Chapter 23

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Chapter 23

Zhong Wei’s good mood from dealing with the Zhong family was completely ruined by the sudden appearance of the male fox spirit.

She looked at Yun Chuyou, "Elder Martial Sister, what happened, and why is there suddenly a fox spirit here to repay a favor?"

Meng He quickly repeated the story to Zhong Wei, adding his own opinions. After finishing, he emphasized, "Elder Martial Sister kindly saved him, but he is repaying kindness with harm and sticking to Elder Martial Sister."

Yu Jiu poured himself another cup of tea. Unlike Meng He, who was hot-headed, Yun Chuyou didn’t originally think anything was wrong. Yet, this guy cleverly pushed the public fox towards Elder Martial Sister.

"What a foolish dog," Yu Jiu thought, looking disdainfully at Meng He. He stared at the white fox claiming to repay a favor and said slowly, "Junior Martial Brother Meng He and Elder Martial Sister saved you together, so if you’re going to repay a favor, it should be to both of them."

Meng He jumped in quickly, "Exactly! Why aren’t you repaying me? You’re only focused on Senior Martial Sister. I think you have other motives! You’re probably after Senior Martial Sister’s spirit stone and magical tools!"

Fox spirits can also absorb Spirit Qi from spirit stones to cultivate, and Spirit Qi is rare in the Mortal World, making spirit stones very valuable.

He saw through the fox spirit’s wicked intentions; this little creature must be trying to deceive for money and love, using gratitude as an excuse to get close.

As a male, Meng He knew that all men are not good, and that male fox spirits are even worse!

The weak and helpless fox spirit defended herself, saying, "I did not want to do anything wrong. It was Immortal Master Yun who guided me back to the right path and solved Yunniang’s worries, allowing me to come and repay my gratitude."

He suddenly shook his fluffy big tail, "One, two, three… four!"

Unlike the three beautiful long tails, this fourth tail is short, only a tiny bit, and looks a little like a rabbit’s tail. But with hard work, the new tail will surely grow quickly.

"You see, this new tail grew because of Immortal Master Yun. The only benefactor for little Bai is Immortal Master Yun. Meng Immortal Master seems like an enemy to little demons."

Although Meng He helped during the process, like bringing Yunniang’s parents back, he was just a cold-hearted enforcer and was grumpy the whole time.

If Immortal Master Yun hadn’t stopped him, this fierce-looking black-clothed cultivator would have killed himself again and again until he lost all his tails and completely perished. There was only hatred, not any kindness.

The fox spirit was still very afraid of being killed by the cultivators. Heaven favored mortals, and the consequences of cultivators killing mortals are much worse than killing demons. They did not have much hesitation about killing little demons like herself.

"What did you say!" Meng He reacted like a cat whose tail was stepped on, bristling with anger. If Yun Chuyou hadn’t stepped in to stop him, he would have immediately gone to slay the demon.

Facing the fierce Meng He, the fox spirit took a step back, hiding behind Yun Chuyou, with her watery peach blossom eyes slightly reddened as she pleaded, "The little spirit only speaks the truth, please forgive me, Immortal Master."

Meng He was almost driven crazy with anger; he realized that what he hated most was not the weak and gentle Yu Jiu, but this little white lotus with a big tail and fox ears!

Zhong Wei said, "Elder Martial Brother is right; this is a case of biting the hand that feeds you."

Although Zhong Wei did not particularly like the other two seniors, when the fox spirit suddenly appeared, he instantly stood with his brothers, determined to drive this troublesome male fox out as soon as possible!

She knew that Meng

He was unhappy or not was not important; what mattered was Elder Martial Sister’s attitude. If Yun Chuyou did not step in to stop it, a mere three-tailed white fox with two hundred years of cultivation would have long been killed by Meng He and wouldn’t be hiding behind Yun Chuyou to explain herself.

The corner of Elder Martial Sister’s dress, embroidered with green bamboo, was grasped by the fox spirit, causing the smooth fabric to wrinkle in layers due to the clumsy grip of this seemingly timid male fox.

If it weren’t for Elder Martial Sister’s indulgence, how could the little fox spirit be so close to her, let alone hold on to her clothes without letting go?

