them to reach the Human Stage! ''I already know that I can use this in Kitsune Form, even if I never became a full-fledged Kitsune.'' Mei narrowed her eyes. This Technique was so profound that she worried she might overthrow the Dao! ''Yeah, let''s do it like that.'' Mei hummed and went for the twins next. ... You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. "Am I interrupting something?" Mei smiled gently, but playfully. She caught the Twins in the act and watched until they finished. They both were blushing red and could not meet Mei''s curious eyes. "Once you calm down, show me your Divine Sense." Mei said slowly. "It''s time for you to train in Beast Techniques." She proclaimed. The duo kept blushing for some time, until they finally calmed down. "Alright." Yuxi sighed, while gently glaring at Mei. Did she have to interrupt them like that?! She didn''t have her fill yet! She demonstrated the strength and capacity of her Divine Sense. "Now pierce this apple and bring it back." Mei used her Human Cultivation to throw that apple far away. Yuxi panicked and spread her Divine Sense to skewer the apple. It was quite a messy hole, but it was passable since she was able to bring it back in ''one'' piece. "You barely pass." Mei nodded. "I will instruct you later on how things work. Wanshu is next." Mei threw another apple, but the same thing happened. "???" Mei was completely confused. ''True twins never existed since there would always be minute differences, what the hell did Aiko create?!'' Mei shuddered at their possible talent and terrifying cooperation. ''Maybe I should teach them Dual Techniques...'' Mei narrowed her eyes. Things like the Twin Dancing Blade, or Ascending Sparrows. This was a lot more interesting than she expected. "I will think about this a bit more, since your situation is unique." Mei said seriously. "Is it?" Yuxi asked gently. She didn''t believe that she was all that special... "Believe me, you will dominate the tournament thanks to you two cooperating." Mei chuckled darkly. "Even the newly Evolved Aiko might have problems..." Mei narrowed her eyes and licked her lips. If she was able to bring the Twins to her side, punishing Aiko would be a simple matter. Mei left the Twins to their own little games and went after the Blood Fox. ... "You are still grooming your tails?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "Are you still trying to woo Aiko?" "Yes, but it''s less of a wooing and more of a begging." The Blood Fox sighed. "Aiko is quite petty when it comes to certain things." She warned Mei. Mei snorted. "I get it, but you are too weak right now, so I will help you get more tails." "Why would you do that?" The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. She was quite on guard against Mei, since her feelings towards Aiko were conflicting and complex. "Because at this pace you will either die or be contracted." Mei clicked her tongue. "I don''t want Aiko to experience anything remotely as bad as what happened to me." She narrowed her eyes. "Oh..." The Blood Fox was still wary, but she still welcoming to the advances. "And you don''t have to worry about your current body." Mei sighed. "You will get a complete makeover once Aiko gives you Vitality." She clicked her tongue at that insane drop of Vitality. If Aiko did the same for the Blood Fox, then that would be great! "You look good, Mei." The Blood Fox gently said. "Thank you?" Mei was confused, since the Blood Fox was never this gentle. "You have changed." The Blood Fox said with some puzzlement in her voice. "I should be the one saying that. What happened to your prickly nature?" Mei chuckled. "It''s still there, but you are too weak to do anything against it." The Blood Fox was against bullying the weak, so she would restrain herself for the time being. "I also never expected you to spend 2 years on Feifei, just to help her improve." The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. "That is only natural, since she is now part of the team and Aiko likes her." Mei sighed. "You don''t mind that Aiko is creating her own little Harem?" The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. "She can dream about it." Mei chuckled. "But in the end, it will be me who decides if she gets to keep it." She crossed her arms. The Blood Fox shook her head. "You won''t be able to keep Aiko in one place." She warned Mei. "You think I can''t handle her?" Mei raised her eyebrow. "I think you are underestimating her." The Blood Fox said gently. "Not to mention, you are not ready yet, right?" She smiled innocently. Mei''s face twitched. This was exactly why she didn''t like the Blood Fox. She was too smart and could see through her emotions. "Nothing stops me from starting it." Mei said carelessly, since she didn''t want to lose against the Blood Fox. "That may be so." The Blood Fox said, but then changed the topic. "Why did you come to visit me?" It felt like she was the only one not affected by Mei''s beauty. "To test your Divine Sense so I can see if you should learn Beast Techniques or not." Mei shrugged and pulled out an apple. Before she could even throw it, the apple floated into the air. It was peeled and cut. The seeds were removed from the core and the rest of it was placed on a wooden plate. "Don''t waste food. It''s enough that Aiko and you eat so much." The Blood Fox sighed like this was a big deal. Mei''s eyes widened. "I never knew you were so skilled in controlling Divine Sense." She thought that she was the best, but that have changed at some point. "I''m not that skilled." The Blood Fox confessed. Mei''s lips twitched. She wanted to smack the Blood Fox''s ass for this comment. "You can''t do anything to me, you are too weak." The Blood Fox chuckled like a Fox. Mei''s body twitched. "That''s like the pot calling the kettle black." She glared at the Blood Fox. "That might be the case. So, what are you waiting for?" The Blood Fox asked. "You have passed, but I don''t really have Techniques specific for Demonic Foxes, since there are not that many in the Immortal World." Mei frowned. "That is fine. I believe that Aiko can find something for me, or I might also be lucky" The Blood Fox smiled lightly. "Is that so... Don''t you think you have a bit too much faith in Aiko?" Mei asked her with a puzzled expression. "I like the system. So I believe that Aiko would be able to do something as ridiculous as that, again." The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. "If that''s all, then please leave. I need to comb my tails so that Aiko doesn''t give me another lecture when she gets back. I can''t bear her petty side." She shook her head. Mei''s lips twitched. She was being kicked out instead of leaving on her note. This upset her a bit, but she was not strong enough compared to the Blood Fox, so she could only concede for the time being... Chapter 336 – What it Means to Evolve in Style The Elements whirled around Aiko who was watching them carefully. "I''m boooooored." Aiko whined as it had been a long time since she was able to leave this place. "How much longer will it take?!" She yelled, but no one answered. Aiko pouted at no one in particular. ''What am I going to do now...?'' She suddenly felt sleepy. ----- "What in the Hell is that Fox doing?!" The Black Tortoise was shocked when the depletion of Qi intensified. "Do we have to dump our Trea- What are you doing?!" The Black Tortoise grieved at the fact that he would have to sacrifice the loot from the Immortals, but his ''colleagues'' were already at it. "What do you think?" The Three-Legged Crow retorted. "It''s not like we can use the Spirit Crystals as we are now and most Treasures are useless for us." He snorted disdainfully at him as he dumped the Treasures outside. "You too?!" The Black Tortoise was shocked when he saw the White Tiger dump his loot too. "I want to live..." The White Tiger said with a tired expression. That little Fox was creating way too much ruckus, which cost them dearly! "You spineless-! Ugh! Fine! Have it your way!" He dumped the Treasures that he cautiously stored outside the barrier that they were trying to maintain. "And You will go too!" The Black Tortoise was angry at the Azure Dragon for the fact that he abandoned them. He took the Dragon''s corpse and threw it outside. It didn''t go all that far, but it immediately shrunk like someone was trying to use a straw on it. However, that was a mistake. The drop in Qi intensified even more and all Beast cursed, while a certain Beast sweated. Mei was watching them closely while giggling. It''s been a while since they struggled so much, so she was quite happy about this situation~! "Work harder!" Mei cheered them on. "Be quiet!" Even the Black Tortoise was not in the mood to be messed with. Mei laughed before going inside again. It seemed like Aiko was in the final stage of her Evolution and she would definitely go out with a bang! However, Mei didn''t want to be part of it, so while she was weak, she was still able to create a basic soundproofing Array that would be able to lessen the sounds. With this, she would be able to sleep peacefully and wait for Aiko to return! ----- The Elements entered the body of the unconscious Fox. Some stayed as is, while others transformed. From Earth Affinity to Mountain Affinity. From Water Affinity to Ocean Affinity. Some even combined and melded together into Cold Ocean Affinity and Windy Mountain Affinity! There were so many Elements changing forms and adjusting their states that it created a mesmerising view. A large Mountain with Winds appeared above Aiko''s body. They were surrounded by a Cold Ocean which was being burnt by the relentless Sun. Vibrant Forests were trying to take root around the Mountains, but they were ruthlessly destroyed by Lightning and Poisons. Only the strongest Metals were unaffected in this scenery, as the Moon watched silently over them. The images were getting sharper and sharper, and more and more Elements joined the party, as everyone liked to party. One could no longer see a small Fox in all that ruckus. There were just Elements with something in the middle. Aiko''s Beast Core was greedily consuming everything in its path. It didn''t matter if it was pure or impure. The quiet [Mellow Azure Flame] would burn everything that was not fit for the body, right after the [Ancient Black Water] would wash it properly. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. There was something else inside, but it didn''t contribute as much. Water and Fire, lived in harmony. Neither of them tried to swallow the other, there was a silent consensus that it mustn''t happen. Unfortunately, because of the might of these two forces, the other Spirits didn''t survive, but they did nourish the two, making them Stage 5 Elements. They were still far away from Rankings, but even if they can''t make it into them just yet, they were still powerful beyond belief. Soon, the mountain where Aiko resided collapsed. No, it was burned into fuel in order to fuel Aiko''s Evolution. The Clouds above had to retreat or Aiko would swallow them too. This was not Immortal Transformation, nor Human Metamorphosis. It could not meddle needlessly, since this Mortal World was also locked tightly. It could only watch as another Disaster was being born and it could only pray that this being would consume itself during this process. Unfortunately, against its wishes, that would not happen, as a few meddlesome Foxes and Beasts kept pouring resources outside the barrier to fuel this Disaster. The Heavenly Dao was angry, but could not do anything until it would undergo the Human Metamorphosis. Soon the resources were depleted and Aiko was searching for more origins. Rivers dried up as the Forest collapsed from the sheer pressure that Aiko exuded. The plains withered as they could not hold a candle against the burning Sun. The whole Secret Realm quivered under the might of this Transformation and creaked from its pressure. ----- "Are you sure that the Secret Realm won''t collapse?!" The Black Tortoise panicked as basic laws were completely turned upside down. The Sky was no longer blue, but it had cracks, like someone was trying to shatter it. The Earth turned into sand as it was completely sucked dry of Qi. There were no more plants or rivers in this part of the Secret Realm, but the cracks followed all around. The other Beasts did not speak. They were not sure themselves that this small ''world'' would survive this might. Maybe if the Immortal stored some previous materials, it would be able to offset Aiko''s plundering... ----- The Sky almost shattered, but then something magical happened. The Disaster Clouds slowly dispersed, being replaced by Heavenly Clouds. It was quite the sight as they were gentler, but it didn''t stop there. Soon, Heavenly Clouds were replaced by Prosperity Clouds. They had gentle colours and everyone who looked at them felt enlightened. Yet it still didn''t stop there. The Prosperity Clouds slowly turned into Auspicious Clouds. Anyone who would look at them would be in a daze, not only from their beauty, but the profound knowledge and secrets they held. They circled around the whole Secret Realm, stunning everyone, especially the Beasts. Roars sounded on the horizon as Dragons, Phoenixes, Qilin and other Mythical Beasts trod upon those Clouds. The Beast no longer held their heads high, this was the birth of a Legend that no one saw for millions of years. The last time something like this happened was when a certain race bore a child. The Heavens were overturned and Hell was emptied. Wars were waged for the child, who was not even aware of itself... ----- "HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH!" One Shadowy individual laughed at another. "I told you she is our little Princess! HAHAHAHHAHAHA!" "Shut up!" The female Shadowy individual punched the other Shadowy Individual. "I can''t believe that I guessed incorrectly!" She stomped unhappily. The Shadowy individual chuckled. "She is quite different after all, maybe she finally matured?" He stroked his short beard. "Keep dreaming. At best, she would become more mature AND mischievous!" She giggled. "Eh, fair." He shrugged while they watched over the Shadow Mirror. "Wait... who is going to assume THAT role...?" The Shadowy figure narrowed his eyes. They looked at each other and both dashed in a certain direction... ----- The Auspicious Clouds slowly dispersed as they blessed everyone inside the Secret Realm. Those that quit early would definitely throw away their Cultivation, since these kinds of Clouds never appeared in such a tiny World... The only one undisturbed was a certain sleeping Fox. She lazily lay on her huge soft colourful tails as her body squirmed gently. Her soft colourful tails slowly turned black, shielding her body from any privy eyes. It felt like they had minds of their own as they made clicking sounds at each other... Aiko squirmed awake from her daze, but she soon went back to sleep. She was really exhausted. The tails exchanged looks and guarded the sleeping beauty... ----- Somewhere in the Immortal World, both Huge Families and Beast Clans shivered. They felt the presence of that small World, but none would be able to enter it. Certain individuals in the colourful Golden Palace frowned. He needed to do something about this, or his rule would be overthrown. Yet that bastard from that small Sect could not secure the ''Sage Fox'' nor the Serpent. It even failed to secure the Phoenix! The Emperor was furious, but damage was already done. 10% of their force was wiped in this brainless endeavour and what was left were Immortals that could not enter that tiny World as long as the Moon was watching over it. What was even worse, was the fact that the Moon ''cleaned'' her place. So he no longer held any ears inside. Her husband was likewise furious, but his fury was not directed at the Moon, but at the Golden Palace, at the Emperor who caused all of this. The Emperor was indignant. How could they do something like that to him?! Those spineless bastards that always hid behind him! The only one useful and easily manipulated was Buddha, just by giving him an incomplete prophecy, he went around wiping out Sons and Daughters of the Heavens. Thanks to that, the Golden Palace was able to strengthen itself greatly, but that also didn''t last long. The Buddha caught on to the strange movement and shut himself in his Grand Temple. He no longer went outside slaughtering others. The Emperor was completely livid. The last place where his plans are still working correctly was the Devil Place and a few Immortal Places. The Hell was still incomplete, so he couldn''t control it correctly, while other places already rejected his influence. The good thing was the fact that Human School joined hands with him and ancient races were likewise thinking about it. If he secured all of them, he would be unstoppable! Chapter 337 – Awake and Reformed! Aiko yawned sleepily. She was having such a nice dream, yet it was interrupted by something! Aiko looked around. She was in a cocoon of her own tails and with her, there were many tiny eyes quietly watching her. Aiko rubbed her eyes and looked again. There was no way that something could enter this place! However, no matter how much she rubbed, the tiny creature in front of her was still there! It was a tiny and cute jumping spider with huge eyes! How did she know what that was? [Beast Familiar: [Divine Fate Weaving Jumping Spider (Magical Beast)]] That was not all, everything changed, not just with her body, but her surroundings too! She could feel energies drifting around her. Small lights were drifting past her. It was a magical, yet surreal feeling... Aiko checked her body and she found it to her liking... mostly. She was currently around 155-160 cm tall. Her hair was completely jet black and to her knees, but there was a strange, sinister hue coming from it. She could hear voices whispering when she was in dark places. She pulled out a small mirror to check the rest of her body. Her face was picturesque. It could not yet compare to Mei''s Human Form, but it was close enough. Her eyes were burning with mischievous passion as her eyes slowly changed colours depending on her mood. Her eyebrows were thin like the sharpest swords, yet they had this mischievous sensual nature, pulling anyone to look at her longer. Furthermore, her nose was tiny and slightly pointy. Her mouth was likewise small, but her lips were a shade of red. The one that would be able to sway anyone who observed them. As for her actual face, it had similar ''tattoos'' that the Twins had, but her tattoos gave her an incredibly seductive air, like it was telling everyone: Come here~. It was closer to makeup than a tattoo. Her neck was slimmer than most. It added to the allure greatly, stroking the desire for protection. Her Tails were right now not tails, but the [Little Nightmares]. She could see that those Tails were not finished yet, so she would have to take her time with them. Her ears were way too big, compared to her face, which only highlighted her more. They were black and fluffy, but the insides were made out of white for some reason. She expected them to be made out of pink or something else, but for some reason, they exuded cute and pure vibes, which did not suit Aiko''s body. Speaking of her body. "Damn, I''m hot." Her body was now the perfection of the hourglass figure. The proportions were perfect and her current size was at D. She liked the fact that they didn''t sway all that much, unlike the Dew Form. They were perky with- ''Silk?'' Aiko tilted her head. As she was basking in her own body, she noticed that she was wrapped in spider silk. She counted her Storage Rings and only a few were left! All of them with the spider silk were gone! ''Noooooooooooooooooo!'' Aiko cried out in her mind and she felt something on her back. She turned around to see the small jumping spider wrapping her in silk. The small jumping spider noticed her and waved one of her front legs, whilst blinking happily. It took Aiko some time to get used to her companion. She gently petted him and he melted under her hands. Coming back to her body. She had that belly with a nice line and not-so-sunken belly button. It was much more sunken previously, but now it wasn''t. Her hips were wide, begging for a wrap, while her cheeks were round and smackable. In terms of size, they were on the smaller side, but that was fine with Aiko since she would like to sneak around more later. Like the rest of her body, her legs were made of the finest Jade. They were long and thin, overall, Aiko was very thin, which just gave her an innocent aura, but her face was telling a different story. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. She could finally move her toes individually, which she previously could only in her Dew Form. It might''ve been because the Transformation Technique was incomplete, but it felt much more complete right now. Her toes were small and cute. Her nails were black, but she would definitely want to paint them differently as they gave her a different air. Likewise, her arms were slimmer than most, and her even slimmer fingers tempted others to hold them and warm them up. Aiko was very satisfied with these fingers, since she needed something like this for her Inscriptions and Alchemy. Her short and not-so-slim fingers in her Dew Form got in the way... The tiny spider finished wrapping Aiko in spider silk. Aiko noticed that this spider silk was not the one from her Storage Ring, since it was much more luxurious. The small jumping spider spat more Silk and used it as provisional clothing for Aiko, so that she would not be naked. Aiko giggled as she rolled around to pat the tiny jumping spider. Since she was now clothed, she wondered what her real Tails would look like. She recalled the [Little Nightmares] to see her true tails. And as expected, they were as glamorous as she expected. Excluding the size which could easily wrap Aiko a few times and then some. They were incredibly bushy and soft, so soft that they could compare to that spider silk she stored in her Storage Rings. Aiko narrowed her eyes. ''Maybe it mixed with my tails to make them like this?'' It was a plausible assumption. Aiko also felt much better when it came to her mind. She had never noticed until now, but her mind was quite hazy and it was hard to do overly complicated things, but now she felt liberated, like the previous time was just a dream! ''I can definitely work with this.'' Aiko smirked mischievously. "I wonder what I should do with Mei when I meet her~" Aiko giggled. She was unaware of how much time passed... But while Aiko was doing that there was an idea. "I got the Spiritual Treasures." Aiko smirked. She first called out a small Ancient Spiritual Water. It was just a tiny blob of water that was floating on her palm, but Aiko felt intimate with it and could gauge its properties. ''What an incredible little thing.'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. ''I will definitely feed you the [Heavenly Blessed Light-Water].'' She smirked. This little water was able to obtain the properties of other waters, but it was still too weak to take over other Spiritual Treasures. ''I will feed you nicely, so that you can grow big and strong~'' Aiko took Mei''s words to heart and she would do everything in her power to raise everyone well! She might indulge in things a bit, but that was only natural~! The next one, she called the Spiritual Flame, the [Mellow Azure Spiritual Flame]! "..." Aiko blinked a few times. "..." The Spiritual Flame expressionlessly stared at Aiko. "Grandpa?" Aiko tilted her head. The Spiritual Flame choked. "H-hello, not-so-little Fox." Aiko blinked a few times. It felt like she didn''t register his words. "HUH?!" Aiko recoiled. "What happened to you, Grandpa?!" "Some bastard threw my body outside the barrier when I was trying to finish my plans." The Little Flame clicked its tongue. "... Are you alright?" Aiko asked, concerned. She didn''t care that her Grandpa was her Spiritual Flame, since she would be able to keep him that way! "I''m doing great. A bit weak, but I should be able to manifest my real body if you feed me well." The former Azure Dragon said. Aiko nodded gently. "I will naturally feed you well~!" She beat her chest which swayed nicely. The Spiritual Flame coughed up Essence (''Blood''). He didn''t expect such a destructive power from the newly Evolved not-so-little Fox. "Are you alright, Grandpa?!" Aiko was startled. "You have matured well." The Grandpa held his ''bleeding'' nose as he gave a thumbs up. "Hehe~ What a pervert~" Aiko smiled mischievously as she hugged the tiny flame with the face of the Azure Dragon into her boobs. It took a bit for the Spiritual Flame to realise what just happened and he immediately erupted in flames before waning away... "Oh... he passed out." Aiko giggled and stored him back into her body. She did the same with the Spiritual Water. ''This is so convenient. It doesn''t take any space or anything and I can take it with me~!'' Aiko smiled happily Unlike other Spiritual Treasures (Elemental Spirits) which were mostly tied to the body. Aiko''s Spiritual Treasures were tied to the Souls. Even if someone possessed her body, they would not be able to make use of it as the most important things would leave with Aiko''s Soul! "And here I wanted to start making the Cauldron..." Aiko sighed, maybe she shouldn''t have teased him so much, but he was being so cute that she couldn''t help herself! "Now I can''t make it until he wakes up." Aiko pouted. She still had that kind of personality, but now since she was in THAT kind of body. It had a completely different devastating effect! "I really want to stretch, but I should visit Mei first..." Aiko pouted as she kicked her legs. "Hm? What is that?" There was some kind of paper on the ground and next to it were even more papers. A certain Travelling Merchant''s note: Aiko was unable to read it, but she felt like this person was sincere. He also prepared some kind of cake for her with numerous meaty snacks. "When did I scare a merchant?" Aiko tilted her head. She was unaware of when something like that happened. Aiko placed it away and picked up another note. "Oh, this smells like Luna." She narrowed her eyes. "But this feels a bit too holy for my current personality." She tapped her fingers on her juicy thigh. "I will stash it away for the time being, since I feel like I would just make fun of it..." Aiko sighed. She would definitely read it later! She then picked up what looked like books. ''How to take care of your Fluff.'' ''How to take care of your family''s Fluff.'' And so on. Aiko was speechless at how many volumes and different genres this had. It went from simple fluff care to straight-up Kama Sutra! "Hehe~" Aiko grinned like a pervert. "Thank you, Luna~!" She would absolutely make good use of this. "There was also a bag with something nice smelling inside, but my instincts tell me that I shouldn''t take it right now!" Aiko nodded seriously. The last thing that she wanted to try before she went after Mei was the cake and meat from the mysterious merchant. Aiko licked her lips as she tasted the cake first. "Not bad." Aiko liked fruit-based cakes the most. Then she tested the meat... "It''s not quite on par with the system meat, but it''s still delicious!" Aiko was grateful to that mysterious merchant for such a gift~! Chapter 338 – Kiss as punishment Aiko stretched lazily after having her fill of good food. She happily licked her lips as she slowly stood up. Her motion was certainly alluring, one might even think that she was doing it on purpose. "Time to visit Mei~" Aiko hummed happily before checking her surroundings. "I don''t remember being in a desert...?" Aiko was unsure since it felt like it was quite a long time since she started this Evolution. Aiko chuckled before looking around. The dilapidated forest was her goal since that''s where the Dragon resided. She hummed happily as she walked through the desert. Aiko felt at home here and she didn''t really want to leave this place, but visiting Mei was important. She could always come back here later~! Aiko passed the desert and into the forest. ''Ah right, clothes.'' She loved the feeling of sand on her feet so much that she forgot about everything. Aiko dressed up for this occasion and even wore proper shoes. They were quite strange, since they highlighted her ankles, but Aiko would not complain since those were prepared by the Blood Fox. Aiko hummed happily as she sped up through the forest. Once she arrived at the camp she was concerned. ''Everyone looks exhausted...'' Aiko clicked her tongue gently. She was unhappy that they were not resting properly. ''Let''s just put them to sleep...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. She believed that she would be able to do it at her current strength. Darkness spread through her, but it didn''t feel sinister or ominous. It felt gentle and warm for some reason, which was a shocking difference. As it touched the tired team, they slowly drifted to sleep. Aiko then turned around. The Beasts were likewise resting and Aiko instinctively pulled out a flag. ''Not today.'' Aiko shook her head. She would definitely get even with that turtle, but if she did it right now, everyone would wake up! That would certainly mess up Aiko''s plans. Aiko licked her lips as she went to Mei''s place. She narrowed her eyes as she noticed the Array around her temporary home. ''It reads something like: quietening?'' Aiko tilted her head. There were no alarms or anything, just a few Runes for pseudo barriers that were written differently than what you would do with Inscriptions and a strange main Rune that Aiko had never seen before! ''Why does it read ''eye''?'' Aiko was confused, but she didn''t want to stop there! Her main goal was Mei~! She slowly walked inside, looking around. Mei had more things and Herbs than Aiko could remember. She gently walked around to check them out. ''That''s a dildo.'' Aiko blinked a few times. It seems like Mei was either frustrated or she had a strange hobby! ''No wonder she kept the Ring with those toys.'' Aiko shook her head. She would make so much trouble with Mei if she still had those! Aiko gently giggled. She will have so much fun later on~. She then noticed Mei. Not only did she have her own overly large bed, but the Spirit Crystals were used as padding with heating properties! ''Mei learned well.'' Aiko nodded her head. Aiko sneaked into Mei''s bed and stared at her gently. She would not wake up Mei for the time being, but she would definitely tease her once she woke up! Aiko waited and waited. She was looking forward to when Mei finally woke up... ... Mei murmured from her sleep and stretched her body. ''Those balls look heavy, I should help Mei hold them later~'' Aiko smirked. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "Are you awake~?" Aiko gently hummed as she caressed Mei''s outer side of her thigh. Mei''s eyes shot open as she pushed Aiko off the bed. Aiko was in a good mood so she didn''t defend, that was until she banged her head on the floor. She clutched her head, since she didn''t expect that impact and cried out, "Why?!" at Mei. Mei was shocked. "Aiko?" She did remember that voice, but this beauty surely can''t be Aiko! She didn''t have any strange Bloodlines other than the Dew one! "Alright! That''s it! Let''s skip the greeting and go for punishment!" Aiko pouted as her tails changed. The [Little Nightmares] wrapped around Mei''s body, so that she couldn''t run away. Aiko immediately popped her head on those soft, cumbersome pillows and sighed happily. Mei had her body tied on the bed by the [Little Nightmares] and Aiko was on top of her happily nuzzling her boobs. "Aiko?!" Mei was shocked. ''Since when did she grow so mischievous and what are these things?! They feel familiar to the one Yuxi and Wanshu have, but different at the same time.'' Aiko moved her face close to Mei. "It''s punishment time~!" Aiko hummed as Mei avoided her kiss. Aiko pouted, but since Mei was stubborn she would go for the best second place on Mei''s body. She nuzzled Mei''s neck as she gently licked it. Mei''s body squirmed and Aiko for some reason loved that reaction. Aiko moved to gently nibble her neck and suck on it. She shifted her own body, so that she had better access to it. Mei''s body squirmed even more as one of her legs raised her knee ever so slightly higher. Aiko grasped Mei''s knee and gently traced it back to her thigh and then to her hip. Aiko found some kind of cumbersome string in the way so she pulled on it gently. At this moment Mei snapped out of it and headbutted Aiko. Aiko winced back with another. "Why?!" She was holding her forehead gently, like she was wronged. "Don''t give me why!" Mei for some reason was furious. "Who greets someone like that after such a long time?!" She was really furious. "What!?" Aiko glared back. She would have none of that! "At most, it''s been a few month- Auauau!" "Few months?!" Mei glared back "As if! It''s already been years!" Aiko had question marks above her head as Mei was trying to pull her cheeks. "Years? No way!" Aiko retorted. "Sit down!" Mei huffed angrily. Aiko sat down where Mei pointed, still having question marks above her head. "It''s been 7 years since you left!" Mei said it like a fact and scolded Aiko. "Hmpf! Lies!" Aiko pouted and looked away. She was not as obedient in this form. "Not only was it 7 years, but you have completely changed!" Mei proclaimed unhappily. "Who told you to become so beautiful?!" "Your dreams~" Aiko hummed gently. Mei blushed, but then she pinched Aiko''s cheek again. "Who told you to be cheeky?!" "You, darling~" Aiko hummed. "Your body heats up and your cheeks flush when I do this, so I will keep doing it!" Aiko proclaimed happily. "You cheeky-" Mei couldn''t figure out how to scold her, since Aiko was really to her liking. Even that size was not apprehensive for her! ''She is small and... well no longer cute.'' Mei blushed gently. ''Her ears are amazing...'' "Want to touch them?" Aiko''s ears twitched and Mei''s eyes followed their path. "No." Mei said that, but her hands were already glued to them. "Who would want to touch them? They are so sof-" *Cough* "I mean so big and cumbersome." Mei coughed awkwardly as she had her hands full of Aiko''s ears. Aiko squirmed gently, the soft feeling was spreading through her body and she really wanted to touch Mei. She ''squirmed'' her body closer to Mei, who was completely oblivious to this, since she was too engrossed with Aiko''s ears. Aiko''s fingertips traced Mei''s thighs, which startled her. "W-what is it?" Mei could feel a sudden shiver down her spine that made her stutter. "I want to play too~." Aiko pouted unhappily as she hugged Mei, so that she couldn''t escape. "No, this is your punishment." Mei narrowed her eyes. "Then this will be your punishment too!" Aiko pouted unhappily even more. "No. We won''t be playing." Mei said sternly. Aiko pushed Mei back onto the bed and said unhappily. "But this is your punishment, you can''t escape it." "Who told you to be a horny Fox, hm?" Mei pinched Aiko again. "You are avoiding my kisses, so I will punish you more!" Aiko pouted at Mei again. "Fine, one kiss, but that''s all!" Mei looked away. "Yay~!" Aiko happily pounced at Mei again. "You are too light, you should eat more." Mei narrowed her eyes as she scolded Aiko. "But if I''m light we can do more things!" Aiko retorted with a smirk. "What are you thinking about?" Mei gently tapped Aiko''s forehead. "About your lips and how I''m going to steal them~" Aiko licked her lips gently. Mei suddenly thought that the one kiss might be a bad idea. "Now, kiss~! Kiss~!" Aiko moved her head closer to hers and Mei''s breathing suddenly halted. Aiko was exceptionally soft, not to mention she smelled divine. Mei had a hard time keeping her thoughts to herself as she glanced at Aiko''s lips. She caressed Aiko''s cheek. "Aren''t you a little too cheeky?" She circled Aiko''s human ears. "Only for you~" Aiko hummed again. Mei was taken in by Aiko''s words and their lips met gently. Their breathing halted for a moment before Mei went for another taste. Soft lips met each other, the addiction slowly spreading as a simple kiss was met with desire. Mei gently held Aiko''s head as she went into a frenzy and licked her lips. Aiko didn''t think much of it and she traced Mei''s thigh. They passionately kissed as Aiko was caressing Mei''s thigh. As Aiko''s hands crept higher, Mei suddenly pushed her back. "That is enough for a kiss." Mei said with a completely flushed face and moist eyes. "Awww... but I didn''t have my fill yet~" Aiko teased Mei as her fingertip made a circle on Mei''s thigh. Mei shivered and almost gave in for Aiko, but then she pushed her back again. "That is enough." Mei said while averting her eyes. Aiko was too addictive. Both her beauty and scent were truly unrivalled and Mei had a hard time pushing her away. But... she still felt some pain and aversion to this whole process, so she didn''t want to ruin her time with Aiko. "Awwwww." Aiko pouted as she plopped on Mei''s body. "I''m bored! I want to play!" Aiko whined like she would always do. She hoped that Mei would cave in. "No playing. I''m tired..." Mei had certain resistance against this, but she didn''t have resistance against Aiko''s sudden ambushes. "But you are not tired enough to play with ''toys'' right?" Aiko suddenly spat out. "AIKO!" Mei cried out as she saw Aiko with her hidden toy... Chapter 339 – Aiko causing trouble "Hehe~" Aiko smugly chuckled as she played with Mei''s toy. "I wonder how this one is used~" She stuck out her tongue and Mei turned completely red. "You rascal! Grow up!" Mei stole that toy before grabbing Aiko by her inner garments and throwing her out of her place. ''I can''t believe she teases me like that!'' Mei was blushing like never before. ''And her body is so alluring that I almost made a mistake.'' She subconsciously licked her lips. Frowning gently she sighed. ''Why is my head so complex... it would be nice if Aiko was my first partner and I didn''t go through all of that, but I''m still too scared...'' She turned melancholic before going to bed. ''It''s better to sleep this off...'' ... "Oh... I was kicked out." Aiko blinked a few times as she was outside Mei''s place. "Did I tease her too much?" She tilted her head before licking her lips. ''I should''ve licked that toy, maybe she would have kept me inside?'' She had her head full of useless thoughts. Aiko slowly pouted. ''What am I going to do...'' She spotted a red/black tail some distance away. ''Prey!'' Aiko''s eyes sparkled as her droopy ears suddenly sprung up. ''It also seems like Feifei got her scales ripped?'' Aiko tilted her head when she passed past the sleeping Feifei. She no longer had her scales or any of those Dragon features. Aiko gently tapped where the scales were previously, but it was just soft untouched skin now. There was some puzzlement in Aiko''s eyes, since she expected that skin to be rough or torn, but nothing like that appeared. ''Fascinating.'' Aiko tapped her again and she squirmed gently. ''Alright.'' Aiko had her fill and resumed her hunt for her second main prey, since the first one was stuck in a bunker and didn''t allow Aiko to enter. She sneaked up on the sleeping Blood Fox. ''They are still huge.'' Aiko gently nudged them, they were quite firm, but still large. ''That''s D for ya.'' Aiko nodded. If it was her current body, she would need either double DD or Es to match the might of the Blood Fox! Aiko observed the Blood Fox. Unlike others, she didn''t have any kind of markings or tattoos like she or the Twins had. Aiko found this fascinating. Like just one thing changed during Evolution and how everything changed! Aiko gently nodded to herself. "And who you might be?" The Blood Fox was awake for most of the time and wondered who this individual who tried to put her to sleep was. She could vaguely sense the contract, but she didn''t remember Aiko ever being so beautiful. "It''s still me." Aiko said softly. "A shocking change I see..." It felt like the Blood Fox was immune to Aiko, but looking closely, that was not the case~! The Blood Fox had a very light blush on her face. "A bit." Aiko stood up in one seductive motion and whirled around. "It feels much better when I''m bigger." "And it''s a lot more troublesome." The Blood Fox suppressed that gulp and expressed her ''dissatisfaction''. "I will hunt for Beast Cores that are beneficial for us." Aiko said without blinking. "And you want me to take care of your tails in return, I presume?" The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. These kinds of games would not work on her. "How did you know?" Aiko blinked with surprise written on her face. "You can''t maintain your expression. When you were saying it you had this, "I''m going to trick her!" kind of face." The Blood Fox chuckled. Aiko pouted. "It''s so unfair! Everyone is bullying me today!" She immediately reverted to the immature complaining side, since she knew that this one worked on the Blood Fox. "Yes, yes. Come here." The Blood Fox chuckled. She understood what game Aiko was playing, but she would play along, since she was extra cute today. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Aiko immediately went for a hug as she rubbed her face between those larger pillows. "That''s not what I meant..." The Blood Fox sighed, shaking her head. "But I wanna bite~" Aiko was not used to this softness, so she wanted to test if they tasted as good as they looked. "No biting or you will take care of your tails yourself." The Blood Fox threatened. She already knew that she was not Aiko''s match even right after the Evolution in which she was at her weakest... As such she had to play different cards in order to keep Aiko in check. ''While Mei is a genius, she doesn''t know how to keep someone in check if they shower her with affection.'' The Blood Fox shook her head. While she was by no means a genius, she learned how to keep her thoughts in check and thus learned how to do it to others. ''Every situation was give and take, but some situations are less give and more take.'' The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes as she pacified Aiko. "Boooo! Bully!" Aiko pouted since even this strategy didn''t work out. She would have to be obedient for the time being. The Blood Fox moved Aiko before preparing a place where they could rest. It was important to rest the tails on some clean furs or anything that could keep the dust at bay. Wind-type Beast furs were incredible for this as they would clean themselves periodically, so she set them up for Aiko to use. "Now, come here." The Blood Fox patted the place. "Can I use your thighs?" Aiko couldn''t conceal her smirk. "Sure, but no touching or biting." The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes as she saw Aiko''s lips twitch. ''Was she always such a bully?'' Aiko could not remember the Blood Fox being like this previously. ''When did she become like that?'' She had to wonder... When did this happen? ''Was I really out for that long?'' Aiko did not believe it... ''This feels nice~'' Aiko hummed gently as the Blood Fox''s skilled hands worked on her tails. "You seem to be enjoying yourself." The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. "That will cost you extra." Aiko''s body stiffened. "Were you a thug in your previous life?!" She cried out at the Blood Fox. "It''s possible." The Blood Fox shrugged. She had no recollection of her previous life and she didn''t care enough to find out. "Hmpf." Aiko snorted unhappily. ''Just you wait!'' She was quite vindictive in this form... ... "Aiko..." The Blood Fox sighed. "What~?" Aiko asked innocently. "I told you no touching." The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. "I''m not touching." Aiko lied through her teeth. "Then what are you doing?" The Blood Fox snorted. "Caressing~" Aiko hummed as she traced her fingers on the Blood Fox''s thighs. "No caressing from now on!" The Blood Fox ruffled Aiko''s hair. Aiko pouted, but she had plenty of cards up her sleeve! ... "Aiko." The Blood Fox said sternly. "You never said that I couldn''t use my tongue~" Aiko hummed as she licked her lips. The Blood Fox glared at Aiko. "No caressing or licking!" She added more rules on Aiko in order to keep her in check. "Boooo!" Aiko pouted. ... "Aiko!" The Blood Fox yelled out. "What~?" Aiko giggled. "You little-!" The Blood Fox was much more excited when Aiko used her soft tails on her. Her soft tips were used like brushes, gently teasing the Blood Fox. "What''s wrong~?" Aiko asked with a smug expression. "That''s it!" The Blood Fox stored the brush and pounced on Aiko. ... Soon laughter spread, waking everyone up. "Will you be mischievous?!" The Blood Fox subdued Aiko with tickling. "HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH NO HAHAHAHAHA MERCY." Aiko was laughing her lungs out. The Twins noticed the Blood Fox playing with someone and became curious. "New partner?" Wanshu was the first one to ask. "That''s Aiko." Yuxi corrected Wanshu. "How did you know?" Wanshu was surprised. "You can feel it too." Yuxi pouted. "But it''s so vague..." Wanshu pouted unhappily. "HAHAHAHAH I''M HAHAHAHA DYING HAHAHAHA HELP HAHAHAH ME HAHAHAHA." Aiko pleaded for help, but the twins didn''t move. "Was she always this beautiful?" Wanshu asked Yuxi, ignoring Aiko. "Yes, but I''m in love even harder now." Yuxi spilled out. "Only when I''m around and watching you are allowed to do something like that." Wanshu pinched her partner''s cheek. "So you can join us~?" Yuxi teased her. "Alright! Come here." Wanshu started chasing Yuxi for that comment, leaving Aiko and the Blood Fox alone. "Beautiful..." Yet another party arrived with sparkling eyes. Yet another person was crushing on Aiko. "Help HAHAHAHA ME HAHAHA." Aiko pleaded for help again. "I''m too weak to do anything to Elder Sister." Feifei shook her head. "Will you be nice?" The Blood Fox paused for a moment. Aiko laughed so much that her whole body hurt. "Yes..." She had to concede this one since she didn''t want to hurt the Blood Fox with her strength. "Good." The Blood Fox took Aiko''s hand gently and kissed her on her wrist. Aiko shivered. ''This sensation is amazing!'' Her eyes widened at the Blood Fox. "As long as you will be nice, I don''t mind helping you, okay?" The Blood Fox likewise didn''t expect this reaction, but she would definitely use this to her advantage! Aiko nodded obediently. ''That kiss felt so different, but not in a bad way.'' She might guide Mei the next time on this, so that she would enjoy it even more! "Okay, now be nice and stay still. I still have more tails to finish." The Blood Fox sighed. Aiko''s tails were truly too big for her size... ... Aiko fell asleep under the Blood Fox''s tender care. "She is so pretty." Feifei said gently. "What, are you planning to start your own little harem~?" The Blood Fox teased softly. "I''m not strong enough." Feifei became more realistic over the years, but by no means did that mean she had no pride. She believed that when it came to taking care of Herbs, she would be unmatched! "That is good. Neither Aiko nor Mei would take this kindly." The Blood Fox nodded. "Why?" Feifei tilted her head. "Aiko is currently under the influence of Demonic Form, while Mei is scarred." The Blood Fox said gently. "Demonic Form?" Feifei was unaware of such things. "I''m a Demonic Fox and Aiko is some kind of alternative." The Blood Fox said. "As such, her being influenced in a different way is natural." She proclaimed. "Aiko is not to be messed with. She is overflowing with Energy and has an arsenal that you can''t even dream of, so it is in everyone''s best interest to stay on her good side." The Blood Fox chuckled. She became realistic in her journey. She knew that she would make it further with Aiko''s help than without... Chapter 340 – Aiko VS River Aiko gave up on talking with others. She would go have fun outside! ''I still have Cultivators to kill, since not all that chased me kept chasing me...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. She would test the unpowered tails against Cultivators, and then give them energy before doing the same. She also wanted to test other things, but that is only if there are enough test subjects. ''From what the Blood Fox said, there are only a few Cultivators remaining thanks to the ruckus I caused.'' Aiko clicked her tongue. ''Couldn''t they wait for me?! Why did they have to run away? This makes everything so complicated!'' She groaned unhappily. The movement with this body was still a bit stiff, since it had not been long since she Evolved, but it was still a lot better than with the Dew Form. ''I also have to keep in mind that my stats would get nerfed when attacking Human Cultivators.'' Aiko would be unable to stretch against Human Cultivators, so she would have to find a different target. ''I do remember being chased by something ape-like, so that will definitely be my target!'' Aiko grinned evilly. She blended with her surroundings, thanks to the powerful [Nightmare Incarnate]. It was even harder for anyone to spot her since it involved both shadows and illusions. ''It sort of feels natural?'' Aiko tilted her head. It felt weird being so familiar with her Abilities. ''Well, it''s alright, since I spent so many years evolving.'' Aiko nodded gently. She licked her lips as one of her tails shot forward. It instantly pierced the Cultivator and ripped out his heart. ''Why the heart, though?'' Aiko tilted her head, but her tail munched on it with a blissful expression. ''Oh, it''s like food?'' [Little Nightmares (-)] -> [Little Nightmares (G: 9th, 1 E)] [Your Little Nightmare ate a Human Heart, raising its Grade to 9th and Energy by 1!] [You can spend that energy on reinforcements and other things.] ''Oho?'' It''s been a while since Aiko heard the system, but it was always useful whenever it did. ''Do they have to consume hearts?'' [What they eat determines their Grade, while how much Qi inside the thing determines their Energy.] ''So I can feed it anything as long as it is made out of Qi?'' Aiko blinked. [Correct.] ''Cool~'' That meant she could use her tails to eat other Beasts! Maybe she will Level up? [Level up!] ''???'' Aiko was confused and noticed that the other Cultivators were dead. None of their bodies twitched or made any movements. Her Tails happily munched on their hearts. ''I can Level by killing Cultivators?'' Aiko tilted her head. ''Or is there some kind of prerequisite?'' The system didn''t answer her, which puzzled Aiko. She then felt her tails communicating with her, but while Aiko could understand what they meant, she could not understand what she heard. ''So, by extracting their hearts you can give me a bit of their Energy, but instead of feeding it to me, you feed it into a mysterious black hole?'' Aiko blinked a few times. She was unaware that something like that was in her body. ''Where is it?'' Aiko asked. ''It''s near my Beast Core?'' Did she have yet another strange thing in her body?! Aiko frowned, but pushed that idea to the back of her head. ''I will ask Mei about this later, since she can inspect bodies carefully.'' She decided to leave it to an expert. Everything would be left to the experts, so that she didn''t have to work too hard! Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Aiko sped on from the scene. She was not interested in their Storage Pouches, since she noticed strange Runes on them. It would be bad if it could alert them of her position or make loud noises. Aiko realised that she had a lot more sensitive ears than ever before. She was able to pick up the faintest sounds, which made her wary of almost everything. ''I will have to learn every sound and what they mean...'' She groaned again. This was yet another homework assignment for later. ''I have to take the Treasures from the Beasts and learn how to create them myself. I will have to create the Cauldron, check the system, and check the other Incarnations.'' Aiko recounted just the few things she had to do, but she already groaned unhappily. There was too much to do! ''And let''s not get started on Mei''s homework...'' ''It''s fine to run away, right?'