Volume 5 Chapter 34

Volume 5 + Chapter 34: The Fox Clan’s Banquet

“So she didn’t even say ‘my destined foe.’”

Yue Liu was deeply annoyed.

In her direct clash with Xia Yi, she had been completely overwhelmed, her mind crashing on the spot. In the end, it was Hongshan who had to take her away.

The original plan had been simple. Once her destined foe arrived at Fox Hill, she would give her a crushing show of force, making her understand who stood above whom.

Yet what she hadn’t expected was that Xia Yi would use such a shocking move, catching her completely off guard.

At the time, she hadn’t known how to respond at all, and with Xia Yi pressing the attack again and again, the very first round of their exchange ended with her at a clear disadvantage.

“Back then… was there really no way for me to refute her?”

The little fox pondered, thinking about what might have happened if she had made a different choice.

Got it!

If Xia Yi insisted that she marry into the Dragon Kingdom, then she could have simply gone along with it and blown the whole thing up.

In that case, wouldn’t it be the dragonfolk who were left dumbfounded? Her destined foe would have been forced to take responsibility for her own words.

And that way, she and Xia Yi would truly have…

“Wait!”

The little fox suddenly realized something. If she had agreed, then wouldn’t that mean her destined foe would really marry her?

The most crucial point was this, why had Xia Yi proposed such a thing in the first place?

Did that mean the other party genuinely harbored such thoughts, did she actually want to… with her?

“W-wuwu… shouldn’t the relationship between me and my destined foe be one of fated entanglement? How could it possibly develop into… that kind of… relationship?!”

The little fox’s cheeks flushed red again, as if she were on the verge of completely falling apart.

“Your Highness, please wake up!!”

Noticing that Yue Liu’s condition was becoming strange again, Hongshan stepped forward, grabbed the pink-haired girl by the shoulders, and shook her.

“Don’t be deceived by the dragonfolk’s scheme!”

“Deceived…?”

“Yes! Haven’t you noticed?” Hongshan said urgently. “They’re using this tactic to throw you into confusion. In the subsequent exchanges, you’d be forced into retreat after retreat, letting the dragonfolk seize the rhythm and take control of the discourse! They deliberately said this to set a trap for you!”

“…My destined foe, you’re truly despicable, trying to trick me like this!!”

The little fox abruptly stood up, her nine tails bristling behind her.

What an appalling loss of composure. Just a few words from the other side, and she had been thrown completely off balance.

This was unacceptable!

As the representative of the foxfolk, she should have been considering the interests of the nation and the race, not matters like… marriage or not…

Hmph!

The foxfolk would absolutely never marry into the dragonfolk!

“Hongshan, I’m clear-headed now. From here on out, I absolutely cannot fall for their tricks again!”

“That’s wonderful, Your Highness. You’ve finally pulled yourself together,” Hongshan said with relief. “The dragonfolk are also resting at the moment. We’ll need to inform them to resume the talks, ”

“No! Not yet. The talks can resume tomorrow. Hongshan, tonight uses the finest food and wine, invites the very best musicians and dancers, and entertains the dragonfolk properly. Let them enjoy themselves thoroughly and indulge in pleasure. The dragonfolk’s greatest flaw is their arrogance. Right now, they hold the advantage and will surely grow complacent. I’ll let them get so carried away that they lose all sense of direction. Then, I’ll use tonight to carefully plan how to deal with them.”

The little fox immediately adjusted her state of mind and made her arrangements.

Hongshan praised her sincerely. “Your Highness, this decision is absolutely correct.”

“Hmph. We must extract sufficient benefits from the dragonfolk while ensuring that we aren’t tied to them and targeted by other races. Maximizing gains while minimizing risks, that is the foxfolk’s way of survival,” the little fox said.

…

…

“The foxfolk’s wine really has a unique flavor, I’ve never tasted anything like it before!”

“These musicians’ instruments are so novel. How can they produce such heavenly sounds?”

“Hehe, these beautiful dancers are just too stunning…”

The foxfolk held a banquet, warmly entertaining the dragonfolk.

This wave of enthusiastic hospitality left the dragonfolk a bit overwhelmed, in the best way possible. They enjoyed it immensely.

After all, the strongest upper-tier races had always responded better to gentleness than to force.

“I can’t drink anymore, really, I can’t…!”

With a flush of drunkenness already on her face, Elly held up her freshly refilled cup and waved her hand frantically.

Several beautiful fox girls surrounded her, all grace and charm, pouring her more wine and picking dishes for her.

As a maid, she had never enjoyed such treatment before.

She was always the one serving others. This rare occasion of being served instead left the little green dragon maid completely dizzy.

“Elly-jiejie, could you tell us something about the dragonfolk?”

“I can’t, I can’t talk about that…”

Elly shook her head.

“Come on, tell us~”

“Yeah~ it’s not like you’ll lose a piece of flesh~”

“Elly-jiejie~”

The fox girls crowded closer, their tails brushing across Elly’s cheeks. Surrounded by fluffy fur and intoxicating fragrances, she grew increasingly muddled.

Elly giggled foolishly. “Let’s not talk about that… let’s talk about something else. Let’s play a game, let’s play a game… hehe…”

…

…

“So that’s how it is. On Fox Hill, where the Fox God is worshipped, foxfolk with exceptional talent become the Fox God’s shrine maidens, fulfilling divine duties and receiving everyone’s reverence.”

“The Fox God’s shrine maiden appears at random, each generation can have only one.”

“This tradition dates back to extremely ancient times…”

Xia Yi looked at the book in her hands, discovering many fascinating insights.

“Your Highness, aren’t you going to attend the banquet?” Karami asked. “The foxfolk said the talks will resume tomorrow. Today, they’ll be hosting us properly.”

“Wait a bit longer.”

Xia Yi remained focused on the book.

She was in the residence arranged by the foxfolk, browsing books that were only available for foreign guests to read.

“Karami, is Yue Liu the current shrine maiden?”

“Yes, Your Highness. I spent a small sum to inquire with the foxfolk guards,” Karami replied. “Yue Liu · Gitusezhuoya is the sole heir of the foxfolk royal family. Not only does she possess Nine-Tailed Fox blood, she is also the shrine maiden of this generation’s Fox God. Her situation is quite similar to yours, she is the future hope of the foxfolk, and the entire nation places immense expectations upon her.”

“So that fox-radish never told me any of this before. Turns out she’s that impressive.” Xia Yi couldn’t help but sigh.

In her mind, the little fox had upgraded from a Chuunibyou to a very impressive Chuunibyou.

After thinking for a moment, she turned around.

“Karami, you go to the banquet first. I’ll come over after I finish reading these books. You don’t need to keep waiting here for me.”

“Yes, understood, Your Highness.”

Karami nodded and then left.

Xia Yi stayed behind, reading alone for a while longer.

She had to admit that books written internally by the foxfolk themselves were far more reliable, teaching her quite a lot.

She put the book down and prepared to head out to join the foxfolk’s banquet for the dragonfolk. But as she stepped outside and looked up at the distant night sky, her gaze subtly changed.

Suddenly, the little princess’s lips curved upward slightly, and a strange yet bold idea began to take shape in her mind.

[https://ko-fi.com/golden_dragon]