Looking at Hu Xiaobai’s hands, she thought to herself that she wanted to cut off those two fox paws with one sword, "Elder Martial Sister, since this little fox spirit wants to repay a favor, just ask it to help with something. This way, we can settle our connection. We can’t just take it back to the sect."

Yun Chuyou coughed lightly and said, "Little White is a serious fox, with a pure and noble spirit. After three hundred years of training, it has never harmed anyone. If I take it as a spirit pet, I can bring it back to the spiritual world."

It is harder for demon cultivators in the Mortal World than in the spiritual world, and it is even more difficult to stay on the right path.

Yun Chuyou likes cute little animals; she favors cats but also finds especially cute dogs acceptable.

Foxes are part of the dog family, yet they make whimpering sounds. The key is that Little White’s big tail is very fluffy and soft. When Yun Chuyou rescued the fox, she held three big tails that felt smooth and delicate, as fuzzy as cotton candy.

Fox spirits are indeed beautiful, and since Little White is pure, it can be said to be both innocent and charming.

If Zhong Wei is three parts pure and seven parts charming, then Little White is seven parts pure and three parts charming, with peach blossom-shaped eyes that are round and lovely, and big amber eyes that are very adorable.

She didn’t have any romantic feelings for Little White, just a pure love for cute creatures. Moreover, its straightforward nature led it to sacrifice a tail to repay Yunniang, losing nearly a hundred years of cultivation.

Yun Chuyou is not a cultivator who focuses on taming spirit beasts and does not care about how strong her contracted spirit beast is; instead, she cares more about their character.

A fox that has to trade herbs, wild fruits, and honey for roast chicken cannot be too bad.

As for why it does not catch wild chickens to eat, this is related to the fox spirit’s training; it cannot easily kill living things, but it can eat meat that has already been prepared by humans.

Of course, this is also related to the fox spirit not being very skilled; wild chicken meat is tougher, while domestic chicken is much more tender and delicious, especially since the old woman who sells roasted chicken is especially good at her craft.

Indeed, this is a significant reason why Meng He is so angry. His Elder Martial Sister actually chose to favor an outsider fox over him, despite their six years of senior martial sister-brother friendship being less important than a single encounter with a male fox spirit. This is truly infuriating for him.

But what wrong did the Elder Martial Sister do? The one to blame is definitely this charming male fox spirit! Although he doesn’t want to admit that the Elder Martial Sister can make mistakes, she must have fallen under the fox spirit’s spell and become confused by it!

The boy with fox ears peeked out and said, "Yes, Little White is willing to recognize a master and sign a Master-servant Contract to become the spirit pet of the benefactor. Don’t be fooled by my four tails; I can grow more and will become stronger in the future."

Between humans and demon beasts, there can be equal contracts and Master-servant Contracts. If it is the latter, if the master dies, the demon beast will also die, but if the contract holder dies, it will not affect the master.

Hu Xiaobai never thought about signing a contract with Yunniang. Initially, his idea was only to accompany Yunniang for a lifetime until she no longer needed him. After all, a mortal’s lifespan is very short; they can disappear in just a few decades, while a spirit can live much longer.

However, cultivators are different. Before growing their fifth tail, a golden core cultivator can live about as long as they do.

He wanted to repay his kindness, so he willingly signed a Master-servant Contract to become Yun Chuyou’s spirit pet.

Besides wanting to repay kindness, Hu Xiaobai also had some personal motives. A cultivator who does not casually harm demons is very rare, and more importantly, the other party’s skills are much higher than his own; at a young age, he is already a golden core cultivator.

A golden core cultivator with endless potential, such good character, does not dislike him, and has done him a favor—this is the legendary, shining golden thigh.

His sister, Hu Xiaohong, once said that when you meet such a golden thigh, you must cling to it quickly and never miss the chance.

Meng He looked at Yun Chuyou as if he were watching King Zhou, who was bewitched by Daji, with a face full of heartache, "Elder Martial Sister, please wake up!"

Hu Xiaobai transformed back into a snowy white fox. He could see that his true form had more advantages.