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. She wanted to avoid this kind of work! She groaned yet again as she arrived at the next scene. There were around 3-4 groups fighting between each other. They were the Muscle-head Cultivators, the Cultivators with pans, the Sword Cultivators and a group of girls. Aiko found no interest in muscle heads. Their bodies were bulky and screaming from pain. The Cultivators with pans smelled quite bad, so she likewise had no interest. She did have some interest in those Sword Cultivators, since they were 50 by 50. In other words, half male and half female. ''They look quite pretty~'' Aiko hummed happily. She would definitely smack them and do some tests on them. The last group was the most interesting one. ''I think that one of them feels familiar?'' Aiko tilted her head. She then shrugged. ''Let''s eavesdrop on them~!'' Her eyes shone brightly. "Come on! Don''t make it so difficult on yourselves! Just surrender to us and we will treat you nicely~!" One Cultivator shouted. ''I would treat them nicer.'' Aiko huffed. "Surrender your Treasures and we will leave your corpses intact!" Another Cultivator shouted. ''Fucking necrophiles.'' Aiko''s body shivered. She would absolutely develop some kind of Technique that would make her body blow up if it was touched by anyone outside her team! "You will never find the Treasure in this place, so just give up!" One Muscle-head shouted. ''Treasure!'' Aiko''s eyes shined. She had enough of eavesdropping and would spring into action. ''So the Treasure should be hidden, but still somewhere around here.'' She narrowed her eyes. ''That will exclude anything above the ground.'' She nodded gently. ''What is left is anything below the ground!'' She chuckled. Aiko plopped her large ears on the ground and listened to the sounds from the earth. It was quite quiet with the sounds of fighting from nearby, but... ''A river?'' Aiko tilted her head. Since when was there an underground river in this place? Aiko never heard of it, even when she was inside the Spider''s Den! ''Treasures! That''s the location!'' Aiko was sure of it! She immediately dove underground through the shadows. Her [Nightmare Fox Incarnate] was quite insane when it came to this. As long as it was within her range and under shadows, she would be able to move there! The only caveat was the fact that it consumed 10 Million Stamina per use! And consecutive uses would get even more expensive! ''Great Skill, but ridiculous consumption.'' Aiko clicked her tongue as she arrived down near the river. "Blood River?" Aiko tilted her head. ''Were rivers supposed to be like this?'' She questioned. "Lone Cultivator dared to enter my domain. Very well." A voice sounded from somewhere, but because of Aiko''s ridiculous hearing, she already found the location. "Skeleton?" Aiko tilted her head. "That''s no fun..." She whined openly. "You have to cross this Blood River in order to get my Treasures!" The voice said. "You will suffer unimaginable pa-" "So you dropped dead, huh?" Aiko interrupted him. "..." The voice didn''t know what to say. "I can''t believe that someone dropped dead near the Treasure and is making it seem like it''s theirs." Aiko already noticed something wrong with those Treasures, since they had different air on them than the Skeleton. "......" The voice was left speechless from her deduction. "Cat got your tongu- No wait, that''s wrong, you are just a pile of creaky bones." Aiko clicked her tongue. "........." The voice experienced a headache after a long time. "I prefer living beings, you know." Aiko shook her head. "I have no interest in Foxes." The voice immediately replied. "But I''m very interested in you~" Aiko licked her lips. "W-what?" The voice stuttered, not expecting this kind of reaction. "I would soap you up very well, gently caressing you, until I would test my flags on your relaxed body." Aiko nodded. She had to prepare more flags for more occasions, so she had to know how much it would be possible to ''stretch'' their backdoors for maximum efficiency! "... What?" The voice felt something wrong with the last part, but he coughed like he didn''t hear it. "You will suffer unimaginable pa-" He tried to say it again, but paused. "What are you doing?" "Slurping the river?" Aiko tilted her head. Her tails were already inside the river. "What?" The voice felt like he was talking to someone abnormal... And he would be right! *SLUUUUUUUURP* All 8 Tails were slurping the sludgy blood-red river like there was no tomorrow! "WHAT?!" The Voice was so shocked he almost passed out into the afterlife! *SLUUUUUUUURP* The Blood River was getting thinner and thinner as the Tails worked their magic. "What are you doing?! You will die if you consume it!" The voice panicked. He wished to take over her body in order to get out, but if she didn''t pass through the river, that would be impossible! "I will not." Aiko shook her head. She was not consuming it, just merely storing it into her [Tails Storage]! And since she had plenty of room inside her Tails, there was no need to hold back! "But seriously. There is so much [Tainted Blood Essence]." Aiko touched her cheek. "How do you know its name?!" The voice was halfway into the afterlife at this point. "Hm?" Aiko stuck out her tongue seductively. "That''s~ a~ secret~" The voice passed on into the afterlife... "Did I overdo it...?" Now Aiko would be bored since she would not have anyone to talk to. "But there is so much of it..." She already consumed 100,000 litres! How much more will she have to consume?! Chapter 341 – Reunion Aiko... was almost defeated. Her [Little Nightmares] consumed 40,000,000 litres. There were still small patches of the fluid here and there, but Aiko could not bother with those. Her tails were almost full of it and she was sick and tired of those slurping sounds. "At least now I can cross with peace of mind..." Aiko sighed. She would have to do something with that tainted Essence later, so it isn''t stuck in her tails for too long. Aiko walked to the small ''island'' that was blessed with strange light. All thanks to that, Aiko was unable to use her ''blinking'' Ability to make it over there. And the river was also too wide for her to jump over... The whole situation was bothersome for Aiko and she didn''t like it. At this point, she hoped it was some kind of amazing Treasure that would allow her to conquer the world! But that was wishful thinking. She was deep in cavers with no strange river flowing around. It was dark except for that island and there were only a few things... A strange piece of crystal that Aiko had never seen before and that the system was unable to identify. There was a skeleton with the already gone Souls, so she couldn''t even test her tails on it! And when it came to the skeleton''s Treasures. They were so tainted and decayed by the river that they were useless! "GOD DAMMIT!" Aiko roared as she was angry. She was in no mood to engage with anyone at the current moment. She collected that strange metal into her [Tails Storage]. Aiko then blinked out of this place with her [Nightmare Fox Incarnate]. She appeared above the ground near the fight. "Beauty!" "Fox!" "Whore!" Males immediately flocked to Aiko like they had lost their reason and everyone frowned. They could feel that ominous energy leaving her body, so none of the bodybuilders or females would dare to approach her. Aiko''s tails growled as they ripped their enemies. She made the first move, so the first hit was unsuppressed. Her body got heavier since the broken Secret Realm still had some rules active, but... [Your sheer presence is bending laws.] [You can temporarily ignore all restrictions if you so will it.] [This ''ability'' is restricted to one use, so use it wisely.] Aiko blinked slowly. This was a good ability if shit hit the fan. She nodded slowly as corpses were littered all around and her tails munched on their hearts. ''Ah. I forgot to test their Souls...'' Aiko sighed in frustration. She was very upset that the only thing she got was a piece of crystal that she couldn''t even identify... The other Cultivators were still there and some even started to run away. The place got chaotic as some Cultivators even pushed females towards Aiko to save their skin. Aiko was not interested in that bullshit, so she just swiped her tails at anyone who bothered her. She was annoyed, but not annoyed enough that she wouldn''t notice the familiar girl. She was trying to protect girls behind her, previously from the male Cultivators and now from her. "We mean you no harm." The girl said. She had that same familiar voice that Aiko was familiar with. ''Stupid, you are supposed to run away! That''s a Demonic Beast!'' ''Be quiet, you depend on me to survive. I won''t allow you to endanger our lives!'' The girl glared at the ring on her necklace. While this ''Immortal'' was useful, she was also stupid. ''You stupid child! Demonic Beasts won''t see reason! You will die!'' Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. The ''Immortal'' inside that ring tried to gather its Soul Energy, but was blocked by the girl. Aiko inspected the girl. She was quite older than the last time she saw her, but her beauty shined nicely. ''But how am I supposed to address her?'' Aiko scrunched her face. ''She is no longer Princess and I don''t remember her name...'' Aiko made a small step and appeared before the girl. The girl''s body stiffened, she didn''t expect this Fox to be so powerful. "W-we really mean no harm." The girl lightly blushed, since in front of her was a really beautiful Fox. "You still owe me more food." Aiko licked her lips. The girl was scared and was about to use her mother''s poison when she suddenly stiffened from the Fox''s words. "The last time we ate, most of it was poisoned and I didn''t get my fill." Aiko whined. "Little Fox?" Princess Fang Jia blinked a few times. "Not-so-little now~" Aiko supported her chest and the Princess blushed. "Hehe~" Aiko chuckled as she hugged that girl. That hug accidentally opened the bottle with the poison and the sweet smell spread. "Food?" Aiko smelled that nice smell and stole that small bottle from the Princess. "W-wait that''s-!" Before Fang Jia could finish her words Aiko already gulped down the contents. "It tastes quite good- Blegh." Aiko marvelled at the taste until she didn''t. She coughed up blood right in the middle of her sentence. [You have been poisoned by Dark Root Poison!] [Maximum HP will be halved!] [You will lose 0.01% of Max HP each second!] [Your body is not working properly, you can''t circulate energy!] [Your energies won''t regenerate and instead deplete!] [You will fall into endless slumber if your energies deplete!] "This is no longer delicious." Aiko grimaced as she coughed up more blood. "Why is something so nice smelling a poison!" "Now is our chance!" One of the girls said as she charged at the Fox. ''If I can get her Beast Core, I will be able to beat that hateful Senior Sister!'' "Wait!" Fang Jia yelled, but only 2 from her group listened. "We can''t wait, Senior Sister. We can strike now!" Another girl said. ''If we can get her Beast Core then we will no longer be in the shadow of Senior Sister!'' Everyone was obsessed about this, since they hated this Senior Sister, Fang Jia. She appeared one day and stole all the spotlight thanks to being a prodigy in Forging Cultivation. Everyone loved her and adored her, since Forging Cultivators Females were exceedingly rare, so all the geezers favoured her and even the Female Elders helped her! That made every disciple hate her, especially the female ones, since even male disciples from other Peaks liked her! This was the ploy of the Elders to improve everyone, but it, unfortunately, backfired since Forging Cultivators were often spoiled by their Elders... Aiko saw the group of idiots charging at her. She tilted her head. Since she has the [Witch Fox Incarnate], she could try something with it. [Dark Root Poison was quarantined, thanks to the effort of [Witch Fox Incarnate]!] [You have sealed the poison in your body!] [You can now transfer the poison to someone else!] [How much you can transfer depends on the opponent''s Cultivation.] Fang Jia noticed that abnormality and the ''little'' Fox''s twisted smile. Aiko dodged the incoming sword and kissed the Female Cultivator. [You have transferred part of the poison.] [Cultivation is too low. You were only able to transfer 0.01% before the subject''s Qi pathways collapsed!] The girl that met with Aiko¡¯s kiss collapsed, convulsing on the floor. Aiko had been inflicted a lot of damage, but that didn''t mean she didn''t have any tricks up her sleeve! She used her ''blink'' to appear in the others'' shadows and kissed them all. Everyone died, except the Princess and the two girls behind her. Aiko noticed an abnormality. The Princess ''retainers'' were Foxes. "Are you alright?!" Fang Jia dashed next to Aiko who sat down due to exhaustion. The poison ate a lot of her Stamina and the blinking completely depleted it... "You wouldn''t happen to have the antidote?" Aiko chuckled childishly. "You-!" Fang Jia was really worried about this ''little'' Fox. "There doesn''t exist an antidote for this, or at least Mother told me..." Fang Jia was almost crying since she liked the small Fox... "Okay." Aiko nodded. "I will just rest then." She narrowed her eyes and her body was shrouded in darkness. Instead of the large seductive Fox, there laid a small cute Fox. Fang Jia almost fell in love again, but she shook her head picking the small Fox up. "I suggest against it, Princess." One of her retainers advised against bringing the Demonic Fox along. "I agree with her, Demonic Foxes are bad news." The other agreed. "You know nothing about her." Fang Jia shook her head. "I will be taking her with us." "We will have to report this to your Mother." One of the retainers made a rude remark. "And my Mother would punish you for restricting my movements." Fang Jia snorted unhappily. "Your Mother can''t punish us." The other shook her head. "Exactly. How humiliating would it be if you were punished by an ''outcast''?" Fang Jia glared at them and they shut up. "I can''t believe you are wasting your energy on rubbish." Aiko sighed. "They always spew shit, so it''s better to just ignore them or use them as bait." She proclaimed. "Were you always this evil?" Fang Jia giggled. "I''m a ''Demonic Fox''." Aiko snorted. They both laughed and the retainers were confused. ... Fang Jia guided Aiko into her camp. Aiko could feel the glares from the retainers, but she ignored them. In the camp were even more Foxes. Most of them cooked and cleaned for the Princess. "What is this? Did you bring the whole Palace?" Aiko blinked her eyes in confusion, attracting attention to her. Most Foxes frowned, while a few recoiled while clenching their cheeks. Some had already heard rumours about the ''peculiar'' Fox, but most would not believe it. There was no Fox that hated sex! That was obvious. Moreover, there is no Fox that would injure someone''s backdoor! That was another fact, so they naturally didn''t believe it. "That''s because mother is worried about me." Fang Jia said, nodding towards them to prepare a meal. "Wouldn''t so many weaklings attract attention?" Aiko blinked with even bigger confusion. [Distortion in Void detected.] "I have never seen a smart Demonic Fox." Another beautiful Fox appeared from somewhere... Chapter 342 – How to pacify a frustrated Fox Aiko exchanged looks with her. "It''s unfortunate that I can''t call you old hag." She clicked her tongue. The beautiful Fox stiffened, but before she could reprimand the Demonic Fox. The Princess asked a question. "Why not?" Fang Jia tilted her head, which almost made her Auntie choke. "She had not seen the wider world yet." Aiko shook her Fox head like she was some kind of all-knowing sage. Fang Jia''s aunt suppressed her rising blood, but it was obvious from her facial expression that she was not happy. "And you are just a stupid Demonic Fox." The Auntie never faced this kind of opponent, and since that Fox was stuck to the Princess; she couldn''t make rash moves. "You know that it''s better to stay quiet, so that you don''t appear like a fool." Aiko yawned and stretched her front paws. Fang Jia loved the little beans on cats and other animals, but Aiko''s furry paws had a completely different charm. She gently caressed that fur, since it was soft and pleasant. "You should get away from that Demonic Fox, Princess. They are unstable creatures and can attack you at any time." The Auntie warned Fang Jia. "Now you are starting to act like an old hag." Aiko clicked her tongue. "Not even your appearance could change your shallow nature, but I bet plenty of dogs bark at you when you walk around." She shook her head. Auntie Fang glared at the little Fox. Fang Jia laughed at this. "Auntie Fang, I have never seen you lose so badly." She giggled happily, since her Auntie was too stern at her. Auntie Fang was enraged and slashed at Aiko to remove her from the princess''s lap. *Boom* She was caught off-guard and sent flying into a nearby hill. ''If I didn''t shroud my Soul I would be badly injured.'' Auntie Fang narrowed her eyes. It seems like she underestimated that little demon! "Old and jealous hags are the worst. They ruin all the fun." Aiko sighed. "Auntie Fang isn''t all that bad... most of the time... some of the time... never mind." Fang Jia had a slightly blank expression, since she couldn''t remember when was the last time that her Auntie was nice to her. "And I''m a bad Fox." Aiko snorted unhappily. "Of course, you are not~" Fang Jia was happily enjoying Aiko''s silky smooth fur. "But I can''t sleep here when a certain hag doesn''t know how to control her urges." Aiko shook her head. At this moment, every Fox was sweating. They felt that brief pressure that the tiny Fox exuded. It could easily threaten them, so they no longer poked their noses into Fang Jia''s behaviour. Moreover, even when Auntie Fang can''t match this Fox''s strength, they would definitely be slaughtered. "By the way, what''s this?" Fang Jia touched the morphed tail. It was hard, like it was made out of bumpy rocks. "My friends!" Aiko proclaimed happily. "My team got them and I liked them a bit too much, so I just Evolved them myself. *Shiver* Every Fox shivered, since everyone knew that it was impossible to control Evolution, but by this little Fox''s words... It appears that she was able to do the impossible! The Fox that was cooking redoubled her efforts, since she didn''t want to become the feed for those terrifying beasts. She served the little Fox the soup with a side dish of meat while Auntie Fang was recovering. Aiko liked both of them. Those foods were not exceptional, but they were tasty enough that they sated Aiko''s needs. "You are not welcome here!" Auntie Fang proclaimed as she glared at the tiny Fox. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. "''You are not welcome here!''" Aiko mimicked her voice in a mocking manner. "Waaah, waaah, I''m a big baby that lost the fight, so I will cause a scene, waaah!" *Pfft* A few nearby Foxes almost laughed, since the expression of Auntie Fang was almost perfect. "You think I can''t deal with your pitiful single tail?!" Auntie Fang roared. "Do delusions run in your family? I hope not?" Aiko innocently blinked at Fang Jia as Auntie Fang charged at her. "I''m not sure..." Fang Jia''s father was back and he was incredibly docile and caring, so much so that she found it creepy. Meanwhile, her mother was being wooed by a strange Fox Ruler, yet she was forbidden from dating Foxes! Auntie Fang slapped that single tail away and prepared to attack the little Fox. Aiko whipped out another [Little Nightmare] and slammed her away. She understood a few things about her tails and their main ability. ''Most Foxes would spend Souls to nurture their tails and as such they don''t have as powerful Souls as Soul Beasts.'' Aiko laid her head on Fang Jia''s lap and yawned cutely. ''Moreover, these tails ignore all defences and go straight up for someone''s Soul.'' What it meant was that if they didn''t have a Treasure protecting their Souls or powerful Souls themselves, they wouldn''t be able to defend against Aiko. What''s more, even if they are powerful and can suppress one of her tails, there is a second one and a third one. She had 8 Tails and thus she had 8 [Little Nightmares]. They might not be powerful right now and consumed a lot of her Beast Core Energy in order to regenerate from the damage. Over time once they ate more hearts, they would be able to grow stronger and more powerful! Aiko nodded gently. "So, what are you doing here?" Aiko asked the Princess. "I was fighting against the Cultivators over a Treasure, so I could finish my Forging Cauldron." Fang Jia answered even when others were telling her not to. "Oh?!" Aiko''s eyes widened. "And what else did you do in here?" She was curious about her journey. "I was fortunate to find a nest of one of the Disaster Beasts and since it was empty I looted it." Fang Jia said happily and Aiko stiffened. "What kind of Beast was that?" Aiko''s voice quivered. She possibly found her mortal thief! "I''m not sure, since I could not find its body, but it was high up on the mountain." Fang Jia giggled, seeing the little Fox''s expression. "Dammit!" Aiko slapped her paws against Fang Jia''s thighs. They quivered nicely, but Aiko didn''t care. "That was my loot. That damn chicken!" Aiko cried out and Fang Jia blinked her eyes innocently. "Did you defeat it?" Fang Jia asked gently. "That is impossible. She is not powerful enough to do that." Auntie Fang returned with an unsightly expression. She was powerful enough to beat this Fox, BUT! Those tails were a big issue. If she was not careful, she would suffer greatly and she could even lose her Soul altogether! "Of course, I didn''t." Aiko tilted her head and Fang Jia was confused. "First I stole its garden to drive it mad and then I led it to the Grandpa Dragon. The roasted chicken was nice." Aiko licked her mouth. Auntie Fang blinked. "How dare you call such a majestic Beast a Grandpa!" She was furious. This exact type of Fox was why other races hated them. You can''t casually address them like that! Aiko rolled her eyes. She didn''t want to kill her just in case Fang Jia would no longer pet her, so she looked around. She spotted a shovel and used her [Little Nightmare] to take it. "Here, now go play over there with sand and don''t bother adults when they talk." Aiko gave Auntie Fang a shovel and she was completely livid. Auntie Fang was ready to attack again, but then she flinched. ''W-what?! How is that possible?!'' In front of her were 8 [Little Nightmares], 8! She would be able to deal with up to 3 [Little Nightmares], but it was impossible with this kind of number! Auntie Fang gripped the shovel harshly. She would have to contact Fang Jie about this, so the Patriarch Fox could deal with this! "Was the loot at least good?" Aiko groaned unhappily. "Yes~!" Fang Jia giggled at this sight. She never saw Auntie Fang suffer as much as she did just now! "Good for you." Aiko inflated her cheeks. She made a mental memo to always loot things first. "Don''t be so sad, I will share the material for Cauldron with you." Fang Jia gently petted Aiko. "What kind of material even is it?" Aiko asked gently. "It''s Heavenly Metal. It purifies the ingredients gently without degrading them. It''s sort of passive [Clean]." Fang Jia said gently. "You know [Clean]?" Aiko blinked a few times. "I know the Human version, so don''t even think about it." Fang Jia ruffled Aiko''s ears. "Tsk." Aiko clicked her tongue. She really needed someone to show an improper use of [Clean], but Mei and everyone else were just too perfect in its usage! "So where is this precious Metal?" Aiko asked her. "I wanted Auntie Fang to help me." Fang Jia sighed. "I can''t help you with everything, Princess. You will grow dependent on me, and that is not good for your growth." Auntie Fang said. "But if I can''t obtain it, you will take it before we leave." Fang Jia spent a lot of time locating it, but nobody was willing to help her even if she would share part of it. Everyone was aiming for it once she left, so that they could say that they found it and obtained it, but not on her watch! "So where is it? Why is it so difficult to obtain that not even the hag can do it?" Aiko asked gently, but shot a glare at the Auntie thing, so that she would stay silent. "It''s deep inside a cave system." Fang Jia said gently. "Mhm." Aiko nodded. "Deep down it''s dark, but there is this very shiny, but sinister blood river." Fang Jia continued. "...?" Aiko blinked a few times. This sounded familiar. "The problem is that the island that it''s located on is in the middle of that river, so I can''t obtain it." Fang Jia sighed. "..." Aiko was silent, but Fang Jia noticed this abnormality. "What is it?" Fang Jia tilted her head. "It wouldn''t happen to be on an island where light shines, right?" Aiko blinked innocently. "Yeah?" Fang Jia blinked innocently with her. "And there is that mean skeleton talking bullshit about some kind of trial?" Aiko was speechless when she saw her nod her head. "Oh, I have slurped that river. I also got the strange metal." Aiko said nonchalantly. Chapter 343 – Teasing the Princess "..." Fang Jia blinked her eyes gently. She definitely must''ve heard incorrectly. "Is there a way to use that metal?" Aiko tilted her head. Auntie Fang was too speechless to say anything, so she just blankly stared at the not-so-little Fox. Aiko blinked innocently, like she just didn''t say something ridiculous. "You removed that river...?" Fang Jia blinked again. "Slurped all up." Aiko nodded. "That is impossible." Auntie Fang recovered, which didn''t make Aiko happy. "Oi, kid, keep playing with the sand and let us adults talk." Aiko snorted at her. Auntie Fang glared back. "It''s impossible to move that river in any way. You would be swallowed and degraded. Moreover, there is also no flight rule over this Secret Realm." "So?" Aiko tilted her head. "Just because you are incompetent, I''m supposed to be too?" Auntie Fang choked and glared even more harshly at Aiko. Aiko shrugged. "Anyway, so about that metal." She looked towards Fang Jia. "We need to melt it first, but that would be done later, since it''s not a good idea to make a Cauldron for Forging in here." Fang Jia shook her head. "Oh, anything special about that metal?" Since it seemed like Fang Jia knew a lot about Cauldrons, Aiko wanted to use this situation to learn more about them. "I believe it''s unwise to share knowledge with an outsider." Auntie Fang said to Fang Jia. "She is fine." Fang Jia immediately dismissed her. Aiko snorted at Auntie Fang, which made her angrier. "We don''t know what this Beast will do with it." Auntie Fang warned. "Of course, I will make my own Cauldron. The more knowledge I have about this topic, the less of a danger it is for me." Aiko snorted unhappily. "Oh, you are also creating a Forging Cauldron?" Fang Jia blinked innocently. "Yeah, but I will be using a meteorite as a base." Aiko rolled on her lap. "But that one is prone to mutate; it might mess up the whole thing..." Fang Jia warned. "That is for future Aiko to worry about. Moreover, my Cauldron is special, so I will just remake it if I don''t like it." Aiko shrugged. "Hmmmmm~" Fang Jia hummed. "What will I get in return~?" She teased the little Fox. Aiko narrowed her eyes and licked her mouth. "Don''t be like that~" She hummed back mischievously. "Why not~?" Fang Jia stuck out her tongue. *Poof* It was obvious that the current Aiko would not be teased. On Fang Jia''s lap now sat a beautiful Fox with predatory tails. Auntie Fang counted them and shivered. ''I only have 5 Tails!'' It would be bad if that damned Demonic Beast did something to the Princ- Aiko met the Princess''s lips as she gently smooched her. Fang Jia stiffened her body as she hadn''t expected this whole situation. Aiko licked her lips gently. "Mm, mm, you are sweet~" She hummed softly as she licked her lips again. Fang Jia was still stiff, but what was even funnier was the fact she was slowly getting redder and redder. "Oh, she can change colours like that? How cute." Aiko giggled as she saw everyone glare at her. Aiko hugged her face and buried Fang Jia into her boobs. Fang Jia was even more flustered, but she didn''t defend against the not-so-little Fox. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. "Y-y-you-!" Auntie Fang could not form coherent words. Aiko tilted her head, but didn''t really care about them. "Just because you took the first candy doesn''t mean she won''t like you." She shrugged. This little Human was quite sweet, so Aiko would naturally dote on her later. But first, she would have to deal with those glares. "What''s wrong with ya all?" Aiko rolled her eyes. "Find yourself someone else." She shooed them away, and they were pulling out their Treasures. Fang Jia finally recovered. "Ummm." She didn''t know what to say about this situation, since she didn''t really dislike it. Her inner thoughts might be complicated, so much so that she leaked her inner thoughts. "Do they not feed her properly, why is she so light?" Aiko blinked and turned back to Fang Jia, her tails will be able to deal with the rest, so there was no need to worry. "Because Humans are weak?" Aiko blinked innocently. "It''s easier not to shake me off if I¡¯m lighter, no?" She giggled mischievously, and Fang Jia blushed. "You are so mean." Fang Jia pouted like a puffer fish. "Oh~?" Aiko hummed. "Well~, I suppose we could go for round two~" She gently whispered to Fang Jia''s ears. Fang Jia, who just recovered from her embarrassment, turned red again. Aiko giggled even more mischievously as she wrapped her hands around her neck. "Now, who was the bad girl today~?" Aiko hummed. "Was it you or me~?" Fang Jia turned her head. "You." She pouted, not really liking the teasing, since, for the most part, she was doted on and not being made fun of. Aiko gave her a gentle peck. "That''s bonus points for such a swift answer~!" She didn''t consider herself to be morally good, but she also didn''t care. None of these so-called Cultivators were morally right. All of them were just bastards concealing their desires. Someone as cute and as obvious as the little Princess was a lot more desirable for Aiko. Her reactions were also spectacular, so Aiko enjoyed her time~! At this point, they all pulled their weapons. "Aya, it seems I made someone upset." Aiko giggled. She dodged the incoming sword and swayed upright from Fang Jia''s lap. "What will I do with you, Auntie... you are as dumb as you look." Aiko sighed. The Foxes attacked her, but Aiko was nimble. Her body shrunk, and the tiny Aiko ran away from the swords. [You are being suppressed by the Secret Realm. All stats will be capped at the peak of Golden Core.] Aiko blinked gently. She didn''t expect this one. "Hihi, surprised~?" Auntie Fang giggled. "That''s what you will get for harassing our Princess!" "But she didn''t harass me!" Fang Jia glared at her Auntie. She finally could enjoy a nice company yet her ever-single Auntie ruined it! "You don''t know much, but Demonic Foxes seduce their prey in order to consume their Souls. You were in danger, Fang Jia." Auntie Fang said to Fang Jia. "I was not in danger!" Since Fang Jia was half Fox, her senses were naturally sharper than Humans. While the not-so-little Fox did play around, it was just that, and she didn''t spot any danger from her! "You have a lot to learn, Princess..." Auntie Fang sighed. "And you too, Demonic Fox." Aiko rolled her eyes. "You are a pretty poor actor, you know." She shook her head. "But since you are with the Princess, I won''t hurt you too badly." She shrugged. "You still play tough when the Secret Realm suppresses you." Auntie Fang shook her head, readying her weapon in order to slash Aiko. "Ah, that flimsy thing, huh." Aiko sighed. ''If I will it...'' Aiko could feel those invisible chains on her body. They creaked and cracked slowly. [Secret Realm Law shattered! You are no longer suppressed!] [9:59] Aiko was back to her peak as the assailants approached. She smiled like a Demonic Fox would as her tails slammed into everyone, blasting her away. She rolled one tail around the Human Cultivator and threw her under the Princess. "Alright. We can fight~" Aiko hummed happily. She would definitely teach them a lesson with her tails! "Impossible! You are supposed to be suppressed!" Auntie Fang coughed up blood thanks to the internal injury. "Are you sure YOU are not a Demonic Fox?" Aiko tilted her head. "You are so stupid that it hurts my head." She sighed, shaking her head. "Are you alright?" Fang Jia scurried next to the not-so-little Fox. "Awwww~" Aiko gently pinched her cheek. "Are you worried about me~?" "Of course I am!" Fang Jia blushed, looking away. "Auntie Fang is over-reacting." "If you are so worried about me, how about a kiss~?" Aiko nudged her gently. Fang Jia blushed even more. "No!" She was so embarrassed that she blurted it out. "Awwww..." Aiko pouted, but then her brain clicked with a solution. "Oh my~, you little pervert~" Aiko giggled, confusing the little Princess. "You want to search if I have any injuries, right~? Where will you start~? Hmmmmm~?" She teased the little Princess, since she found her quite adorable. Fang Jia went completely red in the face. "That''s not it!" She stuttered while talking, and her redness reached even her neck! "Oh~! I understand." Aiko nodded gently. The Princess breathed a sigh of relief, but even that was short-lived... "You don''t know how to find those injuries, I understand. Let''s go somewhere else, and I will undress myself and teach you~!" Aiko hummed mischievously. There was a small explosion as steam rose from the Princess''s head. Aiko gently caught her; it seemed like the teasing had gone overboard. "Oops. I didn''t think she would faint." Aiko stuck out her tongue, which angered the Auntie even more. "Anyway. You wouldn''t happen to have a bed for her, right?" Aiko blinked innocently, but none would meet her eye. The fact that she was not suppressed by the Secret Realm terrified them. They didn''t wish to antagonise her, so they didn''t meet with her eyes. "Seriously, and you call yourself servants?!" Aiko was completely speechless. "What are those Storage Rings on your fingers?! They are supposed to be filled with things that the Princess likes and what makes her comfortable, like a proper bed, dammit!" She was upset that her retainers were so clueless. Aiko pulled out a few Spirit Crystals and placed them on the ground, with a few more furs, she created quite a nice bed. "Right, where were we?" Aiko suddenly turned towards them to see the greed in their eyes. "Right... I was supposed to beat you black and blue, but I will settle for a simple test of Souls." Aiko smiled like a devil. "I will munch on your Souls, and whoever survives, will be allowed to leave alive~" She hummed like a true Demonic Fox. "Demon." Auntie Fang spat out. "Hm, I suppose that is not wrong, but you attacked me first, so it''s only natural that I will do the same." Aiko shrugged gently. Chapter 344 – Comparing Flames ''Didn''t gain anything from them and the [Little Nightmares] don''t know what moderation is, so they almost killed them.'' Aiko clicked her tongue. Fortunately, the Princess was still asleep, so she could fix this mess. ''I''m also gaining Moonlight Essence, so I will be able to turn into different forms.'' Aiko nodded gently. She was not in the mood to do anything but tease in this form, so it was difficult to get anything done. And while she did like the teasing, she was unable to focus on her system. So that would have to be solved later. ... Fang Jia murmured something in sleep as her eyes slowly squinted awake. Near her was a curious Fox looking at her. "Are you awake?" Aiko nudged her with her tails. "A bit more." Fang Jia rolled around, sleeping again. ''I can understand why they didn''t bring any beds.'' Aiko''s lips twitched since this was the fourth time this happened. "Come on, you should wake up." Aiko nudged her again with her normal tails, but they were just snatched by the Princess and she just hugged them to sleep. Aiko rolled her eyes. This was getting a bit too ridiculous and she could not understand what was wrong with her. ''I might be a bit lazy, but isn''t this too ridiculous...?'' Aiko glanced at the retainers, but they avoided her gaze again. Aiko rolled her eyes, nobody was of any help when it came to the Princess. She even started to question their affiliation since they were not willing to take care of her! ... Aiko was able to somehow wake up the Princess. How, you might ask? "If you won''t wake up I will grope you well~" Aiko whispered into her ear and she immediately shot up with a red face. "I''m awake, I''m awake!" Fang Jia yelped. ''You could''ve let me enjoy those tails a bit more.'' She pouted. "If you were awake, you should have got up. We got work to do." Aiko blinked at her speechlessly. "Work?" Fang Jia blinked at the Fox. "Unlike a certain someone, I have the precious metal, so we need to process it and split it. Moreover, you have to tell me more about the Forging Cauldrons." Aiko made a few points that she wanted to experience. "You really have it?" Fang Jia gazed at the Fox. "Yeah, I do." Aiko nodded and one of her tails spat out the precious metal. "It''s really Heavenly Metal... no It''s Divine Steel?" Fang Jia narrowed her eyes and inspected it. "That is one step further than I expected." She nodded her head calmly, but her eyes were already shining. Aiko knew that twinkle in her eyes since she also liked Treasures. She felt like they would be able to get along quite well, but there were still a few issues... ''I will have to share my Treasures.'' Aiko scrunched her face. She already had quite the hungry team back at the temporary base and now she added Feifei and this Princess... "I''m Fang Jia, you can call me Jia." Fang Jia was incredibly happy about this, since she would be able to create a Forging Cauldron that would last her till ascension! "Then let''s go somewhere and discuss this." Aiko smiled, but they were still stopped by Auntie Fang. "I can''t let you be alone with the Princess." Auntie Fang glared at Aiko. "Just because you are a twisted pervert doesn''t mean I''m too." Aiko snorted disdainfully. She gently grabbed Fang Jia by the waist and they vanished from that place. Auntie Fang was shocked and spread her Divine Sense. They were inside the nearby cave, but a strong intent blocked any eyes or ears from watching them. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. "Prepare to battle, our Princess is in danger!" Auntie Fang said, but nobody moved. No one was willing to antagonise that terrifying Fox. Especially since their Souls are injured and some even lost a bit of Cultivation from their Beast Cores! ... "So, what do we do first?" Aiko blinked innocently. Before they blinked away she already collected the Spirit Crystals with the furs, so she just had to place it down again and make a bed out of it. "We would need to first turn it into an ingot. This would allow us to remove all impurities and we would know precisely how much we have on hands." Fang Jia answered, since that was taught by the Patriarch Fox. "Okay. Are Spiritual Flames fine?" Aiko asked. "Yes, I will use my Spiritual Flame." Fang Jia nodded. "Why can''t I?" Aiko asked, tilting her head. "Because if you burn it, we will lose some of that material, so we need a very steady and precise flame." Fang Jia answered gently. "By the way, my Spiritual Flame is the Heavenly Scorching Flame, ranked at 1st when it comes to Mortal World Ranking." "Oh?" Aiko was interested in how other flames compared to her Grandpa. "Can we compare flames?" Her eyes shined. She didn''t believe that her Grandpa would be outdone! "Sure?" Fang Jia was confused, since she didn''t believe that the little Fox had any Spiritual Flames. At least she didn''t ''feel'' that flame. ''Are you stupid?! She will steal your Spiritual Flame.'' The voice from the Ring finally couldn''t bear it and scolded Fang Jia. ''Shut up. She won''t do anything like that! Just because YOUR Fianc¨¦ betrayed you, doesn''t mean that everyone is like that!'' Fang Jia snorted disdainfully. "Oh, and call me Aiko when we are alone." Aiko wrapped her hands around Fang Jia''s waist. "O-okay... Aiko." Fang Jia blushed, but still tried her best and as a reward Aiko gave her a peck on the cheek, making her even more red. She produced her Spiritual Flame, which startled Aiko. "So... scorching?" Aiko blinked innocently. "Yeah, it''s a bit hostile to Beasts, so I didn''t really want to show it so closely." Fang Jia was blushing since Aiko still had her hands wrapped around her waist. "Hmmmm. I think it can''t beat my Grandpa?" Aiko saw her Grandpa as the ultimate flame, so it was natural that she would act like that. "Grandpa?" Fang Jia was interested in what Aiko might show her. "Yeah." Aiko opened her palm and a small Spiritual Flame with a face popped out. "Do you need something from me, little Foxy?" An old voice asked Aiko. "Just showing you to my friend." Aiko giggled. ''That''s impossible!'' The Ring yelled out. "Whoa! It''s a talking flame!" Fang Jia completely ignored her ''guide'' and trained her eyes on the Spiritual Flame. "I have never seen a Flame with a face, much less talking Spiritual Flame!" She was very interested, but that Spiritual Flame... didn''t feel hot? "What is its name?" Fang Jia asked gently, but curiosity got the best of her. "If you kiss me, I might consider telling you~" Aiko teased Fang Jia. "Currently, I''m [Mellow Azure Spiritual Flame]." Grandpa would naturally not play along with every shenanigan Aiko came up with. Aiko pouted at him, but she would not punish him. Fang Jia was still blushing, since she was ready to kiss Aiko, but she didn''t expect that Spiritual Flame to tell her himself! "It''s amazing that he has awareness." Fang Jia was convinced that it had a Soul. "That is only natural, since I was alive previously." Grandpa Dragon Flame snorted. "Huh?" Fang Jia blinked. ''I knew it. That Fox devoured someone''s Soul and placed it inside her Spiritual Flame to strengthen it!'' The one inside the Ring clicked its tongue. ''Be quiet.'' Fang Jia was not interested in her gibberish, since she was less helpful than a shit on the road. At least you can use that shit as fertilizer, but you couldn''t use this Ring at will! "Yeah, by accident I turned like this." The Grandpa Dragon sighed. "So, how do you compare to that?" Aiko''s eyes shined. "You want to compare me to [Heavenly Scorching Flames]? You want to kill me?" The Spiritual Flame snorted unhappily. Aiko took a while to process that information. "Wait, you are weaker?!" She was crestfallen. Aiko believed that her Spiritual Flame would not be beaten so easily, but her first ''opponent'' already overpowered her. "Wuwuwu." Aiko made a strange sound since she didn''t like this fact. Her ears dropped, which made Fang Jia flinch. Fang Jia was trying her best to hold back and not to pet those ears. Suddenly, Aiko''s ears sprung up. "Do you have a stomach?" She narrowed her eyes. "I don''t think so... but I still can consume things to get strong- Wait! Why are you looking at me with those scary eyes!?" The Spiritual Flame shrunk back. Aiko remembered that the grass they harvested could be used to nurture Spiritual Flames. Mei told her that she could use it to feed her flame once it was slightly stronger. "Open wide~!" Aiko pulled out a stack of that grass. "Wait isn''t that-! Wait! AURGHHRHUHRHUHUHUUUUUU-" The Spiritual Flame tried to defend himself, but Aiko shoved the stack of grass into him. *Huff Huff* The Spiritual Flame was breathing heavily, but it felt more powerful! [Mellow Azure Spiritual Flame (Stage 5)->(Stage 4)] Aiko smiled from ear to ear. "It''s time to eeeat~!" "Nooooooooooooooo!" The Spiritual Flame cried out as it was choked by more grass. ... ...... "HAHAHAHAHA!" Aiko was laughing hysterically. "Hahaha, very funny." The overly chubby Spiritual Flame rolled his eyes. "Pfft." Fang Jia was trying her best to hold in her laughter, but the sight of the chubby Spiritual Flame was too funny for her. "Not you too..." The Spiritual Flame sighed. What did he do in his previous life to deserve this treatment?! It could only sigh and wait for Aiko to finish laughing. ... "So, have you calmed down?" The Chubby Grandpa Dragon shook his ''head''. "Yes..." Aiko felt a little guilty, but not enough since- [Mellow Azure Spiritual Flame (Stage 1)->(Ranking: 100+ & ?)] She made it into the ranking! There was still grass left, but she didn''t want to use it all, just in case Mei wanted that grass for something. "You still can''t compare to that Spiritual Flame, huh...?" Aiko scrunched her eyes. That was the only thing she regretted. "That is obvious." The Spiritual Flame rolled his eyes. It was already a miracle that she didn''t snuff him out with so much grass! "Should I feed you more?" Aiko pondered on this, but... "No! Enough!" The Grandpa Dragon threw a tantrum, so Aiko could only stop in her tracks and not continue, unfortunately... Chapter 345 – Moon Form Aiko was sitting near Fang Jia, pouting. "It''s not good to bully Spiritual Flames too much." Fang Jia gently nudged Aiko. "Hmpf. I only fed him good things." Aiko pouted even more than before. "You almost put me out with that grass!" The Grandpa roared. "And even if those things are good, everything in moderation!" He glared at Aiko. "Let''s start with the Cauldron." Aiko immediately switched gears, since she didn''t want to be scolded for this. "Okay." Fang Jia didn''t reject this idea, since it was better than Aiko feeding her Spiritual Flame more. "So we will first start with the formation." Fang Jia said and explained. Formation was the act of moulding the Cauldron, be it Forging or Pill Cauldron, they shared a lot of similarities. The Forging Cauldron had to have several separate chambers, for cooling, heating and setting down. There were chambers for Yin, Yang and waiting. It was quite a complex thing to explain, but she tried to do her best. As for Aiko... *Caress Caress* She was gently rubbing Fang Jia''s thigh. "Gosh, please stop!" Fang Jia didn''t dislike this, but she couldn''t focus on what she was explaining and if she explained it incorrectly, then Aiko would be in danger. Aiko pouted. "You don''t like me." "I do like you, but that can wait! We will have plenty of time later once we mould the Cauldrons!" Fang Jia protested. "So we can later~?" Aiko''s ears perked and Fang Jia blushed. "If you can make a proper Cauldron!" Fang Jia wanted to push it for later. "Okay." Aiko agreed, but there was a slight issue. Fang Jia''s body was a bit too stimulating for Aiko, so she would have to switch gears to be able to think about this whole Cauldron-touching thing. "Hmmmmm... I have an idea." Aiko smirked. She did recover some [Moonlight Essence] and while it was not enough to last a long time, it should be enough for the time being. "I will try something." Aiko hummed, startling Fang Jia. *Poof* A fog covered Aiko as she disappeared. "What is that?" Fang Jia was curious. The fog slowly dissipated, revealing a different Aiko. Fang Jia was completely stunned. Aiko was still of similar height as previously, but there were major changes. Her body became a bit more petite. Her hair was the texture of the Moon. White, silver, grey, black, it had many more colours which were in harmony. The sight was breathtaking. Her body became slimmer, which also meant that her boobs were a grade smaller around the C size. Her waist was likewise thinner, and so were her other body parts. She was still breathtakingly beautiful, but there was now a different charm about her. She was no longer an ''erotic'' Fox, but a cold Beauty. Her ears were of the same colour, but the insides were of light green, which caused a stark contrast to her pale colours. Aiko''s face was likewise smaller and more cute-like, but that is not to say that her allure decreased. Her eyebrows were thin and gentle, and so were her small lips. Her nose was slightly more round, but it still had the previous sharpness. Aiko''s eyelashes underwent the biggest change. They were longer and it felt like they were powdered by some kind of stardust, since it glistened gently, like small gems sprinkled on waves. Aiko''s body was a grade smaller, which made part of her clothing slip. Aiko''s tails were also a lot fluffier, but also shorter. They acted like some sort of throne for Aiko to sit on, so that she wouldn''t get cold. Her slender fingers and small toes were quite cute. They brought quite a different feeling to the whole image. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. As her body adjusted for this first transformation, something magical happened. Between her eyebrows, a small symbol manifested. It was a round moon-like shape, with some kind of object deep inside it. Aiko opened her eyes. They felt quite cold and distant. Fang Jia suddenly felt a wall between them: Aiko became unapproachable. It was an odd feeling in her heart. This distance greatly pained her. Aiko''s eyes were like two Moons. Cold and observing, without many emotions. "This is... nice." Aiko felt no urge to do anything strange, but there was a strange sense of imbalance, like she was missing something. It was also hard to stay in this form for a prolonged time, since she felt an odd sense of disconnect and that was only growing with time. "Shall we resume our studies?" Aiko said gently. Her voice was a bit emotionless, but she could feel some kind of excitement from it. Aiko was looking forward to their experiments! ... "I see..." Aiko nodded. "This certainly is complex." "You have the main chamber, which is the main place where you combine the materials." Aiko repeated her newfound knowledge. "Yes." Fang Jia nodded repeatedly, she liked the playful Aiko more than... this Aiko. "Then you have side chambers that act as supplements. They warm or cool down resources that are then combined inside the main chamber." Aiko paused. "There is no limit on side chambers, since there are too many elements and possible combinations, so I will have to make specialised Inscriptions to separate some general chambers into specialised ones." Aiko paused. There was a lot to think about... "There is also an issue with the cooling chamber. You are saying that there would be water inside, but I believe that water cools down things too quickly, so we should use some kind of oil, something with higher viscosity that will still cool it down, but more slowly, so that there are no cracks and degradations." The more Aiko talked, the more shocked Fang Jia became. The current Aiko felt completely different to the previous Aiko, like this Aiko was some kind of doppelganger! "There is also an issue with the side chambers." ¡®Even if you seal them away, heat will still leak inside, so I will have to remove the ''lids'' on the side chambers, so that they can be balanced more accurately. This will limit the usage of the Cauldron, since if you are in a hot environment, you would need to have a more powerful counterbalance than if you would be in a cold environment.¡¯ Aiko thought about it. At this time Fang Jia''s mind spun. She was unable to keep up with Aiko''s thoughts and she almost fainted from the amount of information. "No, maybe I should include the lids, but with a specific Inscription that would make them partially open to balance the elements... No, that wouldn''t work. The Inscription would be too big and it would fit on it." Aiko frowned. "No, wait. I''m going at it the wrong way; I just need to use different materials for each chamber. That way, I will preserve their effects even if the environment changes." Aiko nodded. ''I will need more experiments, but that''s where Fang Jia comes in. I will give her the [The Ever Shaping Cauldron]. She has powerful people around her, so they would be able to research it quicker than I would, and since we have a good rapport I would be able to obtain information from her more easily.'' Aiko nodded to herself. ''That way the Forging Cauldron part would be done by Fang Jia and the Pill Cauldron would be done by Mei.'' This was the perfect plan for Aiko. "Fang Jia- Aand she fainted." Aiko sighed, rubbing her forehead. She was not accustomed to this sight. ''This is definitely how Mei feels.'' Aiko''s knowledge was currently overflowing and she felt like she could make use of it much more easily. The last part was important, since when she was in her ''Shadow'' Form, she was unable to make use of information and went around on instinct. That was not a bad idea, but not a good one either. If she needed to counter-attack something based on knowledge, that would make her powerless in her ''Shadow'' Form. There was a need to rectify this, but Aiko knew that she couldn''t strike a balance for the time being. She would have to first find something that would balance her ''Shadow'' Form. ''I will have to be careful, for the time being...'' Which was easier said than done, since Aiko knew that she would be definitely in danger when in her ''Shadow'' Form. The previous situation proved it. Instead of using her Nightmare Abilities, ''Shadow'' went the easy road by using the one-time Law-shattering ''token''. Now she would always be suppressed and she would have to be careful about her actions. Aiko nodded gently. Now it was time to review her [The Ever Shaping Cauldron] and the system would be done right after. The [The Ever Shaping Cauldron] was neither a Forging Cauldron nor a Pill Cauldron. It was something in between. The upper part was for the Pill Cauldron, while the bigger bottom half was for Forging. What was more, was the fact that those two things could be connected together, so you could use Pills and instil them into her creations. And it didn''t even end there. Since this was part of her body, she would also be able to create Arrays and Inscriptions into her creations! AND it STILL didn''t end there! If the Pill was Blessed by the Heavens, the Forging creation would likewise be Blessed by the Heavens! And if her Forging AND Pill creation got both Blessed, those Blessing would stack! Aiko was flabbergasted at this. This was truly an out-of-this-world thing. She no longer wondered why so many were after it. This was possibly unprecedented! ''Should I give it to her?'' Aiko pondered. It certainly wouldn''t be too bad, since she would be protected, but Aiko is not protected. If Fang Jia tattled on her, Aiko would have to go into hiding with her team... ''But there are a lot of merits.'' Mei could only help with the Pill side, but Fang Jia could help with the Forging side. Moreover, she had extensive knowledge about Forging, so it was plausible she also had a powerful teacher who could help her even more! ''I will give it to her.'' Aiko decided. She had plenty of hiding Abilities in her ''Shadow'' Form, so it was not like they would have to hide at the ends of the world if something bad happened. ''Not to mention, I got plenty of Blessings to protect me.'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. While most Blessings would only work in this Secret Realm, it was still a powerful deterrent for all the intruders. ''I can also take the Beast Core of those Beasts and make them guard our squad. There is also Grandpa... that I accidentally overfed...'' Aiko groaned, what a stupid impulsive side she has... ''I will have to fix her behaviour as soon as possible!'' Aiko proclaimed, but that was easier said than done... Chapter 346 – Divine Steel Aiko walked around the fainted Princess. She was quite cute like that, but Aiko didn''t have any more thoughts about it. It seemed like she was really detached from such things. Aiko started to make a mental image of the [The Ever Shaping Cauldron]. The important part was the ''ever shaping''. What that meant was that she would be able to swap out the materials and change its shape as she went along on her journey. If she found some kind of precious material, she would be able to incorporate it into her Cauldron. Aiko nodded gently. She really liked this purchase. For now, there was no need for separate chambers. There will be a place for refining Pills and a place for creating Treasures. That''s all Aiko currently requires. The Divine Steel would be used later, since Aiko didn''t understand it properly. The system didn''t have enough information about it, so Aiko could only experiment. Meanwhile, she had plenty of the Meteorite or whatever that was, which would help her form the first testing Cauldron. She would be able to create a lot more once she understood that process. Those two sides would also be completely sealed off. Aiko was not skilled enough to make use of Pill ingredients in Treasures. It might throw her off or make a bad habit out of this. The fewer inconsistencies or things that could affect her craft, the better her future would be. Aiko even considered completely abandoning the Forging part of the Cauldron, but she chose against it. She doesn''t know when the time would come that she would be able to learn Forging from someone, be it Fang Jia or someone else. It was better to be prepared for when that time came. Aiko would naturally also include normal Cauldrons, to throw them off. So she would practice in secret with her personal Cauldron and use the common ones for learning. That would also make everything harder and Aiko would be able to gain a lot more experience thanks to it. The common Cauldrons have many imperfections, which meant that Aiko would have to tackle them on her own. That in turn would give her plenty of experience that she was missing over time. She didn''t really train properly outside of the Inscriptions, and even those could be said to be in the beginner stage. Aiko only created things that she was interested in, which threw a wrench into everything. However, she didn''t care about those things in this form. She would be able to Inscribe and Inscribe until she learned everything she needed to know. There were also a few Cultivators who could help her with that, but Aiko would have to wait for them. Chen Shi was quite a bitter loser, and the Inscription Palace Ghost would be visited by Aiko eventually. Everything has its own time and that time would be spent by creating a special flag that would work on Ghosts... just in case. ... Aiko pondered on it for so long that Fang Jia woke up. "Slept well?" Aiko smiled very faintly. Fang Jia nodded. She was not used to this ''stoic'' Aiko. "I have a few things for you." Aiko would share the [The Ever Shaping Cauldron] with her and then split the Divine Steel. "What is it?" Fang Jia tilted her head and her mind was flooded with information. It was easy for Aiko to bestow information, since she could rely on her system''s directions. The more time passed, the more Fang Jia scrunched her face. ''This is unheard of. Even the Heavenly Twisting Cauldron has nothing on this!'' Her face turned serious towards Aiko. She could not understand why Aiko would share something like this with her... does Aiko perhaps like her? Even in this form? Fang Jia was unsure, but she would not ask, since it would hurt her pride. Aiko liked to mess with her, so it was possible that she took a liking to her. That was all fine until the Patriarch noticed, since Fang Jia didn''t want Aiko to get hurt... Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. "We also need to split the Divine Steel, but you are using your flames, correct?" Aiko asked. "Ah..." Fang Jia snapped out of her thoughts. "It''s better to use your Spiritual Flame." "Why?" Aiko tilted her head. Her Spiritual Flame was a lot weaker compared to Fang Jia''s. "Because your Spiritual Flame has self-awareness. It can adjust the Flames as it goes, which is a lot quicker and more precise than what a normal Cultivator would be able to do." Fang Jia explained her reasoning. Aiko nodded gently. "That makes sense, but if my flames are not enough, then I will be giving you the reins to finish it." "Of course, leave it to me." Fang Jia smiled. She was grateful for that Technique and would share it with her Mother later. She might not be able to transfer her thoughts like Aiko, but it''s better for her Mother to know about this, so that they could come up with ideas. Aiko nodded gently. She summed up her Grandpa Flame. "What is-" Grandpa Flame stared at her blankly. "Okay. Yeah. Nothing wrong with this." It was obvious that he was struggling with the current situation and Aiko''s vastly different demeanour. "We have prepared the Divine Steel and I would like your support in melting it." Aiko said gently. "I can definitely do that, but it will take longer since I''m a lot weaker." He confessed. "Don''t worry about it, we are aware." Aiko nodded gently. She would regenerate a bit of her Beast Core while she was at it. ''I should also try my hands on the [Beast Core Formation], but I have so many things to do that there is not enough time...'' Aiko sighed. "Is something wrong?" Fang Jia asked. ''I hope it''s not a burden on her...'' "I''m alright." Aiko smiled lightly. "There is company outside, but until we finish, I won''t allow them to enter. Is that alright?" Aiko asked Fang Jia with some concern. "That is fine." Fang Jia replied stiffly. "Auntie Fang doesn''t really like me, since I''m not a full-fledged Fox." "You do have a peculiar smell, some Foxes might dislike it." Aiko nodded gently. Everyone had some kind of scent, most Humans had quite the stiff scent, while Foxes had an overpowering scent. If she was a half-Fox it might cause some issues to others, but not to Aiko. She didn''t care all that much about scent in her current Form. "Oh?" Aiko blinked curiously. "It''s melting." She created a cup with her Divine Sense under the floating Divine Steel, so that it wouldn''t drop on the provisional table and burn through it. It was curious how the little flame was burning certain parts, but melting others. "He is incredible. I have never seen such a clean purification." Fang Jia was shocked and wondered what this Flame really was. She understood that it had its own Soul, but would it make that much of a difference?! "Grandpa was always amazing~" Aiko hummed happily. It was some time since she heard genuine praise. ''Well... it can''t be helped with my tendencies, but that also doesn''t mean I will stop.'' She would also look at her system later and sort it out. "This should be enough." Fang Jia said. "It''s not enough." Grandpa Flame said abruptly. "It needs a bit more burning." "But you will now start burning the Divine Steel." Fang Jia protested. "That is fine. It won''t burn too much and believe me, it''s better to purify completely than leave a few impurities in it." Grandpa Flame snorted. "Oh? Do you know anything about Forging, Grandpa?" Aiko asked him. "It''s not just about Forging." Grandpa Flame shook his head. "What do you do before you start refining Herbs?" He asked Aiko. "Clean- Ah! So the whole process gets easier the higher the purity, and in turn it will also be sturdier!" Aiko realised that a small difference could make a huge change. "Since there will be no impurities inside the Cauldron, it would naturally make it more sturdy against explosions, which in turn would make learning safer!" Aiko nodded, appreciating this Grandpa even more. "You... what happened to you and who are you?" Grandpa Flame thought that he would need to say more, but this abnormal intelligence was very scary! Especially since it came from the ass-impaling Fox! "Oh right. I wanted to ask Grandpa." Aiko ignored his sentence. "You wouldn''t know about ways to hurt ghosts with Inscriptions, I mean swords." She looked at him gently. "What are you thinking about?" Grandpa Flame suddenly shivered. He felt that if he confessed to that kind of thing, something bad would happen to him. "Nothing, there is just a certain Ghost that scammed me that I want to punish." Aiko said calmly. "So that bastard Turtle did something to you?!" Grandpa Flame glared into the distance. Aiko coughed gently. "There are two Ghosts that I would like to punish." Grandpa Flame blinked his eyes. He suddenly felt danger approaching. "It is not you, don''t worry." Aiko shook her head. "Phew." Grandpa Flame breathed a sigh of relief. "There might be a few ways later." He nodded gently. "Okay." Aiko smiled. Whenever she reached a certain threshold in emotions, they would manifest. So a normal want or like would not manifest at all, but when she was ecstatic or elated, they would manifest as normal liking. Aiko nodded gently. There was a lot of work to do, but she would succeed! Aiko stared at Fang Jia. "How do you want to split it?" "Are you sure?" Fang Jia asked. She was more hesitant to take it from this kind of Aiko. "Yeah, but I won''t be giving you half, since I want to give some to my team." Aiko said gently. "That is natural!" Fang Jia didn''t protest against it, since it was natural that Aiko would save those things for herself especially since she was the one that got this Treasure! "I will get just enough to..." Fang Jia paused. ''Maybe I should take just a little so I can incorporate it into the Ever Shaping Cauldron?'' She thought about it carefully. "What do you want in return?" Fang Jia suddenly asked. Aiko was not startled, nor would she conceal her plans, since it would be easier to gather information if she didn''t do it the classic way. "I want you to research the [The Ever Shaping Cauldron] for the time being. I''m not versed in Forging and I don''t want to make mistakes." Aiko sighed gently. ''And I don''t want to risk my life if it explodes, so I will only work on the Pill Refining side.'' Aiko believed that with Mei''s brain, she would be able to achieve even ascension! Chapter 347 – The Ever Shaping Cauldron Fang Jia pondered on it. This seemed like an incredible Technique which would bring her a lot of trouble... "Only within my limits." Fang Jia replied softly. She could not share it with others; the only one who could help was her Mother and possibly Patriarch, but she was not that trustworthy yet. That only left her mother, so her testing and learning would be very limited. "Of course." Aiko nodded gently. She was not against her taking her time. "Now, please, do help me with the basic shape." Aiko split the ore, so that Fang Jia had plenty for herself, but Aiko still kept the majority. Thanks to the Grandpa Flame purifying it, you didn''t need to use more to achieve the same benefit, or at least that''s what he said. Aiko didn''t really care about it all that much. What mattered to her was the fact that she would be able to work on her own Cauldron and the fact that she would have yet another defence when she fought. Aiko nodded gently. She was ready to create her first Treasure, somewhat. "Of course. I can show you." Fang Jia pulled out several Cauldrons, each looking like it was unfinished or a work in progress. Only one of those Cauldrons was finished. "The progress is like this. You create the bottom where the ''Core'' is, then you add the legs, before strengthening the bottom again. You add walls and then you make the lid as a separate object. This is very easy, but the tricky part would be your Technique. I will try to help you start it, but you will have to figure out the rest." Fang Jia sighed. "It''s alright." Aiko patted Fang Jia. She understood that it would be difficult to get knowledge on this, since everyone desired it too much. They conversed for a bit before Aiko pulled out the melted and mixed meteorite with normal iron. Separating it was not that difficult, since the meteorite was not fusing with the iron and it also felt like it wanted to separate from it. Aiko used her Divine Sense to knead it away. This cooled the metal, making it a bit harder to move from the iron, but it was still manageable as Aiko had more control over her Divine Sense. She was quite happy about this Form, since it allowed her to do things she would normally be unable to do. Kneading more, the metal started to creak. It was too hard to move further without breaking it into pieces. "Grandpa." Aiko hummed. "Yes, yes." The Grandpa Flame nodded gently. He warmed up the metal again, so that Aiko could keep her little play. She was quite skilful at this and he would not need to burn too much metal from the meteorite to purify it. Aiko separated those two metals and moved the normal iron away. That thing was useless to her, since she had better materials on her. The Grandpa Flame burned most of the impurities from the meteorite. What turned out to be a dark silver colour, slowly turned into a sort of silver dirt colour and then into a dirty dirt colour. "It needs a bit more refining." The Grandpa Flame said as he took the meteorite with him in order to continue this process. Aiko nodded gently. She would ask the Darkness why they picked this material later. ... The Grandpa Flame spent quite a long time on it, but it was finally finished. He gently swayed, satisfied with his work. "You can use it now." The Grandpa Flame said before disappearing. Aiko was curious why the colour changed so drastically. It no longer felt like a dirt colour, it had some kind of ''pure'' feeling to it. Aiko was confused and so was Fang Jia. She had never heard of such metal before. [The Ever Shaping Cauldron: - ; -/-] [Please Select Material.] [Meteorite selected.] [Please mould it into a desirable shape.] Aiko was curious if she could shape it into anything that she wanted, but... Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. [This shape is unsuitable for Cauldron.] She would get harassed by the system thanks to it, so Aiko had to make it very precisely. It had to be shaped like a Cauldron with a few quirks, lids, and stuff. Aiko was not the best at it, since moulding something into a desirable shape was much harder than simply separating things. She kept shaping and shaping, for quite a long time. ... [This shape is suitable for a Cauldron. Do you wish to proceed?] Aiko was overjoyed and was in a playful mood. She was back in her ''Shadow'' Form, looking for her prey, named Fang Jia. Unfortunately, Fang Jia was not around. Aiko spotted a Jade Slip nearby and touched it. Fang Jia had a message written clumsily for Aiko that she had to leave. The Patriarch was calling her back now that she obtained the Divine Steel. Aiko clicked her tongue. "My prey escaped. I wanted to introduce her to my team later." She lamented at her sneaky behaviour. "Fortunately, she won''t be able to escape from me forever~" Aiko hummed happily. It was a matter of time before Fang Jia reappeared somewhere, and Aiko just needed to nab her in order to introduce her to everyone. ''Mei might not like my thoughts...'' Aiko knew that Mei had an aversion towards Humans. Feifei was different since she was very obedient, but Fang Jia might not be as obedient in front of Mei. "Eh." Aiko shrugged. "Let''s collect more of the Moonlight Essence so I can finish this!" Her eyes shone. ... Aiko collected enough Essence and was ready for a second round! [The Ever Shaping Cauldron: Divine Meteorite (-); [Resonance]/100%] "Divine Meteorite?" Aiko tilted her head. It was a lot to take in, especially since the system didn''t have information on it. [Divine Meteorite (-)] [Cauldron is missing Core.] [Resonance] [Strengthens the effects of other materials, especially the Core.] [100%] [Your Cauldron is fully functional.] [Description: Non-standard Cauldron created by clumsy Craftsman. It will work and won''t blow up, but the Quality of Pills won''t be all that spectacular.] A vein appeared on Aiko''s forehead. "Who are you calling clumsy?! I did my best, okay!" As seen by this outburst. Aiko was very angry about this. Even her Moon Form couldn''t completely contain her emotions. Aiko was angry at her system, so she would just pick a bone with it! [Divine Witch of Nightmares Fennec Fox] [Rarity: ???] [Unheard of Species of a Fennec Fox that lives in the desert. This kind of Fennec Fox specialises in brewing deadly poisons and protecting its body with Tails. If you are caught off-guard, you will slip into endless Nightmares, as other Bloodlines strengthen their Demonic Roots.] [Blessed Moon Fennec Fox] [Rarity: ???] [Mythical Species of a Fennec Fox that lives in the desert. This kind of Fennec Fox specialises in the Moon, drawing its Energies and nurturing Nature. Blessed Moon Fennec Fox is feared due to her calculative nature and cold demeanour.] ''Oho~'' Aiko didn''t expect this kind of description. She was nicely surprised about it, but it also didn''t tell her much... She could only click her tongue and move on. [Bloodline: [Divine Witch of Nightmares(Dormant)=([Nightmare Goddess Kitsune]+[Dream Goddess Kitsune]+[Primordial Dew Goddess Kitsune])]] ''So it combines like that, how strange...'' Aiko tilted her head. She could understand why it turned out like this, but she didn''t expect that her Demonic side would be so strong, considering that the Shadow Fiend Fox was not that strong. ''Is it because it''s in the first place?'' Aiko pondered on this, but it was not like she could test this... [Bloodline: [Vibrant Moon Goddess Kitsune(Dormant)=([Moon Goddess Kitsune]+[Primordial Dew Goddess Kitsune])], [Blazing Sun Fox(Dormant)]] ''Everything is dormant, but I''m pretty much overflowing with energy...'' Aiko shook her head. She couldn''t imagine what would happen once she cultivated all her strength. [Foul-mouthed->Blunt Mouth] [Blunt Mouth] [You are more likely to say things bluntly than curse at others, but that doesn''t stop you from cursing! Go ahead and curse all you like!] "Right... the other form will be like this...'' Aiko could feel that headache incoming. [Little Princess->Not-so-Little Princess] [Not-so-Little Princess] [Raises your likeability with females and older members. Allows you to adjust your height from your Juvenile Form to Adult Form.] [Your Beauty is increased by 100,000 and Beauty per Level by 5,000 with Luck by 1,000!] "This is not bad, no wonder that I attracted so much attention." Aiko nodded gently. [Mischievous Juvenile->Mischievous Fox] [Mischievous Fox] [You have talent in teasing people and/or making other people suffer through your mischief.] [Greatly increase the chance of success when doing Mischievous things!] [Possibility to raise affection or sharply decline affection, use with care!] [Possibility of seducing your targets, whether you like them or not!] "And this would explain that hatred..." Aiko sighed gently, rubbing her forehead. [Juve-barian->Full-Fledged Barbarian] [Full-Fledged Barbarian] ["Violence is never the answer. Violence is a question, and the answer is "yes"."] [Now, say yes to violence~!] [Your ''weapons'' can be imbued with Qi! (It is automatic)] [Your Strength is increased by 10,000, and Strength per Level by 500!] "..." Aiko did not know if this was a good thing or a bad thing. [Little Baby->Big Baby] [Big Baby] [You will have an easier time sleeping if you cuddle/play with someone. Allows you to adjust your height from your Juvenile Form to Adult Form.] "..." This one definitely wasn''t a good thing. [Elemental Affinity: ...] "There are too many of them, some even feel advanced to normal Affinities, but I don''t have any basis for this." Aiko nodded gently. ''There are too many Divine Abilities now..." Aiko groaned gently. [Dew Fox Incarnate] [Focuses around Nature and Life. Dew Fox understands all Herbs slightly, since Dew sits everywhere. Dew Fox loves Vitality and doesn''t mind sharing it with others, even if it''s detrimental to her...] ''A pretty simple one.'' Aiko nodded gently. She could overdraw her Vitality which caused issues for her, so it feels like the system is taking a jab at her. [Moon Fox Incarnate] [Focuses around Moon, Observation and Defence. Moon Fox understands the Moon and cherishes her opportunity to observe them all.] ''It''s definitely talking about me!'' Aiko frowned gently. [Nightmare Fox Incarnate] [Focuses around Nightmares and Summons. Nightmare Fox is known for the Nightmares she can produce when it''s dark. Her little helpers are a deadly weapon for anyone who would approach her.] ''And I''m proud about this one, since it''s very useful.'' Aiko nodded gently. [Witch Fox Incarnate] [Focuses around Refining Pills and Deadly Poison Pills. Anything that includes liquids is her forte.] ''How vague...'' Aiko shook her head. This will take a long time to research. Chapter 348 – Upgrading Skills The next step would be her Abilities and Skills. This would take a long time, since she had too many of them, but fortunately she gathered enough Moonlight Essence to last her for quite some time! [Agility Mastery: Mastered] [Can''t Upgrade: Not in Immortal World] [Intention Perception: Mastered] [Can''t Upgrade: Divine Sense not Mastered] [Basic Presence Concealment: Mastered] V [Presence Concealment] = 1,000 Skill Points Or [Nightmare Concealment] = 20,000 Skill Points Or [Nature Concealment] = 50,000 Skill Points "Finally something I can upgrade!" Aiko rolled her eyes. "Nightmare Concealment can only be used around Shadows, or Dark places. Moreover, if I visit someone''s ''Dream'' I can also conceal myself from being found out." Aiko nodded gently. She quite liked this one. "Meanwhile, the Nature Concealment works by adjusting the Energy inside my body to match that of the surroundings. That sounds a lot more powerful, but I don''t want someone invading my Dreams, so I will choose the cheaper option." Aiko swayed her finger. She remembered that time at the beginning when she was overtaken by the Demonic Sense and how she relished in it, but the scariest thing was when she dragged someone into the shadows. The screams and agony that were manifested were bone-chilling at best. Moreover, if this could be extended into dreams. Protection was required, or she might regret it later! [Universal Recovery: Mastered] [####: Too much Providence consumption per Hour.] "Oho, so... I''m pretty much turning someone''s providence into my nutrients.'' Aiko nodded gently. She would have to get rid of this later, just in case it would start consuming her providence! [Crushing Bite: Mastered] V [Enhanced Crushing Bite] = 1,000 Skill Points Or [Nightmare Bite] = 50,000 Skill Points Or [Playful Bite] = 1 Skill Points "Nightmare Bite can also be used by my [Little Nightmares], so it''s very useful." Aiko was overjoyed about this one, since her Tails would have to either bash her enemies or try to chew them alive. Neither of which was a really sure-fire way to win. "Playful bites are all about... arousal..." That gentle smile was gone the moment she read a bit deeper. "No way will I take it even if it costs just 1 Skill Point!" Aiko had a blush on her face. It was fortunate that she was in her Moon Form, as her other form would immediately buy it to improve her ''playtime''. [Lacerate: Mastered] [Can''t Upgrade: No Sword Intent] "The same old thing. I have no intention of using Swords, so I will just ignore this one." Aiko nodded gently. [Sprint: Mastered] [Redundant. Do you wish to sell it?] "What can I get?" Aiko asked curiously. [If you sell enough Mastered Skills, you will be able to earn the Right to freely merge Skills for a cheaper price. Additionally you can buy most, but not all skills again at level 1 also known as a ''reset'', and achieve mastery again.] "Oho~!" Aiko''s eyes widened. She had limited time that she could combine Skills through items and since the system was too busy correcting itself, she didn''t get any birthday gifts yet! "Okay, Sell [Lacerate] and [Sprint]." Aiko nodded happily. [Skill Combining: 2/??] "I wish I could see that number." Aiko lamented, but now she got rid of unnecessary Skills. [Quick Double Jump: Mastered] V [Enhanced Quick Double Jump] = 1,000 Skill Points Or [Wind Jump] = 15,000 Skill Points "The Wind Jump allows me to jump as many times as I want using the Energy from my Beast Cores. So while it does rely on Energy, it''s much better than just the Enhanced version." Aiko pondered on it for a bit more, but this was really the best decision. [Camouflage: Mastered] "Let''s reset this one, as my Shadow Form will be able to Level it up quickly." Aiko nodded gently. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. [Sleeping: Mastered] [####: ####] "Another bug..." Aiko sighed. [Stealth: Mastered] "Reset." Aiko didn''t even hesitate. [Dark Vision: Mastered] "Hmmm... Aiko narrowed her eyes." The Enhanced version was not useful at all, but she also didn''t want to reset it. She would just have to keep it as is... [Linguistics: Mastered] V [Language of the Mortal World] = 10,000,000 Skill Points "Absurd, but very useful later..." Aiko narrowed her eyes. She would definitely buy this later! [Enhanced Climbing: Mastered] "Reset? Hmmmm." Aiko didn''t really need this since she already had her Moon and Nightmare movement Abilities... [Skill Combining: 5/??] [Enhanced Basic Senses: Mastered] [Can''t Upgrade: Only Combinations are allowed!] [#### Divine Sense] = [Enhanced Basic Senses] + [Dark Vision] + [Intention Perception] for 1,000,000 Skill Points "Don''t have enough for this one, but #### is always good even if it''s censored, or at least that was the case so far." Aiko nodded gently. [Brilliant Mind: Mastered] [Can''t Upgrade: Not in Immortal World] [Picturesque Beauty: Mastered] [Can''t Upgrade: Not in Immortal World] [Four Leaf Clover: Mastered] V [Five Leaf Clover] = 1,000,000 Skill Points "Why is everything so gosh-darn expensive?!" Aiko whined openly. [Assassin Mastery: Mastered] [Can''t Upgrade: Knowledge or Skills Required] [Dexterous Fingers: Mastered] V [Heavenly Fingers] = 100,000 Skill Points Or [Pleasure Fingers] = 1 Skill Points "I''m not even going to look at the other one." Aiko refused to indulge the horny system any longer! [Inscription Mastery: Mastered] [Can''t Upgrade: Must be Combined!] [Arts Mastery] = [Inscription Mastery] + [Alchemy Mastery] + [Assassin Mastery] for 100,000,000 Skill Points. [You have used the Skill Combination Coupon.] [Divine Skills: [Arts Mastery: Lv.1 (Inscription, Alchemy, Assassin)]] "Whoa! New type!" Aiko''s eyes shined. It''s been a while since she got another Skill Category! "Arts Mastery was a no-brainer, since it would free up the space for me and allow me to achieve greater heights!" Aiko smiled gently, she was happy about this purchase. [Greater Poison Resistance] [Can''t Upgrade: Refine more Poisons] Aiko felt satisfied with her work. This would hopefully allow her to last until her next Evolution. She might buy some things later, since she still had a lot of Skill Points left over. Aiko stretched her body as her hair slowly turned black. "What will I do now~" Aiko didn''t really ponder on it and ran outside. "Let''s seek out Mei again, maybe she has cooled down and is ready for the second round?" Aiko smirked as she dashed towards her team''s domain. She passed by some Cultivators, but she ignored them since she wanted to see Mei first. ... "Mei~!" Aiko barged in on Mei while she was changing clothes. "Kyaa~!" Aiko squealed in delight, covering her face with her hands, but keeping her fingers splayed. Mei rolled her eyes and kicked Aiko out with her Divine Sense. "I really want to fluff her tails." Aiko sighed, Mei was still too weak in this form... Aiko would have to ''teach'' her well in order for Mei to get stronger. She smirked to herself until Mei pulled her cheek. "What are you smirking about?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "Nothin~" Aiko said ''innocently''. "Let''s play~!" She proclaimed. "No." Mei declined. "Pretty please~? I will show you something cool?" Aiko pleaded. Mei was momentarily tempted, but still rejected Aiko''s ''play''. Aiko clicked her tongue. "I will show you anyway!" She used her system to transfer the [The Ever Shaping Cauldron] to Mei, as she did with Fang Jia. Mei almost fainted from the amount of information and the fact that it was indeed THAT Cauldron! Aiko gently ''escorted'' Mei onto the bed, while she was processing the information. ''Thighs...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes and gently laid on them. ''Squishy.'' Aiko rubbed her face on that lap and waited for Mei to ''return to earth''. ... "Aiko..." Mei sighed. She really didn''t need something like this, since she didn''t have the necessary materials for it and it would only burden her mind. Aiko pouted. "I want to play! Let''s play!" The idea of a ''play'' was different from what one would normally expect. Fortunately, Mei was aware of that fact and rejected Aiko again. "I need to meditate on this and choose the right material-" Mei really wanted to reject Aiko, but she was one step quicker. Aiko slammed the Divine Steel in front of Mei. "-material- material- Where in the world did you find this material?!" Mei couldn''t believe her eyes, since this material was supposed to be located only in the Immortal World! Aiko loved that reaction, so she pulled out the Divine Meteorite in order to shock Mei again. "..." Mei''s body stiffened. "Oh shit. Mei fainted." It took a while for Aiko to realise that Mei fainted, as she had managed to do so with open eyes. "But what am I going to do now..." Aiko groaned. She really wanted to play! ''Maybe I should feed Grandpa- Turtle!'' Aiko''s eyes lit up, it was time to punish that turtle for causing this whole mess! Aiko gently laid down Mei, so she was able to rest and barged outside. "Turtle!" Aiko''s eyes were lit. "Yes?" The Black Tortoise was unaware that Aiko was after his rear and since Aiko was too beautiful. He was completely oblivious to the danger! "Give me your rear!" Aiko roared, ready to pounce at him. "Yes-? No!" The Black Tortoise was confused for a moment before he yelled out and boarded his wave. Aiko laughed behind him as she chased after him. The other Beasts likewise recovered somewhat in order to enjoy that sight. "I told him that he would get it for trying to woo Mei." The Three-Legged Crow snorted disdainfully. The White Tiger innocently licked his paws. He was the one who created the biggest mess, so he would act like an obedient pet in front of Aiko so that he wouldn''t end up like the Black Tortoise. Aiko kept chasing that turtle for a long time, until he took to the skies. "I don''t want to get hurt, little Fox. So let''s be frien- Why are you here?!" The Black Tortoise who was trying to be magnanimous and fearless suddenly stiffened. It was because Aiko was standing in front of him, kicking the air in order to match his altitude. The Black Tortoise booked it once more in order to avoid Aiko! Chapter 349 – Aiko wrestles Mei Aiko chased him until her Beast Core emptied, but even then she kept throwing rocks at him until her stamina was nearly depleted as well. "What a scary Fox..." The Black Tortoise shivered. It''s been a while since he felt so fearful towards anyone! Aiko huffed in annoyance before seeking Mei. She wanted to complain about him and create some kind of punishment against the damn Turtle! Aiko barged in on Mei. She was listlessly staring at the wall. Aiko came closer and looked towards the wall, but she could not see whatever it was that Mei was seeing. Suddenly, a gentle hand petted her head. Aiko immediately wrapped her hands around Mei''s waist as she nestled her head on her lap. "What am I going to do with you..." Mei murmured. This kind of Aiko was too affectionate and free, which Mei was not used to at all. She was also more mischievous and doting. These two metals prove her point. One can only be found in the Immortal World, while the other is supposed to be a long-lost metal. Neither of them was cheap or easy to get her hands on. She always wanted a Cauldron made out of Divine Steel, but it would have cost her own little Palace just to procure a small knife''s worth of it! Mei felt guilty that she couldn''t properly reciprocate Aiko''s feelings, but she was not yet ready. She would be with Aiko like this for a few years before she decides to stay with her or not. Mei already made her peace with the fact that Aiko would not leave her. The Karmic Relationship can''t be broken, so Aiko would always be tied to Mei. ... Aiko fell asleep from that soft caress and only woke up when Mei was fiddling with the metals. "I have something else!" Aiko suddenly sprung with great energy. Mei raised her eyebrow. It was unlikely that Aiko had yet another metal, right...? Aiko placed the tea set in front of Mei, almost making her faint again. "Are you giving me this too?!" Mei almost choked on her own breath. "Yeah, This is a Crescent Moon Tea Set." Aiko figured out the name thanks to a certain voice whispering. "I know what this is. It''s coveted by everyone in the Immortal World, especially by those with a Dao Companion." Mei soothed her head. Aiko was giving her too many surprises. "Oh." Aiko didn''t have all that strong of an impression. She had a great impression of the woman who gave her this. Mei saw Aiko''s expression and her lips twitched. She couldn''t believe that Aiko had such a lukewarm reaction and so she tried messing with her. "It''s said that it can ''improve'' relationships between-" Before Mei finished her sentence, Aiko cut her short. "Let''s make tea!" Aiko wagged her tails excitedly, making Mei giggle. "Later, I need to refine this Treasure, so it is attuned to us." Mei said softly. "Boo! Do it now!" Aiko pouted and snuggled Mei, but this time Mei didn''t push her away. "If you are going to grope me again, I will kick you out." Mei narrowed her eyes. Aiko''s hands stiffened. She was so close to feeling Mei''s ass that she now regretted her "slower" actions... "I will refine it now." Mei rolled her eyes, seeing Aiko sulking. Aiko''s ears perked up. She refined/attuned her own Treasure previously, so she wondered if Mei would do the same. Mei gently touched the tea set and it started to gently glow. Aiko observed it closely, but the motion was very different from hers. Mei''s had some kind of river flowing out of her body and it was wrapping around the whole tea set. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Then it slowly and gently entered the tea set, making it glow even more. Aiko was tempted by this river, since it felt like something incredibly delicious, but she contained her desire for the time being. Soon after, Mei was finished with the refinement process. "It''s done." Mei sighed, obviously exhausted. "You should rest." Aiko was concerned about Mei. It would be bad if Mei was too tired to play with her. "And who will make tea?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "Me?" Aiko pointed at herself while her tails gently wagged. "Do you know how to?" Mei had a smug smile on her lips. "..." Aiko pouted away, since she didn''t like the fact that she had no idea how to properly prepare tea. Mei caressed Aiko''s head. All those Treasures made her more amiable and affectionate. Aiko enjoyed that soothing feeling for a bit before protesting. "But you will be too tired to play with me later!" She pouted. "We can just rest and play later." Mei rolled her eyes. ... Aiko kept pouting whilst Mei was preparing the tea. It took a while, but once that smell spread throughout the room, Aiko was more obedient than before. It seems that she liked this kind of smell, as she let Mei do her thing without protesting. ''If only this side of Aiko would last.'' Mei chuckled, shaking her head. She knew that once she finished her tea, Aiko would be back to her previous self. Aiko paid attention to Mei, so she could learn about preparing tea, but this whole thing was too complex, so Aiko would definitely purchase Skill for this! Everything was easier with a Skill, so Aiko would naturally buy it in order to profit from this. ''Maybe some cooking-type Skills too?'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. She was observing Mei''s body. "I really want to touch her- Auch! What did I do?!" Aiko was unaware that her inner thoughts leaked. Mei looked quite upset, so Aiko calmed down and obediently let Mei scold her. ... Aiko sipped her tea with a blissful expression. "She would like this tea." Aiko was talking about her Moon Form, since it seems like this tea improved concentration and made pondering upon things easier. "Who are you talking about?" Mei would go through all the Mistresses Aiko might have and reject all of them. No one was worthy of Aiko, only she was! "About my Moon Form." Aiko gently sipped her tea. "Moon Form?" Mei was confused. She understood that Aiko had different looks, but different personalities? When did that happen? "Yeah, the one that created this." Aiko pulled out her [The Ever Shaping Cauldron] in front of Mei. Pffft "Hahahaha." Mei laughed loudly when she saw what was presumably a sorry-looking Cauldron. "Don''t laugh." While the ''Shadow'' Aiko didn''t agree with Moon Aiko, she was still Aiko, so she would naturally defend herself! "It''s so cute, I didn''t expect you to be so bad at something~!" Mei giggled at the sulking Aiko. "I will let you know that it''s fully functional!" Aiko pouted even more as her ears ''snipped''. Mei laughed even more, since she didn''t believe it was possible for this sorry-looking Cauldron to work properly. Aiko pouted even more. She was unhappy with Mei laughing at her like that! Placing her tea down, Aiko jumped at the defenceless Mei. "Kya~!" Mei yelped since she was in a playful, but tired mood. "I''m going to punish you." Aiko pouted. "Later, I''m exhausted." Mei gently grabbed Aiko''s head and placed her on her bosom. Mei hummed gently as she tried to rest, but... "Kya-! W-why?!" Mei panicked since Aiko bit her on her breast. Aiko was still pouting. "What?" "Do you even know what it means to bite someone?!" Mei protested. "No." Aiko was sulking pretty badly. "It means you are in love with them!" Mei proclaimed with embarrassment. It took a while for Aiko to process that information and that was only thanks to that tea, otherwise she would completely miss this. Aiko giggled gently as she rubbed her face on Mei''s bosom. "What are you...?" Mei was confused about this sudden change of demeanour. "Mei loves me~" Aiko giggled happily. "???" Mei was confused. "But I never said-" She could not understand Aiko. "Mei bit my boobs, so she loves me~" Aiko hummed happily. "Huh? When did I-" Suddenly, Mei remembered that time when Aiko was annoying her with her overly large breasts. "T-that time was different!" Mei protested loudly as her face got redder and redder. "Oh~? So you don''t love me." Aiko narrowed her eyes dangerously. "T-that''s-!" Aiko was looking more bewitching than ever before, so Mei had a hard time expressing herself. "I just need you to bite me again to prove that you love me, right~?" Aiko''s common sense was all over the place. "What are you-!" Mei''s eyes widened as Aiko''s juicy body and especially her bosom got closer. Aiko gently burrowed Mei''s head in her bosom, smothering her gently. Mei was confused about this type of Aiko, but... Aiko was just scared about being rejected by Mei. While her emotions were complex about what kind of ''like'' she had towards Mei. She knew that she wanted to spend her life with her. It took a while, but Aiko felt a gentle nibble on her breast. She leaned backwards in order to see Mei''s face, but... Mei was completely red, even her neck and ears were red and she was innocently looking away like she didn''t do anything. "A-anyway! I-I''m quite tired, so I will rest now." Mei could feel her face burning up from such a shameless display, but she didn''t know how to face Aiko properly. Mei rolled onto her side, while she was still being observed by Aiko. Aiko had a playful smile on her lips as her hands wrapped around Mei''s waist. "W-what are you doing?!" Mei panicked and her body squirmed, but she realised that Aiko wrapped them in her tails. Mei was even more embarrassed about this display of affection than from her playful bites. "W-w-what are you doing?!" Mei gulped nervously. "Keeping you warm~" Aiko whispered into Mei''s ears, making her squirm on the fur bed. Mei''s heart beat loudly. She was too embarrassed about this situation to do anything, but she soon noticed that Aiko had fallen asleep behind her! Mei was at a loss for words if Aiko understood her actions or not. So she would slowly teach her over time, maybe indulge a little before telling Aiko, but... She would definitely tell Aiko about not doing this with anyone else! It would be bad if Aiko did it to someone else! ''I need to keep the wenches away from my Aiko!'' Mei had a sudden shift of thought... Chapter 350 – Spider knows the good stuff ( ?° ?? ?°) Aiko woke up to Mei staring at the ceiling with eyes wide open. She wondered what was wrong with Mei, so she likewise looked up. There was a small jumping spider weaving its webs and making itself a nest. "Oh, spidey came back." Aiko yawned as she slurred his name. Mei turned around to look at Aiko. "You know it?" "Yeah." Aiko yawned again before hugging Mei in her sleepy state. "That spider is from that one egg out of the cave I looted and it probably broke through its shelf when I was Evolving." She nuzzled Mei in her sleep. Mei was concerned about Aiko''s behaviour. If that behaviour caught on with the others, they could be infected by Aiko''s carelessness! "Oh, and he is my Beast Familiar for some reason." Aiko wanted to gently bite Mei''s shoulder, but Mei pushed her away. "What do you mean by Beast Familiar?" Mei was confused. "I feel connected to him since my Evolution and I can hear his thoughts." Aiko answered absent-mindedly. Mei felt like she had yet another headache, but since that spider was cute, she would let it go for now. "What can he do?" Mei asked. Aiko stretched her hand lazily and the small jumping spider that was the size of a pillow jumped on her hand. The jumping spider was much bigger than Aiko''s hand, yet it was a lot lighter than one would expect. The spider immediately weaved her threads, trying to create some kind of silk gloves for Aiko. When Mei was not speechless about Aiko''s laziness, she was mesmerised by the little spider''s work. While it was far from what clothiers could create, considering this was just a tiny Beast, it was quite incredible. Mei stretched her hand curiously, since this was Aiko''s familiar, it shouldn''t bite her. She normally doesn''t like spiders, but this one is oddly cute. The spider noticed a hand approaching her and froze in place. She didn''t move for a while as Mei petted her. Soon after the spider made more silk and wrapped it around Mei, she was stunned by that silky smooth sensation on her skin. "This is better than Nightmare Spider Silk." Mei could not believe her own words, but she was already so used to Nightmare Spider Silk that she was able to tell the minute differences. Mei stretched her other hand, so she could pet it gently. She looked at the spider curiously as she was wrapping silk around her hands. Mei was confused at first, but then the spider suddenly tightened its silk around Mei''s hands, binding her wrists with silk-like pair of soft handcuffs. "Huh...?" Mei was startled, but then she noticed that her legs were likewise bound by the same silk. "Sleep more." Aiko groaned unhappily as she gently bit Mei''s shoulder. "Ah-!" Mei was startled, since she was unable to defend herself properly with bound hands. "What ah... eh?" Aiko blinked her sleepy eyes a few times if her sight didn''t deceive her. "I didn''t know you had such ki-" Aiko commented on Mei''s fetishes, but was stopped by the flustered Mei. "W-what do you mean kink?! This is not my kink! Your stupid spider did this to me!" Mei felt upset at Aiko immediately making that conjecture. "Good job, spider." Aiko praised it, but when she noticed Mei''s glare, she coughed awkwardly. "Bad spider." *Cough* "Allow me to help you." "No." Mei noticed the obscene smile she had and immediately rejected Aiko''s help. "Awww." Aiko tried to get close to her, but Mei would push her away with her hands. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Aiko would have none of it and once again bit Mei, but this time on her palm. "Ah!" Mei was shocked by Aiko''s shameless behaviour and tried to protect her body from Aiko''s lips. The reason was that she was excited about the fact that Aiko was so enthusiastic about her. Mei then suddenly paused, and a certain question appeared inside her mind. "Why do you always bite me?" It was not impossible that Aiko loved her, but Mei just wanted to make sure how she should progress her mentality. She didn''t dislike Aiko, but her pushy behaviour felt quite heavy on her mind. "I don''t know." Aiko never thought about it. "Because it''s tasty?" She observed Mei''s body while licking her lips. Mei shivered and blushed the deepest red to date. "Y-you, shameless fiend!" Aiko giggled. "Yeah~! I''m a shameless fiend and Mei''s Mate~!" She hummed happily, making Mei even more embarrassed about this whole thing. "I''m not your real Mate!" Mei proclaimed. "You are now." Aiko immediately asserted her position. "Then what do you think you are doing with Blood Fox and Yuxi?!" Mei glared at Aiko. "They are part of the team, so it''s only natural I dote on them." Aiko nodded gently. She saw nothing wrong with this. "You can only choose either me or your little harem!" Mei glared and pouted at Aiko. "Hmmmm..." Aiko pondered on it, making Mei even more upset. "Why not both?" Aiko tilted her head. "Both is good." Before Mei could reprimand Aiko, she continued. "I get to play with everyone and you will get free servants that you can order around, isn''t that a win-win situation for everyone?" She tilted her head. At this point, Mei really had a headache from Aiko. Her mind was unable to wrap around Aiko''s reasoning. "Blood Fox doesn''t like me." Mei glared at Aiko. "She will come around once she matures." Aiko believed that to be the case. "And what if she doesn''t?" Mei snorted unhappily. "We can both jump on her and play with her?" Aiko believed that this was the best solution. That way, Mei, and the Blood Fox would be able to sort out their differences while Aiko would have her fill~! Oh, poor Aiko, not knowing that this was one of the biggest mistakes of her life... ... Mei was pouting while Aiko was sitting nearby from being scolded by her. "Mei..." Aiko tried to get close to her, but Mei pushed her back to her place. "I''m not talking to you. You have upset me." Mei pouted and shooed Aiko outside. The Blood Fox was just walking around and Mei snorted before slamming the doors behind her. The Blood Fox could not understand this strange behaviour, so she focused on Aiko. "You got kicked out again?" "No...? Yes...? Maybe?" Aiko was unsure about what just happened. Why was Mei so mad at her? She didn''t say anything bad. Aiko did not understand that Mei was not as open-minded as other Foxes. She wasn''t a demonic fox that would demanded exclusivity from her partner. "We are packing our things to move to a place rich in Qi. There, Feifei and Mei will be able to reach the Foundation Establishment." The Blood Fox said briefly before continuing to walk forward. "Oh?" Aiko was curious about that place. "You can''t eat it." The Blood Fox immediately said, just in case, to stop Aiko from going ahead to look for that place, and destroying it in turn. "I never said I wanted to eat it." Aiko already grew up from her eating stage and now she was at the biting stage. It felt like she was going backwards, but since she was reprimanded less like this, it didn''t feel like it for Aiko. She was happy that she was scolded less by everyone. Aiko just had to keep a few rules in her mind and she would be able to get away from everything! This was good news, especially since she can use her Moon Form to decide which rules are beneficial and which she can throw out of the window. ''There is also so much stuff to do...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. She wanted to play around, but her Moon Form wanted to work hard. Especially on things like the [Soul Domain] or [Beast Core Formation]. ''Ah! I forgot to ask Mei about Pill Cauldrons!'' The ''Shadow'' Aiko suddenly realised her error, but she still couldn''t bring herself to regret her actions. She liked Mei, since she tasted sweet and soft. It was also fun biting her since her reactions were just adorable. Aiko had a twisted sense of fun, since she was in her Demonic Form. That was also the reason why her Moon Form took her as a different being, since the differences in their state of mind were so great. Aiko would have to visit Mei later about the Pill Cauldron. "Can I help with something?" Aiko wanted to fool around with Yuxi, but she could not see her around, plus the contract was too faint to track for some reason... "Yes, you can help us pack everything that is ours, you can use your Storage Rings or anything else that can store things." The Blood Fox welcomed this help. "You don''t have to look for the Twins, since they are recovering loot from ''Cultivators''." The Blood Fox noticed that the captured Cultivators still had plenty of Treasures and there were also their fellow Cultivators that wanted to rescue them. As such, there were many captured Cultivators in that place and the Blood Fox wanted to get rid of them. Those that would surrender their Treasures would be spared, while those that would not, would have their Souls pierced by the Twins. At best, they just would be severely injured, but at worst they would become even bigger fools. Their Souls would be so damaged that their whole persona would be wiped clean just as when they were born and they would have to relearn all those experiences again to return to being a functional human being. The Blood Fox shook her head as she saw Aiko shoving everything into her tails. "You really make my work harder." She sighed. "Why?!" Aiko felt like she was being bullied for no reason. "Because your tails would get dirty and they are also too big. You have to learn how to keep your tails high, so that they don''t become as dirty..." The Blood Fox sighed again, shaking her head gently. Aiko was too carefree when she was taking care of her body and that was only natural since she was a bit too free-spirited. The Blood Fox would have to slow Aiko down, so that she would learn properly how to maintain her dignity! Chapter 351 – Mei in charge The Twins returned from their ''expedition''. Most Cultivators died by their tails and their Treasures were taken away. The loot was of lower quality, but it was good enough for the team that if Aiko decided to distribute it to them later or if there would be some things they would use for themselves. Yuxi and Wanshu observed Aiko helping around without wreaking havoc. It was a strange sight and they wondered if something happened to Aiko... ""Mistress."" After living for a long time with each other, they were now in perfect sync. Moreover, thanks to their hard work even the current Aiko would have trouble with their coordinated attacks! "You are back~!" Aiko immediately reverted to her playful side, which startled the duo. The Blood Fox could only shake her head. "Yes, Mistress. We got Treasures." Yuxi smiled. "Take whatever you want and I will take the rest. If there is something of high value that we can sell, keep it. The rest will go to Mei so that she can smelt them for materials or something..." Aiko knew from Fang Jia that Treasures or Artefacts can''t be melted down all the way, since those different metals and materials would merge together to form a united blob of crap. As such, recycling Cultivator stuff was incredibly difficult, if not impossible! The precision and control required for the whole process is so sky-high that even Immortals don''t recycle Treasures! As such, Aiko decided to give those useless Treasures to Mei, so that she could pick and use the others as Qi-draining resources. This way it was incredibly expensive to use, but since those Treasures would not have other uses, Aiko did not need to mind it all that much. There was also a difference between Natural Treasures, Numinous Treasures and Inscription Treasures. The weakest ones were Inscription Treasures, since you needed to write an incredibly elaborate Inscription that needed to be powered carefully by even more Inscriptions. Meanwhile, Numinous Treasures, or Treasures recovered from Beasts, like those her new ''friends'' parted with in order to appease Aiko are Numinous. What that means is the one who crafted those Treasures used materials that naturally had those abilities to form their effects instead of Inscriptions. They are naturally more powerful, but also fragile, since the constant consumption weakens the materials. The last one would be Natural Treasures and, oh boy, are they powerful. Not only are they incredibly durable, but they almost never go out! It was the perfect Treasure, but since there are too few of them, only Sect Leaders from medium sized or larger Sects could ever hope to own one. And yes, you guessed it, Aiko had one such Treasure on her. She didn''t use it since it was difficult to find anyone who could use it, but with Mei''s and Fang Jia''s help, it should be possible to incorporate it into the Cauldron! Aiko rubbed her hands greedily. ... "Mei~!" Aiko went back to Mei, since she now recovered a lot of her Moonlight Essence. That way she can turn into her Moon Form and discuss the Cauldron! "What?" Mei was quite on guard against Aiko, since she didn''t want Aiko to take advantage of her! Aiko almost immediately turned into Moon Form so that she could discuss it with Mei. "I need your help with the Cauldron." Moon Form Aiko said gently. Mei was shocked by the change of demeanour, but what shocked her more was the beauty that Aiko exuded. It was a lot different from that bewitching beauty that put her on guard. No, this kind of beauty she would be able to get behind! Mei gently coughed with a light blush. "What do you wish to discuss?" She patted the bed. She was more open to approaching this kind of Aiko since she didn''t feel as sinister. "Did you review the [The Ever Shaping Cauldron]?" Aiko asked her gently. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Yes, but it''s too profound to be easily made." Mei sighed. Aiko sat down next to Mei. "Yeah, I struggled a lot, but thanks to the system''s constant reminders, I was able to create a fully functioning Cauldron." Aiko placed that messy Cauldron on display again and Mei couldn''t help but giggle at it. "Please don''t tease me..." Aiko murmured like she was embarrassed about her creation. ''Hm?'' Mei blinked a few times. She didn''t expect Aiko to be so shy about this. ''Her ears are red...'' For some reason, Mei''s heart skipped a beat and she really wanted to tease this cute Aiko more. Mei observed the messy Cauldron while making a mental plan. "There are a few mistakes that you made during the creation. I understand that the creation is different from creating a normal Cauldron, but these are beginner mistakes." Mei naturally wrapped her hand around Aiko, making her blush even more. "The lower part you can gently spin around which will make the base more even. The same technique can be used to build up the walls, but you spin it more slowly. I know that your Divine Sense is not that precise, but there are other ways you can do this." Said Mei gently as she caressed Aiko''s back. "I see. Spinning would definitely help, but that would also make a hole in the middle." Aiko pointed out that part, but could not meet Mei''s eyes for some reason. "And that is perfect." Mei said bluntly. "Huh?" Aiko turned towards Mei with surprise. "Why? Isn''t that hole counterproductive?" She tilted her head. Mei took Aiko''s hand into her hand and caressed it. Aiko''s body was stiff, unlike her ''normal'' self. "And where are you going to place the ''Core''?" Mei chuckled. "Ah! Because we made a hole in advance, we don''t have to tinker with it any more and we can use that to mould ''Core'' into it!" Aiko immediately understood, which made Mei a bit uncomfortable. Mei was not used to this overly smart Aiko. She used this opportunity to entangle her fingers with Aiko''s. "And with that, the perfect unity is reached without more tampering with it. That will also prevent many imperfections that would''ve been created from making a new hole into the cauldron." Mei said gently, observing Aiko''s reactions. "Mhm." Aiko nodded gently, but she was now blushing. Just as Aiko wanted to run away, Mei wrapped her other hand around her waist and pulled her closer. "W-what?" Aiko stuttered. She didn''t know what to do about this kind of Mei, not to mention she really wanted to work on her Cauldron, but didn''t know how to push away Mei gently without her misunderstanding. "What~?" Mei teased the flustered Aiko. This was a lot different to what she expected, and Mei was not as much against this kind of Aiko. "I-I still have work to do...!" Aiko squeezed out her voice. "Hmhm." Mei hummed gently as she gently kissed Aiko on the top of her hand. "I-I would like to work on the Cauldron." Aiko stuttered again. Mei was for some reason obsessed with this shy Aiko. It was strange to see her like that without taking advantage of Mei. She very much liked this side, since she was more mellow and... small. Her body was not as intimidating as in her ''normal'' Form. She was a lot more slender and... fragile. Mei loved this kind of body. "And I will naturally help you." Mei''s hand tightened her grip making Aiko gasp. "I really w-want to work." Aiko was now completely red in her face. For some unknown reason, Mei licked her lips as she slowly pushed Aiko on the bed. "W-we shouldn''t! I have work to do!" Aiko protested, but she didn''t push Mei away. She really didn''t know what kind of excuse to use for Mei to stop in her tracks. The current Mei acted like a boulder rolling down the hill, wreaking havoc along the way. "What should we do~?" Mei teased as she narrowed the space between them. Their bodies were on top of each other, burning gently. Aiko was much colder than Mei, so she felt like she was being burned by something scorching hot, which made her quiver gently. Their faces were so close that their breaths met in the middle. Aiko''s voice was stuck in her throat as her brain was trying to work overtime in order to come up with a solution for the current situation. Mei found this type of Aiko amusing. She looked beautiful as her stardust eyelashes quivered. Mei planted a gentle kiss on Aiko''s forehead. With each additional kiss, she moved lower down. Eyelashes, nose, cheeks, Mei slowly tasted each of them with her tender kisses. Aiko was breathing irregularly from the sudden and unexpected attention. Mei observed Aiko as she observed her. There were no signs of rejection and struggle, just hesitation and insecurity. "How about closing your eyes?" Mei said gently, but her voice sounded sharp. Aiko immediately shook her head. In this form, her emotions and feelings were suppressed, but there was something boiling inside her, ready to burst, which scared her greatly. Mei didn''t press on. This kind of Aiko was too cute to bully too much and this ''session'' also helped Mei understand herself better, so she didn''t want to scare Aiko away completely. She planted another kiss on Aiko''s moist eyelashes. She was gently planting kiss after kiss, making sure to observe Aiko''s expression and not push too far. A light moan escaped Aiko''s lips after the continuous, relentless assault. Mei really wanted to play with Aiko''s ears, but her reactions were already too intense. Aiko shared a single gaze with her as Mei gently lowered her lips. Aiko was still scared, but after tasting Mei''s tenderness, she was not as scared as before. Mei didn''t push further, a simple and tender kiss was enough for now, but... That fragile expression with moist eyes made her really want to do more. Mei had a hard time restraining herself. She met her lips with Aiko''s. Aiko was not as proactive as in her ''normal'' Form, so Mei was free to do as she pleased. She gently bit Aiko''s lower lip, which caused another gasp with a stifled moan to escape Aiko''s throat. Mei gently leaned onto Aiko as she rested on her body. This was enough for now. Aiko was squirming a bit too much too and if it continued like that Mei would definitely regret her next actions. Mei also had a lot to think about. The most pressing matter was the fact that she didn''t mind doing this kind of stuff with this kind of Aiko as much as the ''normal''. Now don''t get her wrong. She enjoyed both of their encounters, she just enjoyed this one a lot more than the other. Mei had a lot to think about as she fell asleep on Aiko''s bosom, leaving her emotions behind... Chapter 352 – Cold Qi Pond "Aiko..." Mei sighed gently. Aiko was currently pouting at Mei like some kind of puffer fish and she was likewise as prickly as one! "Not talking to you." Nightmare Aiko pouted even more. No work has been done and she depleted all her Moonlight Essence. This upset her greatly, since it took days to gather enough to do anything of use with her Moon Form. "We are moving, pack up." With those words, the pouting Aiko left. "Did I overdo it too much...?" Mei tilted her head, but for some reason, she didn''t regret her decision. Moon Aiko was just too cute not to tease. ... Aiko walked around the camp. She still had to solve a few things, one of which was the sealed poison. Now that she had the [Witch Fox Incarnate] she could manipulate any poisons within her body with relative ease, but she still had no way to get them out of her body. It was quite a tricky situation and the easiest solution would be to push all that poison into a toe and cut it off. Of course, Aiko had no intention of doing that, since that would endanger her life and it would upset everyone present. Aiko didn''t need Mei riding her ass again, especially when she was supposed to be packing up to leave. They had a ''limited'' time in this place before the Cultivators outside would leave them inside this Secret Realm, binding them to it. It was important that they used this last opportunity to plunder the last value of this place before leaving. Aiko was not in a mood to explore around, since she was bothered by the fact that her team played games, yet she was stuck with the bully Mei. Aiko had a clear double standard, where she could bully others, but others shouldn''t bully her. That was only natural since none of the Cultivators currently present was able to match her might. The only way she would be defeated would be through elaborate Arrays/Formations, Pills, or powerful treasures. Fortunately, there were not enough Cultivators left to set up such elaborate traps, so Aiko and her team would be safe. The Pills were very expensive and the stingy sect were unlikely to give them out, and no one would have thought to bring such a powerful treasure inside, and if one was left then its new owner would have left the realm, either content with their new Treasure, or running from the onslaught of her evolution. They also had the Beast Cores of those ''majestic'' Beasts, but most of them were currently asleep. Aiko''s Evolution and bullying pretty much exhausted their energies. So Aiko stored them inside her [Tails Storage]. They could not escape her until they gave her their Treasures! ... Everything was packed and they could finally move on. Mei needed to reach Fox Form through that Forbidden Technique and that required her to be on a higher Cultivation Stage and have a lot of Qi. Fortunately, they found a place with abundant Qi, so one part of that was covered. Mei just needed to Cultivate for a while and reach the Golden Core, but... "I think that Foundation Establishment should be alright..." Mei said openly. Normally, one would need to reach at least Golden Core in order to use that Technique, but because Aiko gave her that [Cultivation Gift] and [Bloodline Gift]; Mei was a lot more powerful than before. This allowed her to use that Forbidden Technique sooner and because she was packed with Vitality, it didn''t seem like she would be losing her stages over time. The last part had to be kept secret, otherwise everyone would be suddenly chasing after Dew Foxes. They were already endangered species thanks to the Golden Palace, but they would definitely go extinct if something like that was leaked out. They trekked over towards the part which was not destroyed by Aiko''s Evolution or the Beasts'' rampage against the Immortal Cultivators. It was quite a small place, but it had the Cold Qi pond. This pond was oozing a lot of Qi into its surroundings and while you did need to have Warming Pills in order to Cultivate nearby, it was still much better than Cultivating in the wild. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The Cold Qi was very pure in nature and as long as that Qi was warmed up, you didn''t need to filter it in your Meridians! That means you would be able to gather more Qi into Dantian, yielding twice the result with half the effort! Aiko would also be able to gather a bit of energy into her Beast Core, but that was only because she had a powerful Fire-based Bloodline and a Spiritual Flame. Without either of those, normal Beasts are unable to Cultivate near such cold places, due to the necessary Pills not being as effective as they are for humans. Human cultivators did not gather Qi through their pores, but through their Meridians. As such, they could condense the Pill effect and wrap it around their Meridians, resulting in complete immunity against the Cold Qi. However, Beasts could not do the same. Beast didn''t gather Energy through Meridians, but through pores, through their whole being, which meant that they would consume a lot more Pills trying to wrap their entire bodies in the Pill effects. It was just not sustainable for them, so Beasts were limited in where they would be able to cultivate. The general rule was that unless you have extreme Bloodline or Elemental Affinity, you should Cultivate on plains or temperate forests. If you do have an extreme Bloodline or Elemental Affinity, then you should seek out those extreme conditions in order to Evolve quickly. Most Beasts that it did apply to would ignore the latter rule, though. It was not because they didn''t want to get stronger, or that they were too dumb to realise it, but most of the time the extreme Qi places were already occupied by far more powerful Beasts. Since they competition for those spots was fierce, those Beasts were typically extremely powerful, and normal Beasts would not be their match. The same was true for this Cold Qi pond. The Twins had quite a hard time killing the Beast that was nestled there, but due to their impeccable coordination, they were able to subdue it. "It''s huge..." Aiko commented when she looked at the Beast. It was similar to a turtle, but not quite? It had the head of a hawk and the tail of a scorpion. That meant it had several Bloodlines and its Beast Core was mixed. "But how did it survive the Cold Qi?" Aiko was confused about this part, since it didn''t seem like it had the required affinity for it. "That''s the thing. It didn''t." Mei said gently. "If it had an affinity for this place, then Yuxi and Wanshu would already be dead. You have to keep in mind that Foxes are the lowest at the Food Chains thanks to their smaller Beast Cores." Mei explained. "However, since this dumbass didn''t have a proper affinity for this place, his Beast Core was mostly frozen." Mei really wanted to store this Beast for future experiments. "Which means that it could barely use its Abilities." She sighed gently. Aiko stored parts of the corpses into her tails, startling Mei. "So you need a good enough affinity to not get suppressed by this place?" Aiko asked gently. She wondered if her [Cold Ocean] Affinity would be enough for this... "You can always test if you are fated with that place by just going inside." Mei told Aiko gently. "What...?" Aiko could not quite understand why she should endanger her life to test this. "You don''t have to go deep inside. You will know immediately if you can stay here or not." Mei chuckled and pointed at Aiko''s team. Everyone was shivering like they were out in the open in the middle of winter. Their teeth almost clattering from how cold they were. "Oh..." Aiko stared blankly. She was not cold at all, so it felt like her team was faking it. ... Her team was dismissed, since they couldn''t stay in this place and Aiko was once again upset that she had to spend time with Mei. "You are pouting again..." Mei sighed. "Do you hate me that much?" She asked gently. "How could you bully such a cute girl." Aiko was upset that her Moon Form was bullied like that. Mei''s lips twitched. Nightmare Aiko was able to bully her, but Mei could not bully her back?! What injustice was this?! "Here." Aiko placed a certain stone into Mei''s hand. "Where did you find this?!" Mei once again almost fainted. She could not understand where Aiko was getting these Treasures! Not to mention, this was not a simple Treasure, but a Natural Treasure. "Dug it up with the Soul Wood or whatever it''s called." Aiko didn''t quite remember how she got it. She got it with the help of the Ghost, who fished it from a cold pond. This kind of Jade would allow Mei to make it to the Peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage and maybe even into the Middle Stage of the Golden Core! That in turn would allow her to form a Golden Pill in her Beast Form, which would boost her bodily functions greatly! "I will Treasure it." Mei said gently. "No. You will give it back." Aiko was sulking. Those were her Treasures and they would be reclaimed! Mei giggled. "Of course, I will return it." She narrowed her eyes gently. ''Let''s see if you can still be so bratty when I''m in my Fox Form.'' She smirked at Aiko. Aiko took this as some sort of challenge and glared back at Mei. Mei gulped down the Warming Pill, so that she could continue walking deeper into this place. "Any Ice Shards or anything like that is mine." Aiko suddenly proclaimed. "You don''t even need it!" Mei glared at Aiko. "So what?" Aiko pouted before running towards the core of this place. ... "Is that the eye?" Aiko blinked at the strange Array. "Yes, you can dismantle Arrays by finding its eye." Mei said gently as she prepared another Array outside of the existing Array. "What does this do?" Aiko was curious about this thing, since it was complete gibberish. Why was the door next to the eye and the leg next to the ear? She could not understand the system of Arrays, it simply made no sense! "Concealing Array for the special Gathering Array. They are not complete and can''t demonstrate their full power, but this should be enough for me to make it to the Golden Core thanks to the Ice Jade." Mei nodded gently. Aiko pouted even more. She was completely ignored by Mei, who was focusing on Arrays. "How long will that take?" Aiko asked. "If I drain this place. Around two months and then one more month to finalise the absorbtion." Mei paused. "Afterwards we will have to rush out of this place before it closes or they leave us stuck in here." She snorted unhappily. They would always close this place prematurely to "punish" greed, although in actuality they did it so that the youths would be hooked on the feeling of exploration and plundering. That also meant that the Sect who had the lowest death rate had the highest plunder rate. Not because they were able to get most of the materials, but because their Senior remembered this place and could navigate it easily. They would avoid all the traps or anything that would endanger them, which caused even more severe plundering! Chapter 353 – Aiko’s Chase Aiko kept observing Mei, but soon got bored. Feifei was waiting outside with the others, so that she wouldn''t burn through too many Warming Pills, unlike Mei. Mei needed to set up Arrays, so it was natural for her to stay inside for longer. Looking around. This was sort of a strange ''cave''-like structure. The cold pond had erected walls of ice around itself, almost completely encompassing it. Only a small hole in the ceiling opening it up to the outside world and a cave that was created by that strange ''turtle''. Or maybe that turtle did this whole thing, which would have been a pretty impressive feat. With this kind of ''cave'' the only things you had to defend were the hole in the ceiling and the cave leading outside. It was also not see-through ice and it was hard to crack. This place was pretty much a natural fortress thanks to the cold pond strengthening it. Surprisingly, the only slippery parts were the walls themselves, but not the ground, even if it was also made out of ice. Aiko found this odd, but she did not have the right mind to test anything. She was looking for some kind of hidden den or anything that was not nailed down and interesting enough to take away with her. She also didn''t have enough energy for her Moon Form, since Mei depleted it all, so Aiko would have to gather all that later so that she could use it again. The next thing would be to try to cultivate in here. She wanted to know if anything inside her body would change if she did that. "I''m finished. I will go get Feifei and meditate with her here." Mei said gently. Feifei was the only other member who would be able to cultivate whilst staying in here. Aiko waited inside, since there was no danger along the way and she was still looking for that hidden den. *Rustle* Aiko perked her ears when she heard something. High up on the slippery, smooth wall was some kind of strange distortion. Suddenly, a large shadow jumped out of it with a large bag filled with what Aiko assumed were Treasures. She sharpened her eyes in order to see who that was. "Monkey...?" Aiko tilted her head and stared at it. The Monkey grabbed the ledge and swung himself above the ''cave''-like structure. He now stood on the roof of this place and glanced at Aiko. The Monkey suddenly snapped his eyes at Aiko and drooled from his mouth with a lustful expression. Aiko''s eyes lit up at that disgusting gaze, immediately charging at the stupid monkey! She used her [Wind Jump], which was slowly levelling up from the usage of the Ability. If Aiko kept chasing others with such vigour for a bit more, it would definitely master itself in no time! The Monkey was shocked out of its horny stupor by the sight of the small Fox jumping through the sky and immediately started to run away from her. Aiko would naturally not allow that Monkey to leave with all her Treasures! She would not get robbed again, a pretty princess that helped her was fine, she was willing to let it slide, but a perverse monkey just No! ----- Mei returned with Feifei, but Aiko was nowhere to be seen. There were some questionable cracks in the wall, but Mei didn''t pay much attention to them, since Aiko''s connection was strong and vigorous. "Where is Aiko?" Feifei asked gently. She was looking forward to cultivating whilst getting to observe both beauties, but one beauty ran away... "She went out to play with something." Mei had judged that some fool entered this place and Aiko chased after them, but that was just her educated guess. The only evidence were the large footprints on the wall and ceiling. "Awwwww." Feifei was saddened, but she would still follow Mei''s lead without questions. ----- Aiko chased that stupid Monkey, who kept throwing rocks at her. At first, Aiko was angry at the Monkey for doing that, but that soon turned into deep rage. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. She suddenly recalled her entrance into this Secret Realm and how she was bombarded by those huge rocks and other objects. Aiko now remembered that those stone tossing bastards sounded a lot like monkeys! Aiko found a new objective and determination to exterminate all the monkeys! She didn''t try to catch up to the Monkey, but waited for it to guide her to their nest. She would then exterminate every monkey she came across! ... The Forest was not thinning at all, it felt like it was getting thicker and thicker by the minute. The Monkey was also getting faster and faster, like he had some kind of Ability that allowed him to move faster in this kind of environment. Aiko had quite a hard time catching up, since the vegetation was getting denser and denser. Sure, she could use her [Wind Jump] again to close the distance, but that would burn too much energy from her Beast Core and as such was not viable to use. Whilst her Nightmare form was not the smartest when it came to most things. Her instinct for combat exceeded even her Moon Form''s intelligence, turning her into a truly fearsome adversary in nearly all forms of combat. Her senses were especially sharp for the smallest ripples or behaviour that the Monkey did. She figured out that it was trying to call for reinforcements whilst avoiding returning to its nest. This upset Aiko and she used a few rocks from her Storage Pouch in order to hit him. Aiko right now really missed her old Assassination Uniform, since it allowed her to hide the Storage Pouches and not fumble them around her belt. It was quite burdensome, but Aiko had grown too big for those small clothes... *Boom* The rocks that Aiko threw turned into explosive cannonballs that obliterated anything and everything in its path. She was using a bit of her Beast Core Energy, but it was not enough to sap much of her strength, since most of it came from her Bloodlines. *Rustle* Aiko could hear reinforcements coming from the side, so she slid through the foliage. This would naturally soak her clothes in water, since everything was quite moist. Unfortunately for her opponents, Aiko didn''t mind getting dirty. Those reinforcements crashed into each other, since they didn''t expect the Fox to dodge like that. Aiko took out more of her rocks and threw them at them, obliterating them. She then turned her tails into [Little Nightmares] and her little cuties immediately collected the Beast Cores of her fallen foes. While monkeys were not that useful, since they were able to be this strong, they definitely had some kind of Beast Core in their bodies. And Aiko was right, while those Beast Cores were small, they still held a bit of Earth and Nature Element inside them. Aiko gently nodded as she kept pursuing the Treasure Monkey. At this moment, the Treasure Monkey was panicking, not knowing what to do. While it couldn''t speak, it was considered an intelligent Beast. That is also the reason why his boss told him to collect these Treasures! But now the same Foxes that killed that damned turtle were chasing after him! Obviously, his mind overexaggerated what was happening since this was pretty much something straight out of a nightmare. Worst of all he kept hearing whispers whenever he went through shadows of any kind, and what they said made him loose his shit, literally. ... Aiko kept chasing him until she was guided to the front of a strange stronghold. She paused her steps to take a good look at it. Most of the fortress was made out of huge rocks that were familiar to Aiko since she almost died in their hands. There were no doors or anything like that. Those monkeys would just climb the walls in order to get inside. This also helped those monkeys to keep this fortress safe inside, since not many Beasts were able to use their paws as skilfully as the monkeys could. Some monkeys even had swords and bows! Aiko was slightly startled by the scale, but she still intended to wipe them out. It would just... take a bit of time since there were too many monkeys. "Who is trespassing in my Fortress!?" A booming voice startled Aiko. It was a huge Golden Monkey staring at her from the top of the walls made out of huge rocks. "If you submit your Treasures I will just burn your bodies, but if you resist..." Aiko narrowed her eyes. "I will make sure that not even a drop of Blood is wasted when I create my Pills." She licked her lips. "What can a tiny whore do to us? Your kind is great at warming beds, but you are not that strong." The Golden Monkey laughed. "Maybe if you join me for a few nights I wouldn''t mind sharing some-" "Listen you bald-ass piece of stinking shit!" Aiko suddenly had an outburst since she was not here to play. They already hurt her, so there were only 2 acceptable outcomes for her either: They give her all their Treasures and they let her burn them alive. Or They don''t give her the Treasures and she will skin them alive before dragging them all to Mei to make sure she slowly extracts every last drop of value out of them! "Your head looks like an apple, just without the skin. You are like a shrivelled old sack of balls. You have a dick instead of a nose and your eyes looked like someone pissed into them- No, someone pissed on you since your fur is an ugly yellow colour, ew. I can feel that smell all the way over here!" Aiko shivered and pinched her nose like she was truly suffering from a bad smell. The Golden Monkey was completely livid and roared at the top of his lungs. He has completely forsaken his intelligence and commanded all the other monkeys to attack that stupid wench! "Since the harlot enjoys insulting us, we will have our fun with her whilst crushing her Beast Core!" The Golden Monkey roared. "I''m not insulting them, I''m insulting you! Did you eat so much shit that it has replaced your brains?! What''s wrong with you?! Why would you insult your fellow brethren?!" Aiko roared back. "Oh, I see. You have the piss fetish, right? You perverted disgusting piece of shit! You like it when someone pisses on you, right?!" She recoiled in disgust, completely ignoring all the incoming monkeys. The [Little Nightmares] suddenly moved, piercing the approaching Beasts. Since they were not very intelligent, they didn''t realise how strong this weak-looking Fox was. Moreover, they also couldn''t rely on their senses, since Aiko was suppressing her presence almost completely. She caught them completely off-guard. The Golden Monkey plucked a huge rock out of the walls and threw it at Aiko. The [Little Nightmares] tried to stop it, but they couldn''t break it entirely. Aiko had to use her own strength to divert that power away. The problem was the fact that she couldn''t use her other Incarnate Forms while she had her [Little Nightmares] active. She could only use the Abilities from the [Nightmare Fox Incarnate], but unfortunately, that form didn''t have any defensive Abilities! Nightmare Aiko would need to rely solely on herself in this battle! Chapter 354 – Aiko vs Golden Monkey Aiko dashed away from the fortress to buy herself some more time against the flying stones. While she was confident she could dodge them at her current distance, there was no need to overexert herself. If it could be done in an easier way then why do it the hard way? The [Little Nightmares] were munching on the monkeys'' hearts whilst fending of their attacks. They were not specialised in defence, so they took a lot more damage than expected. However thanks to the constant supply of food they were able to regenerate most of that damage. The [Little Nightmares] also didn''t play with the monkeys, which allowed Aiko more breathing room once she was back at the edge of the forest. She had no intention of going inside, since she didn''t have the proper adaptability for it. The monkeys would have the upper hand in that case and Aiko didn''t want to strain her body. ... The Golden Monkey''s muscles bulged as he threw another huge rock at her as she was surrounded by his subordinates. This was a bit of a sticky situation since there were a lot of monkeys and their cooperation was improving by the minute, not leaving Aiko much breathing room. The monkeys now understood the danger of the Fox''s strange tails and dared not approach. This caused them to throw rocks at her. Aiko was not concerned about the small rocks, but the big ones thrown by the Piss Monkey were a problem. As the newest of the huge rocks approached her, Aiko wanted to test if she could divert it; if that didn''t work, she would use her shadow movement to get out of there. The first [Little Nightmare] made an impact with the falling stone, but it only cracked the stone slightly. Aiko shifted her weight to the side, tilting her body. Using that position, she used her exceptional Agility to spin in place. The [Little Nightmare] who couldn''t move the huge ass rock was now slightly diverting it away from Aiko. Thanks to that spin, the damaged [Little Nightmares] were replacing each other in order to minimise damage! It was slowly working, but Aiko suddenly felt danger. She immediately used her shadow movement to get out of there. The huge rock creaked like it was under some kind of stress and with a final crack it was completely obliterated. *BOOOOM* The whole place shook as the huge rock exploded. It indiscriminately killed everything in its surroundings. The trees were broken like they were toothpicks. The earth was gauged like it was made out of sand and the wind screamed from the speed of the fragments left behind by the huge rock. Aiko appeared in a somewhat safe zone, but her [Little Nightmares] still had to protect her from the smaller shards. She was not doing all that well; for some reason there was a slight delay on her shadow movement which caused her to take a lot of damage. 10 million damage in fact, which was a lot for current Aiko, but that was only natural. Some shards from the rock were embedded in Aiko''s body, but fortunately, none were lethal. Thanks to Aiko''s instincts and the fact that the [Little Nightmares] were always so close to her body, she was able to offset some of that damage by tilting her body. The unfortunate thing was that now 5 out of 8 [Little Nightmares] were out of the fight. Blood dripped from Aiko''s wounds as she removed those shards, but that also didn''t last all that long thanks to a certain small creature. The small Spider was making a high-pitched clicking sound like it was crying whilst simultaneously weaving silk to bandage Aiko''s wounds. Aiko pulled the shards while the Spider would clean the wound of any residuals and then bandage it. The Spider''s large eyes were making a lot of tears, which Aiko found cute. She had a bit of leisure time since before moving she used her stealth capabilities to the maximum, so the monkeys were looking for her frantically. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. As Aiko was bandaging her wounds, the sky darkened. She was startled when she saw another huge rock flying at her location even when she was concealed. Aiko was unaware of the fact that she was inside the Golden Monkey''s domain, which caused her location to be revealed. Fortunately, the rest of the monkeys didn''t have anything like that. The [Little Nightmares] plunged themselves into her blood that had hit the ground. She was confused as to why they were doing that since she just wanted to move away, but something astonishing happened. Her tails cracked before enlarging. They were no longer black tails, but black tails with vivid red scales. The [Little Nightmares] were also bigger with rows of sharp teeth like those found on the most viscious of piranha. Aiko was quite happy that they were on her side, since she could feel that powerful pressure from them. ''How scary.'' Aiko didn''t think she would be able to defeat her own Tails! That''s how scary they were. ''But it''s still time to-'' She still didn''t believe that she would be safe if she took that head-on, but something even more shocking happened. [[Little Nightmares] were strengthened by unique blood!] [All capabilities increased greatly!] [Energy increased greatly!] [[Little Nightmare] entered [Berserker] mode. Their capabilities were further enhanced!] The [Little Nightmares] rushed at the boulder, tearing it apart as if it was made out of tofu. They then took the largest remnant of that boulder and shot it back at the Piss Monkey, who had just thrown another rock at Aiko. Those two boulders met in the middle, obliterating each other, which shocked both of them. The Golden Monkey was more wary of this Fox now, since she was able to destroy the Beast Core reinforced rocks that he created. She was too dangerous to engage at this distance, but he also couldn''t get close due to her ridiculous tails. There was a brief stalemate since the Golden Monkey didn''t want to sacrifice more of his rocks against this Fox, but he also couldn''t deal with her tails. The Golden Monkey had to swallow his pride. "How about a truce." "I''m not the one losing." Aiko snorted at him disdainfully. Sure, she was quite injured from that unexpected explosion, but it didn''t hinder her combat abilities at all! Moreover, the destroyed [Little Nightmares] were slowly recovering, so she would have the upper hand soon! The Golden Monkey frowned. He didn''t expect this little Fox to be so stubborn, but he also didn''t wish to part with his Treasures, so they could only continue this ''meaningless'' fight. The Golden Monkey uprooted a nearby tree and threw it at Aiko. This way he wouldn''t have to use his carefully crafted rocks on her, but could still whittle her stamina down over time. He also had plenty of monkeys under him, which would further reduce her already low stamina, or so he believed. Unfortunately, Aiko was far from ordinary, not only was she built like a tank, but she was also built as a marathon runner. She had both high Health Points and Stamina to deal with this fuck! ... Aiko rested as her empowered [Little Nightmares] did all the dirty work for her. Her wounds were likewise slowly closing up and she was feeling better by the minute. Those [Little Nightmares] didn''t consume any of her Stamina or Energy in this form, so she was able to regenerate some of her resources. The Golden Monkey was getting quite desperate, since the little Fox was not panicking or moving around. Moreover, his own monkeys dwindled under the assault of the strange tails. It was bone-chilling to think about being destroyed by a single enemy. Once Aiko regenerated a bit more of her resources, she moved towards the fortress. Now that she was more familiar with what she could and could not do, she would be able to battle that Pissed On Shrivelled Sack. There was another way to do this and that would be by ignoring the Piss Yellow Cock Nosed Fucker and just loot his palace. Why would she battle him? Her tails were pretty much topped up with energy and she was unsure if she could use his body if it was too destroyed, so it was better to avoid meaningless battles. Aiko used her shadow movement to get near the fortress and then used her [Wind Jump] in order to get on top of those ''walls''. The Golden Monkey panicked and picked another rock, throwing it at her with his full strength. Aiko gently tilted her body, while the tails crushed the rock. She avoided everything as she appeared on top of the ''walls''. She passed by the Golden Monkey with her superior speed. The Golden Monkey didn''t retaliate in any way, since he was no match for her up close. He would wait till she entered his stronghold in order to shower her with rocks! Aiko jumped down and was surprised. These Monkeys didn''t live up in the trees hanging, but they built tree houses! There was a forest inside this Fortress with big sturdy trees, each tree held a few houses, some of them were directly in the crown, while others were hanging from the thick branches, suspended by vines. As for the buildings themselves. They were made by weaving branches together, they kind of looked like weaved baskets! Aiko found it quite funny, but this would also make finding the Treasures easier, since you could peek inside through the narrow holes. With Aiko''s excellent eyesight, she was able to easily look inside. Most of them were occupied by female monkeys, but since they looked harmless, Aiko ignored them. She was not interested in low-quality goods, so she bypassed most houses, startling the Golden Monkey. "She is trying to take our Treasures! Go kill her!" The Golden Monkey yelled and the other monkeys immediately jumped down in order to chase Aiko. Aiko didn''t panic, since this was not a dense forest and they would still have to get close to her to do anything significant. Ranged attacks, especially the small ones, were meaningless against Aiko as the basic defence of the [Little Nightmares] was beyond what a common monkey could hope to penetrate. They were sturdy enough to shrug off even the Golden Monkey''s rocks, but Aiko knew that this ''form'' wouldn''t last long, since they were burning through the Vitality inside the blood they consumed. Fortunately, once Aiko located the Treasures, she could just move outside with her movement Divine Ability and not mind those fuckers at all! She scurried around, trying to find anything of value, but all that was left was a huge house inside a huge tree. This one was different from the others, since this house was built by carving into the tree, instead of just building on top of it. Aiko narrowed her eyes and dashed towards it. There were a few monkeys in her way, but a simple swipe of her tails dealt with them. She was now free to explore that huge ass house, until that Piss Loving Monkey made up his mind and attacked her himself! Chapter 355 – Aiko’s looting spree! Aiko walked inside the house through the overly elaborate human-style doors. She was surprised that the Piss Monkey would adapt human-like structures. The first room was a huge hallway. It looked like some sort of dining room coupled with a throne room. Aiko looked around curiously. There were no support beams supporting the roof, yet this place was very huge. The tables were already set with wooden plates and everything, which shocked her. There were 8 tables with about 16 chairs each, but there were a lot more monkeys outside than that, so this place was probably for the higher ranking ones. ''But I have not encountered any high-ranking monkeys other than that Golden Monkey...'' Aiko tilted her head, something was amiss. They were either hunted by others, or outside hunting for something. Aiko narrowed her eyes and dashed forward. There were 4 doors on each side and additional doors on the second floor. The second floor was very narrow, so Aiko started over there, but she only found bedrooms up there. Aiko whistled at the beautiful bedrooms. Each was filled with furs from different Beasts, a large bed with a night table and an additional table just for sitting. Each room was slightly different, but Aiko was really impressed by them... so much so that she just took anything and everything that was not bolted down! She moved quite quickly through the bedrooms. Most furs weren''t bolted down, so they were the first ones to go. Then you had some small Beast Cores lying here and there, so Aiko took them too. The looting just started, but there was already a ruckus outside. Aiko ignored that and finished her looting the second floor of this hall, it was time for the first floor. Those rooms each contained something else. One was full of weapons from Cultivators, another was full of food, and so on. There was a lot to loot, but Aiko was not interested in most of them. Don''t get her wrong, she would still take them, but she would distribute them to her team. Aiko had no interest in swords or other crude weapons, so she would not use them. However, there was something that piqued her interest. ''Is this some kind of sling?'' Aiko observed the two strings connected to a small patch of leather. It also had weights around the leather to make it heavier and increase the impact. Aiko was very interested in this, since she was limited in the power of her throws and this would allow her to extend her range too! A perfect weapon for her. Aiko carefully stored it and moved onto the next room. The food looked fine, but Aiko felt like there was something off about it, so she left it there. In another room there were armours. Treasures from Cultivators that died or were robbed by these shameless monkeys. Aiko took all of them once again, it was unlikely that she would be able to loot so much again. She still had a decent amount of space inside her [Tails Storage], so she would use this opportunity to fill it up completely. Going into another room. It was a place with many beds. It seems like this was the discounted version of the second floor. There were no furs or anything interesting, but there were a few Beast Cores. Aiko shook her head. The other rooms were in a similar fashion, but something felt strange. "I did not find anything of high value..." Aiko found this suspicious. The ruckus outside was also getting louder and louder, so Aiko had trouble thinking. She walked outside the room, to see what was wrong, but the main doors were pretty much glued shut by an uncountable number of threads. The jumping spider was playing with the doors, weaving more and more threads into it to reinforce it. The monkeys were locked out of this place, since there were no windows. The light was given from chandeliers that had small glowing gems embedded into them. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Aiko didn''t take them yet, since she didn''t put much thought into her looting, but now she could appreciate their beauty. She nabbed them without a second thought and went around exploring this place for any hidden compartment. The Nightmare Aiko could not find anything, so she temporarily transformed into Moon Aiko. This transformation would not last long, so she would have to be quick about it. "These are doors." The Moon Aiko speechlessly massaged her forehead. Wondering if Nightmare Aiko was good for anything other than combat and sex. The Moon Aiko touched a few symbols on the wall and doors opened in front of her. The doors lead downwards into a large room, filled with Beast Cores and anything of high value. This room was far bigger than the hall and even needed a few beams to support it. There were no ornaments or anything fancy. There were some pedestals and other ''display cases'' that attracted a lot of attention, but other than that, everything was pretty much lying all around on the ground. The Nightmare Aiko''s eyes almost popped out of her eye sockets and she used her tails to mop up everything into her [Tails Storage]. She kept on looting and looting. Starting with the pedestals, which seemed like the most important. She then went for the Beast Cores, since her team would need them. Lastly, she was swiping Treasures on the ground. "This is great~!" Aiko hummed to herself, but then she noticed something odd. There was another small room inside this room. Aiko rubbed her grubby hands. ''There must be some kind of Treasure for them to hide it like that~!'' Her eyes shined with greed. She walked towards the door while humming to herself. Aiko opened the doors, but to her shock, it was another bedroom! This one was a lot fancier than Aiko expected. There were also cells around this place! And they were filled with Beasts, even Foxes! Aiko looked around. Most of them stared at her like she was some kind of hallucination. She noticed a certain group of Foxes, who had felt similar to Wanshu and Yuxi. "Do you want to go outside?" Aiko asked them. She realised that storming places would be easier with helpers, but she didn''t want to use Yuxi and Wanshu, as her Mei and Feifei needed to be protected by them. And that''s where these Foxes would come in. They might not be the strongest, but they would still be useful! The Foxes looked at each other and laughed like they were having some kind of delusion. "Sure, you can do whatever you want with us." One Demonic Fox chuckled expressionlessly. She didn''t believe that what was in front of her was real. "Perfect!" Aiko clapped her hands happily. This was the perfect deal she could make! Aiko snapped those jail bars with her hands, which made everyone flinch. Their eyes widened as Aiko touched them. "Get inside." Aiko shoved the first Fox into her Tails, shocking everyone. "You get inside too!" Aiko shoved another Fox inside and the others recoiled, but Aiko would not let them escape! While she did already have a few slaves, they were still asleep and Aiko could not do anything about that for the time being... But that was not the case for these new slaves! A bit of cleaning and a few Beast Cores and they would be up and running! Aiko hummed as she stashed away the last Fox. She then brushed her hands like she did some kind of hard work and left the inside of the cell. "This is so great~!" Aiko hummed overjoyed. "I agree." A voice suddenly rang next to Aiko, shocking her. Neither her senses nor her freshly reactivated [Little Nightmares] spotted this enemy. Fortunately, this enemy was attacking from the side where Aiko had her Tails, so there wouldn''t be too much- *Crack* *Shatter* *Bang* -60M HP Aiko''s [Little Nightmares] were shattered without resistance. The arm that she used to defend, likewise bent and broke. The force sent her flying onto the soft bed. Aiko coughed up blood since she incurred a lot of damage and everything about her body was messed up. "I didn''t think I would encounter such a high-quality Fox." The deep voice said. It was a huge monkey, but this one had black fur. His presence was non-existent, even fainter than what Aiko could achieve if she combined all of her Skills and Abilities. "I will straighten up your behaviour before taking back my Treasures." The huge Monkey cracked his knuckles as he approached her. Aiko coughed up blood again. ''I definitely should take this bed with me.'' [Movement Techniques are suppressed! It will take more time to activate them!] Aiko frowned. This was a problem since she couldn''t take another hit from him. "But I''m surprised. I didn''t think you would be able to survive that hit..." He shook his head. "Most of my toys can''t survive past the first hit." He sighed. "Ah, right." He suddenly threw something at Aiko. It was a small ball of shrivelled legs. Aiko''s Beast Familiar! She was badly injured, but she was still alive. The little Spider would be able to recover with time. Aiko didn''t feel anger, since she first needed to leave this place before making her plans. The Black Monkey cracked his knuckles once again and winded up his attack. Aiko gently touched the bed and waited patiently. The Black Monkey threw his fist at her and Aiko stored the bed into her Storage Ring. The attack barely missed her as it obliterated the wall behind her. [Movement Divine Ability Activated!] At that moment the system rang and Aiko disappeared with her shadow movement Divine Ability. "Boss." The second Golden Monkey was scared of his leader''s aura. "We can still find her. I was able to implant some of my energy into that wound, so I can locate her as long as she is inside this Secret Realm." The Black Monkey said. "Should we start the search?" The third Golden Monkey asked gently. "Yes, let''s do that- What?!" The Black Monkey was shocked, since his energy mark disappeared. He roared in anger, almost destroying his home! ... Aiko appeared a long way away from the Monkey Fortress. It cost her a whopping 100 million Stamina to do that! But she was now safe. There was strange energy inside her, but it was being sucked up by something, so Aiko ignored it. She had more pressing matters on hand. Her legs were fine just brushed from the aftershock. As for her arms... only one was usable and the other one was pretty much fucked. Fortunately, the fucked one was her left hand, so she would not be as limited when it came to day-to-day things, but it would be troublesome if she needed to use both. Fortunately, the bone is only badly fractured and not completly shattered, so Aiko can still set her bones and let them regenerate. Aiko''s hair changed colours as the Moon Aiko came out. She would be the perfect healer in this situation, especially if she uses her Divine Sense! Or at least that''s what Nightmare Aiko thought... Chapter 356 – Healing Aiko Moon Aiko cursed loudly. She didn''t expect to have such a messed up body. There was no way to deal with this, so she was looking through the shop for anything that could help her. [#### Needle Technique] - Divine Skill - 1B Skill Points [#### Eyes] - Divine? Ability - 1B Skill Points Aiko bought both of them with her Coupons. She no longer had any [Ability Coupons] and had only one [Skill Coupon] left. It was a waste to use them like this, but Aiko was injured and it was important to act fast before it got worse. [#### Eyes] [#### Eyes that can see through anything. (Range and depth depend on personal Cultivation)] [#### Needle Technique] [A special Technique passed in ####. Allows the user to both learn and practice Acupuncture Techniques.] Her hand was too messed up for normal healing, so would need something that could correct the damage. Moon Aiko was not a fan of injuries, unlike the Nightmare Aiko. So she chose a way that would allow her to heal without being subjected to too much pain. The Needle Technique would allow her to block the senses in her arm, which would dull the pain. Then with the help of those Eyes, she would be able to apply more needles and correct her bones. All that was left was to wait and recover, but Aiko would definitely Cultivate, it would not only accelerate her physical recovery, but also help her recover her Beast Core energy. Aiko nodded gently. She was quite happy about this outcome, but there was still work to do. She only had sewing needles from the Blood Fox, but those would have to do, for the time being. Inserting the first few were the hardest for Aiko, since they were rather thick compared to acupuncture needles. Fortunately, after a few insertions, she was able to dull the pain, which allowed her to pierce her arm more easily. She had to reset all her bones that went in the wrong direction, but fortunately only a few had pierced through her skin. The process was a bit gory, which Aiko didn''t like, but it couldn''t be helped. If she left it as is, the bones would heal badly and mess up the structure of her bones, muscles and so on. She didn''t want to become a walking abomination, so she worked hard on this. Fortunately her bones were mostly broken into large pieces, and nothing was completely pulverised. Funnily enough, her [Little Nightmares] took the worst of the blunt force, leaving her with only after-effects. Now, they were still bad, but much better than if she took the full force directly with her body. Unfortunately her [Little Nightmares] had reset to their starting point, so all that progress was pretty much wiped with that single punch. Aiko used her [#### Eyes] with her [Moon Eyes]. She could see her muscle and bone structure carefully. Her arm was messed up, but even her ribcage was cracked all over the place. The only good thing was that only her arm was broken. Cracks would heal quickly, but not broken bones, especially those belonging to Beasts. Those bones were packed with Qi, and once separated "forgot" they were part of a larger bone, so it cost a lot of Qi to reattach and make them remember they were a single bone, and that is without the proper healing. Aiko''s arm now looked as if she tried to hug a porcupine with it with all the inserted needles, but it now looked like a normal, just a bit messy, arm. She would now be able to heal it over time, but there was more work to do. Aiko no longer needed Mei''s help to consume Beast Cores, so she would use them to quickly recover Beast Core Energy and possibly awaken her Bloodlines if she could fully awaken them. Those Abilities would become even stronger than they are right now. Aiko pulled a few Beast Cores out of her Tails. They were mostly Shadow and Dream Beast Cores, since she was looking to awaken her [Divine Witch of Nightmares] Bloodline. That would also strengthen her [Little Nightmares] providing her nightmare form with additional protection. Aiko ''munched'' on those Beast Cores, until she was completely full. ... Even as she finished, she still didn''t awaken the Bloodline, so she kept going through the Beast Cores until it happened. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. It took her a long time to accomplish that, but it cost her over 90% of her Shadow and Dream Beast Cores! Fortunately, that boost was more significant than just filling her Beast Core, but Aiko also noticed that she could improve her Bloodline further. Unfortunately, she had only a few Beast Cores left and those were for her team. Otherwise, they might wonder what she was doing when she was away and Aiko also wanted them to get stronger. Moon Aiko gently touched her hand. It was still stiff from the needles, but everything else looked in order. The torn muscles were likewise held together by needles and already almost healed, thanks to her ridiculous consumption of Beast Cores. Aiko nodded gently as she stood up. She would conceal her arm under her clothing and would hand out the Beast Cores before fortifying that cold pond. That last part was important since Aiko had a premonition about another upcoming battle! It would be bad if Aiko was caught off-guard like the last time, so she would set up plenty of hidden traps and anything that could help her in achieving that! ... Aiko arrived at the cold pond. For some reason, she was able to stay in her Moon Form even after she depleted the Essence. Although she did feel a bit weaker than normal. It seems like the Nightmare Aiko is too guilty about this and lets Moon Aiko do whatever she wants. "Aiko?" The Blood Fox immediately knew something was wrong, since she could rather accurately read the flow of others blood. "I was ambushed and they might be coming to this place, so it''s better to fortify it." Aiko suddenly said. "Okay." The Blood Fox and others nodded, not questioning her words. "I have obtained plenty of Treasures, so let''s use them as traps." Aiko said gently. The Blood Fox and others already knew what had happened. Aiko probably stole something and was beaten up by someone and now they were coming after her. "I will let you deal with the outer perimeter while I deal with the roof and insides." Aiko said as she checked her new treasures and split every Treasure that could be useful to the defense between them. She took the best Treasures inside, so it was properly fortified. Aiko also noticed that there were several cold protection treasure among all her new Treasures, so she handed them to her team, just in case they would have to retreat inside. Satisfied with this distribution, Aiko rushed inside. It was important to act quickly and fortify to the best of her Abilities! ... Aiko arrived inside. The insides were drenched in Qi as both the cold pond and her little Jade were enhancing the others powers. It seemed like Mei got stronger and Feifei was not that far behind! Aiko was impressed by this, but she couldn''t stay still. There was a Defensive Treasure that created a membrane around this place, blocking anyone''s entry. Aiko would use this as the last defence and also adjust it to the energy of her team, so they would be able to enter this place. She then distributed various Restraining Treasures, Fire-spitting Treasures and others. Aiko pretty much created a frozen fortress out of this place. Now she would gather more Essence and wait till everything blew past her. ... Aiko walked outside to check on her team. Everyone was well and finished with their work. "Everything in order?" The Moon Aiko asked, startling everyone. They were not used to her image just yet, but the main demeanour was that of Aiko, so they didn''t question it. "Yes, we already set up all the Treasures and even made it so that they would blow up if they were mistreated." The Blood Fox replied. She was pretty much the spokesman of the whole team. "Great. I will go inside and heal, so I can be ready for battle." Aiko nodded gently. "Should I look at it?" The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. Aiko stiffened from her words and bluntly replied. "There is no need. I already treated it." "I insist." The Blood Fox said with narrowed eyes and her team also nudged her. Aiko groaned but conceded. They walked some ways away so that they would not be seen by anyone. ... The Blood Fox gently lifted Aiko''s arm which she didn''t use. She felt some kind of prickly sensation, so she knew that something was wrong with it. Aiko coughed awkwardly, since she didn''t know how to explain this situation. The Blood Fox revealed the arm and gasped. It had so many needles inserted that she might have mistaken it for a porcupine! "What did you do?!" The Blood Fox sternly stared at the different Aiko. "I reset my bones and tied my muscles." Aiko said honestly, so that the Blood Fox wouldn''t try to remove those needless. "It feels like they are strangely located." The Blood Fox tilted her head. She could feel the vigorous energy inside the blood that was trying to accelerate the healing. "Yeah. I pricked acupoints that would allow me to speed up healing. Then more points for pain and fatigue and muscle stiffness." Aiko replied honestly. "I will try to apply my own blood manipulation to you and see if I can speed it up further." The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. Since they were at war, she would not scold Aiko for the time being. She also liked this obedient Aiko more than that wild one. Although the wild one aroused her more... The Blood Fox carefully rotated the blood inside Aiko''s body. This would allow the depleted blood to be replaced by vigorous blood, but this whole process startled the Blood Fox. She noticed that when the blood passed around certain needles, it would speed up and strengthen its healing properties. The main demerit of this was that it exhausted the blood and that in turn exhausted the user. Aiko would be weaker for a bit before she recovered all that lost energy. "I will prepare you some tasty food, so you can rest for a bit." The Blood Fox said gently. While she could not quite prepare Spiritual Foods, her food should still be good enough to help Aiko revitalise. Aiko nodded gently. She was looking forward to the food, but she also didn''t expect the Blood Fox to be so caring. She quite liked the Blood Fox more. The Blood Fox was less intimidating than Mei and more calm and restrained. Aiko really wanted to hug her, but seeing the Blood Fox''s attentive expression; she chose not to do it. Aiko groaned gently since she did start to feel some pain in her arm even through the pain nullification needle. "Your arm is healing faster, so it''s only natural that you won''t be able to suppress the pain." The Blood Fox said gently. "Keep at it like this and it should heal in a few days." She added. The Blood Fox then shouted at the Twins to include more traps, before guiding Aiko inside. She would cook something good for her and let her rest while she watched over her. The Blood Fox was satisfied with this position for now... Chapter 357 – Squishy Spider and the Lamp Aiko arrived at the core of the place in order to nurse the little Spider to full health. She whipped out some of that silk, but when she touched that shrivelled spider, something was wrong with it. ''Why is it so squishy?'' Aiko tilted her head. The Spider was far too squishy to be normal, and soon Aiko understood why. The Spider was not real! So that strange Monkey punched a fake, thinking it was real! Aiko looked around, but she could not see anyone around other than Mei and Feifei. But suddenly a tiny creature popped out from under Aiko''s skirt. "Where the hell did you come from?!" Aiko was startled, eyeing her up and down. The Spider tilted her head. She was happy that Aiko was all right. "How did you manage to fool him?" Aiko raised her eyebrow. The Spider raised its leg and created a clone out of itself using her Silk. Depending on how you bend and stretched that Silk, it changed colours and even firmness. There were still certain squishy parts, but if you don''t really focus on them, you would be no wiser. And just like that, within a few moments, there was an ''identical'' spider that looked the same as Aiko''s Spider. "Whoa..." Aiko was mesmerised by the transformation. That was truly a unique Skill! But for some reason, Aiko could not see the Spider''s system, which was unfortunate. "Can you weave fabric out of your Silk?" Aiko asked the Spider with shining eyes. The Spider made an O with its legs, and Aiko was overjoyed. It was a good thing that Spider was unharmed, but she could at least warn her! Aiko suddenly glared at the Spider, and she shivered. The Spider was flustered and waved its legs. "You were not as fast as the Monkey?" Aiko tried to translate it, which was not as difficult as she expected. The Spider nodded. "Hmmm..." Aiko narrowed her eyes. "That is fair, since I couldn''t block his strike." She grimaced at the pain she felt from what struck her. "Since you are alright, can you set up traps around the perimeter?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. The Spider made another O with its legs and darted away. Aiko tilted her head. "Maybe I should get even more pets so that I don''t have to do anything?" She was back to her black form whose sloth was only exceeded by its lust. "That doesn''t sound like a bad idea, we will set up businesses and only watch it from the sidelines. We won''t spend as much time on it and we would be able to roll in the bed with Mei, fufu~." Aiko giggled happily at her idea, but who would she use to manage her business and other things? She also wanted to fool around with her team, so what was left were her Ghosts or future sla- Cough ''helpers''. The bothersome thing was the fact that the Ghosts were still recovering... "I will tinker with the lamp once I recover enough Essence." Aiko nodded her head. Her Moon Form was too good at what she was doing. Aiko sat down in a meditative position in order to recover her arm and restore Moonlight Essence... ... A few days later, Aiko was still waiting for that invasion, but no one was coming at them. She was unaware that the treasure-thieving Monkey who robbed this place and the Piss Monkey, who tried to stop her, were both killed by the Black Monkey in a fit of rage. As such, the Black Monkey had no idea where that damned Fox went! So all the preparations were for nothing, but Aiko was not yet aware of that and was cultivating her strength for the incoming invasion. Aiko cultivated enough Essence for her to stay in the Moon Form for quite some time. So her next mission was to tinker with the lamp and improve their accommodation. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. [100 Ghost Parade Lamp (Slightly Damaged)] It was just slightly damaged, since some parts had managed to recovered thanks to her Evolution. The absurd amount of Energy was partially absorbed by this Treasure, which helped it repair some cracks. A lot of the cracked Inscriptions could now be repaired, but Aiko would not just repair them, but also add some improvements of her own. The more cursive her Inscriptions were the better the flow, the better this Treasure would function. Aiko was even aiming for Numinous Treasure but without the side effects. She would tinker with this Lamp, change its materials in order to create something completely new and then weave Inscriptions into it so that it would have fewer side effects. Unfortunately, she needed Forging Skills for that, which she didn''t have and even if she had them, it would still take a lot of time to get enough experience where she can freely tinker with Treasures. ''I want to learn how to recycle things.'' The Moon Aiko thought. That way she would be able to get a lot of materials from treasures that were no longer usable since they had broke over time. And no, Aiko would not be running around gathering broken Treasures. She would just put up a bounty exchanging them for Spirit Stones and Pills and let the dumb Cultivators flock to her. And since she would be offering massages, even those old folks would visit her! ''But the waiting times would increase...'' Aiko frowned. She would try to find someone to make snacks and sell them to those who would be waiting for their turn! ''I also have that gift, should I look at it?'' Aiko raised her eyebrow. It might be a good idea to look at it now, but she really wanted to tinker with the lamp! ''I can look at it later, maybe the Ghosts will be able to recover quicker if I repair the lamp.'' Aiko wanted to put both Ghosts into the lamp, so that she could use the Primordial Soul Wood. She didn''t know what to use it for yet, but she would definitely have to find a good use for it. ''I need to research more about Souls...'' Aiko frowned, but there was time and place for everything, so yet another thing was put on the back burner. Aiko touched the lamp. A lot of the places were cracked, but a lot of them were repaired. Unfortunately, it did not repair the Inscriptions too, so Aiko would have to have repair them herself. ''Most of it can be repaired at my current Skill level, but my current Inscription Ink can''t bear the burden.'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. If she did well enough, she would have to replace the Ink only once a year. The power of the lamp would also decrease, since she would have to decrease the output, but... ''It''s so damaged that I don''t even need to worry about that part.'' Aiko smiled slightly as she picked up her Inscription Carving Pen. She felt more attuned to it day by day. The more she wrote, the more intimate the connection was. Aiko gently tilted her head. She wanted to redo all the Inscriptions into cursive, but some of them didn''t make sense. ''Wait, there is an eye on this thing?!'' Aiko was shocked, since that meant that this thing was not only full of Inscriptions but also Arrays! ''This makes my mind dizzy.'' Aiko was unable to wrap her head around Arrays, so she didn''t really want to touch them. Aiko nodded gently. ''I will do my best to patch this thing up as I always did.'' She immediately started carving with all her skills and sparks flew everywhere. The cold Qi was also rushing inside, but once it touched the Lamp, it suddenly turned into a different kind of Qi. Aiko raised her eyebrow, but kept inscribing the Inscriptions, changing them and fixing them. The power of the Lamp rose and fell as she kept working on different parts. Sometimes she was unable to put her own spin on it, so she just reconnected certain parts. ''It''s not like you have to use only one connection on one Rune!'' Aiko was enlightened by watching the old Runes closely. It seemed that every ''connection'' between those Runes was used and it was not because the person who made this lamp was amateur. If she connected multiple ''connections'' the power would skyrocket, but it had its limitations. ''Ink will turn to dust if I connect too much.'' Aiko clicked her tongue. From simple fixing, this became a game of finding the right amount of connections to boost the Lamp, while not making the Ink burn faster. Aiko didn''t want to replace the Ink each month, even once a year was too much since her Inscription Ink was limited. She had to Treasure it until they could get more wealth, so Aiko could create her own Inscription Ink! ''And then I will create a new Core for myself and use it as the basis for the Inscription Ink alongside my blood.'' Aiko chuckled like a madman as she kept working on the lamp... ... "Phew." Aiko wiped the non-existent sweat. She was finished with those repairs and everything was in place. She was satisfied with her work, but that also meant that she would have to replace that Inscription Ink every 9th month. It was quite bad, but this should also allow her to get more sla- Cough ''helpers''. Aiko looked at the lamp and the changes were surprising. [100 Ghost Parade Lamp(Slightly Damaged)(Reworked)] [Ghosts: 1/5] [Ghosts: Liu Zhi''s Sister] Aiko almost choked when she read that description. "5 Ghosts is fine, but what?" She stared at the name. "She is Lady Liu''s Sister?!" Aiko didn''t believe it. They had completely different demeanours- ''No wait, their faces are similar and with similar air.'' Aiko pinched her nose bridge. ''Why didn''t I think of that?'' She was concerned about her observation Skills. ''What else did I miss?'' She really wanted to know. Aiko touched the Lamp. [Would you like to insert your Soul into it?] ''Huh?'' Aiko was startled. "Sure?" It shouldn''t be too bad, since the system gave her this notification. ... Aiko appeared in an empty space. Ghost Qi was spreading through this place slowly as the lamp was sucking the outside Ice Qi into itself. Aiko looked around and spotted a certain gem. [Qi Transformer] ''Not a very colourful name, but fine.'' Aiko chuckled. [It allows the conversion from one type of Qi to another. The conversion has higher efficiency if the two Qi''s align with their Yin and Yang.] Aiko nodded gently. That meant that if she wanted Ghost Qi, which was Yin in nature, she couldn''t really use Fire Qi, which was Yang in nature. Aiko nodded several times and explored a bit more. There was still more to see, and she wanted to see the end of this thing! Chapter 358 – Ghost here and there Aiko flew around in this space, she found some kind of nodes, but they were not labelled or described. There was actually very little to do. "Huh? Mistress?" A voice suddenly drifted from behind Aiko. "So you are Lady Liu''s Sister?" Aiko turned around and looked her up and down. The female Ghost blushed. "Y-yeah." She didn''t expect Aiko to look so pretty. "Whoa..." Aiko nodded. "I thought you were asleep?" She was sure that they were still asleep. "He definitely still is, but because of this lamp, I was able to recover some of my strength faster." The female Ghost said. "Hmmmm..." Aiko had mixed feelings about this, but there was one point that she didn''t understand. "Why didn''t you come out sooner?" "This lamp is supposed to trap Ghosts." The female Ghost said unblinkingly. Aiko nodded absent-mindedly. "Wait, does that mean you are locked in here?" It suddenly occurred to her that she might be trapped in here, unable to get out unless Aiko allows her or makes changes to the Lamp. "That is correct." The female Ghost said. "I will fix that later." Aiko nodded gently. She might be a Nightmare, but she still needed their help. "How about the other guy?" Aiko asked her. "Still asleep. He didn''t get the same benefits I did, so he was unable to recover much." The female Ghost said. "Got it. I will head out now." Aiko disappeared in front of her. She was still trying to get over the fact that she was Lady Liu''s sister. Aiko shook her head as she ''woke up'' in her body. She immediately got to work, changing that Inscription to allow her outside. Aiko also wanted to move the Ghost from the Wood into the Lamp, but that could wait. She could always ask the Ghost to move him inside. ... Finishing the adjustment, the Ghost appeared in front of her. "Move him as soon as possible, so I can use that wood." Aiko commanded her since she still had a few things to do. There was Luna''s Gift that she hadn''t touched yet, since her Nightmare Form was all over the place. Aiko took out the gifts and looked over the first book. [How to please your partner] Moon Aiko immediately turned red from that title, but she didn''t give up. [How to tease ears and tails] There was an explosion above Aiko''s head as she slapped those books back into her tails. It took her a good few hours to calm down and she picked up Luna''s Note. Hello again, my little Fluff Acolyte, it¡¯s me, your favourite #%^^% of Fluff; Luna. I can¡¯t come here in person or well, holographic type message, this time, so this letter will have to do. I¡¯m giving you some presents before I¡¯m likely never able to interfere here again unless something happens to let me, anyway¡­first is some Divine Coffee beans from my homegrown by the God of Coffee himself. They will bind to your soul once you pick up the bag so no one can steal them from you, and the same will happen to any plant you plant and grow into coffee plants. Second, and most important is every volume of proper fluff care, written by me. All 20 of them are extremely important if you wish to maintain proper care for yourself and your family¡¯s fluff. Each volume contains highly specific methods, both written and in pictures, to make them easy to understand. These will also soul-bind to you so only you and your family can read them. The first 10 contain knowledge that will help you from this point until you become immortal. The five after help in the immortal world, and the final four can be used in the immortal world and anything beyond that. As for the last one, it¡¯s good for any world and realm as it contains information on oils and ointments that smell good and don¡¯t damage fluff. P.S.: The books also contain knowledge for some of the spicier methods that will help you and your partner get in the mood and give pleasure equal to actually doing the act. These techniques and knowledge, however, will only unlock once you actually WANT to do these intimate acts. Now, have fun, my little Fluff Acolyte. I hope you have more fulfilling adventures and I look forward to seeing your romantic adventures unfold. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. P.P.S.: Give Blood Fox some attention too. I¡¯d like to see her get flustered more often! ''I should''ve read it first!'' Aiko blamed her hasty self on the nightmare half. That was only natural since she didn''t want to admit that she jumped the gun. ''But taking care of her tails and other parts of the body, huh...'' Aiko nodded gently. She would increase her storage by this and it would help her with other things too. This was overall a good thing to have~! She just... needed to pick the right books without getting flustered. ''Divine Coffee Beans, huh...?'' Aiko browsed her [Tails Storage] and sure enough she was able to bring a small bag that contained both Beans and usable seeds. Since she didn''t have her own place and couldn''t plant them yet, she put them back into her tails. She sniffed the Divine Coffee Beans. The smell stuck to her nose, but it was not a bad smell. ''Maybe before fights, I could take a sip? That would ensure that the Nightmare Aiko had plenty of energy?'' Aiko pondered on it, but she couldn''t see any kind of demerit about this, so it should be fine to give Nightmare Aiko. Aiko placed it back into her Tails before looking over the note again. ''Oils are a good thing, they will be useful later on. As for intimate acts.'' The red Moon Aiko coughed awkwardly. ''That will wait.'' She nodded repeatedly. ''I will first gather enough energy before going through the books otherwise Nightmare Aiko might pounce on Mei and disturb her Cultivation.'' Aiko gently sighed. ----- Outside the cave, the Blood Fox with the Twins camped and guarded it, just in case someone tried to sneak inside. They were somewhat entertained, due to Aiko''s injuries and what she gathered from this journey. "We have too many Treasures." Yuxi complained. "We can always sell them." Wanshu nudged Yuxi. "Or try to recycle them." "Most Forging Cultivators don''t know how to recycle, so I would give up on that idea." The Blood Fox shook her head. "We also can''t sell it, since we are not allowed to enter auctions." She pointed out the main issue. "That is true, but it''s not like we can''t use our Illusions, once we learn them, to get inside." Wanshu narrowed her eyes. "That is a fair assumption, but don''t you think that since there are so many Treasures, their defenses include methods that dispel Illusions?" The Blood Fox said gently. Wanshu paused, since she didn''t expect this kind of question. Yuxi butted in. "What if the Mistress came up with something?" The Blood Fox shook her head. "It''s unlikely that she would be able to take us with her and communication talismans do not work inside, she would have to leave the place for every decision, but pay for every time she goes in." She dismissed that idea. "Who is that?" Wanshu suddenly spoke into the forest. "My apologies for disturbing you." A familiar girl appeared from the forest. "Would it be possible to cultivate inside, or is it taken by you?" She asked them. "It''s the dice girl." The Blood Fox giggled. "Dice girl?" Bai Jing tilted her head. "That''s what Vicious Cub calls you." The Blood Fox chuckled, seeing her expression. "Oh, how is she?" Bai Jing was interested in how she was doing. "She is better, although injured, you can enter the cave. Just don''t touch anything you shouldn''t, and anger Jade Fox or Vicious Cub." The Blood Fox warned the duo. "I will be going inside alone and keep your wisdom in mind." Bai Jing bowed gently as a thank-you. "Why am I not going in?!" The familiar male Cultivator yelped. "You can''t keep your hands to yourself." Bai Jing said blankly before she walked inside. "I was dumped..." He cried out before sitting next to the fire. He was being observed by everyone while he munched on some orange peels. ... Bai Jing entered the cold cave. Even with her Pills, she was unable to block all of that coldness. She wouldn''t be able to Cultivate for long, but she would be able to suppress the state of her body and advance slightly. The more she advanced, the less backlash there would be from the side effects of her Divination. She spotted two unfamiliar, yet familiar females. One was a beautiful girl who reminded her of the Jade Fox, while the other had that otherworldly beauty that could only be found in the now ruined Kingdom. Some way away there was a lot of Ghost Qi with female Fox, but the size was strange. Rolling her dice, her eyes widened. She didn''t believe that Vicious Fox had progressed so much in such a short time. She did know that the ''disaster'' was caused by involving outside forces and that the centrepiece was the Vicious Cub, but she didn''t think the scale was THAT big. Bai Jing sat down near the pond like the two beautiful girls did and meditated. She already felt the Vicious Cub''s eyes on her, but she also knew that there was no danger from her. Bai Jing blinked a few times, since she felt a bit better and certain Fox''s eyes were staring back at her. "This brings back memories." Bai Jing said gently. ----- "Does it?" Aiko tilted her head. She saw this girl enter, but she had quite a murky memory now that she was working so much. The girl showed her dice and Aiko immediately knew. "Ah! You are the dice girl. Thank you for helping me." Aiko giggled while lying down next to Bai Jing. Bai Jing''s lips twitched. If this Fox was not so beautiful she would already scold her for naming people however she wished. Bai Jing suppressed her emotions, so that she wouldn''t get caught up in her storm that even without her dice she was certain the not-so-little Fox was brewing. "So, what are you doing here?" Aiko asked her. "Healing myself." Bai Jing said gently. "I can see that, but you won''t be able to heal with that Fiend Ghost attached to you." Aiko said. She could see that large Black Ghost attached to her. It was trying to hurt her Soul, but surprisingly. Her Soul was quite sturdy. ''It''s quite fascinating.'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. She wanted to figure out if she could taste that Black Ghost... Chapter 359 – Eating and ‘Eating’ Looking at the Black Ghost Aiko licked her lips. It was strange that the Black Ghost looked tasty. "You won''t be able to eat hi-" Bai Jing was talking just when Aiko munched at it. *Munch* "Hm..." Aiko munched the Black Ghost a few times, just to make sure she really tried, but... "It''s tasteless." Aiko frowned. She munched again just to make sure the Black Ghost was really as disgusting as she imagined. "It''s seriously tasteless..." Aiko whined and Bai Jing was blinking dumbly. Bai Jing felt much lighter than before and that was even before she started cultivating! Aiko munched on the last pieces of the Black Ghost as Bai Jing was confused. "Are you alright?" Bai Jing scrunched her face. This was not supposed to happen! When it comes to Divination, each one has its own drawbacks, with the cost changing depending on what you Divine. She once divined about a dead person, so her master told her that a Vengeful Ghost was attached to her and was eating at her Vitality. The problem with that Black Ghost was the fact that if someone tried to defeat it, it would rip her Soul out. But nothing like that happened right now. It felt like the whole thing was just a dream. A very bad dream, mind you! "I''m hungry." Aiko was upset that she didn''t get any Soul Points from this thing, so much so that she was starving for a piece of meat. "They are grilling outside." Bai Jing said gently. "Can''t go outside, they need to be protected." Aiko looked away, pointing at the other two women. She was guilty of this mess, so she had to clean it up properly. "I will get you something." Bai Jing felt grateful and was also concerned about her. Her teacher had never been wrong before, but she always spoke about Humans. Does that mean that Foxes are immune or can do more? Then why does everyone hate them? They might be promiscuous, but the Heavenly Wind Sect is so much worse! Foxes at least have decency when it comes to wearing clothes. And let''s not talk about the Cherry River Sect. Those guys are pretty much escorts! Bai Jing felt confused, but she would not pry on this matter. A bit of Divination should be able to tell her, but things would likely be more complex than what she would like. It was a good thing that she met this ''innocent'' group of Foxes. She didn''t have to worry about being pounced, even more so since everyone would pretty much ignore her. She was not as pretty as other female Cultivators and she also didn''t deal with Pills or Talismans, so she was pretty much at the bottom of the pouncing pile. Aiko scrunched her face as Bai Jing left. "Blech." Aiko made a strange sound as she spat out the Black Ghost. It tried to wiggle away and reattach itself to Bai Ling, but Aiko wouldn''t let it. "Who told you that you can leave, asshole." Aiko was cracking her knuckles. This Ghost''s taste was disgusting. She picked up the Lamp and the Black Ghost screamed. "In you go, you bastard! Deal with it, Sister Ghost." Aiko commanded. "Of course, Mistress." Lady Liu''s sister popped out and dragged that Ghost inside. "I will teach him properly." She could go outside and inside again, now that Aiko tinkered with the Inscription. She also took the chance to drag the sleeping Ghost from the special wood, so Aiko could use it for crafting. Aiko nodded gently a few times. She was happy about this and she would definitely use that Ghost for her new ''tools''. "They also gave me soup, so I''m bringing it over." Bai Jing said from the entrance of the large cave. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. "Sure." Aiko hummed as she hid the Lamp inside her [Tails Storage]. She would deal with it later. Bai Jing came close to Aiko and blinked. "Are you really alright? Nothing hurts or anything?" "I''m fiiine." Aiko waved her away like she was not concerned at all. This warmed Bai Jing''s heart and she smiled gently. "Eat it quickly before it cools down." Bai Jing smiled. She was protecting it with her Qi, but it was still difficult since the cave was natural in the Ice Qi. "En." Aiko nodded as she munched on everything. She needed to cleanse her taste buds from the god-awful-tasting Black Ghost. ''Just you wait! I will prepare an extra large pole for you!'' Aiko glared at her tails to make her points. "Should I help you?" Bai Jing already had a brush in her hand. She was looking forward to caressing a Fox''s tail, since they were said to be the softest in the Beast Kingdom. Aiko blinked a few times. "Where did you get that?" Aiko didn''t see any Storage Rings or Storage Pouches on her body. "I have a Storage Band here." Bai Jing caressed her slender hand and Storage Band rolled from under her sleeve. "Ohhhhhhhhhhhh." Aiko was amused by this. "Show me and I will let you do your thing." She narrowed her eyes. "But Master told me not to give it to anyone." Bai Jing shook her head. "I don''t want it. I just want to see if the Inscription is the same as it was used on the Storage Rings or different." Aiko pondered on it, but she would have to get a close look to properly study it. "I''m sorry. I really can''t." Bai Jing shook her head. "Got it." Aiko nodded. ''I will just kidnap you later, since Mei said that Divinators are the most important in the Immortal World. "You look like you are planning to steal something..." Bai Jing looked at the not-so-little Fox suspiciously. "You have nothing to worry about." Aiko smiled ''innocently''. "You won''t hurt me, right?" Bai Jing got all defensive. "Why would I hurt you? At worst, I will kidnap- Ah, shit." Aiko coughed, embarrassed at her blunder. "Kidnap me?" Bai Jing tilted her head. "Kidnap? Who?" Aiko played dum-dum. "You said you would kidnap me." Bai Jing would not let this go. "No, who did? Me." Aiko snipped her ears innocently, but Bai Jing found it amusing. "Yeah." Bai Jing nodded. ''Why aren''t you letting it go?!'' Aiko asked with her eyes. ''Because you are too cute like this.'' Bai Jing answered back with her eyes. Aiko pouted. "Nobody is kidnapping anyone, yet." "Yet." Bai Jing nodded. "Gosh, give it a rest, will you?" Aiko rolled her eyes and pouted even more. "But what if I have a loving Master waiting for me?" Bai Jing tilted her head. "In that case, you would not have injuries from Divine Sense." Aiko rolled her eyes again. She is her prey, so she would naturally take her later. Bai Jing was shocked that she noticed. No other Elder noticed nor even attempted to help her! "How did you find out?" Bai Jing was more curious about this Foxy. "You would have to be blind to not notice." Aiko shook her head. Just then she heard someone stretch herself across the cave. "Morning M-" *Cough* "Jade Fox." Aiko smiled innocently when she saw a sharp gaze coming from Mei. "Another prey of yours?" Mei asked. "Hello, Dice Girl." "Please call me Bai Jing." Bai Jing blushed at being called like that by someone so beautiful. "Very well." Mei nodded gently. "No?" Aiko said innocently. "What do you mean no?" Mei rolled her eyes. "It''s pretty much written on your face that you want to do something to her." She shook her head, warning Aiko with her eyes. It seemed like Mei was awful at ''eye-to-eye'' communication, so Aiko gave up for the time being. "That''s for later." Aiko pouted. ''Get the hint! I want to study that Black Ghost and we also need a Divinator!'' "Then keep it to yourself. She might run away." Mei touched Aiko''s forehead. "You think you can bully me?" Aiko pouted at Mei. "Just you wait! ''Aiko special pounce attack''!" She pounced at Mei, who was not expecting it. "Not now Aiko!" Mei giggled from the ticklish sensation, but she was more embarrassed than happy about this situation. "You shouldn''t have bullied me!" Aiko proclaimed as she nuzzled Mei''s bosom. "Stop it~!" Mei giggled again as she squirmed away from Aiko. "Hello." Just then, Bai Jing wanted to introduce herself to the other girl, but... ''Why does she have a nosebleed?'' She tilted her head. Feifei noticed a gaze on her and coughed awkwardly. She quickly wiped out that nosebleed and turned around towards the unknown girl. "Hello, I''m Feifei." Feifei cupped her hands and a drop of blood was still left on them. Bai Jing found this whole group odd, but returned the greeting. "Bai Jing." "Nice." Feifei nodded and gave her thumbs up. "You are cute too." Bai Jing choked at this straightforward girl. Was the abusive Princess really this kind and happy? Of course, those were just the rumours, but rumours don''t come from nothing. Could that Princess change so much just by being around this group of strange individuals? Bai Jing shook her head. "Your nose is bleeding again." She sighed. "Shoot." Feifei wiped her nose again, but the stimulation in front of her was too much. ''Maybe I should learn to paint and paint this so that I can indulge in this greatness later?'' She narrowed her eyes. This kind of idea was not all that bad! Bai Jing was taken aback by her plotting expression. "Is everyone weird in this group...?" So much so that she accidentally leaked her inner thoughts... Feifei: "More or less." Mei: "Unfortunately." Aiko: "No." Aiko suddenly snapped at the duo. "What do you mean ''unfortunately'' and ''more or less''?!" She was completely speechless at them. Mei raised her eyebrow. "What are you doing right now?" "Cuddling?" Aiko tilted her head. "And are we alone?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "More or less." Aiko coughed awkwardly. "So we are weird." Mei booped Aiko''s small nose as revenge. Aiko tried to bite that finger out of spite, but Mei dodged. "Stop dodging!" Aiko didn''t want to hurt Mei, but if she kept dodging like that something might happen. "No." Mei laughed, but she did that too soon. *Nibble* "Kyaa-!" Mei was speechless that Aiko would do something so shameless. "Y-you-!" Mei pointed at Aiko. "Tasty cherries." Aiko licked her lips. Mei turned completely red. "Out! And you two too!" She was even more speechless when she saw the duo munching on some nuts, watching them closely. Bai Jing and Feifei scurried away out of the cave and Aiko waited for a bit. She was readying herself to pounce at Mei! Suddenly, Mei was wrapped in ancient Runes and her body was quickly changing. "Uh-oh-" Aiko had a bad feeling about this... Chapter 360 – Mei had a change of heart? Runes wrapped around Mei''s body as her body shined gently. Demonic Energy rushed towards those Runes, warping them. It was obvious that this was not your casual Technique and that it would cause some damage to the user. Aiko was contemplating her options. Her hair was slowly turning black as she was getting ready to book it. Aiko didn''t even tidy her clothes from the transformation and was already turning around. ''Better run now, yeah.'' Aiko nodded repeatedly. She felt like something bad would happen to her if she didn''t. She took a few steps, but something grabbed her haneri. Aiko tried to wriggle her way out of that grasp, but she was unsuccessful... "Where do you think you are going?" Mei''s voice was a lot more feminine than Aiko expected and it was also a nice voice that caressed her Fox ears. Aiko blushed slightly as her ears twitched. "To get some fresh air?" "There is plenty of fresh air here." Mei said as her hands wrapped around Aiko''s waist. Aiko''s ears stood straight like they were trying to catch the wind. "Certainly it smells nice." Aiko didn''t like this compromising position one bit. "Then why are you running away?" Mei pressed her body against Aiko''s. "Ummmm..." Aiko didn''t like not being in control. Mei whispered into Aiko''s ears gently. "What''s wrong? Not fun when you are on the receiving end, huh~?" She gently bit Aiko''s Fox ears, which made her yelp in surprise. "Y-you fiend!" Aiko immediately scurried away a few steps. She took in Mei''s current form. It didn''t change that much, but she definitely got prettier. ''I definitely have to check Mei''s stats later.'' Aiko felt like Mei was one-of-a-kind beauty. "You are not paying attention." Mei was up close to Aiko, which made Aiko flinch. Mei would naturally not let her prey go, she was in a good mood and nobody would be able to disturb her. She was able to perform that Forbidden Technique without any repercussions. Which meant she would not lose her Human Cultivation over time. It was strange how a ''bit'' of Vitality can change things so much. Mei wrapped her hands around Aiko''s waist, making her stumble forward. Aiko squealed as she was buried in Mei''s bosom. "You make me too happy, you know." Mei suddenly said and Aiko listened closely. "It''s difficult to push you away when you keep showering me with out-of-this-world gifts." "Hm? What''s wrong~?" Mei smirked at the silent Aiko. "Don''t tempt me or you will regret it." Aiko growled. She wanted to take control of this situation, but she also didn''t want to push Mei away. "Oho~?" Mei chuckled. "Are you threatening me~?" Mei licked her lips. It felt like something inside Aiko''s head snapped and she immediately smothered her face with Mei''s peaks. Mei giggled at first, but then a moan escaped her lips. "Gentle, don''t bite too hard." Aiko was stunned that Mei didn''t mind her nibble. Mei lowered her Fox ears like she was waiting for something. "Come here." Mei slowly approached Aiko''s soft lips. Aiko didn''t mind that kind of approach, but because of Mei''s hands, she was locked out of that juicy butt. She let Mei approach her and their soft lips met. It was for a brief moment, but they were both bothered by the softness and sweetness of each other''s lips. And when Mei squeezed Aiko''s ass, her mate got even more pouty. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "Let me too." Aiko protested, but Mei silenced her with a tender kiss. "Muuuuu..." Aiko wiggled away, since she didn''t like this current situation, but that only opened her up for further attacks. Mei nibbled Aiko''s neck as Aiko was trying to shake away Mei in order to take control. Mei would naturally not allow that as she gently licked Aiko''s neck. Aiko let out a stifled moan as her arousal rose. "It''s not fair, you know." Mei whispered to Aiko. "Let me hear your moans, okay?" Was it a plea or a demand? Even Mei did not know, but she wanted to make both of them happy. "Then let me touch you too..." Aiko protested again. It didn''t feel bad by any means, but she wanted more control over this situation. "Later, you got to enjoy me many times, so now it is my turn." Mei said gently. "But you already bullied me." Aiko pouted again. Mei paused. "I didn''t do anything to you." "You bullied the hard-working Aiko." Aiko stuck out her tongue and Mei gently sucked on it. "Ah." Finally, a sweet moan escaped Aiko''s lips from this unexpected assault. "Bully..." Aiko pouted, trying to ignore that sensation. "Give me your lips." Mei sultrily said. Aiko protested at the beginning, but once Mei freed one of her hands to caress Aiko''s cheek; Aiko softened up. Aiko sneaked her hand around Mei''s waist. Like her clothing, Mei likewise had messy clothing, which allowed her to get a good handful of Mei''s behind. "Naughty~." Mei said gently as they exchanged a deep kiss. Aiko was not yet open to the full experience, but Mei still enjoyed this greatly. "Hmpf." Aiko snorted unhappily as she kneaded Mei''s behind. Mei chuckled as she slowly made out with Aiko. Their passion heated the place quite a bit as a string of saliva was left behind from their passionate encounter. Mei licked her lips and Aiko did the same. Mei enjoyed kissing a lot more than the other things, but that didn''t mean she was not up for it. "If you behave, I don''t mind allowing you more~." Mei said sensually. "Hmpf." Aiko was still upset that she was not allowed to do everything. "Don''t pout like that, or it will make me want to actually bully you~." Mei said sultrily. She was aroused by Aiko''s behaviour. "I want free reign to touch you however I want." Aiko protested. "Don''t blame me for not being polite, then." Mei narrowed her eyes. "Right back at you." The Nightmare Aiko said. Unfortunately, she couldn''t use her Tails to truss up Mei yet. Mei wrapped her tails around her, just in case so that Aiko wouldn''t get any ideas. Using this opportunity, Aiko used both of her hands to undress Mei''s front revealing her boobs in full glory. Aiko licked her lips as she went in for a nibble. A sweet moan escaped Mei''s lips as she enjoyed that attention. She likewise undressed Aiko, which was not that hard, since her dress was already loose and messy. Aiko''s body was a lot more beautiful than Mei expected, and the sound of her subconscious gulp spread throughout the cave. "Hehe~" Aiko giggled at the fact that she bewitched Mei. Mei clicked her tongue at the haughty Aiko and freed her nipples from her assault. Mei immediately went down on Aiko as they used their tails to form a temporary bed. Aiko was surprised by this and grabbed Mei''s neck. "Inviting me like this, what a naughty girl." Mei chuckled sensually. She immediately planted a tender kiss between Aiko''s boobs. "Ah~!" Aiko was taken off-guard. There was a sense of danger from the way she was in the air which aroused her even more. Moreover, the gentle continuous kisses from Mei didn''t help her case. Mei gently placed Aiko on the ground so that she could stabilise, while taking her other hand to play with her nipple. Aiko squirmed under that gentle attack, but moaned once Mei added her tongue. At this point, Aiko didn''t mind not being in control as her body gently burned with need. Mei noticed that look on Aiko''s face and giggled. She immediately helped Aiko release that tension on her lips with a deep kiss. Aiko was ready for the insertion, and Mei intertwined her tongue with Aiko''s. Aiko was a much more skilled ''fighter'' than Mei expected and she was out of breath really quickly. "And who is bullying who now?" Mei teased Aiko as she was panting from her skills. "You are bullying me." Aiko didn''t want to admit that she pushed Mei around when it came to kissing. They both giggled as Mei wrapped both hands around Aiko''s waist, no longer playing with her body. It was a lot more fun to fight with tongues. Mei pressed her body against Aiko''s. Their heat was scorching, even in this cold cave. They immediately met their lips to exchange their saliva as they kept playing with each other''s tongues. Soon they were both moaning into each other''s lips from their arousal. Mei was about to start undressing Aiko''s lower part when something happened. *Boom* Part of the Ice cave exploded and they both felt the danger. Aiko and Mei jumped towards the cave entrance and rushed outside as they quickly fixed their clothing. There was something dangerous heading this way, so it was better to avoid it for the time being. That was not to say that neither of them were not angry. Mei left a densely packed Pill behind. Once that Pill was stirred, it would fill 500m around the area with dense poison. Aiko was cursing along the way in a manner so crude that even Mei was shocked. Mei giggled gently, but that was until Aiko pulled a human head out of her Storage Pouch. ''Why does she have a Human- Why is it packed with so much Qi?!'' Mei was shocked at the amount of Qi that the head possessed. One had to keep in mind that Aiko''s Beast Core was now 10x bigger. Added to that, she also had her Gruesome Titles which further packed it with Qi, making it into a tightly packed bomb. "You fucking bastard!" Aiko hurled it towards the danger. Light suddenly filled the space. *BOOOOOOOOM* She vaporised part of the ice cave that was protected by the Ice Pond. Mei was glad that she had taken the Millennial Ice Jade with her, otherwise, there would be nothing left of it. "You think I''m finished?! Come get me, you piss-drinking child of a whore who swallowed a river of shit!" Aiko spat out insult after insult as she readied her weapons. *Ratatatatata* *BOOOOOOOOM**BOOOOOOOOM**BOOOOOOOOM**BOOOOOOOOM**BOOOOOOOOM* "A-Aiko?!" Everyone in the team was shocked by Aiko''s viciousness and destructive power. A shiver went down their spines, especially Bai Jing. She knew that the mild-mannered not-so-little Fox was a magnet for chaos and destruction, but she was unaware just how much of that Aiko caused herself. Aiko kept throwing head after head until she ran out of ammunition. By that point, nobody dared to chase them any more and they lost them... Chapter 361 – End of the Secret Realm After losing them the group discussed what to do next, but they came to the same consensus to leave this place. They already overstayed their welcome, so it was time to part with this place... ... The group arrived at the exit of the Secret Realm. "Do we have everything?" Mei asked everyone, since it would be troublesome if someone forgot their things. The group shook their heads and glanced at the still-fuming Aiko. It was quite the sight to behold when a beauty was angry. Mei was likewise not pleased since they wouldn''t be able to deal with the monkeys. Moreover, their leader was in the ''False'' Stage, all thanks to the time he spent in this place. Mei pondered if she should destroy this place altogether, but Aiko had already done so much damage that it wouldn''t be all that long until this place crumbled. Mei nodded at everyone and they left the Secret Realm. Outside it was much nicer and cleaner, but that was only because a lot of things burned in the Secret Realm. Aiko enjoyed that gentle breeze and calmed down significantly. She still had those Foxes in her [Tails Storage] even if they didn''t show. The Spider was somewhere else and the Dice Girl also walked towards her own Sect. It seems like she is with the Southern Sect. That was a good thing, since Aiko had quite the bad blood with the Northern Sect. Their group went towards their Flying Ship and waited for the rest to come out of the Secret Realm. Some Elders were already bored out of their minds, which is obvious since they were in there for a long time. Now the time inside and outside was different, but it still progressed over the years by a large margin. What was the most striking about this thing was the fact that your ageing would likewise slow down. It''s not to the point that you wouldn''t see the difference, but it was slow enough that most wouldn''t notice that they aged. Aiko looked around. The Eastern Sect was the first one to book it. The Western Sect was likewise already gone, from the gossip. All that was left was the upset Northern Sect and smiley Southern Sect. It was surprising that even the Sects would fight with each other, but when Aiko thought about it again. That was only natural. They would fight over resources, prestige, women, and anything that you could put a ''price'' on. Aiko was not concerned about this, since she was part of the Fox Village for the time being and even if the Fox Village would get attacked... she would just take the Demonic Foxes and her team before running away. A lot of Foxes were missing for now and there were only 6 months left before they would close this place down. Unlike other Secret Realms that ran on an internal timer, this one was boosted by an Array, allowing them control over the opening and closing of this Realm. The 4 Sects had to come together in order to open this place, but only 2 had to be together to close it. The Dynamic was quite bad, since if two Sects joined their hands to close this place, that would be a pretty bad blow to the other Sects. Aiko was bothered by this kind of politics. In the first place, who was the stupid one that made the rule that you only need 2 Sects together to close it? That just screamed for betrayal. Aiko huffed in annoyance. She would be able to get to the good stuff with Mei, but they were interrupted and now Mei was talking with the Elders, so there was no time to pick things up again. Aiko would be left alone and it was obvious why. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Mei had to explain why Aiko looked so different and who was the one Evolving. While Aiko did adjust her height with her Title, it was still not enough considering she was a LOT more beautiful than before. Most other Foxes did not change at all, some were even worse looking than when they arrived at the Secret Realm. So everyone was suspicious of Aiko, while Mei was trying to smooth things over. Mei still wanted to extort more materials and resources from the Fox Village, so she didn''t want to end her time over there yet. It was also important to get a spot on the ship when the delegation came, so that they could cross the ocean safely. Aiko was not concerned with crossing at all, since she didn''t care about it. She believed that there would be other ways through the ocean, not just by flying. The Blood Fox was chatting with other Foxes. The fact that she was a beauty was a good enough reason, but she was also a Demonic Fox who didn''t go insane in the Secret Realm. That part attracted a lot of attention, which caused both female and male Foxes to fawn over her. When Aiko glanced at the Blood Fox she could feel a faint shiver run down her back. It felt like the smiling and polite Blood Fox was not as ''smiling''. It felt like she was ready to tear them apart at a moment''s notice. The Twins were quite similar since Wanshu was also a Demonic Fox. A lot of ''suitors'' showed up, but Yuxi dealt with them swiftly. It felt like the Twins had their own little world that nobody was allowed to approach. Feifei was in Aiko''s Tails, so that one wouldn''t attract any attention. It also didn''t seem like others realised that Mei was already Human. Aiko was surprised that even the ''all-knowing'' Elders didn''t suspect a thing. The Beast Sect was nowhere to be seen, which saddened Aiko. They probably left when she started to Evolve. She wanted to see if there was any kind of change with the Dragoness. Looking around; everyone was looking curiously at Aiko, but considering the amount of bloodlust she was giving out, no one dared to approach her. Aiko liked this ''stalemate'' where they would still look at her, but didn''t dare to approach. One thing she was troubled with was the lack of bloodlust, or rather she was running out of bloodlust. The calm and gentle breeze smoothed Aiko''s nerves greatly, so much so that Aiko wanted to move around again, but Mei forbade her. Mei said through telepathy that she shouldn''t move too much, so as to not arouse suspicion. That was because most Foxes were exhausted from the Secret Realm and it would be strange if Aiko was running around all merry and happy. Aiko could only listen, but fortunately, Mei was not too heartless. She allowed Aiko to go into their room and take the Jade Slip with her. And so she did once she got bored and ran out of bloodlust. As some Foxes tried to approach Aiko, she sneaked away from them onto the Flying Ship. One Elder that she already forgot his name greeted her with a nod, so Aiko returned it. She was confused as to why she was being greeted like that, but she didn''t dwell on it. She walked inside and immediately used her movement technique to get in front of their room. Aiko opened it with a special key and locked it behind her. There were only 2 keys per room, so Aiko had one and Mei had the other. That way the overly energetic Aiko would be able to run around while Mei would be able to peacefully read her own books. Aiko plopped on the overly large bed, there were a few other beds, it seemed like someone refurbished this place. Everything was a lot different from before. Aiko didn''t dwell on this and pulled out the Jade Slip. She slowly turned into Moon Aiko. Her ears slowly relaxed and she started to read the Jade Slip. There was some information that was different from her memories, which puzzled Aiko. Other information was also edited or deleted altogether, she would have to ask Mei about that later on. Aiko nodded gently as she placed the Jade Slip in front of her and started to read it from the beginning. She adjusted the information in her mind so that the one she was currently reading was the correct one, but she still kept the old one in mind. She wanted to know why it was so different from before. What changed that made Mei rework this whole thing? Aiko wanted to know, but she didn''t know when Mei would return... ... Mei arrived with the team and Aiko jumped on her immediately. "Why did you change the Jade Slip?" Aiko immediately asked. Mei adored this kind of Aiko, so she indulged her with a gentle caress. "Because our new temperature method is more accurate than what I was using before, so I had to adjust all the knowledge I had." Aiko blinked with wide eyes. "Oh, I didn''t think it would change that much..." "It was only natural that it would change that much. Previously we were guessing the right temperature, but now we can accurately gauge it." Mei said gently. "That also greatly boosted the success rate of the Pill Refinement." She yawned. "Tired?" Aiko yawned too, since it was contagious. "Yeah, let''s rest for now. The Elders are suspicious of other Foxes, since I have diverted their attention. It also helped that I bribed one of them." Mei sighed. "There are a lot more Elders now, so you have to be careful about what you are saying." She warned Aiko. "I don''t intend to leave this place, since I have work to do." Aiko shook her head. Mei could not really see Aiko and work in the same sentence, but she would wait and see what Aiko would be doing in the meantime. "I will rest for a bit and confuse them more later on. How about you guys?" Mei asked the team members. "We are too tired from that attention, so we will chat for the journey." Yuxi was the one to first answer that and others nodded with her. It was obvious that Yuxi was the temporary leader for the time being, all because she was the only one proactive about kicking the crotches. Mei''s lips twitched. She had to explain why Yuxi was so lively and had to blame the other Foxes for being too lustful, but since this Fox Village was driven with lust for the time being, it was difficult... "Don''t cause more mess, okay?" Mei glared at Yuxi. "Yes, ma''am!" Yuxi saluted before diving onto the bed. Mei rolled her eyes. She could still be considered a miss... Aiko exchanged glances with her team. It seemed like they would be really resting and not causing any issues. This startled Aiko since they were quite lively outside... Chapter 362 – Aiko Learning and Rampage! Aiko was in the room with everyone. Mei was going through her stuff and the Herbs that she would be using for refining during this trip. "Everyone should keep in mind that we will be visiting the Human Sect for the Tournament. From there they will be choosing those that will be able to go into the mainland, so it''s important to place high on the leaderboard." Mei warned everyone, but only Aiko didn''t pay attention. "Moreover Humans have more Cultivation Techniques, so they are more versatile than Beasts, you will have a harder time with them." Mei added. "Why would that be? We are a lot stronger than Humans." Yuxi nudged Aiko who was going through the Jade Slip, but there was close to no reaction. "That would be because we will be suppressed by the Humans." Mei sighed. "Humans are too weak, so they will use suppression Arrays to make us as weak as they are." "Can we dodge it?" Wanshu asked. She was not interested in this tournament. "No..." Mei glanced at Aiko but didn''t say more. "So we will have to fight Humans that have an advantage." The Blood Fox summed it up. "Yes." Mei nodded. Everyone pondered on how to deal with Humans, except for Aiko who was going through the Herbs. ... Yuxi sneaked behind Aiko who was lying on her stomach. Aiko was resting while also going through the Jade Slip, so she ignored her surroundings. Yuxi lowered her body onto Aiko''s, startling her. "What is it?" The Moon Aiko was unlike the Horny Aiko, so there was not much of a reaction. "How long are you going to revise that Jade Slip, Mistress?" When Yuxi wanted to play the part, she would always call Aiko Mistress. "Until we arrive, since there is not much to do." Aiko answered quite flatly. Mei narrowed her eyes. She had the urge to drag Aiko away to refine with her, but she stopped herself for the time being. Yuxi tilted her head. "But what about playing with us, Mistress~" She tried to tease Aiko with her voice, but there was once again not much of a reaction from Aiko. "You should learn some Beast Techniques." Aiko dismissed them. "We are a bit short for that." Yuxi sighed. Mei was ruthless when it came to the requirements of using Beast Techniques. "Divine Sense not good enough?" Aiko raised her eyebrow. "Yeah." Yuxi asked as she hugged Aiko. Aiko was now much softer than before, so hugging her felt really nice. "Are you cheating on me~?" Wanshu teased Yuxi. "Yes." Yuxi admitted shamelessly. "You should join me." She stuck out her tongue. Wanshu took Yuxi''s tongue into her mouth and gave her a deep kiss. "If it gets too stuffy, I will kick you off." Aiko warned them, ignoring their little lovey-dovey world. Wanshu and Yuxi raised their eyebrows. Aiko would normally throw a fit if they did this in front of her, but now she doesn''t mind? How strange. "That''s hard-working Aiko." Mei laughed at their antics. The duo pouted, but still laid on Aiko. They also made sure that Aiko wouldn''t kick them off. "You are right. She smells nice." Wanshu said. She was replenishing the Aiko drug right now. "That''s not what I was talking about, but you are right." Yuxi nodded gently nuzzling to Aiko. "I mean she is pretty soft, but I would have to touch other places to know for sure." Wanshu narrowed her eyes. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "Don''t even try it or she will send us flying." Yuxi glared at her partner. "Booo." Wanshu booed her before nuzzling back. ... Aiko finished reading the Jade Slip, but realised she couldn''t move. Not just the Twins, but also Blood Fox and Mei joined the fray. "What''s happening?" Aiko didn''t pay attention at all, so she was shocked to see this whole thing unfold in front of her. "What am I supposed to do now?" Everyone was happily snoozing and she didn''t have the heart to wake them up. "I suppose I can sleep a bit more too." Aiko nodded gently before closing her eyes. ... The Flying ship boarded the last few Foxes and immediately embarked on the Heavenly Mountain, where the Tournament would take place. The group noticed this movement, but they were not really interested in going out. On today''s menu was Aiko Pillow. "No way in hell!" The Nightmare Aiko shook everyone off. She was the one that''s supposed to tie others, not the other way around! The Twins giggled, while Mei was intending to drag Aiko away. The Blood Fox glared at Mei. It seemed like there was a silent warfare going on between everyone. Mei was speechless at being placed on such a pedestal and wanted to spank everyone. Unfortunately, Aiko was already grabbed by Mei and dragged to the Pill Cauldron. Aiko could only sigh in her mind as Mei gave her Herbs to Refine... ... The time on the ship was spent somewhat peacefully. There were always Foxes messing around with others, so it was not quite as peaceful, but very peaceful compared to the Fox Village. The Heavenly Mountain was on every continent. It was the highest mountain cut by Sword Cultivators and the arena was built upon them. That arena was a battleground to choose who would escape this small continent onto the big one. As such, there would be ambushes and other things to make the journey harder. Now you might ask, will the Foxes be attacked? No. While everyone loved to get inside Foxes, they also hated to go against them. They were trained to pretty much suck the Soul out of you, so not many would attempt such an ambush. ... They arrived at the bottom of this mountain. It had natural flying restrictions, so everyone would have to climb from there. The small Aiko with her team disembarked from the Flying Ship. It was quite windy outside, especially so because they landed on a rocky mountain. Each Sect could choose to land alone or with others. It depended on their relationships and other things. The journey to the top was not the easiest. With each step, your body would grow heavier, so you would grow weary and more susceptible to ambushes. This was another part of the journey, and that''s also where ambushes for Foxes would also happen. Why here and not high in the sky? Because you can conceal your tracks easily down on the ground than up in the sky. Many would hunt Beasts to sell them on the market, especially Foxes that could transform into pseudo-humans. Aiko looked around in her small form. She started to quite hate this form since everyone looked down on her. She was really tempted to rip everyone''s legs out so that she wouldn''t feel so small. As you might expect, she was quite fussy because everyone used her as a Pillow. Aiko swore that she would get rid of those Titles, since she was supposed to be the one to use others as pillows and not the other way around! Aiko was sulking during the gathering, so much so that it attracted a lot of attention. Some believe that she was sulking because she had to walk all the way up, while others believe that she couldn''t enjoy the joy of other Foxes and was interrupted during it. There were a lot of different opinions, but it seemed like the rumours around Aiko calmed down greatly. Mei was still conversing with Elders, she acted with concerned expression while fishing for information. Soon everyone formed groups, but most of them followed closely behind Aiko''s team. ''It''s said that other Sects will try to accuse Beast of Evolving inside the Secret Realm.'' Mei transmitted this through telepathy. ''Is it that bad?'' Aiko asked, still playing the part. ''Not really. They don''t have any kind of evidence, so they will be just shooting headless arrows.'' Mei shrugged. ''Can I beat them up?'' Aiko glanced behind. Pretty much the whole ship was following them. ''No.'' Mei''s lips twitched at Aiko''s question, even more so once she clicked her tongue. ''You can''t beat them up just because they follow us.'' Mei shook her head and stopped Aiko. ''But I feel too stuffy in this small form.'' Aiko was already used to the big form and she also hated how small she was compared to everyone. Now don''t get her wrong, even in her big form, she was still smaller than most Foxes, but it was not that bad compared to her small form where she barely reached above their waists. ''Why are we walking like this? Can''t we just run?'' Aiko asked Mei. ''We are making them indebted to us, so bear with it.'' Mei smiled like a devil. Aiko groaned gently. She was not happy about this whole situation and had the itch to do something about it. ''I have some Pill Candies for later and even tasty meat.'' Mei smiled from ear to ear when she saw Aiko twitch with her ears. ''But a lot of it.'' Aiko demanded, since she was bothered by the moans that happened behind her group. ... ''Can we speed up?'' Aiko felt like they were going too slowly. Mei rolled her eyes. ''I can see what you want to do in your eyes.'' ''Oh! Suddenly you know how to read my eyes?!'' Aiko shot back. Mei coughed awkwardly. ''Just go.'' She would let Aiko go so that she could play a bit. Aiko''s eyes shined and she dashed away startling everyone. "Where is she going?" One of the Foxes that loved the cute small Aiko asked. "To play." Mei dismissed their interest. "Play-" The Fox was confused, but an answer immediately appeared. "ARGH!" A scream spread throughout the forest. Someone was just impaled by a certain Fox and it would not be the last victim... "UGH" "AGH" "ARGH" More and more victims were impaled by Aiko as she was angry. They didn''t have any Treasures, just some drugs and sacks. She kept pounding their asses with poles as she dashed between the assailants. It was obvious that these were the Cultivators who were aiming for the Beasts or Foxes. So it was only right for Aiko to give them such treatment. But even if they weren''t such people, she would still pole them since she was upset that they were followed by a pack of little chicks! Aiko wanted to run around, hunt some meat and eat it, but because all eyes were on them, Mei wouldn''t allow it! Chapter 363 – The Heavenly Mountain City After calmly impaling the assailants, Aiko returned to the group. It was quite funny since everyone behind her was now silent like mosquitoes and didn''t dare to make a sound. Aiko''s nickname was further solidified, unbeknown to Aiko. The walk was quite long, but now even the other assailants didn''t dare to go against her. They saw the first group being ruthlessly impaled and what was even worse... they were still alive! They would be scarred till the end of their life since that damned Fox didn''t finish them off! Moreover, the other groups swore to help each other to protect their shared interest, so they had to use healing remedies on them! This was the worst kind of situation that could happen! When it came to them, they would always be killed and never left alive, so their consumption of Pills was quite low. With the Fox keeping them alive they wouldn''t be able to turn any profit and the Beast Sect was also guarding their disciples closely, so they wouldn''t be able to make a move at all! They silently chewed on that shit as they moved away from this place. They wouldn''t be able to do anything in their current state. ... They walked in silence, quietly approaching the middle part of the mountain. Some Foxes were panting quite a lot, since the pressure on them was quite high, but not on Aiko and her team. They were doing fine, since they had already experienced the pressure of Immortals and Auspicious Beasts. This kind of pressure was nothing for them. The best one at it was Mei. She didn''t even flinch as she climbed the mountain. Even if the Elders were suspicious about her, no one dared to raise any objection. They realised that the Jade Fox was favoured by too many Elders and it would not be good for them if they raised a fuss. They would however contact the Sect Leader about this. She was the only one that could do anything about the Jade Fox, since even the Grandmaster was on her side! The group walked up the mountain, until they arrived in front of large gates. "Gates? Here?" Aiko was curious and looked around. "If it isn''t the little Fox that always causes troubles." A certain lion laughed loudly. He looked quite different. "What happened to you?" Aiko trotted around him to observe him. "Don''t look at me." The snake tail said gently as he shrunk back. "It can talk!" Aiko''s eyes shined as she observed him even more closely. The Lion laughed and picked up Aiko. "You can call me Jun when no one is around." He whispered to the little Fox. "Got it!" Aiko smiled smugly, now she was higher than everyone else. "So what is this place?" Aiko asked him. "Oh, first time in the Heavenly Mountain City?" Jun chuckled. "I will guide you around while your Elders try to find any inns. The Human Cultivators went crazy about booking everything." He shook his head. "It''s better to explore than to sleep." Aiko nodded, not minding that. "No, stop." Jun suddenly stiffened. "What?" Aiko tilted her head. "No stealing, no fighting, no messing around." Jun immediately made rules for the small Fox. Aiko stiffened because of that call-out and clicked her tongue. "Don''t click your tongue at me. It''s in your own interest to stay put." Jun declared, and Aiko''s team nodded with him. "Boooo-" Aiko wanted to boo him, but was silenced by quite the juicy meat. After tasting that meat her attitude quickly changed. "I will stay put for the time being." The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Her team''s lips twitched. It seems like Aiko will always be Aiko, especially when she is in this small form. "Anything interesting inside?" Aiko asked Jun. "Not quite." Jun shook his head. "Most attractions are for Human Cultivators, so Beasts don''t quite fit." "That is true, only Foxes have a somewhat Human body." Aiko nodded gently. Jun stared blankly at the little Fox. "No messing around." Aiko turned away from him, pretending like she didn''t listen to him. "You will keep her in check, right?" Jun looked at the Jade Fox. "No promises." Mei smiled, enjoying his suffering. "Nono, promise, it would be bad if something happened." Jun almost cried out. "Nothing bad will happen, I''m stealthy." Aiko rubbed her hands. "That''s not-" Jun rubbed his fur-covered face and sighed. "Whatever, I don''t know you if something happens." He would just ignore them once they angered the Mahayana Cultivator inside. One thing to keep in mind is that the Mahayana Cultivator was from the Upper Mortal World, so he was far stronger than other Mahayana Cultivators! ''Let''s hope nothing happens.'' He nodded his head gently. Aiko looked around. "So why is there a city on this mountain and embedded into the mountain?" She asked him with curiosity. "This cave-like city was built in order to settle down the Cultivators that would fight on the peak of this mountain." Jun answered the little Fox. The city was embedded into the mountain, where Body Cultivators clashed and turned the insides out. Mortal Humans then climbed this mountain to establish this lucrative city. The Mortal Humans then carved into the mountain a bit more to make the cave more unique. There were ''two'' floors to this city, the lower floor and the upper floor. The lower floor was for Mortals and Immortals, while the upper was Immortals-only. The lower floor stretched deep into the mountain and had classic Chinese architecture. It was lit by Light Gems and Lamps. It was well-lit, but it could not conceal the fact that this place was completely shaded from the sun. Meanwhile, the upper floor was very different. There were no roads or bridges between the buildings. One had to know the Flying Sword Technique or some kind of movement Technique that would allow them to move from one building to another. Each building was built around something that looked stalactite, but this place was so dry that it was hard to say if it was really a stalactite or not. The buildings were hoisted by Arrays and Inscriptions, so they didn''t need to use ugly chains and other things to keep those buildings from falling. The style was also more open than the building on the lower floor and it had a lot of ''balconies'' so that Immortals could come and go from whichever side they wanted. Now you might be asking, how can they fly in this place when there are restrictions against flight? This place has a special Array that twists the natural law and allows temporary flight. The key word is temporary. You wouldn''t be able to fly from one side to another, the flight lasts for about 30 seconds for Golden Core and the higher you go, the shorter the flight for higher Cultivation Stages. This is to prevent invasion from powerful individuals, but even then it''s not a foolproof method, and that''s why it was made into an Array which can be easily cut off. Inscriptions can also be toggled on and off, but it requires Skills. Meanwhile, an Array doesn''t require Skill to be turned off, you just need to find the source of the energy and interrupt it. This allows for very easy administration and maintenance! "Please don''t cause trouble." Jun almost cried out when he saw her excited eyes. "I haven''t done anything yet!" Aiko proclaimed, seemingly hurt that she was called out like that. "Don''t say yet!" Jun scolded her. Aiko rolled her eyes. "It''s not like someone will catch me." She stuck out her tongue. "Oh, this time they will definitely catch you." Jun laughed. "And I will laugh my ass off when that happens." "Bull crap!" Aiko retorted. "Unless they have better Shadow Affinity, I will reign supreme!" She raised her small fist. "They are stronger." Jun chuckled. "They are?" Aiko perked her ears. "Very." Jun laughed seeing her curious expression. "How much are we talking about?" Aiko pondered upon this. "Enough to flatten this continent." Jun laughed again. "No way." Aiko didn''t believe him. The Elders already wanted to step in so that everyone could go inside, but they couldn''t anger this Beast, since he was quite famous. "Let''s go inside." Fortunately for the Elders, Jun had enough tack to realise that he was holding them, so he promptly made way. "I''m going with you. Let''s see the super-powerful dude." Aiko rubbed her hands, since he was that powerful he should have some nice Treasures, right? Jun was suspicious of her plotting gaze, but he also knew that she wouldn''t be able to do anything against that guy. Aiko was carried inside by Jun, and her team followed. They had a good impression of this Lion, so they didn''t mind him carrying her. Aiko was looking around. The buildings were not much different to what she encountered outside. They were just slightly bigger and nicer looking. What attracted the most attention was the buildings on the upper floor. They were unique and open. "Do you have wings?" Aiko asked him. "Yes, but I don''t use them." Jun shook his head. He had a great affinity to Bloodlines, so he was able to utilise more power out of them and even transform his body. "Take them out." Aiko immediately nudged him. Jun raised his eyebrow, but he just thought that it was her curiosity. His wings were feathered, but there was a distinct leather feeling on them like they were not truly from feathers, but from some other material. "Now go!" Aiko pointed at the upper floor and Jun stiffened. "What do you mean ''go''? Am I your mount or something?!" He was shocked by her demeanour. "That''s not a bad idea." Aiko rubbed her chin. "Now onwards, noble steed!" She once again pointed at the upper floor. "I can''t fly!" Jun rejected her silly idea. "But you have wings!" Aiko retorted. "Just because I have wings, doesn''t mean I can fly!" He retorted back. "Why are you acting like a chicken?!" Aiko was shocked that he couldn''t explain why at all! "Because my body is too heavy!" Jun pinched Aiko''s cheek. "Then lose some of it!" Aiko pouted. Jun laughed again. He quite missed these kinds of shenanigans. Suddenly, Aiko perked her ears. She heard something strange, something that she never heard before. "Oh my, was I found so quickly?" An old grandpa appeared from a nearby alley... Chapter 364 – Old Friends and Antics "Who are you?" Aiko asked even before Jun could act. She was curious about the noise she heard. "Sensitive aren''t we?" The grandpa chuckled. "How about a cup of tea?" Aiko jumped down and circled him. She was looking for the thing that made the sound. "What are you doing?" Mei chuckled while Jun looked completely petrified. The grandpa slightly widened his eyes. He didn''t expect to see her here. "I''m looking for that noise." Aiko wanted to know what that noise meant, so she could add it to her noise library. "I have never seen such a sensitive ''little'' Fox." He gazed towards Mei. "She is out there with her ''uniqueness''." Mei chuckled back. "Don''t badmouth me." Aiko immediately hugged Mei, pouting. "So how about the tea?" The grandpa asked again. "Sure." Mei chuckled. "But don''t regret it later." She warned him gently. "I will be fine." It would not be his first rodeo with Mei and her abnormal entourage. Aiko was more and more curious about him. She could not feel his presence, it felt like he was completely a Mortal. It kind of reminded her of that grandpa in that city that was selling clothes. She wondered if they were related in any way. ''That would be really cool.'' Aiko nodded gently. The grandpa suddenly slashed the space and a rift appeared in that place. "That''s the noise!" Aiko immediately yelped. The grandpa was more and more interested in this strange group. "You can also follow us, little Lion." The grandpa said gently. Jun was unwilling as he was too scared to go with them, but he had no other option left, since he didn''t have any plausible excuse. "Y-yes." Jun stuttered. He didn''t expect to meet the Mahayana Cultivator so soon... ''Please don''t mess this up, please don''t mess this up.'' He prayed to the Heavens that Aiko would not try her usual antics. "How old are you?" Aiko was curious about many things, but she would start with the basics. "Too old." He laughed before gesturing for them to enter. Mei walked through the portal without issue or suspicion. She didn''t expect one of her old friends to be the manager of this place. She left him in the Mortal World, since his Cultivation could not manage to reach the Peak of Cultivation, where he would be able to shatter the Heavens and Ascend to the Immortal World. The group followed with suspicion, but they kept silent for now. Jun was the last one and then the Grandpa stepped inside. ... They appeared in a foreign room. It was very nicely decorated and it felt like a drawing room. "Your taste didn''t change at all." Mei immediately commented. The room had simple decorations. A few fur pelts here and there and quite a few paintings. There was also a large ornament table with a few chairs. The colour of the wood was very light, making the whole room brighter and more homely looking. "Thank you." He chuckled. "Should I still call you Old Ming?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "Grandpa Ming is fine, I have already retired." Grandpa Ming shook his head. "Oho." Mei chuckled. "You don''t seem like someone who retired." "I''m just trying to maintain my dignity." Grandpa Ming shook his head again. "Do you know each other?" Aiko was surprised that Mei knew so many people. "Aren''t you a shut-i- Auauauau." Her cheeks were pulled by Mei for that unnecessary comment. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Grandpa Ming narrowed his eyes. "Tea?" "En." Mei nodded. She was looking forward to some nice tea. Grandpa Ming went to prepare the tea, while Aiko was being pinched by Mei. "Bully." Once Mei stopped, Aiko immediately accused her of bullying. "Then you shouldn''t badmouth me." Mei flicked Aiko''s forehead, unlike the Human-form Mei, this wild Mei hurt way more! "You are abusing your Cultivation." Aiko accused her again. "Didn''t you do the same?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "Hmpf." Aiko huffed in annoyance. "Have some." Grandpa Ming brought tea with him and offered it to everyone. "You can also feel at ease, nobody will be able to peer into this place." He nudged the whole group. "How did you figure that out?" Mei chuckled. "She is pretty much brimming with energy, I would have to be completely blind not to know this is not her true form." He rolled his eyes. "You can change back, Aiko." Mei chuckled. Aiko tilted her head. "But how did he figure it out?" She immediately swapped to her big form while still sitting on Mei. She added a smug smile as she wrapped her hands around Mei. Jun stared at the adult not-so-little Fox and spilt his tea. "Ack! Hot!" He spilt it on his pants, which burned his fur. He was too shocked by this sudden change. Mei gracefully dropped Aiko on the floor, since she was not in the mood to be groped by Aiko. "Why?!" Aiko immediately cried out. "How have you been, Old Ming?" Mei smiled, ignoring Aiko. "I have been quite nice, it''s been very relaxing once I dropped the race to the Immortal World." Grandpa Ming smiled gently. Aiko glared at both of them. As revenge, she would sneak inside Mei''s skirt and tease her! But unfortunately, Mei was quicker and picked up Aiko with her Divine Sense, before placing her onto a chair. Aiko pouted even more and her ears snipped here and there. "Have you completely given up hope or are you willing to go at it again?" She narrowed her eyes. "I''m not sure. It''s been quite relaxing, so I''m not sure if I want to join that slaughter again." Grandpa Ming shook his head. Aiko stood up. She was being ignored, so she would just explore this place. "How about trying it again, but with a different goal in mind?" Mei was looking for more servants and the more powerful the better it would be. "I''m not sure if I''m interested..." Grandpa Ming was now too old for those kinds of adventures. "Not even as my servant?" Mei narrowed her eyes. She knew that he wouldn''t be able to completely reject this. "What will you offer me for babysitting you?" Grandpa Ming sipped tea calmly. "How about improving your Cultivation over time?" Mei proposed the bare minimum and would go from there. "Fine." Grandpa Ming agreed immediately. His agreement was so quick that Mei choked on her tea. She didn''t expect that kind of reaction at all! "What?" She felt like she heard something wrong. "What?" Grandpa Ming tilted his head. "Why would you agree with such bad terms?" Mei couldn''t gauge his intentions. Grandpa Ming opened and closed his mouth, but the only thing that came out of it was... "You have changed." Mei was already used to hearing that, so it didn''t startle her that much, but she still felt strange. "Have I?" Mei tilted her head. "There are quite a few who have already told me that." "You have never treated others as equals, there was always an underlying arrogance in your behaviour and attitude. You would quickly scorn others and distance yourself from them once you realised there was not much to gain from them-" Grandpa Ming shot arrow after arrow at Mei. "Stop, stop!" Mei had to stop him since she felt embarrassed. "You are a lot nicer now. The group or team with you also doesn''t seem like they are following you as slaves, but as individual beings. That not-so-little Fox has pretty much your smell all over-" "Ahhhhhh!" Mei yelled loudly. She couldn''t believe that this bastard would embarrass her like that. "If you keep going like that I will tell Xiuying that you stole her favourite ribbon!" "She already knows." Grandpa Ming smugly gazed at Mei. "I''m her partner now." Mei could see his smug smile from a mile away and she also felt like his nose was getting longer with each passing second. "Then I will also tell her that you stole her precious stockings and that you-" Mei was immediately silenced by a tasty piece of meat. "Shush! Not a word about that!" Grandpa Ming coughed cautiously. He was worried that Xiuying would hear this. "Hmpf." Mei snorted unhappily, but still enjoyed that delicious meat. Old Ming was pretty much praised as the Immortal of Cooking. All his dishes would turn into Spiritual Food that could raise your Cultivation and cleanse your Meridians! That is also why he experienced so much bloodshed, since everyone was trying to get him on their side, even if it meant killing everyone around him. Aiko found a curious little vase and tried to pick it up, but that vase suddenly floated a little higher. Aiko furrowed her eyebrow and tried to catch it with a jump, but that vase kept floating higher and higher. Soon she got upset and transformed into a small Fox, climbing the wall by sticking her claws into it. Grandpa Ming gently sipped his tea as he spotted the very little Fox climbing the wall. "You have a... unique taste." Grandpa Ming didn''t know how to be polite. "What do you mean?" Mei tilted her head. Grandpa Ming almost coughed up his tea when he saw the little Fox chasing a vase on the ceiling. "N-nothing." Grandpa Ming sweated. His partner told him that if he didn''t have anything nice to say, he should not say anything. Mei felt suspicious, so she turned around, but at that time the ceiling climbing Aiko was behind a wall, so Mei couldn''t spot her. Just as she turned around, Aiko chased the vase on the ceiling once again. *Pftt* Grandpa Ming choked on his tea. He couldn''t believe that Xiuying would mess with Mei''s partner. "I''m sorry." Grandpa Ming immediately apologised to Mei. "About what?" Mei couldn''t understand his behaviour, so she turned around again. Behind her was nothing out of the ordinary, so she turned back. And once again at that moment Aiko zipped past the room, bolted to the ceiling, trying to chase that strange vase. Grandpa Ming spat out his tea, his partner was too much! He laughed loudly, and Mei turned again abruptly. She saw Aiko chasing a vase on the ceiling and immediately turned red. "Aiko! What are you doing?!" Mei felt so embarrassed by her antics! Aiko flinched and jumped in place, but since she was on the ceiling, that jump made her come crashing down. Hands caught her before she could crash down and Aiko jumped again, wrapping herself with shadows before disappearing. The young-looking girl blinked innocently as she looked around. "Where did that cute Fox go?" Ming Xiuying looked around, trying to find that cute little Fox. "Xiuying-!" Grandpa Ming groaned unhappily. "You can''t mess with other¡¯s partners!" "But she was so cute!" Ming Xiuying pouted. "You are still beautiful Xiuying." Mei chuckled. Aiko appeared on her lap and stared suspiciously at the girl. Chapter 365 – Hiring New Workers "Oh! Mei, when did you descend?" Ming Xiuying smiled happily. She was a cheerful girl with long black hair. Her jade skin was appealing to all Immortals, and her slim body caused uproars all around. She had a bosom similar to previous Mei, but her eyebrows were sharp like two knives. She was not adorned with any jewellery, but her beauty still shined brightly. Meanwhile, Old Ming was your average grandpa, one could even wonder how he was able to get someone as beautiful as Ming Xiuying. His hair was already white, and his expression was that of an aged, scarred man. Their clothes matched with white and light-blue colours. "I don''t remember us being so close?" Mei tilted her head. "Because you were a stuck-up bitch previously." Ming Xiuying laughed. "You are more normal now. Do you feel better?" She was happy that Mei acted normal once again. "..." Mei didn''t know what to tell her, but she didn''t feel worse than she did before. "Why have you not ascended yet?" "Haha." Ming Xiuying smiled bitter-sweetly. "I''m sick and my Cultivation got stuck." "Oh..." Mei nodded gently. She didn''t expect her to get sick. Aiko rested her head on Mei''s arm and squinted her eyes. She couldn''t find what was wrong with this girl. "It''s nothing bad. I''m still strong and my companion will work with you." Ming Xiuying chuckled. "What?" Old Ming blinked a few times. "You need to go out and see the world and experience more things so that your cultivation can progress." Ming Xiuying knew that he lied about not wanting to get back, but that was for her sake. So now it was her turn to kick him out of here so that he wouldn''t die miserably with her. "I didn''t expect you two to be together." Mei was surprised that they were together. "You... knew about it." Ming Xiuying awkwardly scratched her cheek. "...?" Mei was confused. "You were running around so much that you ignored everything around you." Ming Xiuying sighed. "But I''m glad that you are now living in the present." She nodded gently and glanced at Aiko. Aiko angrily snipped her ears at her. Ming Xiuying chuckled again. "Thank you." She thanked the little Fox for that. "???" Aiko was confused as to why she was being thanked. In her mind, this girl became a stranger by the minute. "I''m being seen as a weirdo..." Ming Xiuying sighed, but then she laughed. This little Fox didn''t do things normally, so it was only natural that Mei would have problems handling her. In turn that allowed her to snap from her stupor- "I have died in the Immortal World." Mei calmly sipped her tea. This time, not just Ming Xiuying but everyone else stiffened. Jun even started choking on his tea. He never saw Immortal, yet one was right in front of him!? How ridiculous is that?! "I''m sorry." Ming Xiuying felt embarrassed about how she talked with Mei. She didn''t expect that Mei would crash from the Immortal World- ''No, wait. Something is wrong.'' She narrowed her eyes. "How did you retain your memories?" Ming Xiuying thought that this was a very important part. "I think they used the sealed ''dagger''." Mei was never sure about this part, so she didn''t think about it much. "What does it do?" Ming Xiuying was curious, but she also wanted to help Mei. Mei opened her mouth to explain, but her whole body paused. "I see." She nodded to herself. "What is it?" Ming Xiuying was dying of curiosity. "Nothing, but I might know what happened now." Mei chuckled, fortunately, her stupid boy toy didn''t target her Pearl. "???" Now it was time for Ming Xiuying to be confused and she stared speechlessly at Mei. "Oh, this little one is Aiko. That is Yuxi and Wanshu. That red one doesn''t have a name, but we call her Blood Fox." Mei introduced everyone. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. "This is my husband Ming, but you can call him how you like it." Ming Xiuying giggled. "I''m Ming Xiuying, but again, you can call me how you see fit." She was not picky, unlike the other Cultivators. "Mei?" Aiko was confused about this exchange. "She is a friend." Mei chuckled. It''s been such a long time, so it must mean their lifespan is running out. "I got a few Manuals that can help you cultivate." Mei smiled gently. "It was about time to give us gifts." Ming Xiuying pretended to fume at Mei, but she was just a cute girl. "How is she so young?" Aiko wanted to know the reason. "There is the Youth Pill. It''s hard to get since it''s an 8th Grade Pill, but I was a prodigy, you know?" Ming Xiuying stuck out her small chest. "You would get along." Aiko nodded, but Mei pulled her cheeks. "Auauauau." "Now that I look at you..." Ming Xiuying tilted her head. She then looked at a certain part of Mei''s body. "You have grown well- Auauauauau." Ming Xiuying got the same treatment as Aiko. "Seriously. What''s up with everyone and their assessments." Mei was irritated. "I also don''t understand." Old Ming shook his head. "I liked it when they were smaller- Agh" And yet another victim who couldn''t read the room... Aiko''s ears twitched. She was quite happy she was not the only one who got this treatment. "Why are you so happy?" Mei suddenly appeared behind Aiko. Aiko jumped, trying to run away, but was smothered by Mei. "So yeah, you two are coming with me." Mei nodded seriously. Ming Xiuying who was giggling at their exchange suddenly froze. "Me too?" She pointed at herself. "Yeah, you too." Mei nodded mischievously. "You have to encourage your husband to work hard." Chuckling like a Devil, the deal was already sealed. "I miss the previous Mei..." Ming Xiuying suddenly blurted out. "Me too..." Old Ming agreed with her. "What?" Mei threw a threatening glance at them. ""Nothing!"" The pair said in unison. Aiko stared at them with some pity. "You really need to socialize more." Aiko suddenly told Mei. "What?" Mei threw another threatening glance, but this time towards Aiko. "It''s when you go around with others and try to talk- Auauauau." Aiko cried out as her face was squished once again. "I have plenty of experience with socializing with others!" Mei proclaimed. The pair stared at each other and once again in unison threw Mei a pity stare. Mei''s lips twitched. "You want to go another round?" She threatened them. "I think I will. I''m still strong, you know." Ming Xiuying smiled mischievously. Meanwhile, Aiko and Old Ming paused. One was listening while the other was shivering. ''She is not really sick...'' ''She is not sick, not sick~'' ''You are back!'' Aiko smiled. She quite missed the strange duo from Darkness. ''''Our apologies Princess.'''' They said in unison, like they were bowing. Old Ming had sweat all over his back. His energy was calmly circulating, but he was ready to attack at any moment. He was completely terrified of that presence. ''Don''t call me that and tell me what you know.'' Aiko was quite upset about being called like that. ''Allow me to explain. When Cultivators reach Foundation Establishment. Their ability to reproduce decreases sharply, so much so that they can die before having children. The higher in the Cultivation Scale of the Mortal World you go, the less chance for children you will have.'' The Darkness told the Princess some background, so that she would be able to explain better. ''Okay...?'' Aiko did not understand what that meant. ''She is an incomplete vessel that will summon a #### Beast once she is too weak.'' The Darkness explained slowly. ''...'' Aiko still couldn''t understand shit. The Darkness coughed awkwardly. ''It''s in her belly. The thing that caused this ''sickness'', if you can get to her when she is asleep we can take care of it.'' ''Will she be safe?'' Aiko really didn''t want to engage with this plot. ''Yes.'' The Darkness chuckled. Aiko clicked her tongue. Since that girl was Mei''s friend she would help out. ''The problem is Old Ming.'' Aiko already noticed that he could also see the Darkness. "Are you alright, dear?" Ming Xiuying was concerned when she saw his pale expression. "I''m alright dear." Old Ming corrected his expression and reassured his partner. "Are you sure? Should we rest for now?" Ming Xiuying was caring towards her husband, especially when she never saw him like this. "This..." Old Ming didn''t know how to explain this situation, but that was also not a bad idea. If his wife went to have a rest, she should be more cheerful tomorrow. Old Ming nodded gently. "Let''s rest today, you can guide them tomorrow around the town." He smiled gently. Aiko narrowed her eyes, but didn''t say anything. Ming Xiuying smiled happily. "I will guide you to your room, so please wait." She immediately stood up and guided her partner away. He was protesting at first, but was quickly pacified by her and could only concede to her whims. Mei chuckled gently, unaware of what just happened. She just believes that Old Ming was tired from their visit. Glancing at Aiko, she understood why. "Why are you accusing me?" Aiko blurted out. ''Cursed Karma connection.'' Mei clicked her tongue inside her mind. "I''m not cursing you." And denied everything with a straight face. "You were definitely cursing me." Aiko narrowed her eyes, she was suspicious of Mei. "I really didn''t curse you." Mei had so many years to practise this Skill that she would be able to fool even Immortals! "Bullshit!" Aiko was unconvinced, but she then changed tune. "I can help her, just keep Grandpa Ming busy for a bit." She suddenly said and Jun choked again. Aiko''s team were not surprised, unlike he who wasn''t travelling with her constantly. ''Since when did she know medicine? No, to begin with, don''t you need to touch them to know what''s wrong with them??'' Jun was really confused about what was happening around him. His worldview was turned upside down the more he was with these bewitching Foxes. ''That''s why the Master said that I shouldn''t mingle with Foxes.'' Jun sighed. That was not the reason his Master said that, but this was also a good reason to keep away from them. "Do you know something about it?" Mei narrowed her eyes. She was somewhat used to Aiko''s ways. "Yeah. I was told." Aiko nodded. "Something about an incomplete vessel and Beast or whatnot." Since she was Nightmare Aiko, she didn''t really like to think too much about it. It could be solved, so it should be solved as soon as possible. This time Mei couldn''t hold it in and choked on her tea. "What? Are you sure? Is it safe?" Mei was quite concerned about this whole situation. "It is safe and can be dealt with, but I feel like Grandpa Ming would try to stop me." Aiko explained her reasoning. Chapter 366 – Aiko the Miko! "That would appear to be the case." Mei nodded gently. She knew what she would do if Aiko was in danger. "How much time do you need?" Mei asked softly. "I don''t know." Aiko shook her head. The Darkness didn''t tell her how long it would take. "Very well, but if something happens you know it will not end up with just scolding, right?" Mei had such a serious expression that Aiko gulped. "It will be fine." Aiko was convinced that Darkness would not lie to her. Mei kept her expression but nodded. "If something happens, you will have your ass handed to you, so keep that in mind while you work on it." "Of course!" Aiko kept nodding like a broken doll. Mei sighed. "I really mean it. I won''t protect you this time if you do something wrong." While she would indulge Aiko, everything had limits. "Everything will be alright!" Aiko believed in herself. Mei sighed. "How stubborn." She shook her head before agreeing. ... "Phew." Old Ming wiped the sweat. It took him some time to convince his partner to sleep. Cultivators normally didn''t need to sleep, especially once they reached higher stages, but his wife was different. She was too weak without sleeping and eating, so he was cooking her plenty of Spiritual Foods to keep her healthy. "So tired." Old Ming sighed. "Are you alright?" Mei asked as she came closer to him. The sooner they fix this issue, the sooner Aiko will be more obedient. Old Ming was always an amazing cook and if he offered Aiko some Food, she would definitely settle down and cause less trouble. Meanwhile, Aiko sneaked away from them as Old Ming was too tired to notice anything. "I''m fine, I think?" Old Ming chuckled to himself and went back to the table. "More tea?" "Let''s finish this one first. Let''s not be wasteful." Mei narrowed his eyes. "At least something didn''t change about you." He laughed. "That''s only natural." Mei smirked. "Since you Humans don''t care about nature, we need to protect it." "Even when most of the destruction caused comes back to Beasts'' doing?" Old Ming bickered back. ... Aiko sneaked around the house, but thanks to the Darkness, she was able to locate her quickly. Ming Xiuying was lying on her bed, sweating buckets. It seems like her condition was not the best and only acted fine in front of them. This would explain so many things and why she was acting so cheerful before. ''Pity is a poison.'' Aiko sighed as [Little Nightmares] appeared behind her. Her tails might be in a weakened state, but she still believed them. ''There will be no problem.'' The Darkness reassured her. ----- "Mei..." Old Ming''s hand slowly turned into a fist. "I... I won''t forgive you if something happens to her." "I know." Mei nodded. She didn''t expect him to be so sensitive. "The moment her life force thins slightly, I''m rushing over." Old Ming didn''t want to lose Ming Xiuying either. "I will help you with that." Mei didn''t try to stop him. "..." Old Ming shut his eyes. "Why?" "Because I believe in her. She might have her weaknesses, but she would never harm beings around her." Mei shrugged. "..." The life force just thinned and Old Ming opened his eyes. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Let''s go." Mei already stood up. If something happened, she would beat up Aiko for this... Is what they both believed. ----- "Got damn bastard, let go already!" "Fuck you! You whoring Fox!" Old Ming and Mei blinked blankly. What was unfolding in front of them was too surreal. Aiko noticed the presence behind her and snapped her head towards them. The current situation was quite... compromising. Ming Xiuying''s stomach was heavily inflated with purple-black runes and from it there Aiko was pulling something sinister, something that shouldn''t exist. It was not quite a ghost, but something similar to it. Ming Xiuying was in pain and didn''t look well. Meanwhile, Aiko kept pulling on that black ghost. "Mei! Right timing!" Aiko smiled while her own body was burning. "This bastard attached a wisp to her Soul, can you separate them please?" She pleaded with Mei. Mei glanced at Old Ming who was rubbing his eyes in disbelief. "What is that?" Old Ming pointed at the black ghost. "I''m the Immortal Fiendish Emperor! Bow before me, you peasa- AGH!" The black ghost was trying to make his name known, but that shitty fox munched on him! "Stop eating me, you slut!" The Immortal Fiendish Emperor yelled. "There are too many of you! Just die already, old fossil!" Aiko yelled back. Old Ming''s expression hardened. It felt like he understood what was happening. "May I?" Mei asked him softly. "Please save my Xiuying." Old Ming groaned weakly. "As you wish." Mei got close to Aiko. "Can you pull that thing more, so that part of her Soul shows." "Isn''t that dangerous?" The reason Aiko didn''t continue was because she worried that she would separate her Soul from her body. She would definitely get scolded for that! "It''s fine when I''m around." Mei smiled smugly. "Pocket Mei." Aiko whispered before munching at the black ghost again. This guy was too tough and she was unable to rip him apart. Mei shot a glare at Aiko and she flinched, also pulling both of their Souls out. "Keep it like this." Mei massaged her forehead. She almost caused a disaster. "Yes, ma''am!" Aiko was too scared of Mei in the current situation. The Black Ghost was attached to the pure White Ghost. One was roaring while the other was quietly crying. Mei was exceptionally skilled at handling Souls, so separating those two were easy. Those black Runes on Ming Xiuying would be the main issue. Mei was somewhat skilled in Inscriptions and Arrays, but it was not enough to understand it completely. She first separated those two Souls, so that Ming Xiuying wouldn''t need to suffer any longer. When she did that, Aiko rolled backwards. This was a small part of the scolding that Aiko would receive. "I will now repair her Soul from his invasion." Mei narrated her work in order to calm down Old Ming. Old Ming came closer to Ming Xiuying. She didn''t look all that good which broke his heart. He already had to battle with himself when he saw her sleeping in pain. "I will take this guy out, so you have more room." Aiko thrashed around inside this room since this shithead was too slippery for her. "Do you know anything about these Runes?" Mei asked Aiko, which shocked Old Ming. "Ah!" Ming Xiuying suddenly yelled out as her stomach kept inflating. "Hahahahaha! You bastards! This is what you get for messing with this Emperor!" The black ghost laughed haughtily. ''Connect the 3rd and 5th Rune and solve the rest later.'' Aiko commanded the Darkness as she rolled her eyes at the ghost. Aiko''s [Little Nightmare] blurred and sliced Ming Xiuying''s stomach, shocking both of them. "What are you doing?!" Old Ming roared, but was stopped by Mei. "Sorry, sorry, can''t explain this quickly enough without her stomach blowing up." Aiko apologized as she bumped into the walls due to this bastard resisting. "I will keep this guy here and he will explain everything." She thrashed herself out of the room. "..." Old Ming glared at Mei and the Beast attached to Aiko. "Don''t stare at me like that." The tail sighed, startling both of them. "You can talk?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "Let''s talk about that later. Princess ordered me to help." The tail sighed again. She couldn''t understand why she should help such lowly Mortals. "And before you glare at me again, it''s a superficial wound that will close within a few moments once she circulates her energy. It was important to connect those two Runes with her blood, since the Forbidden Runes are connected with Ink. Blood is always more powerful since it hosts your Vitality." The tail kept overwhelming them with her speech. "And no, she is not using her Vitality, it''s just a connection since the Ink is too old to hold all that much power. Yes, she will be fine and no, you can''t help me. Any other questions will be answered later. We clear? Cool." The Little Nightmare sliced her stomach a few times and Ming Xiuying suddenly relaxed. It felt like she went into peaceful sleep and Old Ming''s eyes quivered at the sight. "I... will be going now." The tail suddenly said and disappeared. Mei and Old Ming had too many questions, but it might be better to not know. Mei slowly tidied her Soul in front of him. "Mei..." Ming Xiuying suddenly woke up. "Please don''t move. It will be finished soon." Mei said gently. She really couldn''t afford to be distracted by her. "Mhm." Ming Xiuying hummed. "Qian." "I''m here." Old Ming grabbed her weak hand. "I feel better, so don''t make that face." Ming Xiuying smiled gently. "There is so much I want to experience with you..." Old Ming was crying. The pair had this heart-warming moment when... *Crash**Boom**Crash* "Bastard!" "Whore!" "Come here!" "Get away from me!" *Boom**Crash* Mei''s lips twitched. "I''m sorry-" She was red in the face from Aiko''s behaviour and she was even interrupted by Aiko again. *Boom**Crash* "HAHA! WHO IS A WHORE NOW BASTARD! TASTE THE POWER OF MY POLES!" "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK- HA! YOU SLUT THAT WENT RIGHT THROUGH ME!" Everyone heard a loud click of a tongue. "I should''ve upgraded my poles for bastards like you!" "HAHAHAH! WHAT WILL YOU DO NOW YOU SLUT!? AGHHHHHHHH! STOP BURNING ME!" "BUUUUUURN YOU FUCKEEEEEEEEER! AND TO FINISH IT OFF! AIKO''S SECRET TECHNIQUE: FINAL FISTING!" "AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" The last part was said so seriously that Mei wanted to storm at Aiko and whip her butt. "Pft." Ming Xiuying was trying her best to hold in her laughter, but she couldn''t bear it and burst out with cheerful laughter. Old Ming smiled gently. It was a long time since he saw her laugh like this. "I told you not to move." Mei was like a tomato and vowed to teach Aiko properly the next time. If Aiko did this in public... she wouldn''t be able to live this through due to shame! "I''m sorry." Ming Xiuying giggled at the completely red-faced Mei. Chapter 367 – Aiko’s Fight and Scolding Aiko thrashed with the black ghost in the next room. ''I will definitely get scolded for the destruction that I''m causing.'' Aiko frowned. "Oi, you bastard! Stop thrashing around!" Aiko slapped the black ghost a few times. "You will never get me alive!" The black ghost yelled at Aiko back. "You are already dead you asshole!" Aiko roared back. ''Princess...'' One of the Little Nightmares couldn''t bear it and spoke. "Don''t call me Princess!" Aiko now roared at her Tails. That Little Nightmare ignored Aiko''s outburst like it was already used to it. ''There is no causality involved, so you won''t be punished for eating the Ghost whole.'' Aiko paused and the black ghost stiffened. "You will never get one alive!" It thrashed even more once he saw Aiko''s wicked smile. "Get away from me you fiend!" The black ghost thrashed more and more. "Stop it!" Aiko roared. "Grandpa, burn him alive!" "Why are you always calling me for work?" Grandpa Flame whined when he got out, but once he saw the black ghost... he pretty much mimicked Aiko''s expression. "Hello, you little fucker. Long time no see." Grandpa Flame smiled like the devil. The black ghost paused to observe him. "And who the fuck are you-" It stiffened since it would never be able to forget the features of that asshole Dragon! "You-! NO! GET AWAY FROM ME! STOP BURNING ME!" "BUUUUUURN YOU FUCKEEEEEEEEER!" The duo laughed happily as they burned the black ghost. "I won''t be able to finish it." Grandpa Flame narrowed his eyes. Aiko narrowed her own eyes. "No worries." "And to finish it off! Aiko''s secret technique: FINAL FISTING!" Aiko said the last part seriously as she coated her fist with her Grandpa Flame and used her affinity with Ghosts to properly shaft this fucker. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" The black ghost yelled as it was melting into a puddle of black goo. "Ew. That looks disgusting." Aiko recoiled from the sight. "It''s definitely disgusting." Grandpa Flame agreed with her. "Eat it." Aiko trained her eyes on her [Little Nightmares]. They visibly stiffened, but since it was ordered, they had to do it. "You are evil." Grandpa Flame recoiled. "Do you want to have a taste too?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. "Keep eating, don''t make her wait!" Grandpa Flame willingly joined Aiko in whipping the tails. "Hehe~" Aiko hummed. "Now that it''s finished we can go back!" But her body stiffened once she saw the destruction she caused. This would be very costly and would also earn her scolding... Aiko didn''t want that! So she delayed coming back. ... "Do you know what wrong you did?" Mei was fuming at Aiko with a calm face. "I''m so sorry for destroying the rooms and the surrounding rooms." Aiko cried silently. Mei was never so harsh before! "Pft." Ming Xiuying giggled softly. Mei immediately turned into a tomato again and wanted to scold Aiko even more, but Ming Xiuying interrupted this. "Thank you for helping me." Ming Xiuying bowed towards the cute Fox. "You are welcome!" Aiko felt proud of her work. "Don''t feel proud you rascal! You don''t even know what wrong you did!" Mei yelled at Aiko. "I already apologised for the rooms! I will even pay for it!" Aiko glared back, she felt like Mei was being unreasonable. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Ming Xiuying was having the time of her life. This duo fit perfectly. The stoic Mei with the abnormal Aiko. It was the greatest pair made under the Heavens! "Rascal! Just wait when we are alone!" Mei threatened Aiko. "What? Will you bully me again in bed?!" It was not the least effective on Aiko. "W-what?!" Mei stuttered with a red face and immediately covered Aiko''s lips. "W-what are you saying! That never happened." Aiko glanced at the duo and Mei turned around to have a look too. Both of them had an overly warm expression, one that suggested things. Ming Xiuying nudged her husband and he coughed gently. "Do not worry, I will move you to a room with good soundproofing." Old Ming smiled from ear to ear and Ming Xiuying did the same. "It''s not like that-!" Mei couldn''t believe what was happening. "It''s fine, we were at that stage before too." Ming Xiuying had a dreamy expression. "There is nothing to be ashamed about." Old Ming butted in. "We liked to play games too." He nodded at them with a sweet smile. "It''s not like that...!" Mei was almost crying from the current situation. She would not let Aiko live this down! ... "Do you want some ice on it?" Ming Xiuying felt that Mei was too unreasonable. "Yes, please." Aiko rubbed her red-swollen cheeks. "She doesn''t need ice." Mei replied ''coldly''. "Here is some ice." Old Ming gave Aiko the ice. "You-!" Mei glared at them. "You need to remember to take proper care of your partner." Ming Xiuying ''explained'' to Mei. "What...?" Mei felt like she was being scolded for this. "It''s not good to abuse your partner." Old Ming agreed with Xiuying and Aiko nodded with them. "Huh...?" Mei felt like everyone went against her! "Ming Xiuying." Mei said sternly. "Yes, Mei?" Ming Xiuying smiled from ear to ear. "Would you be able to endure it in my place?" Mei asked about what Aiko was shouting and the ruckus she was causing. "She is cute." Ming Xiuying nodded happily. Mei was completely speechless, the Aiko disease was spreading! "Why me." Mei groaned unhappily. "You started our relationship, you know?" Aiko smiled mischievously. "What?" The pair''s eyes sparkled. They obviously wanted to know more. "Aiko!" Mei yelled out. "I can''t believe it." Ming Xiuying said, but her eyes shined even more. "I was really badly injured and Mei took care of me." Aiko proudly described the whole situation. "Ohhhhhhhhh!" The pair listened and nodded like a pair of chicks. "And later on she said: Be my (servant)!" Aiko proclaimed, leaving things here and there. "Aiko!!!" Mei yelled out and abruptly stood up. "It fits the stoic Mei, right?" Ming Xiuying nudged her husband. "It''s definitely something she would do." Old Ming agreed. "Not you two too!" Mei yelled out as she stormed away. "Awwww... We embarrassed her." Ming Xiuying pouted. "It''s been a while since she acted normal like this." Old Ming nodded. "Wouldn''t that be close to 10,000 years?" Ming Xiuying asked gently. "Surely it has not been that long?" Old Ming didn''t believe it was that long. "Hmmmmm..." Ming Xiuying pondered on it. "I don''t remember my age." "Just read your bone age!" Old Ming sulked at his partner. Ming Xiuying loved to tease him like this, but he didn''t really dislike it. "But in all seriousness." They straightened their backs. ""You can''t say that stuff in public."" They said in sync, startling Aiko. "Huh?" Aiko was taken aback and the pair''s eyes shined in different light. She remembered that light, the only other person who could reproduce it was Lady Liu during her classes! Aiko wanted to book it, but the duo would not let her. "It''s fine to play with your partner." Ming Xiuying smiled like a devil. "But you shouldn''t embarrass them too much." Old Ming added. Aiko felt a chill down her spine, but there was no escaping it... More classes for her! ... "I''m sorry for what I did. I didn''t want to embarrass you..." Aiko looked completely exhausted, like someone rolled over her again and again until her Soul left her body. Mei was startled and felt strange. "I will try not to do it again." Aiko didn''t approach Mei and kept her respectful distance. Mei was shocked by this and nudged Aiko to sit. She had conflicting emotions about this. On one side, she was really embarrassed by Aiko, but on the other, she felt more alive when that kind of chaos surrounded her. She felt like she could live in the present, but that didn''t mean she could live with that kind of shame. "Just... try to reduce it and don''t do it in public." Mei said softly. "En." Aiko nodded obediently. ''What happened to her?'' Mei wondered what happened to Aiko when she left that table. ... The pair of Foxes returned and Ming Xiuying had a cheerful conversation with Aiko''s team. Jun was long forgotten since he was not cute enough in her eyes... "Aiko, come here." Ming Xiuying waved at Aiko. Aiko''s body straightened and stiffened. Mei now understood what was happening. "Take it easy and you are supposed to rest." She narrowed her eyes. Ming Xiuying was the next one to stiffen. "I-I''m feeling alright!" She pouted. "Oh right, you wanted us to come with you, right?" Ming Xiuying clapped her hands happily. "If possible." Mei nodded gently. She wished to recruit them so that she had more sway over Aiko. "That is fine, but I will need to recover." Ming Xiuying giggled. She was still weakened due to those Forbidden Runes. "That is fine." Mei chuckled. "We are here for the Tournament anyway." "Really?!" Ming Xiuying was shocked. "I pity your opponents." She shook her head. Aiko curiously twitched her ears. Mei was definitely strong, but she shouldn''t be strong enough to make it a walk in the park, right? Ming Xiuying giggled at Aiko''s expression. "Since I will be part of the team I suppose I will be taking care of her tails? You always hated to groom them." Ming Xiuying looked at Aiko and Mei alternatively. Suddenly a glare was shot at her from the Blood Fox. "Oh my, it seems I can''t do that. How about we play when she is bored?" Ming Xiuying was curious about what the dynamic between Mei and Blood Fox was, but she was soon surprised even more. The pair of Twins gazed at her with narrowed eyes. "Oh my, I didn''t know your partner was building a harem, I will have nothing to do." Ming Xiuying laughed at Mei who was glaring at her. "Just help your husband in the kitchen or something." Mei didn''t like that everyone was after Aiko, so she would have to deal with that later. "I can definitely do that. I like sweets." Ming Xiuying smiled from ear to ear. "I didn''t mean you to be a taste tester!" Mei immediately scolded her. "Awwww!" Ming Xiuying pouted at Mei. "Fine, I suppose I can help my husband with the prep work." She looked away like she was the lazy version of Aiko. Chapter 368 – Long Conversation Mei and Aiko came into Ming Xiuying''s room. Ming Xiuying was lying on the bed watching them closely. "How are you feeling?" Mei softly asked while Aiko looked around. Aiko didn''t have time to look around previously since she was too focused on helping her, but now that she had time, she would look to her heart''s content. "Much better, there is still this strange unsettling feeling, but that should go away." Ming Xiuying gazed at Aiko. "Yeah. It should go away once you flush your system of that impure Qi." Aiko commented back, her Darkness already told her about the temporary effects of this forceful ''banishment''. "I''m glad you will be alright." Mei nodded happily. "So I can whip my husband to cook for you?" Ming Xiuying narrowed her eyes. "Sharp." Mei giggled. "Is Grandpa''s cooking really that good?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. "Better than mine." Mei chuckled and Ming Xiuying looked at her speechlessly. "What?" Mei tilted her head. "Since when were you able to admit defeat...?" Ming Xiuying couldn''t believe her ears and what she saw. "You will get used to it when you hang out with this little monster." Mei ruffled Aiko''s hair. "You are going to brush that." Aiko didn''t protest, since she would be able to rope Mei into giving her some nice brushing. "That excludes your tails." Mei narrowed her eyes. "Tsk." Aiko clicked her tongue. "I will ask Blood Fox then." She smirked. "Tsk." Now Mei was the one who clicked her tongue. "You are too reliant on her." Aiko blinked a few times as if she were looking at a dummy. "She was hand-picked, so we better use my team well." Aiko expressionlessly replied. "Brushing doesn''t count in their work." Mei denied Aiko''s intentions. "Now it does." Aiko folded her arms like she was protesting against Mei. "Seriously..." Mei sighed, massaging her forehead. Ming Xiuying observed this whole thing wordlessly. Mei was way different to what she used to be. There was still some air around her from her previous behaviour, which suggested that this transformation was just a recent one. It was still unimaginable that someone was able to change Mei to this degree. Aiko was truly a stubborn Fox to be able to cause such a thing. ... Aiko sat down around the table and waited for Mei. Her new Grandpa was running around, trying to please his wife so she could recover quickly. It was only natural that he behaved like that, since he was overjoyed that her health improved at a rapid pace. "I wanted to taste his food." Aiko pouted, but didn''t throw as big of a tantrum, since the couple''s scolding took too long. Mei rolled her eyes. "Give them time." "I know." Aiko rolled her eyes at Mei. "I''m not a child." Mei squinted her eyes. "Remind me. Who was the one chasing a vase on the-" "Fine! Fine! I''m a bit childish, happy?" Aiko puffed her cheeks. She felt quite sour at being called out like this. Mei giggled. "Just give them a bit more time and you will have something tasty to munch on." "When is the Tournament?" Aiko changed the topic, since she didn''t quite like where this was going. "In a few days, a few weeks at most, it depends on when the East and the West come." Mei shook her head. "So at worst¡­ a month?" Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Aiko nodded. "How many Foxes did we lose during the Secret Realm?" "Foxes? You mean the one from the Fox Village?" Mei pondered on it and calculated the numbers. ''Does Mei know that there were more Foxes inside?'' Aiko felt quite strange about this. "We have lost about half? Overall, our losses were the heaviest." Mei shook her head after counting the numbers. "What other Foxes come into the Secret Realm?" Aiko asked gently. "The South had some kind of entourage of Foxes and the Fox Village also sacrificed Demonic Foxes, in order to enter the Secret Realm." Mei played with her tea, since she felt disgusted at the thought. "Huh?" Aiko blinked. "Why?" "Because Elders are stupid." Mei rolled her eyes. The one who was the best at politics and cultivation would be the one who ruled the whole continent. Since most Foxes indulged too much, the overall political strength decreased substantially. As such, the Fox Village had to make sacrifices to make ends meet. "Idiots." Aiko sipped her tea. "What are Demonic Foxes good at?" She suddenly asked. "Demonic Foxes are not THAT different from normal Foxes, but their powerful constitutions make them the most suitable for war." Mei said softly. "In other words, those idiots are weakening the Fox Village." Aiko nodded to herself. "Not quite. Demonic Foxes are hard to manage and too feral to be too useful in wars." Mei chuckled. "That is, if we exclude you from the occasion." "The calming effect, huh?" Aiko blinked slowly. She was more than aware of her effects on others. "But doesn''t Yuxi have a similar effect?" Aiko suddenly asked. "Not quite. Yuxi can more or less maintain their current state, but she can''t improve it." Mei shook her head. "You are the only one who can improve their state without messing with their bodies." She sipped her tea slowly. "So, if we gained more Demonic Foxes, what would we do?" Aiko asked curiously. Jun has been trying to make himself invisible for the past few days. He felt like they were discussing something heavy almost every other hour. If he was too conscious about this, this would definitely mess things up for everyone and he would be blamed for it, which he didn''t want! What was worse was the scary Aiko who easily thrashed that terrifying individual. She was the most terrifying Fox that he ever encountered, even the Fox''s Grandmaster looked like a Saint, and that hag was an exploitative piece of vixen! "I''m not sure..." Mei supported her chin with her hand. "We don''t have enough resources to help all of them, so we would have to create a small inside faction with leaderboards and everything... but that would eat up too much of our time." She shook her head. "Hmmmm..." Aiko scratched her head. "And if we had the materials?" She narrowed her eyes. "You are underestimating how much materials are consumed during their development." Mei bopped Aiko''s nose. Aiko rubbed her nose a few times. "Then what do you suggest?" "We can make some simple leaderboards and reward them more if they help us with guarding or something. There is also an issue of them needing either the drugs or your presence." Mei didn''t really want to think about it. "Hmmmm..." Aiko nodded slowly. It seemed like she picked something troublesome. ''Fortunately, they should have enough meat to stay in my Tails for a while.'' Aiko nodded again. "Why are you nodding so much?" Mei felt some suspicion about Aiko''s behaviour. "Nothing. How does the Tournament work?" Aiko changed the topic again. Mei sighed, feeling something troublesome coming their way. "I''m not sure. It seems like this time they will kick up some kind of fuss, so we might not get our turn on this Tournament." Mei shook her head. "Nice." Aiko smirked. She was not looking towards this event, since she didn''t want to fight publicly and she would definitely be scolded by everyone if she used her poles. "Not nice! We won''t get any resources from this event!" Mei scolded Aiko. "Do we need them? We still have the massage business." Aiko tilted her head. "That is true, but just because we have Spirit Stones, doesn''t mean we can exchange them for anything good. A lot of Cultivators prefer to exchange Treasure for Treasure, and not Treasure for Spirit Stones." Mei shook her head at this predicament. "Oh..." Aiko nodded. "Just teach me Forging and I will come up with something." She sipped her tea. "Do you believe Forging is so easy?" Mei snorted unhappily. "No, but we can profit from it, can''t we?" Aiko smirked. "What are you thinking?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "Our business is quite slow, right?" Aiko chuckled. "I mean, the waiting times are quite long." "That''s true, since we are not booking in advance, there are a lot of Foxes waiting for us." Mei nodded gently. "Then we can just introduce more things to this business and we will make more resources." Aiko smirked. "What are you thinking?" Mei felt like Aiko might come up with something good. "Simple. We can introduce baskets with Pills on the counter. Those who are waiting would naturally feel the need to purchase them." Aiko chuckled sinisterly. "And since we can use this to exchange for Herbs, we will naturally make more profit than with just Spirit Stones." Mei''s eyes shined and Jun gulped nervously. He was undoubtedly not supposed to hear this, but here he is... "Since we can exchange Herbs we can get rarer Pills and then we can sell them to the Fox Village and rob them of anything we need." Aiko proclaimed. "Good idea." Mei nodded gently. "And since we already have many Pills, we don''t need to prepare anything in advance and just place them to be sold." She quite liked this idea. Aiko is not that bad at times. "Yep. That way we can get rid of the low-tier Pills and make more Herbs back. We have improved the refining process, so we will naturally get a lot more than your common Pill Refiner." Aiko proclaimed and Jun choked. They both turned towards him. "Not a word about this." Mei threatened him. "I cherish my life." Jun gulped nervously. He was definitely not supposed to hear this part! Aiko turned towards Mei. "And once we are out of the Fox Village, we can spread our Business to the Human side and with Demonic Foxes in tow, not many would dare to mess with us!" She proclaimed happily. "So you did acquire more Foxes, huh?" Mei tried to tease Aiko. "Yep. We just need to find a good use for them." Aiko blurted out, but then she paused. Mei had quite a mean smile on her face. "Where did you get them?" "I took them from Monkeys." Aiko looked away since she felt like she was being scolded. "Monkeys..." Mei narrowed her eyes. "How many?" "A dozen, I think?" Aiko scratched her head. Mei already knew that there was Feifei in her Tails, so she might as well admit to the rest... Chapter 369 – More Chairs and Stuff to Do Mei calmly sipped her tea. She was conflicted about what kind of army Aiko was building. At first, she just picked up a black stray Fox. Then a red one, then another black one and now she picked up a whole army. With Aiko''s tendencies, she might soon pick up a whole race. She also has that spider that follows her and Mei had a feeling that she would not be the only Beast following her. ... Ming Xiuying was eating heartily while Aiko was pouting on the side. Ming Qian was cooking all the good stuff for his wifey, who successfully recovered. "What even happened to that guy?" He suddenly asked the little Fox. "Munched by my Ghosts, Tails, Divine Sense." Aiko replied briefly, since she was still sulking. "..." Old Ming thought that this was abnormal, but he wouldn''t ask about it. All that mattered was the fact that his wife was alright and healthy, everything else was secondary. "I can''t believe how much he splurges on you." Mei shook her head. "Yeah, this is one of the few times I can''t really stop him, or he will pester me ceaselessly." Ming Xiuying shook her head. "I can definitely see that." Mei chuckled and petted Aiko. "I should be able to guide you around soon, so you can enjoy the city a bit, it''s not good to stay in here like salted fish." Ming Xiuying chuckled. "I''m making Pills." Mei retorted. They both looked at Aiko. "What? I''m revising the Massage Chair while glaring at him." Aiko sulked even more. "Another revision?" Mei was concerned that they would spend too much on the materials. "Yeah." Aiko nodded. "I made it more efficient by incorporating things from the Blood Tyrant Scripture and Moon Goddess Scripture." "Pfft." Ming Xiuying coughed up the soup when she heard those two names, while Ming Qian was wiping her gently. "What?" Ming Xiuying kept coughing a few times. At this point, Mei was not surprised, but she was also concerned. "Those scriptures are mostly Human, are you alright?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "I''m not using them as cultivation material, but as a testament to what you can do with bodies." Aiko rolled her eyes. "For example the Blood one allows me to reinvigorate your blood vessels so that you get more blood to the affected parts. There is also a Technique that allows you to target only the afflicted areas, but I have no idea how to make it work on the current Massage Chair." She shook her head. "Thus I''m making revisions so that I can use those things on the Massage Chair and that will also allow us to spike up the prices with more premium line Massage Chairs." Aiko explained. "So we are not throwing the old ones or reusing them?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "No, as long as they are functional we will keep them, for research purposes." Aiko nodded her head. "What are you plotting?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "Nothing." Aiko avoided her gaze and the Twins chuckled. Mei shot them a glare. She wanted them to explain this situation, but they avoided her. Clicking her tongue, she drank her tea slowly, concerned at her waning authority. "Massage Chair? That could be useful for my Qian." Ming Xiuying¡¯s eyes shined. "I''m alright, you should eat more." Ming Qian nudged her to eat more of the Spiritual Food. "You should definitely finish the food." Aiko glared at her, like she was ready to tackle her if she didn''t finish her food. Ming Xiuying gulped another spoon. "Do you have it with you?" This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. "No, it''s making money back in the Fox Village." Mei shook her head. "Can you make the revised version?" Ming Xiuying kept asking questions, wishing that she could obtain such a wonderful thing. "We need a Forging Cultivator for that." Mei shook her head again, finding it cute how she looked like a chick getting fed by an old mother. "Huh? Is it that complex?" Ming Xiuying was shocked. "Quite so, there are only a few Inscription Cultivators that would be able to recreate it, even if they had the plans laid in front of them." Mei chuckled happily. "How so?" Ming Xiuying tilted her head. "The Inscription Runes are quite different to what they are used to. You need to finish the whole Inscription in one go to make it work properly and since it''s different from what they are used to, there are only a few that are able to recreate it without mistakes." Mei explained. "But then they would just need to slow down or make it in parts?" Ming Xiuying tried to dismantle the Massage Chair situation. "That''s the thing. The parts are too small to just make it in parts, so it''s impossible." Mei chuckled. "There are even some parts as small as fingernails and still filled to the brim with Runes." "Like it''s with the Storage Rings?" Ming Xiuying was surprised. "It''s quite similar actually. It''s also difficult since Aiko has her own interpretation of Runes and their effects. So some might even cough up blood at her interpretation." Mei chuckled. She almost lost her mind over how complex that thing was. "Yeah." Aiko nodded. "And it''s getting even more complex." She said proudly. "Isn''t it complex enough now?" Mei groaned at the expenditure. "Yeah, but I made it so that we don''t need as high-grade Inscription Ink as we needed previously. That will allow me to scale things up, or just keep them running for years at a time without touching." Aiko explained her reasoning or at least what she remembered from the Moon Aiko. "This is getting out of hand." Mei groaned again. "I will talk to the other you later." She hoped to get more explanation about this from Moon Aiko. "No." Aiko immediately denied Mei. "Why not?" Mei was speechless at that flat denial. "Because you will bully her." Aiko would not allow Mei to meet Moon Aiko. "I would n-" Mei paused. "I will try not to?" She changed her tune quickly, remembering that cute Aiko. "Not good enough. You will not meet her." Aiko denied it again. "Who are we talking about?" Ming Xiuying was curious about what they talked about. However, the conversation about Runes was above her head. This kind of gossip she was interested in. "It''s just a form that Aiko has. You will get used to it soon." Mei smiled devilishly. Old Ming stiffened. "How many forms does she have?" He always tailored the food to each person, so if someone had different affinities at different times... it caused quite a headache for him. "I''m not sure? 4?" Mei overshot the number because she was unaware of how many forms Aiko might have. Old Ming almost fainted. "Qian?!" Ming Xiuying was startled at his condition. "I''m being enslaved by ruthless Foxes..." He cried softly. Old Ming quite hated when someone had multiple forms since that meant the Spiritual Food would get even more complex. Aiko tilted her head. ''Is cooking really that difficult?'' She thought that he was overreacting. ... Once things calmed down and everyone rested, Ming Xiuying gathered everyone in the dining room. "What is it?" Aiko perked her ears in annoyance. She was woken up from her blissful rest. "I will guide you today around the city." Ming Xiuying proclaimed. Aiko blinked a few times, before standing up and attempting to leave. "Wait! Don''t just leave without saying anything!" Ming Xiuying was shocked at Aiko. "Aren''t you interested in the city?" "Hmmmm..." Aiko yawned. "I''m definitely interested-" As Aiko said that, Ming Xiuying''s eyes shone, but that hope didn''t last for too long. "- in lying in my bed and sleeping." Aiko had quite a sore body from Moon Aiko and her workaholic tendencies. ''How can I balance two forms so that neither one overdoes it?'' Aiko groaned unhappily. "Oh come on! It will be fun." Ming Xiuying pouted her lips. "I agree with the little Fox. You should rest more." Ming Qian smiled from ear to ear. At times this Fox was quite the likeable one. "Not you too!" Ming Xiuying cried out. "It''s good to rest a bit more, nothing will run away from us inside this city." Mei smiled gently. "Why is nobody supporting me?!" Ming Xiuying was shocked that even Aiko''s team didn''t agree with her. "You agree with me, right?" Ming Xiuying asked the cute Lion. "I agree-" Jun wanted to go out, but feeling their eyes on him, he changed his response. "-with Aiko." He felt sweat pouring down his back. Everyone nodded happily, especially Aiko, who just wished to sleep. ... A few days later Ming Qian caved in and Aiko was also properly rested to tackle this adventure. Ming Xiuying was overjoyed that everyone finally agreed with her and guided everyone out of this ''small house''. "How do we descend?" Aiko asked while staring at Jun and his hidden wings. "I already told you I can''t fly!" Jun felt hurt by that gaze. "Tsk." Aiko clicked her tongue. "Jun-" *Cough* "-Qian will take us down." Seeing the sharp gaze from the kind Lion, she just couldn''t make fun of him. "You should wear something else." Aiko commented on Ming Xiuying''s outfit. Now that she was healed up, she was too sparkly to go around the town unnoticed. Her hair was now of light-blue colour with black streaks here and there. Her petite figure bulked up a bit since nothing was draining her. She looked like a healthy late-teen girl going to shop. Her lips and cheeks were slightly flushed and her eyes sparkled with adventure. Her clothing was pure white with a few streaks of light blue and black. It also empathised with her body curves, which would make most Cultivators go after her. The most shocking thing was her revealed side thighs. Those pure jade-like sculpted thighs would attract the most attention. Aiko turned towards Ming Qian, but he was just undressing her with his gaze. "You should stare like that when we are not alone (and forget to lock the doors)!" Aiko protested. She wouldn''t be able to see them in action right now, since Mei was too much around her. Old Ming choked and glared at the little Fox. "I was not doing that!" He tried to defend himself, but his own wife shot that down. "You already got a handful this morning, so let me enjoy my day." Ming Xiuying pouted. Mei raised her eyebrow at Ming Qian. Old Ming coughed awkwardly, not able to meet their gaze. Chapter 370 – Curious Moon Aiko Ming Xiuying guided everyone around the city. While it was a large and beautiful city, most buildings were houses maintained by the Mortals. There were not that many attractions in this city or at least that''s what Aiko thought. "Why do you need 50 clothes shops?" Aiko blinked with confused eyes. "Because each shop handles different materials and clothing types." Ming Xiuying tried to explain, but Aiko shot back. "What? Are they incapable of handling different materials?" Aiko was confused. "Well..." Ming Xiuying couldn''t really say yes to that since that would mean she would upset the craftsman in this city. "You don''t have to hold back. You won''t be living here for long." Aiko said flatly. Ming Xiuying was taken aback and nudged herself closer to Mei. "Is this what you meant by different Aiko...?" "This is still mild." Mei chuckled. Moon Aiko was a true savage when it came to work, so much so that Mei had to kick Aiko out of her room since her suggestions bothered her. What was even more irritating was the fact she was right about those things and they definitely eased Mei''s work! "But if they are so incompetent why do they have shops? I smell bribery." Aiko sniffed the air. "And it doesn''t smell well." She gently pinched her nose. "We never accepted bribes!" Ming Xiuying protested against Aiko''s accusations. "Is that so?" Aiko blinked innocently. "Then why are there so many useless shops? There are no great craftsmen to take their place? I bet you would find plenty of amazing craftsmen that could do things much better than them." She stared at Ming Xiuying attentively. "It''s because the large Sects set up those shops." Ming Xiuying explained. "And you can''t ban them from doing it?" Aiko tilted her head. "Not really since they help us with resources." Ming Xiuying sighed. "You do realize that this is just elaborate bribery, right?" Aiko blinked innocently. Ming Xiuying choked. "Mei..." She immediately whined to Mei, since this kind of Aiko was too scary. "You will get used to it." Mei laughed happily. She finally was not the only one getting ''corrected'' like that. "But she is really scary..." Ming Xiuying whined. "I''m not scary..." Aiko couldn''t keep up with her thought process. "I would say that Aiko is right." The Blood Fox stepped forward. "You have to go around too many shops just to get basic supplies, their clothing system also doesn''t make sense. One shop can have only 1 clothing you want, but they make you buy two to get discounts." She shook her head. "The prices are inflated because they don''t have competition, so everyone who visits this place due to the Tournament gets scammed." The Blood Fox didn''t mind this system, but it was a chore to get anything, so she would never engage in this. "I know right? And they don''t even offer better quality. If we make prices we account for everything during it, so that nobody can call us out, but these stupid bastards ruin everything." Aiko clicked her tongue. What scared Ming Xiuying the most about this Aiko was not her way of speech or the way she presented facts. She was scared of her because she lacked expressions. The Moon Aiko would not change expressions until the given emotion was powerful enough. So most of the time Aiko looked like an emotionless, but beautiful doll. "You can''t say that Aiko." Mei chuckled. "We also raise prices above their intended margin." "That is because we account for rarity, unlike the other businesses you can''t find what you offer elsewhere, so it''s only natural that the ''rarity'' tax would apply." Aiko proclaimed. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Mei''s lips twitch slightly. "I can''t win against you." She stepped closer to Moon Aiko. Aiko took a step back. "..." Mei was shocked by that movement. "Why?" "Because you would bully me." Aiko proclaimed, accusing Mei. "I would be gentle." Mei didn''t deny those accusations. Aiko rolled her eyes. "Let''s go somewhere else, somewhere where we can buy things at good prices." "I spotted some nice shops nearby, so let''s grab a snack." The Blood Fox took the lead, since Ming Xiuying was too scared to do so. "They won''t rip us off, right?" Aiko''s mood soured. "Just a bit, but the smell was nice, so we can test it." The Blood Fox gestured. "Not a bad idea. If it''s good enough we can come here whenever we want to rest." Aiko gave a thumbs-up of appreciation to the Blood Fox. "And if we don''t like it we can find different places during explorations." The Blood Fox was considering taking Aiko to the tea houses, but she was worried that if Aiko turned to her black form it would cause trouble. "There is also this neutral, but slightly sweet smell in the air." Aiko took a whiff of the strange air. "That''s coming from the tea house." The Blood Fox gestured. "But those are difficult to choose from." She shook her head, trying to dissuade Aiko. "How come?" Aiko tilted her head. "Just because the mixture smells good, doesn''t mean it will taste good after you seep it into water." The Blood Fox didn''t have a good explanation for this phenomenon, so she just simply gestured for Aiko. "Oh? Is that why a tea ceremony is a thing?" Aiko blinked curiously. "Yes, it''s quite the skill to prepare tea, but it''s even more important to choose the ingredients for it. You can''t just pick the most expensive ingredients and expect it to taste good." The Blood Fox chuckled. She made this mistake when she prepared tea for her brother. "Oh... so you can mix cheap and expensive?" Aiko was even more curious now. "Not quite. Cheap and low quality are two different things. If you pick something of low quality, then the tea will turn murky and chaotic in taste. You have to be careful about what you choose." The Blood Fox smiled innocently, but there was a clearly hidden meaning behind her words. "Oho." Aiko nodded. "Is it hard to learn?" "Not hard to learn, but mastering is quite different." The Blood Fox smiled at Aiko''s curiosity. "Well, mastering is always hard, so that''s to be expected." Aiko nodded, but then some kind of mellow scent entered her nostrils. "Stings." Aiko massaged her nose. "That is low-quality wine that has been warmed up." The Blood Fox explained, pinching her own nose. "Why warming something up like that?" Aiko couldn''t understand it. "Because it makes the wine softer and it goes down easier down your throat." The Blood Fox knew little about wine, since she was not a good drunk in certain situations. "So many strange things." Aiko shook her head. "I will definitely postpone my Human Evolution. Everything gets too complex." She snorted unhappily. "That''s not something you can affect." The Blood Fox sighed. If it was so easy to ignore the Human Form, then most Beasts would go for it. It would remove one of the weakest stages of their life and would help them survive for longer. "I would like two plum noodles and..." The Blood Fox bought something for everyone from her observations. She would naturally buy the same as what Aiko would eat, so that they would be able to complain together and bring their relationship closer. ''It''s good to hang around her, especially after she got angry at me.'' Thought the Blood Fox. They sat down at a nearby table, attracting quite a lot of attention, but none dared to approach them. There was something just unnatural about the moon-like beauty that everyone from the group paid attention to. "So, how long will we spend on the Tournament?" Aiko suddenly asked. "At most a few weeks, it depends on how long those fights last and how much oppression we will get from Humans." Mei shook her head. "There are more rules to it, huh?" Aiko rolled her eyes. She would do her own little Tournament, since Human ones were too bothersome. "Of course. Humans are too weak, but there are too many of them and have Techniques to suppress us, so it''s a pretty bad stalemate." Mei sighed softly. Everything would change once she got onto the main continent, but till then she should enjoy this foolish simplicity. "Is it that bad?" Aiko couldn''t understand how those stupid Humans could do so many things. "Heavenly Dao." Mei answered simply. "Ah..." Aiko flicked her own forehead. "Forgot about that bastard since he is not acting up any more." She shook her head. "It''s been oddly quiet, yeah." Mei nodded gently, even though her Evolution was not as chaotic as she had expected it to be, even with that unexpected interference from Aiko. It was of a more restrained Evolution than anything. ''Could it be that Dao has reset since Heavenly Dao doesn''t interfere again?'' Mei narrowed her eyes. That was both a good and a bad thing. Humans would not grow as strong, but Beasts would still have to endure the same treatment, or at least this group of abnormal Foxes. Mei frowned. She would have to adjust her plans and make plenty of Pills for Breakthroughs once they all have Human Forms. "How are you holding up?" Aiko suddenly asked Mei and she could feel those underlying intentions. "I''m doing fine." Mei''s Human Form didn''t degrade or cause any issues to her Fox Form, so it seems like the Forbidden Technique was successful. There were certain parts that didn''t make as much sense to Mei, but she would not complain. She was not restricted by time now, since her Human Form was stable and would not degrade. "Oh, I always wanted to ask, but what would happen if you lost your Human Form?" Aiko didn''t really want to go through that part, since she already had her pseudo-form. "It''s hard to say. There were instances of Beast being able to acquire it again, but also instances of Beasts going feral over it." Mei shook her head. "It''s difficult to say what would happen to you or Beasts close to you." Aiko was already abnormal as it was, so Mei was unsure how it would affect this part. Moreover, there was also her issue with the Human Form and how it behaved. Mei just couldn''t give a clear answer to Aiko... Chapter 371 – Tea House "This soup is quite nice." Aiko licked her lips. "It''s not quite soup, but something in between." The Blood Fox was surprised by the soft and mouthwatering taste. "Huh? But there is so much water?" Aiko tilted her head. "It''s broth, or something similar to it. Without it, the noodles wouldn''t taste nearly as good." The Blood Fox chuckled. "You have picked a good place." It was rare for Mei to praise someone, so much so, that even Ming Xiuying was shocked. "Yeah. It''s very tasty." Aiko gave a thumbs up. "Since when did you learn to praise others?" Ming Xiuying was speechless and Ming Qian nodded with her. Mei rolled her eyes and turned back towards her food. Aiko blinked before eating more. ... "It was delicious, thank you." Aiko thanked the cook under the small stall. He chuckled. "I''m happy for the advertisement, I will be able to pay out the taxes thanks to you lovely ladies eating here." He had a line of people waiting for their own noodles. "Then we won''t hold you any longer." The Blood Fox smiled and the cook blushed. "I hope that you won''t be sold out, since we might come back later." He scratched his cheek with a flushed face. "I will do my best to save a portion for you, lovely ladies." The Blood Fox cupped her hands before leaving. "Seductress." Aiko pouted. "But now we can have more noodles later." The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. Aiko turned away, not liking this kind of Blood Fox. "You will understand this later on." The Blood Fox chuckled. "Maybe, but by then we will be strong enough to not need this, after all, we have a chef with us." Aiko immediately turned towards Old Ming. Ming Qian chuckled. "I will stockpile food for you." He never saw such an enthusiastic Fox... Well, at least not for food. "I appreciate it." Aiko smiled. Ming Qian smiled from ear to ear. He really liked this kind of stoic Fox. "Where is our next destination?" Aiko turned towards Ming Xiuying. Ming Xiuying paused. "Clothing was the main attraction... How about Treasures?" "Do we have anything to sell?" Aiko asked her team. "It''s unwise to sell here." The Blood Fox shook her head. "I agree with her." Mei nodded. "Then we don''t need Treasures." Aiko shook her head at Ming Xiuying. "Huh..." Ming Xiuying blinked with shock. "That''s the first time I heard someone reject Treasures." "They are a bad crutch that can break at any moment." Aiko shook her head again. "And the real reason?" Mei chuckled. "We have too many Treasures, so it''s useless to get more." Aiko replied flatly. Ming Xiuying laughed. "There is no such thing as too many Treasures." She then added. "You can have a Treasure that gathers Qi!" The group blinked at her and she paused. She coughed awkwardly. "W-well, it will be useful once you reach the Human Stage." Ming Xiuying blushed. "It''s alright wifey, they understand." Ming Qian chuckled. "We can solve that issue once it becomes one. There is no need to buy things now and make targets from us." Aiko shook her head. "Aiko is right. If Beast bought Qi Gathering Treasure, then it would be assumed that the Beast would be undergoing that Evolution and would be observed and hunted down." Mei explained to Ming Xiuying. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. "I''m sorry." Ming Xiuying felt a bit bitter about this. "It''s fine. There are just certain things that we can''t do that are natural for Humans." Mei shrugged. "Next?" Aiko butted in to shatter that strange atmosphere. "Tea house." The Blood fox narrowed her eyes at Mei. "That is fine." Mei nodded, even if Aiko caused issues, she was already scolded enough that it should not be too big. "Are you fine with it?" The Blood Fox turned to others, and especially towards Aiko, since she was the head of this group. "If no one minds, then we should go." Aiko approved of this plan. "How about a hot spring later?" Ming Xiuying suggested. "That is not a bad idea, but it depends on how well it''s maintained." Mei nodded, but still glanced at Aiko. "There shouldn''t be problems...?" Ming Xiuying was not sure how well it would hold against Aiko''s scrutiny. "First tea, we can talk about this later." Aiko proclaimed and guided everyone towards the tea house. "Not this one Aiko, the next one to it." The Blood Fox suddenly said. Aiko perked her ears. "Why not this one?" "Because you are going by the smell." The Blood Fox saw right through Aiko. "..." Aiko looked away. She was used to using her nose so much that it could lead her into a trap... "Why this one then?" Aiko nudged the Blood Fox. "Because the scent is not overpowering. That means they care more about the tea and overall enjoyment than just attracting Beasts." The Blood Fox explained. "Huh? How does that work?" Aiko blinked innocently. "Because Beasts have sensitive noses, they are more likely to go where the scent is strong. This is used by Humans to attract Beast to business, but the quality often doesn''t match with the smell." The Blood Fox explained. Aiko rolled her eyes. "Why is everything so complicated..." She sighed gently. "Do I have to show you your Massage Chair blueprints?