Yun Chuyou felt quite clear-headed. She asked calmly, "Do you not want me to form a contract with Xiaobai because you think Xiaobai is not good enough, or because you don’t want me to contract any spirit pet?"

For her, forming a contract with a spirit pet is just a nice addition. Although she thinks the little fox demon is adorable, not forming a contract would not have any impact.

She held off until Zhong Wei returned without changing her mind, just to see if her junior brother had changed or taken a different turn.

She really did not interfere with them much in their daily lives. Whatever they wanted to learn or like, as long as it was not the wrong path, she never deliberately guided them. Now, surprisingly, her junior brother was trying to manage her, the Elder Martial Sister.

Yu Jiu did not resist as fiercely as Meng He, "If Elder Martial Sister likes it, then signing a Master-servant Contract with the fox demon is not a problem."

Although he does not like the fox demon, if it becomes a spirit pet, it could help Yun Chuyou with her training a little.

Growing up in a big family, Yu Jiu was naturally proud and cold. He clearly divided ranks in his heart: in the world of cultivation, the strong are respected. Elder Martial Sister, who guides him and is the leader, holds a high position.

A spirit pet is a servant, a lowly existence. As long as Yun Chuyou does not fall head over heels for the fox demon, getting a cute little cat or dog is very normal.

Moreover, a person can only sign an equal contract with one spirit beast, but if their spiritual sense is strong enough, they can sign a Master-servant Contract with multiple spirit beasts.

Just like when Yun Chuyou asked earlier, if they are unhappy, is it because of Hu Xiaobai, or do they all dislike everything?

Asking himself, he certainly dislikes everything. A spirit pet is a companion that needs to stay close. Right now, it naturally cannot compare to the friendship with senior martial sister and junior brother, but it is still a somewhat close existence.

If it were up to him, Yu Jiu would not want Yun Chuyou to contract a spirit pet at all, but reason told him he had no right to stop her.

Throwing a tantrum for no reason might make Yun Chuyou back down, but it would definitely weaken their friendship and make him seem unreasonable.

If it has been stopped once, can it really be stopped a second time or a third? This time, we may point out the fox spirit’s flaws. But what about next time? If we encounter a legendary Mythical Beast or something like the Golden Treasure Mouse, can he, as a junior disciple, let his selfishness take the resources from someone else?

Yu Jiu may have such thoughts, but he would not act on them. If he did, the senior martial sister would eventually turn against him.

He immediately changed his words and received a furious glare from Meng Jiu: They had promised to work together, and this guy actually betrayed them at the last moment!

Zhong Wei added, "As long as Elder Martial Sister likes it, I have no objections. I just feel that this is the first time we’ve seen the fox spirit. I’m a bit worried that Elder Martial Sister might be enchanted by it and lose her focus."

Meng He snorted coldly and heavily sat back in his chair. Well, these two are playing the good guys, while he is the only wicked villain.

Yu Jiu ignored the angry Meng He and instead focused on the little fox curled up by Yun Chuyou’s feet. He looked down at the three-tailed male white fox, as if he were analyzing it inch by inch with his gaze.

Such a penetrating gaze made the timid and helpless Hu Xiaobai so frightened that its tail fluffed up, burying its head between its legs and instantly turning into a large dandelion.

It seems that this fox really is a bit foolish and has a few screws loose. It looks like Hu Xiaobai just wants to find a steady source of food, so it wouldn’t charm its master.

However, before Yun Chuyou truly made a contract, he still gently said, "After all, Xiaobai is a male fox. If the senior martial sister likes foxes, finding a female fox seems more suitable."

Yun Chuyou did not like hearing such things. She reached out and gently stroked the furry fox, and the feeling was just as nice as before. In her past life, she always wanted to have a pet cat, but unfortunately, her mother was allergic to their fur, so she could never have one. Even though she couldn’t have a cat at home, she often visited cat cafés and was very good at petting them.

The stroked fox spirit let out a comfortable purring sound from its throat, and its tail stood up high. To Yun Chuyou, Hu Xiaobai was just a little fox that had become magical. Even if it could transform, it was still innocent and didn’t understand love between boys and girls.