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "..." Aiko glared back. "Everything in there is needed for the best experience!" "That''s what a con man would say." Mei shot back. "Urk." Aiko glared back. "You can''t just appreciate what I have created!" She pouted. "And that''s what they would say to defend themselves." Mei teased more. Aiko felt a tinge of irritation, which was quite impressive considering her Moon Forms lack of emotions. *Slap* Aiko slapped Mei''s well-shaped butt before running away. "Aiko!" Mei blushed and glared at her. Ming Xiuying chuckled at their exchanges. "Aiko, it''s the second floor." The Blood Fox had already booked the room while they were bickering. This commotion attracted attention, but everyone who looked towards the group felt that murderous pressure, and they immediately looked down in fear of angering that woman. "Which room?" Aiko shouted from the upper floor. "Number 4." The Blood Fox chuckled. "Got it." Aiko ran throughout the tea house. The lower floor was not that impressive. It pretty much looked like any other older building with tables and chairs, but the first floor was vastly different. It was well furnished with pelts, and low tables. Incense holders and other captivating things. The second floor was even more different. The floor was made from lustrous wood, instead of an old and creaky one. The furniture was from black shiny wood, but not too black that you wouldn''t see the texture. The low tables were surrounded by fluffy pelts and expensive-looking incense holders. There were also sitting pillows, for Cultivators to rest on. Aiko trotted towards the 4th room. As expected it was open and empty and the view was really nice, overlooking everything outside the mountain. "The only thing missing are clouds." Aiko marvelled at the beautiful sight. She sat down and waited for the group to come. "I wonder if someone will cause trouble." Aiko tapped the low table. Unlike the lower floors, in this place, you would sit on the meditating mats and drink tea. "The culture changes each floor." Aiko didn''t quite like the sudden changes, but she understood that it would be difficult to separate it any better. Mei entered ready to scold Aiko, but that sight immediately ''warmed'' her up. Aiko was sitting near the window enjoying the sight while the wind blew her hair gently. A picturesque beauty enjoying picturesque mountains and plains. "Ugh." Mei pinched her nose. ''Why am I so weak against Moon Aiko.'' "Fufu~" Ming Xiuying giggled. She understood why Mei would be so mellow with Aiko. "Should we book another room?" Ming Xiuying smiled from ear to ear. The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. "There is no need. We can enjoy the tea together." She smiled gently, but it was obvious that there was more than one Fox after Aiko. Ming Xiuying''s eyes sparkled. She was looking towards this love triangle. ''No, would this be considered harem?'' She glanced at the Twins who were also enjoying the sight. ''Things will get quite messy...'' She narrowed her eyes. Gently nudging Mei, she whispered. "Can you make a Youth Revitalizing Pill?" "I don''t have the materials and if he is too old it won''t return him that much." Mei stopped her intentions in track. "What do I have to do to obtain a few of them?" Ming Xiuying was after Ming Qian''s young and vigorous body, especially now that she had more energy. "You can start with Herbs, we can discuss the price later." Mei said with a mean smirk. "Don''t rip me off too much, okay?" Ming Xiuying pouted. "And give me the list of Herbs, since I have no idea what I should look for." She added. "Later-" Mei wanted to curse at the Blood Fox. She was so occupied with Ming Xiuying that she didn''t notice that the Blood Fox stole a spot next to Aiko. Mei took the other spot and everyone could see those sparks flying between them. ''This will be more amusing than I thought.'' Ming Xiuying''s eyes sparkled even more. She was really looking towards this! Meanwhile, Old Ming sat down in the corner so that he wouldn''t bother their little female outing. He wouldn''t be able to join their conversation even if he wanted, so the best he could do was to enjoy their company from the sidelines. Naturally, he would later ''kidnap'' Ming Xiuying for some time alone. He was still worried that she was pushing herself too much, so he would cook for her and everything. Soon the tray with different mixtures and tea sets arrived. "Why are there so many tea sets?" Aiko asked curiously. "Some believe that if they use different teas in the same set, it would affect its taste." The Blood Fox explained quicker than Mei could. "But that is just a myth." Mei added. "Not quite, low-quality tea sets do affect the taste of the tea, so that''s where that ''myth'' came from." The Blood Fox smirked. Mei''s lips twitched. In the Immortal World, everything was of high quality, so there were no issues like these. ''It seems like the Blood Fox will use her knowledge to keep me in check.'' Mei glared at her. Chapter 372 – Another Interruption! After basking in that view, Aiko sat down between the Blood Fox and Mei. There was a strange sense of tension between them, but Aiko ignored it. She was not in the mood to disassemble things, much less to think about it. They sipped tea in harmony when Aiko felt a hand on her thigh. It was no other than Mei smiling from ear to ear, conversing with Ming Xiuying whilst being mischievous with Aiko. Aiko ignored it for a moment, since nothing bad was happening. She sipped her tea slowly when her body flinched. Mei discreetly used her nails to gently caress Aiko''s thigh. A shiver went down Aiko''s back and a light blush adorned her face, however, she still chose to ignore it. It didn''t feel all that bad and Mei would definitely not go too far, since everyone was present. Everyone except Jun, that Lion for some reason disappeared and Aiko didn''t even notice when that happened. Mei kept caressing Aiko, who didn''t protest at all, so Mei soon gently pinched her thigh, closer to her hips. Aiko gave a more lively reaction and her legs squirmed. Mei chuckled with Ming Xiuying while enjoying the supple feeling of Aiko''s legs. She caressed it up and down slowly, altering between nails, caressing and squeezing. Aiko didn''t resist Mei again, since it felt nice and she still believed that Mei wouldn''t take it too far. Soon after there was a ruckus in the lower part of the tea house, it seemed like a fight broke out, but Aiko was too preoccupied to notice. Mei also kept talking with Ming Xiuying while slowly moving her hand closer between Aiko''s legs, since she was not resisting, there was no point in overthinking things. The Dark Aiko always had her fun, so it was about time for Mei to also have her fun. Aiko''s body stiffened again, but this time for much longer and she even snapped her head at Mei in disbelief. Mei tilted her head innocently as she gently brushed between Aiko''s legs. Aiko''s face was immediately painted light red, but at that moment it happened. "I have told you that we will pay you twice as much as these nobodies!" The doors burst open with a young individual raring about this being his room and that he would pay more than Aiko''s entourage. Aiko immediately covered her face and Mei''s eyes quivered. Ming Xiuying pursed her lips. She already noticed something happening between Aiko and Mei, but this kind of reaction was too exaggerated for it to be simple banter. "You, out!" That ignorant individual pointed at the blushing little Fox at the ''head'' of the table. The same seat that was always his. Aiko''s blushing face was quickly turning as embarrassment turned into rage. She was glad that they were interrupted, but that didn''t mean she would move out of her place. The breeze was very nice on her tails and it''s been a while since she vented them. The Young Master looked at them haughtily, like the ignorant fool he was. The only ones who would be able to oppose him would-be leaders of the large Sects and the Governor of this place, but he didn''t get any message that they moved from their places. All that meant for him was that he owned this place when those heads were not walking around. "Young Master, we should give them money to resolve this situation. There is no need to take dumb Beasts into your eyes." An old, what looked like an advisor, told the Haughty Young Master. "That is fair, but some of them looked quite good." The Idiotic Young Master caressed his chin. He was looking straight at the only Human beauty in the group. "We have already paid for this room, so it''s better to book another." The Blood Fox said softly, but she was quite scared. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Ming Qian''s expression was not right and the barely noticeable bloodlust was quite strong for her. "Hah?" The Wishing Death Young Master rolled his eyes. "If I said you go out, you go out. If I say ''accompany me'', you will accompany me!" He said disdainfully, leering at the human girl. He strode towards her, but suddenly, his body couldn''t move. "Interesting. Mind repeating that to my face?" Ming Qian smiled, but the bloodlust was not so strong that even Ming Xiuying could feel it. The whole entourage froze upon hearing that voice. The unforgettable voice of Cultivator that transcended them all! "Our apologies for interrupting-" The old adviser immediately mouthed an apology, but he was interrupted by a rude Fox. "Old Ming. You can play with them, but leave the youth to me, there are still things I have not explained to my companions." Mei played the part, but she would not give up on torturing that cunt under the guise of teaching. Old Ming frowned, but conceded. He would soon serve Mei, so it was natural he would have to get used to this. Aiko tilted her head. "What are you going to do?" "I believe it''s time for you to learn how to master illusions. While everyone got Illusion Bloodline, that didn''t mean they would be able to utilise it." Mei explained. "And we have the perfect test subject for it." She pointed at the still-frozen youth. "That is a good idea." Aiko nodded her head. She was looking forward to this and it didn''t seem like Grandpa Ming would mind. "What do we need?" Aiko asked, ready to play this game. "Let''s book another room, since it might get messy. It''s your first time after all." Mei chuckled at the ''angry'' Aiko. ''Can''t you say it normally?!'' Aiko was complaining in her mind, but she kept her mouth shut. ... Aiko and her team went to the next room, while Mei grabbed the youth with her Divine Sense. It was sort of a demonstration of power that would intimidate him and his entourage. And it worked wonders, since even the old adviser was shivering. Mei walked into the room and threw him into the middle. He was opening and closing his mouth, but he was unable to form coherent sentences. Mei nodded gently. "Now, let me show you how to make illusions." Mei concentrated for a bit and the whole room distorted. They were no longer in a tea house, but on a very small plain island, surrounded by water. "Whoa!" Aiko''s eyes sparkled. This was a lot cooler than she expected! "This is the more advanced version, but since we don''t want to be interrupted, this can be used as a camouflage." Mei explained. "Why didn''t you use it before?" Aiko suddenly narrowed her eyes. "Some things you can only use after obtaining Human Form. This is one such thing, or rather, it makes it easier to use." Mei explained slowly. "The thing about illusions is that they need a good mental image and stable energy. Beasts have by a nature chaotic energy, so while you would be able to recreate this, it would not be energy efficient and it would just exhaust you." She kept going. "Moreover, there would be distortion every time you would relax just a bit, so your psyche would be drained even faster than your energy." She stepped into the water that was surrounding the island, but looking closely, she was walking on the water! Aiko''s eyes sparkled even more. "Because I have experienced the stability of the Human Form, I can easily distort the reality." Mei proclaimed. "But it''s not perfect." Aiko suddenly said. "The water doesn''t really have a bottom and there are other discrepanc- ah?" She blinked a few times, but now the water had the classic ocean floor. "It''s just an illusion, so you can always adjust it later." Mei chuckled. "So cool!" Aiko''s eyes sparkled again. "How do I do this?" She was ready to practice illusions. "First is visualisation. You need to imagine what the illusion would look like. Depending on how well you know the thing you are trying to make an illusion out of, will determine how well it will look and if you can fool Cultivators." Mei explained. Aiko nodded attentively. What she imagined was her new improved Massage Chair, but no matter what she did, nothing changed in her surroundings. "What do I do to make it come forth?" Aiko blinked innocently. Mei chuckled gently. "It''s simple-" It was not simple... ... The explanation took a long time and Mei dove into many things for everyone to understand how to create illusions. The fastest one in creating illusions was the Blood Fox. It felt like she was already used to it, like she trained her whole life. "You need to adjust your energy and shape it into illusion energy." The Blood Fox was much better at explaining shapeless things than Mei. Mei was all about showing how it worked while explaining. Meanwhile, the Blood Fox was much better at explaining abstract things. "Oh." A small needle appeared on Aiko''s hand. "I did it!" Aiko proclaimed, with the help of the Blood Fox, it was a lot easier to create. Mei was sulking since she couldn''t explain it well enough for even the smart Aiko to understand. Aiko then went into a corner to practise this, since she wanted to revise how the Massage Chair would look with all the changes. Meanwhile, the Blood Fox went to the Twins, which had a hard time creating illusions. It almost felt impossible for them to create illusions... Lastly, Mei smiled wickedly as she watched the bastard crawl away, she would have fun with him while he was alive and Aiko was still interested in her illusions! ... ''It''s more difficult than I thought.'' Aiko frowned gently. She was trying to recreate her Massage Chair, but it turns out she needed to solidify that image in her mind. Thanks to the [Perfect Memory], she was able to do that, but that didn''t mean she was able to bring it forth. It consumed quite a lot of Nightmare Essence, which Mei warned her about. Aiko now understood why most Beasts would rather create natural illusions rather than man-made things. It was a lot easier to recreate nature, since Beasts spent 90% of their life in nature. However, Aiko would not give up just yet. ''If I can''t recreate the whole thing, then I will just recreate individual pieces and inspect them.'' She nodded happily. Only when you see the finished product, you would know that you messed something up. It''s been the same with all her Massage Chairs and Aiko didn''t like her consumption of materials when most issues could be solved in the development phase. ''I should learn Forging to make my own things...'' Aiko sighed gently as she was creating a small needle-like structure. Chapter 373 – Illusions and Twins From one illusion, to two illusions. Aiko made her way to ''construct'' small pieces together and make them move as they were supposed to. At first, it was a struggle since illusions do not abide by the basic laws, but with enough tweaking, they are lifelike enough that you could do simple simulations with them. Aiko had to wonder if things could get even more amazing once she got some kind of Ability to specialise in illusions. Could those illusions be brought to life? It''s possible. Aiko kept tinkering when painful screams drifted from behind. ''Mei must be really mad.'' Moon Aiko chuckled as she pieced together the moving parts. It was quite fun not to assign any rules to them since the things would move in random directions and it was quite a mesmerising sight. Aiko nodded as she pieced together another part. They were bringing against each other, but there was no real sound coming out of it. ''The clearance is not enough, I will have to adjust the distance between them, but I have chosen this method over it since all the weight doesn''t sit in one place.'' Aiko pondered on it. ''The bearing is too small to be able to move something heavy as muscles, that''s why I made them grind, but that will no longer work with the added power. The parts would wear out too quickly.'' Aiko wondered if all of the old Massage Chairs were worn out already. ''I can''t do anything about it for the time being, as it would increase the Forging requirements and skyrocket the price.'' Aiko sighed. ''Moreover, grinding is the easiest way to offset the burden on the joint, but I also can''t use lube since our ears are too sensitive.'' Aiko didn''t mind the grinding sound since Mei chose softer materials, so there was no high-pitched sound coming out of it. You could still hear the vague sound of something grinding against each other, but it was not distracting enough for you to not enjoy the massage. ''I will have to change that in the future.'' Aiko nodded gently, while her current ears were not THAT sensitive, with each Evolution she would eventually hit a wall with the grinding. ''The joints can be strengthened, but no Forging Cultivator would be willing to create something useless from precious materials.'' Aiko sighed, while she had to believe Mei with simple materials. Once those materials get a bit rarer, there is no way they wouldn''t try to steal them or pocket the change. ''We would be on the losing end.'' Aiko shook her head. They had to bring the materials to the Forging Cultivators and it was not just bringing. They had to either find and purchase them, which means they would have to spend all those resources and the Forging Bastards might pocket the change of their hard work. ''I don''t like that.'' Aiko shook her head again. The screaming stopped, but Aiko was not quite finished yet. "I''m done over here." Mei chuckled happily, that youth endured a lot more than she expected. "I''m not done yet." Aiko pouted. There were pieces floating around her trying to move in directions, some failing while others mesmerising the audience. "You really like this part of being a Fox, huh?" Mei giggled. She didn''t expect Aiko to like illusions so much. "I can even make the [The Ever Shaping Cauldron] illusions, so we can work on it later." Aiko said it as a matter of fact. "Hmmmm..." Mei narrowed her eyes and came close to Aiko. The Blood Fox was busy with the Twins and the only people left in this illusion space were her and Aiko. Mei wrapped her hands around her body, letting her head rest on Aiko''s shoulder. "I''m working." Aiko immediately shrugged off Mei''s advances. Mei was quite upset, but she didn''t move away. "That''s fine, it''s not like you need to move." Her hands gently traced Aiko''s body. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Aiko''s body naturally stiffened, since she was not used to this kind of attention. "Mei, you should really see this." The Blood Fox interrupted their little ''session''. A vein appeared on Mei''s forehead. She was ready to smack the Blood Fox away. "You should really see this." The Blood Fox stared straight at Mei, which startled her. "What is it?" Mei was quite angry, but still followed the Blood Fox. Aiko had free time to continue working on her illusions, but she narrowed her eyes and wondered what''s wrong for the Blood Fox to say that. Aiko followed slowly behind them, wanting to see what was going on. "These two have... special conditions." The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. Normally it would be quite easy for her ''race'' to learn illusions, but these two were different. "What''s wrong with them?" Mei didn''t understand why she was bothered by this. "Just show her." The Blood Fox rolled her eyes at the impatient Mei. The twins focused and tried to create an illusion, but it failed in the manifestation stage. "That''s weird..." Mei didn''t know what was wrong with them. "It''s not really weird." Aiko noticed a small discrepancy. "Their bodies are connected, so if they won''t ''wish'' for the same illusion, they won''t be able to create it." "You can create multiple different illusions at the same time." The Blood Fox refuted Aiko''s words. "She is right." Mei agreed, even if she didn''t want to. "But that is only if you are skilled enough to do it, isn''t that right?" Aiko rolled her eyes. "It''s like giving a toddler manual to cultivate. They will be able to do it, but they need to mature first and learn the language." She had to make simple explanations, since the Blood Fox started to feel the same as Mei... ancient. The two stiffened and looked towards the twins. "Do it again." Mei said softly and both of them carefully observed them. "..." The Blood Fox and Mei felt quite defeated that they didn''t notice. "They really are connected..." Mei was speechless. "Isn''t that obvious, since they are twins?" Aiko rolled her eyes again. "Nonono, you can''t say it like that." Mei frowned. "Even if they are twins it doesn''t mean they would be in THAT shape. Usually, twins have a high chance of cultivating Dual Techniques, but Yuxi and her partner took it a step further. They are very close to being one being." Mei attentively observed them. "I have no idea what you are talking about, so I will excuse myself." Aiko shook her head. "You won''t help us?" The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes, it would be more fun with Aiko around. "I''m a novice, anything I say might be detrimental to them." Aiko conceded her position of supporter, since there was no point in doing this if it would harm her team. Before the duo could say anything, Aiko spoke again. "But take these." She took out Beast Cores with the Dream Element. "That many?" Mei was surprised, while the Twins were shocked. The Blood Fox didn''t bat an eye, since she expected Aiko to take anything that was not bolted down. "I have used a lot of them on me, but you can take the rest." There was no point for Aiko to take more since she could focus on the other Elemental Affinities for the time being. Aiko felt the need to play with her illusions again. "This is a lot..." The Blood Fox frowned gently. "You should start consuming the Beast Cores slowly. You are not like Aiko." She proclaimed. "I hate that I have to agree with you again." Mei clicked her tongue. "The feeling is mutual." The Blood Fox replied briefly and a spark flew between them. The Twins looked at each other and stored the small mountain of Beast Cores in their Storage Rings. "What, you want to fight?" Mei glared at the Blood Fox. "What? You want to bully the lower Beast Ranks, Old Hag." The Blood Fox shot back. "Who are you calling an old hag, you damned mosquito." Another spark flew between them and they were ready to pounce at each other. *Cough* A cough interrupted their little exchange. "What is it?" Mei immediately glared towards the cough, but it was just Ming Qian standing there. "How did you get in here?" She blinked with shock. "Your emotional state was not right, so I snuck in here. Our booking is coming to an end, so we should be leaving soon." Old Ming smiled from ear to ear. "Ugh..." Mei glared at him, since she always boasted about her illusions. "It''s fine, it''s fine. You will grow strong one day." Old Ming had a nostalgic expression, but Mei''s forehead was full of bulging veins. "Come here, you bastard!" Mei was furious that her own words were used against her, especially from her own cook! Old Ming winked at the Blood Fox and she nodded back. While she was willing to fight Mei, she would need to weaken her at first. Aiko was disturbed by the ongoing brawl and yawned. "You shouldn''t use too many illusions for the first time." The Blood Fox gently caressed Aiko''s lower back, soothing and promoting her blood circulation to relieve her Beast Core. "This feels nice." Aiko blinked a few times before almost falling asleep and standing up. "You will have to wait till we are alone if you want me to soothe your body." The Blood Fox stopped, since her plan was not to put Aiko to sleep. Her plans were more profound than that. Aiko clicked her tongue. "Then don''t soothe me like that if you don''t want me to sleep." She was quite upset that the nice feeling vanished. "I will heed your word, Mistress." The Blood Fox chuckled. "Don''t call me like that." Moon Aiko was not embarrassed about it, but it felt strange to be called like that. "I will do my best." The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. It seems like she would have to spend more time with Aiko in order to understand her better and sway her opinions. She was a Demonic Fox and thus didn''t want to share, but at the same time, it was impossible to dominate her partner like Wanshu did. Aiko would flip her over or beat her up if she tried it, the same way Wanshu did with Yuxi and Aiko might even start to have her if that happened. ''Slow and steady.'' The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes as the surrounding whispers supported her... Chapter 374 – The Blood Fox acts! (One Year with Aiko >w<) Aiko and her team left the tea house behind with the terrified stupid attendants. Nobody really cared about unreasonable pricks and they would not be able to do anything to them, since they were supported by the overseer of this place. "Hmmmmm." Old Ming was holding some kind of shiny stone and frowned. "In a week, they will be unlocking the road for the Tournament." "That''s quicker than I expected." Mei nodded, but there still should be no issues whatsoever. "Well, the only thing they can try is to ban us from participating." Mei shook her head. "But even if they do that, it won''t affect us." "Will it not?" Aiko tilted her head. "Isn''t this Tournament important?" "Not really." Mei shook her head. "The important one is the Fox Village Tournament, but even that will be a quick one." She smirked. "Because we won''t be suppressed?" Aiko asked with curiosity. "Not quite, we will be suppressed by Elders, but our Elemental Affinities can''t be suppressed." Mei chuckled. "Most Foxes at this point only have around Grade 8-7." "But what if someone has 9?" Aiko had plenty of 9s. "All hope is not lost, while you will be suppressed by their Elemental Affinity, that doesn''t mean you won''t be able to move." Mei explained slowly. "You can still fight and your ''rumour'' is already deep-rooted inside the Fox Village, so it''s unlikely that they won''t surrender immediately." "Ugh..." Aiko groaned quietly. "I know I should be happy about this, since it makes everything easier for me, but..." She frowned even more, since she didn''t like this at all. "It''s fine, what name is used on this continent won''t be used on the big one, so you can come up with something until you ascend." Mei chuckled softly. "Why until ascension?" Aiko tilted her head. "Once you ascend, the rules change drastically and you get nicknames for your achievements. You will still be called by your name in person, but behind your back, they will create nicknames for you." Mei chuckled. She wondered what kind of nicknames she had. "Why are you making everything so complicated?" Aiko shook her head. "It''s not about that. Once you reach a certain stage ''Mortals'' will be able to call you down if they know your name. Any kind of whisper using your name, you would know about it." Mei explained. "It''s very bothersome and distracting, so most don''t really like it." She shook her head. "But some might like it?" Aiko believed that not everyone was like that. "That is true..." Mei agreed. "For the first 100 years, afterwards even those that like it start to hate it." She chuckled. "Seriously?" Aiko blinked in disbelief. "Yeah, since they would bother you with every small thing they could come up with, not to mention that you would hear both the good and bad constantly." Mei sighed. "It can wear down your mind quite a lot." "But wasn''t there a different reason why we shouldn''t share our names?" Aiko raised her eyebrows. "Well, the Human Contract gets ''tighter'' if they know your name, but I don''t remember any other instances." Mei had to purge some of her memories in order to keep the most important ones, like things about Alchemy or other crafts and how to Cultivate and Ascend. Aiko sighed. "Why is everything so bothersome, can''t you just shout at them to stop?" "They might not take it in a good way and spread your name even more, which will bother you even more." Mei shook her head. "Descend?" Aiko nudged Mei. "Impossible if you don''t want to be suppressed by the Heavenly Laws." Mei shook her head. "Your Cultivation would be capped at the Peak Stage of the given Mortal World." "Purging?" Aiko blinked again. "That would hurt the Cultivator that created that world, so you would make even more enemies." Aiko chuckled as she shook her head. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Wait, this world was created by some Cultivator?" Aiko had this vague feeling that she knew something about this. "Yeah, but you will know once you Ascend." Mei nudged Aiko. Aiko nodded gently. "I will keep that in mind." She gave Mei a thumbs up. ... They arrived at Old Ming''s place. "You can stay in the guest rooms if you don''t want to find an inn." Ming Xiuying gestured. She was a bit heartbroken about how she was ignored. Now she knew how Jun felt around this group. They subconsciously pushed everyone aside, making it difficult to mingle with them. "Thank you." Mei smiled gently. "I''m jealous." Ming Xiuying touched her face. Aiko already left them behind, since this experience was quite draining. "Would you like me to give you the massage?" The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes mischievously as Mei was occupied by the couple. "Sure, what do we need for it?" Aiko smiled innocently. She was getting a bit better at expressing her emotions in this form, but it was still a bit difficult to do that subconsciously. "Just lay on your bed and take off your upper clothing. It might hurt you through the fabric." The Blood Fox explained, while having quite a mischievous grin. Aiko found this reasonable, you could burn your skin if you are not careful enough and she already experienced something like that due to her clumsiness. "Okay." Aiko nodded slowly. She jumped on her bed and used her Storage Ring to remove her clothes. The Blood Fox''s lips stiffened. She didn''t expect that Aiko would do it like this. She was still looking forward to Aiko undressing in front of her. "Is something wrong?" Aiko turned around and saw that the Blood Fox was quite stunned. "While I''m quite good at dressing myself, it''s still difficult not to damage the material or make it wrinkled." She explained, and the Blood Fox could only dumbfoundedly nod. "What else do I need to do?" Aiko blinked at the stunned Blood Fox. "Nothing." The Blood Fox snapped out of it and came close to Aiko. "It''s better that you relax your arms, either under your head or along your body." "Okay." Aiko placed her hands along her body, but then- "!!!" Her body stiffened. "You are quite stiff, I can''t massage you if you are like a plank." The Blood Fox chuckled. Aiko was stiff because she didn''t expect this from the Blood Fox. The Blood Fox was currently sitting on Aiko''s back, near her tails. This made it difficult for Aiko to escape if something happened. "Or am I too heavy?" The Blood Fox spoke in a pained voice. "N-no." Moon Aiko stuttered, not knowing what to do about this situation. "Then relax." The Blood Fox whispered into Aiko''s ears. Aiko''s ears twitched, she didn''t really want to relax since she didn''t know what to expect from this. The Blood Fox was unfortunately patient, so she would wait until Aiko relaxed now that Mei was occupied. And it didn''t take all that much time for that to happen. Once Aiko noticed that nothing was happening, her body slowly relaxed. The Blood Fox gently planted her warm hands on Aiko''s back, making her flinch from the unexpected touch. ''How small." The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. Aiko''s back was really small, a lot smaller than what the Blood Fox trained on. This was fine, since all the good points should be the same, just on a smaller back. At first, the Blood Fox just ran her hands on Aiko''s back. She was looking for all the stiff places. The Blood Fox listened to the voices slowly, making sure not to miss anything. She shouldn''t attack the stiff places immediately, since it would hurt. The Blood Fox should go around them and slowly ease them up before attacking them later. She shouldn''t use too much strength, since that could cause more stiffness in other places. The Blood Fox had a lot on her plate, but if it meant this would help her seduce Aiko. Then it was all worth it. She gently massaged Aiko''s back and from her lack of noise, it seemed like it didn''t hurt. Aiko didn''t know what to do about this situation. The Blood Fox''s soft body was pressed against hers. Her hot hands caressing her back made wonderful, cold, yet sensual after-marks. *Moan* Aiko subconsciously moaned, which made her blush deep red. "It seems I''m doing a good job. I was worried that I failed." The Blood Fox sighed happily. She put up a good show for Aiko in order to relax her. "It... feels nice." Aiko''s voice was as tiny as a mosquito''s, but the Blood Fox didn''t mind. It meant that Aiko was enjoying this and she could work on her skills later on. The Blood Fox made Aiko''s back her playground. Slowly caressing her and helping her to relax. She knew that Aiko was too embarrassed after that moan, but that didn''t discourage the Blood Fox. She would make a mess out of Aiko while helping her. That was her plan. She gently pressed her fingers around certain places, which made Aiko flinch. While the tails were not connected by physical means, that didn''t mean the lower back was not strained. It still needed to make a connection with Aiko''s spine, which meant that her shoulders and lower back had the most abuse. ''Not as much as my shoulders.'' The Blood Fox chuckled, since hers weighed a lot more than Aiko''s. "Is this fine?" The Blood Fox pressed the lower backs two points again and Aiko''s body flinched. Aiko''s breathing was unsteady, but it didn''t seem like she was not enjoying it, so the Blood Fox pressed on. Moans slowly spread as Aiko was too tired to keep them in check. The Blood Fox made sure that Aiko would sigh for her with that sweet voice and redoubled her efforts. Aiko''s body slowly heated up, which pleased her, but she still didn''t move on to the next stage. While this plan involved going at it with Aiko, her main plan was still to ease her back. It would be bad if Aiko developed bad habits due to her avoiding painful places on her back. Aiko was aroused, due to the tender touch and affection the Blood Fox was showing. She also was in a compromising position, which excited her even more for some reason. The Blood Fox finished the last two stiff places on Aiko''s back and slowly caressed Aiko''s back. At this point, Aiko had a murky mind and her mind drifted away. The Blood Fox leaned against Aiko''s small body slowly. It was time to act! Chapter 375 – New Illusions The Blood Fox prepared for the next part, but once she leaned closer to Aiko''s face... *Zzzzzzzz* Aiko was happily snoozing away, without a care in the world. The Blood Fox pursed her lips. She didn''t think Aiko would fall asleep completely, at worst she expected her to be muddleheaded, but this... "Unbelievable." The Blood Fox muttered under her breath. She did not account for this and the surrounding murmurs were likewise speechless. "Mhm, meat..." Aiko murmured from her sleep with a chewing expression. The Blood Fox almost laughed aloud. This is what Aiko is and how she would behave, it was unreasonable for her to think she would be able to account for every little thing Aiko was capable of. ''There is always next time.'' The Blood Fox was not really in a hurry, but she wanted to test out her skills in massaging. ''It will also help me to be more obedient so that Aiko can forget about what I did.'' She gently nodded her head, almost everything was pre-planned and she just had to act it out. The Blood Fox gently caressed Aiko''s head, which made her squirm in her sleep. "No veggies." Aiko smacked her lips like she was rejecting something from her dreams. The Blood Fox raised her eyebrow. ''But you don''t reject soups...'' She could not understand what Aiko was dreaming about. "Corn machine guns are scary..." Aiko shivered in her sleep. "???" The Blood Fox was confused, but soon shook her head and ignored Aiko''s strange murmurs. ... Aiko woke up the next day oddly refreshed. It was strange since she felt quite tired after the illusion of ''training''. ''I need to make more blueprints, but the consumption of energy is insane.'' Aiko shook her head. ''I should be able to start learning some normal Skills from Mei later.'' She nodded convinced. "Awake?" The Blood Fox was reading a book as Aiko slept on her legs. "Somewhat." Aiko wanted to go back to sleep, since those thighs were quite supple. "Mei was looking for you, but left once she saw you were sleeping." The Blood Fox commented as she turned the page. It was rare to see paper-based books, since most of them would be made out of wood or as a Jade Slip. Aiko stretched her body gently, attracting the Blood Fox''s attention. "You should wear clothing." The Blood Fox briefly commented, but discreetly licked her lips. "I probably should." Aiko nodded gently, unbothered by that gaze. "How about underwear?" The Blood Fox noticed that Aiko was putting on clothing without underwear. "I don''t like those kinds of underwear." Aiko shook her head as she finished dressing herself. The Blood Fox rolled her eyes. "That doesn''t mean you should go around without one." "Nobody will know anyway." Aiko brushed those concerns away, neither her nor her Nightmare Form liked to wear underwear. Even the softest ones were too rough for Aiko, so she just decided not to wear them. Something stirred under her clothing and Aiko giggled. "What''s wrong?" The Blood Fox looked over at Aiko and noticed that something was under her clothing. "Are you alright?" "En." Aiko giggled as a small spider popped between her peaks. "What were you doing?" She narrowed her eyes. The spider created a small temporary underwear from its silk. "Since when did you have such an intelligent pet?" The Blood Fox was shocked that the spider understood their speech. "It happened during my Evolution and now she is stuck with me." Aiko nudged the small spider and she played with her finger. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ''She... another one?'' The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. It was good that the Twins were partners for each other, otherwise she would have to keep in check too many rivals. Aiko stretched her body again as the spider wobbled, before jumping onto the ceiling and disappearing between cracks. "Should you keep her like that?" The Blood Fox didn''t like the little spider, but that didn''t mean she was not concerned that Aiko might lose her pet. "She will return eventually." Aiko shrugged, not bothered by her roaming pet. "What if she gets into trouble?" The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes again. "She can make clones from her silk." Aiko shrugged. "Huh?" The Blood Fox blinked like she didn''t believe Aiko. "It''s a long story, but I have to eat something before working again." Aiko wanted to return to her research, so she would just find Mei, talk to her and leave for her research. ... Aiko walked around the house trying to find Mei. She was currently having tea with Ming Xiuying, which slightly surprised her. Mei noticed Aiko sneaking around and gestured towards her. Aiko walked next to Mei and poured herself tea. "Slept well?" Mei narrowed her eyes, it seemed like she was upset. "I''m refreshed." Aiko nodded. "Illusions are really exhausting, now I can understand why you said it like that." She was no longer surprised that Mei would wait for so long before using illusions. Aiko sipped her tea while Mei was measuring her. "What happened to not liking underwear?" Mei observed Aiko closely. That bosom was unnaturally tight. "I still don''t like it." Aiko shook her head. Ming Xiuying perked her ears, it was exceptionally rare for someone to not like or wear underwear. "But you have them." Mei nudged Aiko. "No, I don''t." Aiko showed Mei part of her cleavage. Her bosom was bound by countless amounts of silk. "Kyaaa~" Ming Xiuying yelped, thinking that Aiko was a pervert. "Oh, I didn''t think spider silk could be used like this. How does it feel?" Mei promptly ignored Ming Xiuying''s outburst, which made her pout. ''Why do they always enter their private world...'' Ming Xiuying pouted at them. "It''s very soft and it doesn''t get in the way or get stuck you know where." Aiko described the feeling in greater detail and even gestured for Mei to try and touch it. "Hmmm..." Mei nodded. "We can make something with this later, so that you don''t have to be wrapped each time." She was also looking forward to softer underwear, but it would be perverse to use such rare materials for simple underwear. "We can do that later." Aiko nodded gently, not minding Mei''s touch, but there was someone else who did mind it... "C-can you please do that when you are alone?" Ming Xiuying''s face was red and she was covering her face with her hands. "It''s not like we are doing something improper?" Aiko tilted her head. "Yeah. This is natural." Mei agreed. "Mei! You are supposed to be reasonable!" Ming Xiuying yelped at Mei. ''But the Blood Fox got ahead of me.'' Mei''s mood turned sour again. "But it''s fine, since we are in private." She would justify it in order to get more touchy with Aiko. "I''m hungry, can you finish the talk after I get something to eat, please?" Aiko gestured as her stomach rumbled. ""Ah..."" They said in unison, and Ming Xiuying snapped her fingers. "Yes, wifey?" Ming Qian popped out of nowhere. "Dear, can you get us some snacks and food for Aiko?" Ming Xiuying smiled gently. "Of course." Ming Qian was happy that his wife had an appetite for food, so he was cooking whenever she asked. "Oh?! His cooking." Aiko''s eyes shined. She wondered if his cooking was truly an incredible thing or if it was a sham. "It''s delicious." Ming Xiuying giggled, seeing Aiko almost salivate. Aiko nodded gently. She was looking forward to it. ... The feast for Aiko was quite large. There was both meat and veggies and Aiko ate all of it, since everything was delicious and... [Level up!] From this simple meal, she got 1 Level! That was incredible and Aiko wanted to eat more of it, but she realised that she couldn''t! This was a pretty fulfilling meal, which shocked her. "How is it? Can''t eat more, right?" Ming Qian chuckled mischievously. "It was delicious, thank you." Aiko had to accept that Ming Qian was the real deal. His cooking was delicious, fulfilling and it gave her Levels too! It was the best package Aiko could ask for. She rested in her seat before going to train with her illusions. "It''s nice to see her satisfied." Mei chuckled. Ming Qian tilted his head. "It can''t be that hard." "Oh, don''t get me started. She ate half a bear when she was just a cub." Mei rolled her eyes at his arrogance. "From a cub? You know her that long? Wait, how old is she?" Ming Xiuying felt suspicious that Mei would get attached to someone so quickly. "It''s a long story." Mei chuckled and recounted their history. ... Aiko was able to make several separate parts through her illusions, but whenever she connected them, they would collapse in front of her. ''Illusions are hard to maintain.'' Aiko shook her head and pondered on it. ''The more I know about it, the easier it is to create and connect, but once I reach a certain threshold, the management and things I have to keep in check skyrocket, causing my illusions to disperse.'' Aiko summed up her situation. ''This is quite bad...'' Aiko sighed. ''Is there an easier way to do this...?'' She narrowed her eyes. She pondered on this for quite some time before figuring something out. ''How about I try different illusions? I know the most about myself, so it should be possible that I can create the illusion?'' Aiko narrowed her eyes and got to work. Her current mission was to create an illusion out of her own body and move from there. ... "Damn, I''m hot." Aiko nodded as she gazed at her murky illusions. "But for some reason, I feel strange seeing my illusion like this." She tilted her head. It was not a bad feeling, but also not a good feeling. It was an odd feeling which made her feel bad about this situation. "I have already checked Mei''s body, so it should be possible..." Aiko narrowed her eyes and the illusion in front of her slowly changed into Mei. It was sharper than her illusions, but there were certain places murky. "I will have to be more throughout with the research." Aiko vowed to investigate Mei''s body closely later. That would allow her to understand why her own body was murky like that! Chapter 376 – Another Runic Story Aiko spent most of her time researching and now it was time to pack up her things. Everyone arrived in this place without too many hiccups. There were a few kidnappings on the Human side, while the Beast side was enjoying peace for the first time arriving here. That meant that the road to the peak would open soon and all of them would have to race to the finish. "I''m not sure if I understand this correctly." Moon Aiko gazed at Mei. "Why would I run to the peak when I would have to wait for others to arrive?" "Every Sect is prideful about arriving at the peak first." Mei explained briefly as they walked through the cave city. "Don''t care, I will just walk." Aiko was not in the mood to chase to the top, since then she would be bored. Right now, she would be able to do more research along the way, which would be a lot more desirable to her. "I knew you would say that, but there might be some kind of penalty if we don''t do that." Mei narrowed her eyes. "Like what? Will they try to take our Spirit Stones, Treasures? And for what? Because we didn''t run up the mountain like a headless chicken?" Aiko rolled her eyes. Their group was attracting quite a lot of attention, especially the small Moon Aiko who was badmouthing them. "They won''t take those things." Mei shook her head. "Unfortunate." Moon Aiko clicked her tongue. She was working on a new type of pole and needed some test subjects to try them on. "We might be disqualified if we don''t run?" Mei chuckled. "I will get disqualified either way." Aiko rolled her eyes. "Why do you think that?" Mei blinked with amusement. "I mean, if there was a Fox that used poles on their enemies'' rears, wouldn''t you try to disqualify her so that she couldn''t scar your disciples?" Aiko shook her head. Humans were stupid when it came to these things, so they would probably put some kind of blame on her to get rid of her. The whole team paused. What Aiko said made a lot of sense. She might not socialise much, but that didn''t mean that other Foxes didn''t spread the rumours. "I don''t really care if I take part in this thing or not, nothing will beat the training from you and Grandmaster." Aiko took a bite from a strangely shaped fruit. It looked like dragon fruit, but with the petals of a lotus. "It''s sweet..." Aiko munched slowly. "Will you seek Grandmaster for more training?" Mei raised her eyebrow. "No, I like my research more." Aiko shook her head. "Then you should take part in this Tournament." Mei narrowed her eyes. "I''m telling you, they will disqualify me!" Aiko rolled her eyes again. ... They kept bickering until they arrived at a huge arc door made out of stone. The arc door was around 50 metres tall. They were also highly decorated with Runes and Inscriptions. Some were functional, while others weren''t. ''Another story.'' Aiko''s eyes shone. "Attention!" A powerful voice spread throughout this place. It was the voice of Ming Qian. Aiko glanced at him before turning back towards the doors. She was curious about the story, the story that it would tell. Aiko ignored Ming Qian and his talk about the path towards the peak and focused on reading the Runes. Once upon a time, there was a mountain range with three Heavenly Peaks. Their Qi density could not be compared to the surroundings and as such every Sect contested between each other to earn the right to occupy those Heavenly Peaks. This resulted in a long war over a prolonged period of time. There was not much Cultivation, since everyone was chasing the ''greener garden''. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. One day a powerful Cultivator visited this place. Basking at the wonder of those Heavenly Peaks that had Qi density comparable to those Heavenly Grottos. He meditated and divined what would happen to those Heavenly Treasures and to his shock... they would be destroyed by three brothers that would be envious of each other. Angered by their stupidity- "I will now be opening the Heavenly Door." Old Ming proclaimed. "No." Aiko cried out. "I was just getting to the good part you old geezer!" She was angered for the first time in a long time. "Why does everyone like to cut these stories short!?" She stomped her small feet. The Humans exchanged looks, like they were staring at some kind of mad Fox. ''''''At least she is hot...'''''' They all agreed on that part, but when the doors opened, everyone switched their attitude and rushed towards the Heavenly Peak. Aiko stood still. She would not rush anywhere and wait until everyone left this place. "You are not going at all?" Mei raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I was just reading a story, when a certain someone had to open the doors." Aiko clicked her tongue. Mei chuckled. "What kind of story does it tell?" She was a bit curious about this, since she was unable to read all the Runes. "I wish I would know, as I said a certain someone interrupted me." Moon Aiko glared at Old Ming, who coughed awkwardly. ''It''s just my job, stop staring at me like that.'' He avoided Aiko''s gaze, since he was uncomfortable. ... Aiko waited until the place cleared up and ignored the strange gazes from Beast Elders. She walked towards the left side of the door to continue this story... Angered by their stupidity the powerhouse slashed the two mountains, only leaving one. The Qi density also thinned significantly. It could no longer compare to the Heavenly Grottos, but it was still a lot better than the surrounding Qi. As such there would still be competition, but it would not be as cut-throat as before. The Immortal sat down at the Heavenly Peak. Gazing at the vast plains, forests, and rivers. There were not that many mountains, unlike on the other continents. This place would become the centrepiece of this continent. After he erased those two mountains. The competition died down and everyone rushed to the last Heavenly Peak, to see what was wrong with it. There they found Immortal meditating. Strange symbols were floating around him. Laws! Every single Sect Leader was shocked and immediately kowtowed. Honouring the all-powerful Cultivators was a must. A lot of them had bad tempers and would kill for less. The Immortal opened his- "Vicious Cub, you should run towards the Peak or-" The Elder said in a somewhat threatening voice, but once Aiko pulled her prototype flag, which was well decorated with spikes and other features that would make it hard to pull out of one''s rear, he immediately shrunk back. The other Beast Elders wondered what this was about, but seeing her threatening expression they chose to just gaze at her. They were curious if that little Fox could really read the Runes on the doors. Aiko didn''t take the pole back and kept going... The Immortal opened his eyes. "You have come." ""We greet the esteemed Taoist."" They all said in unison. "Do not dwell on the other Peaks." The Immortal suddenly said. "They would be your downfall, as your greed knows no bounds." He said slowly, focusing on them. ""We thank the esteemed Taoist."" Yet all of them were angered. Everyone was chasing against the Heavens. Every opportunity was sought after and cherished. If one destroyed such opportunities, not only would they be despised, but also chased and killed. However, those Cultivators were weak, but also foolish. Everyone went back to their Sects and this was the beginning of the Golden Age. An age where everyone Cultivated for one reason and one reason only. To kill the Immortal who dared to rob them of their opportunities. This was a long period of mostly peace. There were some hiccups with the Foxes, Lesser Dragons and other beings, but everything was solved well, so the powerhouse kept meditating at the Heavenly Peak. Years passed, but he was unable to make any progress. Comprehending Laws was a lot different from normal Cultivation, where you just had to meditate and wait in order to reach the top. Comprehending Laws was an arduous journey that might end up fruitless, as your lifespan will most likely expire before you make it to the top. The Immortal was aware of this, but he didn''t lose hope. Year after year, decade after decade, he meditated. Until those Sect Leaders returned. They came back more powerful, not quite as powerful as the powerhouse, but they had quite large numbers. All of them looked angry and upset. "You have come again." The Immortal looked at them closely. "But your journey only starts now." He was undisturbed by their emotions. "Yes..." One Sect Leader and the most lavish-looking one said. "We have waited for a long time." "We have been weak for a long time, unable to do anything against the scum who destroyed our Natural Treasures." He kept going and the Immortal sighed. "Stupid child." The Immortal shook his head. "This will only end up with destruction. "Then so be it. We already lost 95% of the Qi on our continent thanks to your thoughtless and stupid interference." The Sect Leader said and everyone nodded. "Now it''s time for us to bless the Earth with your dead body." He proclaimed as everyone drew their weapons. The Immortal could only shake his head. There were many stupid beings that wished for Immortality, but these guys were the most stupid. They stood up slowly. "Then so be it. Let''s destroy this continent together." The Immortal no longer concealed his presence, and everyone shivered. They were all in the same Cultivation Stage, but the Immortal was backed by Laws, which were incomparably more powerful. "Do not falter! We can defeat him if we work together, and then the Blessed Qi will return to us!" The Sect Leader shouted, but some Sect Leaders still ran away... ... Aiko was sitting on a small, comfortable chair as she was telling the story. Not just her team, but even the Elders sat around her, listening to the story. Mei was surprised that there was a history that she didn''t know about, while certain Beast Elders narrowed their eyes, as if understanding why their lives were so difficult. Aiko paused for a moment as one Beast Elder was distributing tea. She took one and sipped to moisten her throat. There were around 8 Elders around her listening, while the rest had already gone up the mountain before the Vicious Cub started to tell the story...