If he truly had any feelings, during the time he spent with Yunniang, he would have already made her his little prince. But when Yun Chuyou saw him, the young fox spirit’s round eyes were clear and bright, clearly showing he had no understanding of love at all.

Besides, who cares if spirit beasts are male or female? She wasn’t like some male protagonist in romantic novels, whose heads are filled with crude and dirty ideas, "Does the contract for a spirit beast really need to separate them by gender…"

Meng He finally found an opportunity to vent his anger and said sarcastically, "Why shouldn’t it matter? Fox spirits do have mating seasons, and our sect doesn’t have any female foxes."

Yun Chuyou almost choked on her own spit, "Meng He."

Upon hearing such words, Hu Xiaobai covered its face with its tail. The sect of the benefactor seemed quite inappropriate, how could such words be spoken so plainly?

As a little fox spirit that had been lost outside Blue Mountain and had lived in the human world for quite a while, Hu Xiaobai was actually a very innocent and pure fox. It was only three hundred years old and had never experienced a mating season, being just a young fox cub.

This time, Zhong Wei stood on Hu Xiaobai’s side, "I think male foxes are pretty nice."

In the sect, she and Elder Martial Sister were the only female disciples. As the younger martial sister, she could use her same gender to gain advantages that her two senior brothers did not have. If the senior martial sister contracted a female spirit beast, especially one with a fluffy tail, she would no longer be unique.

Thinking of such a scene, she would rather Yun Chuyou contract this silly male fox.

"Alright, I didn’t say I would contract it right now." She hadn’t thought about bringing Hu Xiaobai back to the sect before and didn’t want to make a hasty decision.

A master-servant contract can be dissolved, but the gentle dissolution process is a bit complicated. Yun Chuyou planned to think for a few more days and make a decision when she left.

Besides, today was the first time she met the fox demon, so who knew what its true nature was. As a character who did not have a role in the story, Yun Chuyou could not see Hu Xiaobai’s attributes.

Some people are born with a purely innocent face, even if they have done many bad things, they still seem like pure, good people.

Yun Chuyou changed the subject, "Let’s not talk about that. Younger martial sister, is your matter settled?"

Reflecting on the twisted faces of the couple and the cruel servants who had bullied her, Zhong Wei smiled brightly, her beauty radiant like a blooming peony, "My ties in the Mortal World have been resolved."

The remaining part needed to be dealt with in the spiritual world, but Zhong Wei had no plans to tell Yun Chuyou about this. She hoped to maintain her image as a weak and pitiful victim with a kind heart in front of Elder Martial Sister.

Yun Chuyou asked Yu Jiu again, "What about the Second Junior Brother?"

"It will take two more days. Please wait for me for two days, senior martial sister."

Yun Chuyou thought about one more thing that needed to be settled, "Then I will go to Huaishi Village tomorrow and wait for you to finish your task before returning to the spiritual world."

Zhong Wei eagerly asked, "Can I go with you, senior martial sister?"

Yun Chuyou nodded, "Of course you can."

She looked at the fox spirit, "Huxiaobai, you should come along tomorrow too."

The white fox wagged its tail, "Okay, my kind benefactor."

Night fell. The several people returned to their own rooms. There were plenty of empty rooms in the house, and Huxiaobai was assigned one. Yu Jiu specially had the butler arrange a guest room for him that was the farthest from Yun Chuyou.

The door opened for the third time, and Huxiaobai, in its original form, looked up at the beautiful girl in the red dress. It could sense the waves of the Foundation Establishment Stage coming from her.

Finally, someone weaker than him arrived, and Hu Xiaobai felt relieved. Then he heard a similar lesson, which was nothing more than to help him understand himself and not to fantasize about Yun Chuyou.

The white fox turned back into a young boy. His beautiful face was bruised and swollen, looking very pitiful.

Listening to the girl’s harsh words, the boy with fox ears still looked confused until Zhong Wei attacked his identity as a monster and sharply accused him of being worthless. Hu Xiaobai finally said, "But you are also a monster."

He tilted his head, his expression naive and innocent, yet his words were like daggers, "You are wrong; you don’t deserve the title of monster. You are just a half-demon, a broken half-demon."